Kobe Or Shaq?

This topic is getting kind of old huh? Once again Shaq and Kobe are at it in the media taking jabs at each other. Is it me or is this straight out of Kindergarten? These two need to realize one thing, they don't win three championships without each other. That's why the Lakers didn't win it last year (no Shaq) and that's why Shaq never won anything until Kobe became the player he is today.

That being said, what should the Lakers do? If you had to choose one what would you do? Let me say one thing is for certain, without Shaq the Lakers aren't doing anything right now. The way they are built, they need Shaq. He is truly unstoppable when he wants to be and he is in shape. Nobody in the league has anybody else who can match up. That being said I take Kobe. Huh?

OK, first off Kobe is younger. You're going to get 7 more years out of Kobe than you are with Shaq if not more. Shaq is on his way down the hill, Kobe is still looking up. Kobe, albeit not this year, stays in much better shape than Shaq. He improves on his game year in and year out. The NBA is a guards league. Guards dominate the game because they have the ball in their hands. Its a fast paced game where things have to happen quickly and throwing it in the paint is not wise unless you have a Shaq or a Tim Duncan. Now the last few championships have been won by teams with either Shaq or Tim Duncan which would seem to suggest that having the big man is more important. Well I would argue, yeah if he is Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan, as much as I hate to admit it, is better than Shaq is. Why would I say such a thing? Because Shaq is inconsistent. You know what Duncan is giving you, he gives it to you every night. Shaq has 1 MVP, Duncan 2 and Duncan is younger. The reason, Shaq gets hurt. He misses too many games.

But given all the above I was still leaning toward Shaq until I thought, would I rather have the Bulls teams of the 90's or the Lakers of now. The answer was the Bulls. How come? They had Jordan and he dominated the game from the two guard with almost no big man to speak of (unless you count Luc Longley?) In fact, he routinely beat Shaq and the Magic.

So for the long term I take Kobe. You're simply going to get more out of him, unless he goes to jail.