Rick Kamla: Kobe or Lebron Video

[AceFresh]

Yepp^

[pearfruitboy]

That said Kobe is playing the best BB of his career for the last 2 weeks.. I dont know if it is his lighter shoes or his pinky getting healthy.. If he plays like this for the rest of the season he will beat both LeBron and wade hands down..

I don't think its about the shoes or his pinky. If you really look at it, Kobe has always improved his stats as the season got along, making the later part of the season being the best bball he plays. So thats why a lot of people never puts Kobe off the map on a potential scoring title.

[magic1fan]

Both were essential to winning the gold. I thought LeBron had the better, more consistent tournament, while Kobe made all the big plays at the most important moment. I thought LeBron was the more vocal leader, while Kobe made a huge impact by leading through example, especially with his effort on defense and in practice.

As for who's better right now, I go back and forth on this on a seemingly daily basis. They're both so, so good. If I had to pick one, right now, I'd lean towards LeBron, but I wouldn't do so with complete confidence.

I just wish they were a bit closer in age, so that wasn't such a glaring factor. Because I find it hard to pick against a 6-8, 250-pound freak of nature who is just entering his prime compared to a 30-year-old who has already cracked the 1,000-game plateau.

A couple of years ago, this would have been a fairly easy choice for me. But really, the only non-intangible area I can think of that Kobe has a substantive edge is perimeter and free throw shooting. Otherwise, it's either a dead heat or LeBron holds the edge in nearly every other category (per 36 minutes, to find some sort of even ground).

Scoring is virtually identical (27.3 for LBJ, 26.8 for Kobe).

LeBron leads in assists 6.5 to 5.5, and is the better natural passer in my opinion.

LeBron leads in rebounds 6.3 to 4.3, but that results from his physical gifts rather than skill.

Steals are virtually identical (1.9 for LBJ to 1.5 for Kobe).

LeBron leads in blocks 1.1 to 0.4, for the same reason as rebounding.

LeBron shoots 51% from the floor compared to 47% for Kobe.

Kobe shoots 33% from 3 and 87% at the line, compared to 29% and 78% for LBJ.

LeBron has a .597 true shooting percentage, while Kobe shoots .565.

LeBron has a 32.6 PER (first in the NBA, on pace to set the single-season record) while Kobe is at 24.7 (7th).

Defensively, Kobe has his moments but in my opinion tends to drift/gamble way too much; I've always thought he was a bit overrated as a defender so I might not be the best judge. LBJ still won't confuse anyone for Scottie Pippen, but in the handful of Cavs games I've seen he looks vastly improved on this end.

Kobe works harder and is hungrier, I think, but I also think LeBron is starting to get a handle on just how hard it is to win in the NBA, and what it takes to do so. I highly doubt he's ever going to be as savagely competitive as Kobe is, but I see him getting in the same ballpark at some point.

It's almost like the Shaq-or-Duncan debate to me -- you can make a super strong argument for both, and you can't really fault anyone for picking one or the other. But to be completely honest, from a purely statistical standpoint it looks to me like LeBron holds a slight, yet distinctive edge.

pretty much a great and accurate post. there are only a couple of things i disagree with slightly. first to me kobe's defense has never been overrated,he took chances guarding people and he got burned a few times,earlier in his career but to me that just shows his heart. i have seen him many times lock in on a player and disrupt their game. also to me lebrons passing is overrated. i have never seen him make any jaw dropping passes. to me they are simple passes being blown out of proportion. oh well,but other than that like i said great post.

[The Explorer]

The hunger argument was really dumb. Just because lebron has 0 titles to kobe's 3, that automatically makes him hungrier??? Kobe is who he is because of his competitive drive. You don't win MVP if you're not hungry as hell.

[pearfruitboy]

The hunger argument was really dumb. Just because lebron has 0 titles to kobe's 3, that automatically makes him hungrier??? Kobe is who he is because of his competitive drive. You don't win MVP if you're not hungry as hell.

Yup, Kobe is the one that needs to prove that he can win a title without Shaq.

[SwiLL2432]

When Kobe wins 3 or 4 titles in a row and is sitting at 6 or 7 rings then my guess is that this debate will be over and the Kobe V Jordan debates will be come back.

Maybe that is me being a little optimistic but I do what I can do....

Plus, Tim Duncan is twice the player Lebron will ever be

[Sedale Threatt]

The hunger argument was really dumb. Just because lebron has 0 titles to kobe's 3, that automatically makes him hungrier??? Kobe is who he is because of his competitive drive. You don't win MVP if you're not hungry as hell.

Not sure if you're referring to my post. If so, I have no idea why as I very clearly stated "Kobe works harder and is hungrier..." Can't be any more obvious than that.

pretty much a great and accurate post. there are only a couple of things i disagree with slightly. first to me kobe's defense has never been overrated,he took chances guarding people and he got burned a few times,earlier in his career but to me that just shows his heart. i have seen him many times lock in on a player and disrupt their game. also to me lebrons passing is overrated. i have never seen him make any jaw dropping passes. to me they are simple passes being blown out of proportion. oh well,but other than that like i said great post.

1. I think Kobe's very good on defense when he wants to be, and I generally respect his effort on that end, especially considering how much offensive responsibility he shoulders. But I also think he tends to lose focus and/or gamble far too much.

2. I have the exact opposite impression of LeBron's passing skills. Seems like just about every game I watch he drops a dime or two that makes me sit up in my seat. I think Kobe is an excellent play maker for a scoring 2-guard, but LeBron, in my opinion, is on a different level.

No matter what you think of the style points, he's assisting on nearly 20% of Cleveland's baskets, which is unreal considering he's a SF who's also pouring in 28 points a night.