[QUOTE="dru26"][QUOTE="Jinroh_basic"][QUOTE="andyboiii"] [QUOTE="-Halftime-"]No. He's probly the closest thing, though.Jinroh_basic
exactly
i think he is VERY close and have years to come to prove himself. at 29, the present Kobe matches, if not surpasses, Jordan of the same age in many respects, most notably the number of championship titles. on the court, Kobe is responsible for some of the most difficult shots and the most entertaining game dunks in the past 10 years, making him the deadliest SG of this era, and is easily comparable to MJ in terms of scoring capabilities. defensive capabilities is probably Kobe's inferiority compared to MJ -- IF you can call an 8 time all defensive selection that ;)
to say that Kobe Bryant > Michael Jordan is actually not as far fetched as many die hard MJ worshippers think. these folks claim that Kobe is a ball-hogger who can't do anything on his own, while these claims could be easily applied to Jordan, who was just another A list players before Scottie Pippen joined the Bulls. as a matter of fact, the so called "greatest player of all time" probably got more help from teammates than other championship regulars. that nobody realizes this never failed to astonished me.
As a diehard Knick fan, I can tell you Pippen and Co. certainly helped Jordan, but when the chips were on the table the man could score at will from anywhere on the court. The one knock I would have on him, if you could call it that, is that he got the benefit of every whistle. I actually remember a play where he shot the ball, it bounced off the rim, onto the backboard, and rattled around up there a few more seconds only to bounce out and hit the ground...and then the whistle was blown for a foul.actually, it's not just Pippen and Co. it's one of the 50 greatest players in history Scottie Pippen + defense mammoth Dennis Rodman + the absolute best 3 pointer in the league Steve Kerr + the then best European player Tony Kukoc. this combination, ALONE, could have easily made a highlight team to be reckoned with in any context.
i'm not saying MJ is a bust, hell no. he's up there among the greatest players ever played in the league. but what's with all the mindless worshipping when data, facts and a small dose of sensibility would instantly demystify his godly status? and in fact, it's not just Kobe -- with quite a number of budding young stars easily outshining MJ at the same age, it is safe to say that MJ is NOT the greatest player of all time.
First of all all those things about kukoc, pippen, kerr , rodman, etc. that was for his 2nd 3-peat. Only pippen of those names was on his first 3-peat. The guy won with pretty much 2 different rosters. And secondly i get so tired of people talking about what "so and so" is doing at the same age that michael was. Are you guys that blind or that stupid? You can't compare the ages of people like kobe or lebron to Michael's age because HE WENT TO COLLEGE FOR 3 YEARS. So of course by "so and so's age" he has done this or that. You CAN'T COMPARE AGE. You can compare years in the league, but not age. And one final thing, if Jordan isn't the best player ever, than who is? Kobe? You are going to compare a guy who has been in the league for just over a decade to a player who played a full career. Kobe? A guy who only has 3 rings (which were as shaq's sidekick, not the main guy) to a guy who has 6. Kobe? A guy who just got his first MVP to a guy who has 5. Do i need to continue. Can Kobe surpass Jordan's numbers? Sure, but not at the age of 30. You all need to get off his jock, and give it some time. Start this topic up ten years from now and maybe it will be more relevant.
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