NBA Roundtable: Trades, Kevin Durant Injury Issues And Disappointments

Following up on last week’s question about Kobe, (which you can read here) what kind of emotions do you have in seeing how this all-time great appears to be closing his career?

Jason Coldiron: Sadness. I don’t want to watch an all-time great go down like this.

Evan Caulfield: Absolute sadness. Growing up, my favorite player was Kobe Bryant and I still have fond memories of him to this day. It’s hard to watch someone you idolize nearing retirement, especially when it’s one of the best to ever play the game. As a fan, I really want Kobe to play another season, but I know he’s more than likely done after this year.

Matt Ziegler: Watching Kobe end his career like this is depressing, but less than surprising. We saw the same type of play from Brett Favre in football and Derek Jeter in baseball. Favre was awful during his final season and it became an issue of the game being far too fast for him. Jeter too was absolutely awful.  He was statistically one of the worst infielders on the year in his final season.

However, Jeter went about his final season the correct way – it is a series of curtain calls and gifts to accept. If Kobe could adjust his view to this being more of a farewell tour and not once last chance to prove himself, the season might be looked at in a more positive light. However, we all know thats not in Kobe’s DNA.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Week 4 Edition

Nicholas Hughes: I’m saddened by the prospect of this being the end of Kobe. The Black Mamba has been a fixture in the upper echelon of the sports hierarchy for the better part of the last two decades. I’m still trying to get used to Kobe not being a perennial NBA MVP candidate, so this is already far too much for me to take in. And all of this is coming from a guy who doesn’t even like Kobe Bryant.

I grew up a Jason Kidd fan, so watching Kobe and company crush my Nets in the 2002 NBA Finals turned me off to the superstar at a young age. Still though he has been one of the staples of greatness in the basketball world, and my respect for him is enough to make me sad about his career coming to a close.

Brandon Osborne: Sadness that Kobe’s final season will go this poorly. His body looks like its shutting down already and on the court he continues to struggle to do the things we’ve come to expect from him.

Michael Saenz: I’m not the biggest Kobe fan, but it is kind of sad that he has to go out like this. Not surprising, just sad. I really wish he wouldn’t retired on top. At least on a team that had a shot at making the playoffs.