Although some media hyped up that the Lakers had three top ten players in the league joining forces, only ESPN ranked Kidd in the top ten, and most media outlets weren't giving Kidd that much "face".
In people's eyes, Kidd's abilities alone were no longer enough to rank in the top ten of the league, he could at most play a role close to a top ten superstar under certain conditions. Besides, with all three players getting older, the youngest Kobe would be 30 years old in eight months.
At that time, the three of them joining forces didn't bother anyone, nor did anyone need to use them to launder their reputations. The mainstream opinion was—Kidd and Garnett had struggled to lead teams to championships for over a decade and were at the end of their careers. They stepped down to join forces with Kobe, who had also had a miserable three years.
Bobcats... Domestic media's evaluation, even the fans of eagle sauce recognize—"the most rightful" champions.
