I never said he wasn't a great defender, but I do believe people mythicize (sp?) him quite a bit. I stand firm on my belief that Pippen was the best defender on those Bulls teams. And as far as GOAT, I'd personally put Wilt ahead of Jordan. But that's just me.
I agree with that. Jordan was a great defender, but his defensive impact was overstated a bit due to his overall brilliance. I think Pippen was the "defensive genius" of those teams and arguably the greatest perimeter defender ever.
I raised the original question and have to say that to me, Wilt is the greatest single force in the history of the NBA, and I watched him play (to really play the old card!) That said, I think Kobe is getting short shrift here. He has everything MJ had - the killer instinct, the game winners, the championships. Not quite the defender of Jordan, but he's not chopped liver either. When you guys says "its not close" you give no reasons, and with all due respect, it actually is that close.
I'd say MJ, but I'd pay good money to be able to sit in a gym and watch a one-on-one game with both players at their peaks.
I don't see much evidence it's that close. Jordan's career PER: 27.9. Bryant's career PER: 23.6. That's not really that close. Add in that Jordan was a better defender (as you acknowledge) and that Jordan's PER was dragged down by his age 38 and 39 seasons (Kobe's only had a SINGLE season where his PER was more than Jordan's career average; he got to 28.0 one season and has only cracked 26 two other times) and... it's not close. Jordan was more efficient. He was on better teams. He was the best player in the NBA for almost his whole career and he was the best player on his team for his whole career (in spite of playing with Pippen). He blows Kobe out of the water in win shares (MJ had ten seasons with more WS than Kobe's highest season). Again: I don't see it as being close. Kobe is great, but he's not in Jordan's class. Ed O.
Jordan would rip Kobe's head off one on one. Completely different level of maturity on the court. Pippen was an elite defender, of course, but he had nothing to do with Jordan's defense. MJ was a consistently dominant defender on and off the ball. His defense was every bit as impressive as his play on the offensive end. It baffles me why Kobe has been on the all-defensive team. While he has flashes of brilliance...which we get force-fed on sportscenter...he is not consistently even above average.
