Kobe Bryant Proven To Be Not Totally Useless

Kobe Bryant's ability as a team leader who can win championships has finally been validated, as the L.A. Kobes won their first post-Shaq championship. Phil Jackson has also finally been vindicated in his decision to keep Kobe over Shaq.

It's been a hard road for Kobe. The year Shaq left, the Heat went to the Eastern Conference finals, losing to the defending champs, while the Kobes didn't even make the playoffs. The next year, the Heat won the championship; the Kobes were out in the first round the next two years.

Kobe wanted to prove he wasn't just a second banana to Shaq. He oh so wanted you to believe that he alone could drag the Kobes to a championship. His string of 50 points games the year after Shaq won one without him proved fruitless; hell, I think he would have scored all the Kobes' points if Phil Jackson would've let him.

But Kobe just proved the point that one man alone can't win a championship. I myself even commented that Kobe couldn't do it, regardless of how many points he scored.

It finally took the addition of Spanish Shaq-replacement Pau Gasol to turn the tide for the Kobes, who immediately became a better team, going 27-9 with Gasol versus 30-16 before. They ended up going all the way to the finals before losing to the Celtics. And now, a full season from Gasol has garnered them a championship.

Congratulations, Kobe. I just hope you enjoy it and keep it up until the Cavs finally figure out how to put some good players around LeBron.