We all love/hate Charles Barkley for the same reason: he speaks his mind.
I personally like Barkley and how he says what’s on his mind, whether he’s right or wrong.
Most recently, Barkley had this to say with regards to Kobe Bryant and his injury on the Dan Patrick Show:
“I think he can be a good player. That’s it. Is he going to be an All-Star? He’ll probably be an All-Star because the fans will vote him in. But as far as being a dominant player, that’s not going to happen.”
With this, I have to strongly disagree.
Barkley actually makes it very easy for me to disagree with him for a few reasons.
First, he could have simply said Kobe wouldn’t be the same player or wouldn’t have the same explosion.
Or, he could have said that he won’t be able to carry the load offensively for the Lakers all by himself anymore.
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He could have even said that offensively Kobe would be okay, but defensively, he simply wouldn’t be able to guard younger, faster players anymore.
All of those would have been reasonable, logical assessments.
However, to say that Kobe Bryant–even at the age of 35 and coming off an Achilles tear–won’t be a dominant player and imply that he won’t be of All-Star caliber any longer is just ridiculous.
Nobody will truly know how Kobe’s body will respond to the injury until he finally suits up next season, but there’s a certain feeling you get when it comes to Kobe Bryant. The feeling that he’ll will his way back into top form.
Even if he’s not the same player that had a legendary season in his 17th year and was named the fourth best player in the league by ESPN, he’ll still be dominant.
For edification, just prior to this past season he was ranked sixth in the same poll by ESPN. Additionally, he was ranked seventh the year before.
Why am I pointing this out? Because when Kobe had a full off-season to get healthy and get into tip-top game shape, he was able to dominate once again and have a truly remarkable season.
Moreover, when he hadn’t been as healthy or in as good of shape, he was still pretty darn good, and the critics and doubters fueled him to bounce back seemingly stronger than ever; creating the “Vino” nickname which symbolized his ability to get better with time.
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Yeah, in that season he still managed to average 25.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
I’m willing to bet that Kobe will be a little bit better off next season than he was in that season.
Sure, he was younger then, and he may not average the 27.3 points, 6.0 assists and 5.6 rebounds he did last season, but he won’t be as limited as he was in that 2011 season, in my opinion.
Basically what I’m saying is this. Kobe had one of his best seasons in recent memory because his health allowed him to, but even when he’s not healthy, he’s still extremely effective and certainly an All-Star caliber player.
Next season, barring any other injuries, Kobe should be able to practice normally and play significant minutes.
Surely, the Lakers need to find a solid backup for him and play him less minutes than they’ve been playing him, but I don’t see as much limitation for Kobe as he had in that 2011 season.
I see him possibly having a little bit less explosion and less speed, but that’s about it.
Obviously, I’m not a doctor, but orthopedic surgeon Dr. Robert Klapper believes Kobe’s will and determination will propel him back to an elite level and claims that his explosion will actually return in time.
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Take it from Kobe himself, who said in his exit interview, via Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
“The worst case is what, I lose some of my athleticism and I lose some speed. I see a lot of guys that are not athletic and don’t have speed that are still pretty damn good. And I think I’m a little better than them. So I think I can adjust.”
That’s exactly it. If there’s one thing Kobe is amazing at, it’s adjusting his game to compensate for almost anything.
Remember the torn ligaments in his wrist, the broken fingers, etc.? He’s always found a way to adjust to whatever his body may throw at him. He always finds a way.
Additionally, that’s just the art of him battling his injuries. That’s not even taking into consideration the level of basketball IQ he possesses.
The combination of the two is one reason that Kobe Bryant is a great player. With his IQ, he doesn’t need the athleticism or speed to be effective. It helps, but it’s always been the fundamentals that he’s relied upon–not his athletic ability.
He’s even come to grips with the possibility that he may have to become more of a facilitator next season and less of a scorer due to the injury, which is certainly something he’s capable of doing because of his skill level. In fact, he had a stretch of games where he exhibited this last season.
So to say that Kobe won’t be the same player would’ve been one thing, but for Charles to say that he’s going to just be a “Good player. That’s it,” is simply absurd.
He obviously has no idea the kind of will and passion that Kobe Bryant trains and plays with, nor the multiple ways he can affect ballgames.
Kobe has always been one of the best players in the league season after season, and even when he’s not at his best, he’s still a top 10 player according to ESPN. I’m convinced he’s going to remain a top 10 player next season, even after the Achilles injury.
That would certainly make him more than just a “good player,” wouldn’t it?
That would even consider him to be an All-Star caliber player, right?
It would also designate him as being a dominant player, no?
Charles Barkley is known to say some ridiculous things, but to say what he said about the Black Mamba is at the top of the list.
It’s all good though because Kobe feeds off of the critics who doubt him, and he’s always managed to shut them up in one way or another.
I’m sure shutting the mouth of Sir Charles will be just one more thing the Black Mamba is looking forward to next season.