This guy from another forum made a great point of Kobe and Lebron at 21LeBron James 2005-2006PPG: 31.4RBG: 7.0 APG: 6.6SPG: 1.56 BPG: .84TO: 3.29FG%: .480Games Played: 79Kobe Bryant 1999-2000PPG: 22.5RBG: 6.3APG: 4.9SPG: 1.61BPG: .94TO: 2.76FG%: .468Games Played: 66Look at Kokbe's stats and Shaq was in his way too. Even if Shaq was in Kobe's way Kobe had better defensive stats. Now this isn't about stats or that kobe is better. But its about how similar these guys were at the same age. However Kobe was younger than Lebron when he put these up. Your thoughts?
My thoughts? Kobe was damn good at 21, but not on the same level LeBron is at 21. Another thing, these are stats. Cool, these stats also don't show LeBron's enormous edge in court vision, size, maturity, and leadership. Kobe didn't express leadership in this league until he was about 23, then he just took off as the best perimiter player in the league hands down. LeBron is already argued as the best player in the NBA by a lot of people, and came in 2nd in MVP this year (at age 21), did Kobe?I'm not a Kobe hater by any means either, I actually love Kobe and am wearing a Kobe jersey right now, but the fact is Kobe was definitely not on the same level at age 21 as LeBron.
Shaq was stealing the show, but even if he wasnt the first option, I still think LeBron is better at 21, Kobe started to develop into the elite level later, and LeBron is already there
Playing with Shaq actually inflates your numbers because Shaq is a good passer out of the double. Who has Lebron played with? He has been put in the spotlight and shone through damn well. He has top 3 court vision in the NBA imo. He is a great rebounder, he is strong, dominant inside, good driver, can be a good shooter. Lebron is just Lebron. At this point, he is much better then what Kobe was at 21. I think it's already evident that he'll be better than Kobe. He is only inches away from Kobe right now. The only thing holding him back from Kobe is his defense. And I have actaully seen improvements there in the playoffs. He has been staying on his man and doing an okay job.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CB4AllStar @ May 19 2006, 09:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Playing with Shaq actually inflates your numbers because Shaq is a good passer out of the double. Who has Lebron played with? He has been put in the spotlight and shone through damn well. He has top 3 court vision in the NBA imo. He is a great rebounder, he is strong, dominant inside, good driver, can be a good shooter. Lebron is just Lebron. At this point, he is much better then what Kobe was at 21. I think it's already evident that he'll be better than Kobe. He is only inches away from Kobe right now. The only thing holding him back from Kobe is his defense. And I have actaully seen improvements there in the playoffs. He has been staying on his man and doing an okay job.</div>I agree some what.desi tmac91, that article acts like playing with Shaq is a bad thing, it isn't. Kobe doesn't get defended as heavily when Shaq is out there and Shaq (at the younger age he was) was the kinda of player that is easy to get your assists up. People were so busy guarding Shaq that it took some pressure off of Kobe. Sure, it might have hurt his scoring stats, but nothing else was effected really, most of everything was helped by this stat.LeBron is better than Kobe was at that age. If you compare each year's stats (if stats is what you want to go by) LeBron has been better. From the moment he has come into the league LeBron has been good (something Kobe wasn't when he first came into the league), LeBron has grown greatly after each year. LeBron has less to work with than Kobe did at that time, so LeBron is having the better individual career start.And what CelticBalla32 said, these are just stats. You can't compare everything about players off of their stats, you don't get to see how they actually play, how they react, how they make decsions, how they play the game. LeBron has done better at that as well.
Kobe at the age of 21 was1- Superior clutch player2- Better defenderThat's it. Lebron is better than kobe was at 21.
