LA Lakers: A LeBron Fan and Kobe Hater's Perspective on Bryant's Hot Start

After his 40-point performance last night against the Utah Jazz and his 48-point eruption against the Phoenix Suns, Kobe Bryant took over as the NBA's current scoring leader with an average of 30.3 points per game.

Another impressive stat for you is that Bryant, with 109 total 40-point games in his career, ranks behind only Michael Jordan with 173 career 40-point games and Wilt Chamberlain with 273 career 40-point games. 

As much as I hate to admit it, as an avid LeBron James supporter, I have to say that Kobe's still got it, even at the age of 33, proving so far this season that he is still the best, most offensively explosive player in the NBA.

No, Kobe isn't the most complete player in the NBA, ranking behind players like LeBron and Kevin Durant in rebounds per game, and behind players like Derrick Rose and James in assists per game, but he is without a doubt the best offensive player in the game right now, hands down.

After losing Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks and failing to acquire Chris Paul from the Hornets, I thought Kobe was in for a rough year.  I thought so because his health was a concern going into the season, and the offensive pressure placed on him seemed like it would wear on him quickly, ultimately leading to a decrease in offensive production and a Lakers' fall from greatness.

I hate to admit it, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

Kobe, in the face of adversity, has once again risen to the occasion, leading the Lakers to an 8-4 record by leading the league in scoring (30.3 PPG) and, for the first time in his life, truly making the talent around him better.

It's not often that I praise Kobe (actually, this might be the first time in my entire life that I've done it), but he deserves it.

So far this season, Kobe has undoubtedly proven these five things:

1.  Even with a mangled wrist that requires nightly injections, Kobe's still the best purely offensive player in the NBA. (Yes, even better than Durant)

2.  He is and always will be, until he retires, the true franchise player of the Los Angeles Lakers, even if Andrew Bynum continues to get better or they sign Dwight Howard.

3.  If your team's trailing by three or less with time running out, Kobe is still the guy you'd want more than any other with the ball in his hands.

4.  Kobe's lingering health issues, barring a serious injury, will not hold back his ability to produce at an elite level.

5.  He's the way-too-early favorite for the NBA MVP trophy.

The point I'm trying to make is this: Kobe is still one of the top three NBA players in the league right now.  Will he be able to keep scoring 40 points a night? No, but he has shown us that he is still capable of making the Lakers one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA.

The Kobe and LeBron debate will always exist in the world of basketball, and as a LeBron supporter, I would never choose Kobe over him.  But one thing is for sure, and that is that throughout Kobe's career, and into the early 2011-12 NBA season, he's proven that he is the most explosive offense player in the NBA and that won't change for a long time. 

It's not often that I have kind things to say about Bryant, and it very well might not happen again for the rest of the 2011-12 season, but the fact of the matter is that Kobe has earned the respect of even his harshest critics so far this year. 

So good job so far, Kobe, but I hope your streak of 40-point games ends on Friday night when you take on the Cleveland Cavaliers, and I hope you never have another 40-point game for the rest of your career.

Kobe, good luck the rest of the season, and here's hoping that the 54 games left on your regular season schedule don't end up going so well for you.