Kobe Bryant dilemma/debate

Some of you were probably wondering when I would start a discussion about the Lakers, ie Kobe Bryant. Well, here it is. I was talking with a friend on Facebook (of course - where else do we talk to people anymore? haha) today and he persisted in telling me that Pau Gasol is a much better player, overall, than Kobe. He only mentioned this because Kobe had 29 points last night (against GS), but 9 turnovers. Pau only had 3, I believe. (I don't have the stats in front of me, so I apologize if I'm a little off...I'm pulling them from my head right now. ha) Because Kobe had 9 turnovers last night, my friend insisted that Pau is a much better player than Kobe. I also need to mention that my friend's head has become clouded with the fact that Kobe is an immoral individual. I am not denying that he is not. Whenever I say that like Kobe, I am simply referring to his athleticism, not his personal life. I think that most of you would agree with me that the Lakers would not be able to win a championship without Kobe. I know that some of you are thinking back to a few years ago when the Lakers produced the amazing All-Star team, but did not win the championship. Some say that Kobe was too selfish. Perhaps he was, but the Lakers have gone on to win a few titles since then without the big All-star team. Some also say that the Lakers have built up a team around Kobe, which may be true, but I will admit that there are so many other good players on the team right now who help make a difference, ie Fisher, Gasol, Odom, and Bynum. Anyways, I could go on and on about the Lakers and how no one should hate Kobe - purely for his athletics.

Yes - I will admit that Kobe does not have that fun-loving, warm personality, but "he's clearly the best clutch player in the game," ie breaking a tie 3 times with 4 seconds against Miami, Sacramento, Memphis, Toronto, etc. (Los Angeles Times, March 13, 2010)

Note: this will not be the last post about Kobe and the Lakers. Several more to come...esp. during playoff season.