Playing with Shaq took the pressure off of him. Making it easier for him to just sit back and make a wide open shot because they were doubling Shaq and he was somewhat open because of that. Lebron on the other hand, in closing minutes is doubled as soon as he gets up the court, because he leads that team. Making it very hard for him to do anything.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CB4AllStar @ May 20 2006, 12:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Playing with Shaq took the pressure off of him. Making it easier for him to just sit back and make a wide open shot because they were doubling Shaq and he was somewhat open because of that. Lebron on the other hand, in closing minutes is doubled as soon as he gets up the court, because he leads that team. Making it very hard for him to do anything.</div>Game 4 nba finals.OT. Shaq fouls out.Guess who goes for 4/4 in ot and puts the team on his back? You guessed it. Also, i remember that block he had on sabonis against the blazers
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ May 19 2006, 09:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>My thoughts? Kobe was damn good at 21, but not on the same level LeBron is at 21. Another thing, these are stats. Cool, these stats also don't show LeBron's enormous edge in court vision, size, maturity, and leadership. Kobe didn't express leadership in this league until he was about 23, then he just took off as the best perimiter player in the league hands down. LeBron is already argued as the best player in the NBA by a lot of people, and came in 2nd in MVP this year (at age 21), did Kobe?I'm not a Kobe hater by any means either, I actually love Kobe and am wearing a Kobe jersey right now, but the fact is Kobe was definitely not on the same level at age 21 as LeBron.</div>I agree with you, but I think its because of the time differences, and the fact that shaq was in kobe's way, i think Kobe couldnt develop in to a leader right away, they werent asking him to, and he still developed in to a leader with Shaq later on before shaq left.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CB4AllStar @ May 20 2006, 12:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>That wasnt when Kobe was 21. Read the topic over again.</div> :HAHAHA: Game 4 2000 nba finalsKobe was 21.
Yeah look at the important game winners Lebron had agaisnt Cleveland. Lebron is also clutch, he just elects to pass because he is usually heavily guarded when the game is on the line.
Being clutch is overrated, actually. It's like making a shot, except when the game is on the line. Once you have the mindset that its like a regular shot that youve hit multiple times earlier on in the game, its easier for you. Im sure Kobe, and AI and those players have that mentality right now. I dont know about LeBron yet.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CB4AllStar @ May 20 2006, 09:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Yeah look at the important game winners Lebron had agaisnt Cleveland. Lebron is also clutch, he just elects to pass because he is usually heavily guarded when the game is on the line.</div>Are you going to honestly compare Kobe bryant's preformance against the pacers in an ot game in the finals to lebron's shots?Consider kobe bryant put up that preformance on the road. That alone outshines all lebron's clutch preformences.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AirBlaze @ May 19 2006, 06:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Being clutch is overrated, actually. It's like making a shot, except when the game is on the line. Once you have the mindset that its like a regular shot that youve hit multiple times earlier on in the game, its easier for you. Im sure Kobe, and AI and those players have that mentality right now. I dont know about LeBron yet.</div>I completely agree, being clutch is one of the most overrated things in basketball. People using that as reasons for one player being better than the other is completely dumb. To me, clutch is what Lebron James has been doing in this entire playoffs, his first ever playoffs, at the age of 21. He has been carrying a Cavaliers team, in the playoffs, and has them only one game away from making it to the Eastern Conference finals, playing against the best team in the East. He has hit game winners, taken the games over in the fourth quarters, and played well.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (valo35 @ May 20 2006, 10:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I completely agree, being clutch is one of the most overrated things in basketball. People using that as reasons for one player being better than the other is completely dumb. To me, clutch is what Lebron James has been doing in this entire playoffs, his first ever playoffs, at the age of 21. He has been carrying a Cavaliers team, in the playoffs, and has them only one game away from making it to the Eastern Conference finals, playing against the best team in the East. He has hit game winners, taken the games over in the fourth quarters, and played well.</div>If you play well in the playoffs, you're clutch. It's given.But there are some people who cannot make clutch shots. Just look at peja, he airballed a shot in the corner by himself against the lakers [with a few seconds left]. That's choking.Kobe game 4 was clutch. That's the difference.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Melo_061 @ May 19 2006, 08:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Are you going to honestly compare Kobe bryant's preformance against the pacers in an ot game in the finals to lebron's shots?Consider kobe bryant put up that preformance on the road. That alone outshines all lebron's clutch preformences.</div>I guess Kobe could have also led the current Cavs team past the Wizards and probably past the current Pistons squad as well.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CB4AllStar @ May 20 2006, 10:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I guess Kobe could have also led the current Cavs team past the Wizards and probably past the current Pistons squad as well. </div>I'm talking about their specific clutch shots. Doing it in the nba finals on the road when you're 21. That is what you call clutch.
Well who is to say that Lebron James can't do that? No one knows if he can or not, because he hasn't gotten there, we might end up seeing. Steve Kerr hit big shots in the finals of games, does that make him as equal in clutch shots as Kobe Bryant?
