Kobe Bryant has long been the best player in the NBA. Despite constant arguments from pundits claiming other players had surpassed him on the court he continued to prove why he was the best. But during the 2011 season he took a clear step backwards, as the beating his body has taken over the last decade finally seems to have caught up to him.
However, it was announced that Bryant was named to the first team All-NBA and first team All-Defense teams once again. While Bryant did have a good season and was one of the best players in the league, both those awards should have gone to somebody else.
Now I know that saying anything negative about Bryant is a good way to get ostracized from Los Angeles, but Bryant’s inclusion on those two teams is based on the reputation he has established over the last ten years, not his performance in the 2011 season.
Bryant did have a good season, but not one worthy of first team honors. The nod on both accounts should have gone to Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who had better numbers and better intangibles than Bryant this season. While the numbers were close, Wade’s were higher in every major category. When it came down to wins on the court the Heat had a better record than Los Angeles. And in head to head meetings the Heat won both times.
If you want to take an approach that is strictly statistical Wade has the advantage. Bryant averaged 25.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. While Wade’s numbers aren’t remarkably higher, he still put up 25.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists. Wade also averaged 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, both are higher than Bryant.
Now many will argue that since the numbers are so close Bryant deserves the spot. But if the purpose of the word is to determine the best, then shouldn’t the player with the best numbers receive recognition?
Other arguments will claim that Bryant provided more on the court than Wade, and that those extenuating circumstances are why Bryant deserves the award. But a closer look at their season once again favors Wade. One of the main problems for Bryant and the Lakers was closing out games. Usually an afterthought, in 2011 Bryant’s ability to close became iffy at best. On multiple occasions the Lakers relied on Bryant to close games out and more often than not he was unable to do it.
On the other hand we have Wade. Miami’s fourth quarter troubles were well documented for the first two-thirds of the season. However, once the Heat made it a priority to run their offense through Wade rather than LeBron James the team came together and began to win consistently. On multiple occasions Wade won big games for Miami late in the fourth quarter. While he certainly wasn’t the only player on his team capable of hitting big shots (James), he was the focal point of late-game offense.
Next: Squashing the LeBron James Theory
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That transitions into the final argument perfectly. Wade may have lost votes because of the inclusion of James on his team and on the list as well. It’s rare to see two players from the same team earn first team All-NBA honors, but it’s not impossible. In fact, Bryant and former teammate Shaquille O’Neal both were named to first team All-NBA back in 2002. It happened again in 2007 when Phoenix Suns’ teammates Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire were both named first team All-NBA. The argument that Bryant deserves it over Wade because the Heat already have a representative on the first team squad is voided because of the voter’s decision to ignore that aspect in the past.
Every sport has proven that many of the annual awards are based on reputation. You see it in All-Star voting, and in nominations for All-NBA teams each year. Many of these awards are voted on by players, coaches and fans, and many times there are just a few names that jump off the page. Those names, such as Kobe Bryant, are so transcendent that the voters feel there is no way that particular player can be left off the list.
Bryant has had a great career, and will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest players of all time. But this year he was not the most effective player at his position. Wade was more productive overall and defensively. There were countless occasions when Bryant’s defense failed the Lakers. While he was certainly strong defensively at times, the majority of the time Bryant became a liability on defense. He can no longer guard the best player on the opposing team while still producing big numbers on offense. This isn’t a knock on Bryant, but just a realistic look at his career.
Kobe Bryant is still one of the best players in the NBA. He’s still one of the most productive guys in the league. But this time the voters got it wrong. Bryant may have deserved to be listed on the second team or at least third, but he was not worthy of the first team All-NBA nod that he received today.
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