Monday, March 26, 2007

Even Spike Lee Would Laugh At This...Kobe Better Than M.J.?



The front page on espn.com reads "Like Mike, Only Better." You have to be kidding me! I understand if you make your comparisons of Michael Jordan to Wilt Chamberlin, Larry Bird to Irvin Magic Johnson, or even Clyde Drexler to Dominique Wilkins...but Kobe Bryant being better than Michael Jordan? Wait, is that a statue of Michael Jordan? Don't they go around making statues in honor of any mediocre player? Oh wait they don't! In the midst of all the hoopla and hype of Nash and The Dirk for MVP, Kobe has four high scoring games in a row, and suddenly he's being compared to the Royal Airness? That article says Kobe is just as good of a defender???? I remember, back in the day when Michael graced our presence for the World Champion Chicago Bulls. His battles against the Supersonics, Jazz, Cleveland Cavs, the list goes on throughout the playoffs all had one thing that's absent now a days. Something that has been lost in the translation many many years ago in the NBA . . . oh yeah I remember what it is. . . actual defense. In Kobe's high scoring games, from most recent to the first, here are the final game scores: 115/113, 111/105, 121/119, 109/102. I don't see any sort of defense in any of those games. EVERY SINGLE OPPONENT scored 100+. These weren't just any single opponent these were the Grizzlies and Hornets, nothing to brag about.
Being a long time Bulls fan I am outraged by this. I understand that Kobe is a good shooter and player, but after four good games in a row everyone is ready to kick someone out of the Greatest 50 NBA Players ever and slap Kobe in there. Just for another reminder of why Jordan is great, showing his supreme dunk skills. I could go on and on and bitch about this. If my opinion mattered, I'd take Lebron over Kobe ANY DAY. Lebron gets points, assists, steals, and blocks. When Kobe stops slapping people in the face after shooting, then he might be capable of making maybe an All Star team. Here's something for Kobe to dream about tonight:

Naismith Awared: 1984
Wooden Award: 1984
Adolph Rupp Award: 1984
ACC Player of the Year: 83-84
NBA Rookie of the Year: 84-85
NBA MVP: 87-88, 90-91, 91-92, 95-96, 97-98
NBA Finals MVP: 90-91, 91-92, 92-93, 95-96, 96-97, 97-98
NBA All Star MVP: 88, 96, 98
NBA Defensive Player: 87-88
Slam Dunk Champ: 87, 88

Maybe Kobe should have went to college?

4 comments:

Jschoenf said...

I agree completely. You cannot compare Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan. Michael is the best basketball player to ever play the game. Kobe does have a pretty impressive resume but that doesn't even compare to Michael's. So, due to the fact that Kobe has scored a few games of 50 points or more, he is now being put in the same category as the best, Michael Jordan? That is absurd and Michael is in a category by himself.

Unknown said...

No way in hell can you compare Kobe to Michael. Kobe needs to win a championship with out Shaq to even be considered a great player.

Tim812 said...

I also completely agree that Michael Jordan is definately the better player. Some of the arguments written in the ESPN article claiming Kobe is better, are just ridiculous.

First of all she says that Kobe is a better teammate that Jordan and sites Jordan's fights with his teammates as a reason. Well, one of the temmates that he punched is Steve Kerr and he wrote an article on Yahoo! that said Jordan was better and Jordan was a great teammate. And if Kobe is such a great teammate why couldn't he a Shaq get along?

Second she claims that Phoenix, Dallas, and San Antonio of this year are better than Utah, Phoenix, and Portland that the bulls played in championship games. Is she kidding? If the Mavs are so good then why did they lose to a team in the championship with only 2 good players (Wade and Shaq)? Wade almost beat them by himself. Just think what Jordan would have done to teams like that.

jgaither said...

It isn't fair to compare anyone to MJ but give Kobe his due. The things that he can do are ridiculous. He is absolutely unstoppable. He can drive, hit a 20-foot fadeaway, or bust a three in the defender's face. The man scored 81 points! He also makes the All-Defensive team every year. Does he shoot the ball too much? Probably, but he doesn't have Scottie Pippen to share the load with. And don't compare Lamar Odom to Pippen. There will only be one Michael Jordan but the same can be said for Kobe Bryant. When he retires, he will be considered one of the greatest ever.