OMG DID YOU HEAR? - never mind of course you've heard, everyone has and boy are people upset. ESPN ranked Kobe Bean Bryant as the 25th best player. The Kobe Bryant, the 5 time NBA champion, 15 time NBA All-Star, 2 time NBA scoring champion, and a whole list of other accomplishments, that guy. He's consistently been one of the best if not the best players in the league. And the audacity of ESPN to list him as number 25.
All jokes aside, this ranking for Kobe isn't pretty and it's hard to see, but so was watching him tear his Achilles. And that is just the reality of where Kobe is right now. Kobe is injured and old, which is never a good mix. It isn't the mid 2000s, Kobe isn't young and in his prime. If anything a ranking of 25 shows respect for one of the greatest competitors to play this game.
Vino, that is what he's calling himself these days, because he was getting better with age and its true. Last season he played exceptionally well, dragging his star studded team to the playoffs. Unfortunately however, he was hit with a serious injury. Without ripping off from this deadspin post, I suggest you read it to try an understand the severity of the injury and what Kobe faces. http://deadspin.com/how-an-achilles-tear-affects-nba-players-or-why-kobe-472944871
As you've read, this injury isn't kind to players and has ended many careers and hindered others. Dominique Wilkins was the exception to this, he like Kobe was on the wrong side of 30 when hit with the injury. Kobe may only be a couple of years older than Wilkins was when he suffered the tear, but Bryant has logged nearly double the amount of playing time. Despite getting finer with age, the amount of mileage on Kobe's legs can't be helping his recovery. The article mentions another star player in Isiah Thomas. Isiah was the same age as Wilkins when he tore his achilles, however Thomas had many more minutes than Wilkins under his belt and he unfortunately never returned from that injury.
All this is not to say that I think Kobe is done and should retire. I don't believe that, I believe that Kobe can be a top 25 player in the NBA next season. But that is a huge feat for a 35 year old coming back from such a severe injury, no one else would be ranked so high. So, instead of seeing the ranking as disrespect I see it as a testament to Kobe's greatness.
I understand the fandom freaking out at lesser players being ranked ahead of an all time great, it is odd to see Kobe so low. And no Chris Bosh isn't better than a healthy Kobe Bryant. But Kobe Bryant isn't healthy, Kobe doesn't have a concrete timeline for his return and Kobe is old. Chris Bosh is healthy and ready to contribute. So, if I had to pick between the two for the upcoming season it would have to be the young healthy stud that I know will play from opening night and what level he'll play at. It's really that simple.
All the best to Kobe though, I do hope he comes back looking more like a top 5 player, where he was last year.
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