Are rings really that important?

[UnbelievablyRAW]

After reading a lot of the comments on the "who do you think the best players in 2K12 will be" thread, I pondered over this question. Do rings really reflect an individual players talent and skill? Many people hail Kobe as better than Lebron because he is a winner and has 5 rings, but to be honest, even if Kobe won 8 rings I'd still take Jordan.

I always disregard the ring argument when debating over which player is better, it seems like a poor way for people that can't form a proper argument to try to boost their favourite player up. You might be thinking now that



But I do not. I respect his game, but I believe your individual production on the court holds more value than how many rings you have won with your team.

[youvalss]

I think Kobe is a great player and a winner (and I can't stand him, as many here know). Those rings count, but I don't think you can say that because a guy has 3 rings - he's better than another guy with one ring (unless he won all these titles all by himself, which is pretty impossible when we're talking about a team sport).

I wonder what people would say about MJ/Bird/Magic if they never won a title...

[Pims33]

Yes, to some extent. Basketball is a team sport, you can have all the personal accolades but it's all about what you bring to your team, a lot of players sometimes get overlooked because they don't have a ring. With that being said that's not the only thing you gotta look at when ranking a player but it matters.

[st0rmb11]

I think it depends on the argument.

The question that is constantly posed is "who is the better player?"
let's take LeBron & Kobe and ask that question.

I think the overwhelming opinion would be that LeBron James is the better PLAYER. he can do more things as a player.

When people pose that question, I think what they really mean is "who has had the better career?"
in that case, it's overwhelmingly Kobe.

You should definitely weigh rings into the "better career" argument. but in determining who's the better player (who has the better skill set, etc.), I don't see where rings are relevant.

Wilt Chamberlain was a better basketball player than Bill Russell. He could do more (and do many of the same things Russell could do) on a basketball court.

but if you ask who had the better career, it's clearly Russell.

and the "who would you rather have?" changes the whole argument. Because while James & Chamberlain are clearly better players than Kobe & Russell, I think many people would take Kobe over LeBron, and I KNOW most people would take Russell over Wilt.

I know I'm sort of rambling, but to answer the question - I don't think you should take rings into account when determining the better player. Better career? yes.

[Pims33]

Quote: Originally Posted by st0rmb11

I think it depends on the argument. The question that is constantly posed is "who is the better player?" let's take LeBron & Kobe and ask that question. I think the overwhelming opinion would be that LeBron James is the better PLAYER. he can do more things as a player. When people pose that question, I think what they really mean is "who has had the better career?" in that case, it's overwhelmingly Kobe. You should definitely weigh rings into the "better career" argument. but in determining who's the better player (who has the better skill set, etc.), I don't see where rings are relevant. Wilt Chamberlain was a better basketball player than Bill Russell. He could do more (and do many of the same things Russell could do) on a basketball court. but if you ask who had the better career, it's clearly Russell. and the "who would you rather have?" changes the whole argument. Because while James & Chamberlain are clearly better players than Kobe & Russell, I think many people would take Kobe over LeBron, and I KNOW most people would take Russell over Wilt. I know I'm sort of rambling, but to answer the question - I don't think you should take rings into account when determining the better player. Better career? yes.

LeBron got some things better than Kobe but Kobe also got some things better than him. Right now, I'll probably say LeBron is the better player (let's see what the season brings) but Kobe is stepping away from his prime and we'll see if LeBron develops right now, he still got lots to improve, if he can improve. I don't want to turn this into a Kobe vs LeBron thing though, I don't care about it.

Back on topic, like I've said it's about what you bring to your team, because it's a team sport, so rings matter, you gotta take many things in account though, but it's also about what you do and win, making your team mates better, proving that you are the better player, the man for your team, something LeBron didn't do last season for instance. People also got to remember that this isn't a one-on-one sport.

[Pims33]

Jordan, Bird an Magic in the 80's did incredible things as players but Jordan didn't have a ring so people never mentioned him in the same breath as the other two, it started to happen in '91 when he got that ring. You gotta step up and be the man for your team (sometimes great ones have really lousy teams though and other things come in consideration), make the team better, your team mates better, or both, and win that ring, it's about what you accomplish and do for that, not just about what you can do, if you catch my drift.

[CelticPride101]

Quote: Originally Posted by Pims33

Yes, to some extent. Basketball is a team sport, you can have all the personal accolades but it's all about what you bring to your team, a lot of players sometimes get overlooked because they don't have a ring. With that being said that's not the only thing you gotta look at when ranking a player but it matters.

agreed.....

[TheMatrix31]

Everything is circumstantial. Circumstances vary from one year to the next. If a player doesn't have a ring, it doesn't necessarily discount him. That said, rings are obviously important. Playoff success overall is pretty important. A guy who lucks out on a ring doesn't necessarily mean he's better than a guy who makes it to the Conference Finals/Finals like 5 times but for whatever reason never ends up winning a ring.