Kobe will never be as good as Jordan

[snaquille oatmeal]

Lamar will never be Kobes Pippen!

discuss...

[Sroek]

Speed and the ability to play without the ball

http://youtube.com/watch?v=GcH18iA_GDY& ... re=related

http://youtube.com/watch?v=A6_GgXXR4vA& ... re=related

Pass and quickly cut. Dont over dribble

Jordan had the luxury of smarter teammates with the ability to read Jordan's intentions: the give and goes, the cuts, etc.

[RJM]

Mods, you've done a great job since RealGM started, but why allow this General NBA garbage to manifest itself on this board?

[lakerholic4life]

As for Kobe not being as good as Mike...who is?

I get irritated by the comparison as much as anybody -- there is none, in my opinion -- but if that's the standard for success, they might as well disband the NBA because the chances of ever seeing a phenomenon like Michael Jordan ever again are somewhere between nil and zero.

If Kobe retired today he'd still be the second-best SG and one of the Top 15 overall players in history. Add the fact that he's won an MVP and three championships as option 1B, and that's a resume anybody not named Jordan, Abdul-Jabbar, Russell, Mikan or Johnson would kill for.

Oh yeah, he's only 30, playing on a young team that just got to the Finals.

No biggie we just agree to disagree. I see where you are coming from,but I in no way consider Jordan the greatest. To me that is magic. Jordan could score more but magic came in the league knowing what it took jordan years to learn,and that's you can't do it by yourself. Jordan had good finals,but to me his competition wasn't as good as magic's. #32 went to nine finals. Now kobe might not be as good as jordan but I hate how some peole act like jordan walked on water,and there seems to be an excuse for everyone of his shortcomings.

[Gerald3Wallace]

"There's Michael Jordan, then there's the rest of us"
- Magic

[Sedale Threatt]

Magic Johnson is my idol, the man who made me fall in love with basketball. Speaking strictly of aesthetics, I would take one Magic over 10 Michael Jordans or Kobe Bryants. If there is ever another Laker I enjoy watching half as much as I enjoyed watching him, I will consider myself very lucky.

But hands down, the best player I've ever seen, or expect to see, is Jordan. Magic played basketball the way it should be played -- by getting his teammates involved, and with the sole goal of winning for winning's sake. But Jordan was a far better all-around player -- better shooter, better defender, better athlete, better player, period.

People think he walked on water because, well, he pretty much did. When Jordan had the necessary help, he didn't just dominate the competition, he subjugated it, all the while putting up incredible individual numbers and playing with unmatched style. Nobody got more hype and attention, but nobody was more deserving. He earned everything he got.

[kno]

As for Kobe not being as good as Mike...who is?

I get irritated by the comparison as much as anybody -- there is none, in my opinion -- but if that's the standard for success, they might as well disband the NBA because the chances of ever seeing a phenomenon like Michael Jordan ever again are somewhere between nil and zero.

If Kobe retired today he'd still be the second-best SG and one of the Top 15 overall players in history. Add the fact that he's won an MVP and three championships as option 1B, and that's a resume anybody not named Jordan, Abdul-Jabbar, Russell, Mikan or Johnson would kill for.

Oh yeah, he's only 30, playing on a young team that just got to the Finals.

Yup, thats what I tried to say in my post on the previous page, but failed to get across. lol

"Kobe will never be as good as Jordan".

So? Who cares? Certainly not me.

Being as good as Jordan isnt a sign of being a great player. Its a sign of being the best of all time (general consensus, I disagree).

There are thousands of basketball players that havent been able to reach the pedestal Jordan is on.

I can care less if Bryant is, or ever gets there.

Let him be himself. Let him build his own legacy.

It might not be as great as Michaels, but lemme tell you, it'll be one of the best of all time, and thats nothing to be ashamed of.

[Sedale Threatt]

Appears I am guilty of copyright infringement.

[JordansBulls]

I have a serious question,and it's not a kobe jordan thing,just a question. How can a guy who was first round fodder before he got good teammates be considered the best ever? He couldn't even get his team over .500. Then he plays with one of the greatest 50 players ever,and a hof coach and all of a sudden he is the best thing since sliced bread?

A first round fodder? Yeah he came into the league and turned the team around. They made the playoffs his rookie year and he led the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. In his 2nd year he was injured for 64 games and came back and dropped 49 in game 1 and then 63 in game 2 against the Celtics who were #1 in defense that year.

Also I get sick of people using he played with one of the 50 greatest players ever and hall of fame coach because the truth is that Pippen played with him and Phil became the coach. Pippen was not a top 50 player all time until 1997 when it was announced. In fact even by the 3rd championship he may not have been a top 50 player all time yet, he didn't have the resume. That is what people fail to realize. They seem to think that Pippen was already a top 50 player when really he didn't get that recognition until the Bulls had already won 4 titles.
This is not to slight Pippen, but in reality, he was a work in progress. He gained experience playing with MJ and grew as a player.

Also, Jordan owes Pippen a lot for the support he provided BUT Pippen on the other hand would never even have been an all-star much less a top-50 player without Jordan. Jordan mentored him, encouraged him, and taught many aspects of the game to Pippen. If you followed the Bulls closely throughout the Jordan Era, you would remember what a complete sissy Pippen was. He could be made completely invisible by the guys that intimidated him like Mark Aguirre, Rodman, X-Man, etc. Jordan had to stand up for him, encourage him, and build up his confidence.
Pippen grew up from that but not without aid. As far as being top 50, well by that time he had won 4 titles with MJ as a great 2nd option and player. Tell me had Pierce or Gasol had won 4 titles with MJ you don't think he would be a top 50 player? Let's be real here.

Also, people mention the Lakers defense, but look at what someone with the right mentality does for a team. Now all of sudden look how great a defender Pierce is when KG comes aboard. That is how the Bulls developed into a great defensive team because Jordan in his prime focused on all aspects of his game and had that mentality. Also they knew they would never beat Detroit if they didn't grow into a great defensive team and the reason is because they really didn't have the offense that either the Pistons nor Celtics had.

Also people say that MJ had teammates that always produced, but that is not true,

In the 1996 series he still shot the ball as well or better than his second-fourth options (Pippen shot 34%, Kerr 30%, Kukoc 42%, Harper 37%). Also Pippen in both 1996 and 1998 only averaged 15-16 ppg on 34%-41% fg. That is not producing greatly to the team.

As for Phil Jackson, well he became a head coach in 1990 and wasn't really a known commodity until the Bulls won titles. In fact, had Phil Jackson never won in Chicago, the Lakers from 2000-2002 would never had won because that team had too many issues that only Phil could solve and he was probably the only coach that the Lakers would listen to at that point.

Kobe is a great player and it is no slight to be considered 2nd best SG ever, but we need to remember that out of 5 finals he doesn't have 1 finals that was listed as a top 50. In fact, his best scoring finals was lower than MJ's worst scoring finals.

MJ in the finals = 33.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 6.0 apg on 48%
Kobe in the finals = 23.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.9 apg on 40%

[LLcoleJ]

I am locking this tired topic about the tired Jordan .blah blah and the tired thread that attracts the same posts/posters and the same tired comments ....over and over and over.. both here and on the GB its the same threads.


Lets all just live by a rule... let Kobe be Kobe. He doesnt need to be like Mike,