StephNYKurry wrote:It's immaterial to you, but not me and apparently not Kobe.
He's making an argument about who he finds more difficult to guard. Given how little he does so and how much less he's played Lebron than Melo, I'm not inclined to put a lot of weight into what he has to say here... But it's also an opinion of an individual matchup for a single defensive player with good frontcourt support behind him and Lebron has typically outperformed Melo. It's possible that he thinks Melo's wider, less effective array of moves made Kobe think more on D and presented a greater challenge.
Where people are erring, however, is trying to extend that to mean that Melo is a better scorer than Lebron. That's not what Kobe said.
Efficiency at scoring the basketball says nothing of your proficiency at scoring the basketball.
That's definitively wrong. Proficiency means "an advanced degree of competence," not "can do a wide array of things at average effectiveness."
It's not a descriptor of skill breadth but rather effectiveness at scoring, which are very different.
Shaq is more efficient than Tim Duncan, does Shaq therefore have better post skills?
Terrible example. Shaq's POST skills are comparable to Duncan, his effectiveness and efficiency driven by his superior physical tools. Duncan is also a better FT shooter and had a 14-foot J that he's now extended to 20 feet... But he's never been able to score consistently to the same extent as Shaq, who was always a more imposing offensive force.
More particularly, again, no one is translating efficiency to skill breadth, only you. It is irrelevant if the lesser versatility doesn't stop a player from scoring a comparable (or in the cases of Lebron/Shaq, GREATER) volume at comparable/greater efficiency.
If you are going to teach a young basketball player how to score the basketball, who would you have teach him, Lebron or Kobe/Carmelo?
Lebron, no hesitation. Kobe has some of the worst shot selection I've ever seen. Melo isn't far behind because they abuse and overuse the 3pt shot. Lebron is a far superior playmaker to either and is a more willing passer than Kobe, who plays hero-ball too often. He is still a great player, of course, but as far as fundamentals, Lebron is actually a more fundamental player than either. Kobe and Melo have prettier games and are more willing to shoot through slumps, which aren't actually meaningful or positive traits.