I'd take T-Mac over Kobe by a little. I see them as basically having the same skill, it's just Kobe's attitude that makes him less desirable than T-Mac. He is a drama queen and a ballhog. If he took less shots and dominated the ball less I would take him over T-Mac. However, Kobe is a better shooter I think. I forget which game it was, but this year I saw Kobe hit a shot clock beating left handed baseline three with a hand in his face. I don't think T-Mac or anyone else in the league could hit that shot.
I'm not really using my bias on this topic. I hate Kobe, because of his attitude, arrogance, and selfless-ness. I always want to see him lose. 1) Tmac guarding Dirk was no big feat. A) Dirk was receiving 1 and 1/2 men defense at all times. It really threw off Dirks game and JVG did a good job of implementing it. Dirk wasn't taking advantage of his height mismatch, which a lot of analysts commented on. Dirk is 7 feet tall and is usually matched against 7 foot players, so he usually has reluctant centers chasing him to the 3-point line and he usually has a speed advantage on them. By putting Tmac on him, his game style was useless. Defense: Kobe is a better defender as he puts in more effort on defense, while Tmac seems to just stand around and save his energy for the offensive end. Offense: Both are good shooters, but Kobe is more aggressive and has a better driving ability.
Right now I'd take T Mac but its very close. Defensively Kobe is the better 1 on 1 defender but T Mac is more versatile defender. He can defend 1 on 1 vs. guards like Ray Allen or Kobe. He can also take the taller guys like Dirk or Marion down low. Offensively T Mac's athleticism getting to the hoop is absolutely ridiculous for someone his size. He can also pop the mid range j ryt in ur grill for a change of pace. Kobe has great strength getting to the hoop and finishing on the break, but his most valuable offensive asset in my mind is his incredible turn around jump shot. They are very even but as for now id take T Mac.
They are so close talent and ability wise, that I think it would really depend on the makeup of the team I want to add them to. McGrady is better equipped to play the forward positions, whereas Kobe is better equipped to play the guard positions. McGrady runs the pick and roll better than any other wing-player in the league, whereas Kobe is a better one on one player. Kobe is more aggressive and is better at getting to the line (which makes him a more efficient scorer, in general), but that aggressiveness also leads to a higher turnover rate. I would say their qualities almost cancel eachother out, but Kobe does have the better playoff experience. Overall, in the big playoff games, he seems to have shown a bit more poise. But then, McGrady's team have never been favored in a playoff series yet, so maybe that's not a fair comparison.
