Quote from KymarFye:
That game would make sense only if Kobe and Duncan played the same positions. The Lakers are built around Shaq inside, and Kobe everywhere else, and teams with strong inside games are typically more able to win consistently than teams that depend on outside games. Again, there are many exceptions, but, on a team as thin as the Lakers were at the beginning of this season, and a team built for years around the league's greatest inside presence, the general rule was especially true - which makes Kobe's back to back performances over Houston and Utah last week, when everyone knew how much they counted, all the more impressive.
If the league had anyone else to compare with Shaq, or if the game worked a little differently, more favorably to outside threats, then Kobe would be the "center" of the team. I guess if they were playing baseball, he'd be more important, too. I have no idea how their golf games compare...
If you traded Duncan for KG, would the Spurs or Wolves have much different records? Maybe... Hard to say. I like KG more, but the Spurs may need Duncan's solidity inside with Robinson so out of it.
Lately, Kobe has been both the most important and the best player on the Lakers. With Shaq healthy, things would probably revert to normal: Shaq most dominant, Kobe the best, as Shaq himself has formulated it. Perhaps the subtlety of the distinction has escaped you. It's a team game, remember? - and the Lakers have led with a 1-2 punch.
