http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/57177/20090211/phil_kobe_is_a_better_shooter_than_mike/ Thanks for stating the obvious about shooting, Phil. Was MJ that much better in the post than Kobe? Kobe's foot work is amazing. I wish he would work out of the post more, honestly.
I would say MJ was better in the post......while Kobe has the better creativity with the ball, M.J. had that strong post ability later on in his career...M.J. seemed a tad bit stronger on the blocks........
Do you think as Kobe career progresses, do you think we'll see him operate from the post more often, or will he stick around in that mid range game?
I think we could see him develop a more potent post game later on his career as Jordan did, once he loses some of his athleticism and explosiveness................I remember watching MJ in his last 2 or 3 years and thinking to myself..."this guy isn't that fun to watch" lol.......It was mainly, because I had become accustomed to seeing the slashing Jordan.......MJ didn't go total shemac on us and settle for the jumpers, but he definitely changed his game over the years............
One of the reasons Jordan was featured more in the post was the absence of a dominant big man in Chicago. Jordan can also do things with the basketball Kobe can't because of the size of Jordan's hands. Jordan could palm the ball easily with one hand, which put a defender at his mercy with a simple ball fake and it allowed Jordan to finish around the rim in different ways. I think Jordan also took a lot more pleasure in dunking on opponents. He'd want to take your heart by going right at your center and throwing the ball right through the rim. Kobe used to do that early on his career, but you don't see him doing it much these days unless someone shows him up on the other end.
i think jordan was different in that his phisicality was just far greater than kobe's, look at their bodies at the same age, kobe now in early 30's and MJ in early 30's, you can jordan is a little bigger, a little more muscle, MJ was also about an inch taller i think, he was always listed as 6'7", kobe has been widely listed as 6'6". MJ hands were huge too, your right, and that made a big difference in his game. Kobe is foreverr the assasin, a sniper, killing you silently, MJ was in your face, all about the drama of the game, he exploited that. when kobe was talking to magic in the interview they did together, he was saying how lebron was a very vocal leader of the team, very loud, but kobe was subdued, silent at times, leading by example. I dont know i think that kobe and mj are very similar in alot of ways, jordan just seemed more vocal in a different sense of the term, yes kobe can be vocal, but alot of the time he is just patting guys on the back, silent around the huddel, while phil and fisher do the talking. kobe leads more by example, but both strive for more, both mj and kobe fight for the next level of greatness, i think that they are both there, and there is no clear winner of the two, especially with players like shaq and wilt and kareem and russell in the mix, basketball is such a multi-faceted game, i dont think that one player can certainly be better than another, i mean in the case's of great players like kobe, lebron, mj etc. their all great, and isnt it great that we've been blessed to see so much greatness in todays nba?
Against smaller defenders Kobe posts them up more often than not. Last year, for a stretch of games, Kobe looked to post up and pivot for an easy lay up (against Dallas near the end of the season i think) whoever it was against.
Kobe posted LeBron up a few times in that match up. Kobe is probably one of the best in the league at sealing off the defender to position himself for an easy basket.
[video=youtube;HG0NoJDJHHc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG0NoJDJHHc[/video] Kobe could never do that with the ball.
Wow that is cool Shape, keep posting those kind of vids. I think the intricacies of the game are fascinating.
There was an interesting debate about Jordan and Kobe. If Kobe came before Jordan would he be perceived as the better player?
