<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">LOS ANGELES ? Not long after he settled into his job as president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards, Michael Jordan informally responded to wide-ranging questions about the league and its players. One of the questions Jordan addressed ? and this before ending his second retirement to play two seasons in Washington ? was the player he would want to have the ball to win a game in the final seconds. "Kobe Bryant, without question," Jordan said in that famous baritone. "Definitely Kobe." Bryant, yet to see his 26th birthday, is finally ? and, for once, legitimately ? giving people reason to say that the NBA has a swingman who truly can be considered the heir apparent to Jordan.</div> Even Greatness himself is saying that Kobe is the most clutch in the game and is his heir apparent. Kobe becoming Jordanesque
in jordan's heyday he would never be held to 11 points in the final's. Kobe is good but he's still at his level.(never will)
No doubt Kobe should be mentioned as a Jordan like player. He has proved it time after time. I would still like to see him lead a team to a championship before I become a real believer.
Untill Kobe shoots over 50% from the field in every playoff series, I don't even want to here the comparison. Kobe should be compared more to Reggie Miller than MJ. He has shown to be a clutch player like Reggie was. But MJ? not a chance.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AllNet:</div><div class="quote_post">Untill Kobe shoots over 50% from the field in every playoff series, I don't even want to here the comparison. Kobe should be compared more to Reggie Miller than MJ. He has shown to be a clutch player like Reggie was. But MJ? not a chance.</div> How can you say that when MJ himself was saying great things about Kobe? Kobe is the best comparison to MJ in the league, no one else can compare...and that means even Tmac cant compare. I agree with Rudeezy though, I want to see Kobe lead a team to a championship before I can consider him 100% comparable to MJ.
I actually agree with kobe8ball Kobe is the best comparison to MJ in the league NOW. Of course he's far behind him still, but after this playoffs and Lakers 4th title, the comparison will be out there
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Kobe 8 Ball:</div><div class="quote_post">How can you say that when MJ himself was saying great things about Kobe? Kobe is the best comparison to MJ in the league, no one else can compare...and that means even Tmac cant compare. I agree with Rudeezy though, I want to see Kobe lead a team to a championship before I can consider him 100% comparable to MJ.</div> MJ also thought Jerry Stackhouse was a better player than Rip Hamilton, thats why he traded for him. Not everything MJ says is correct. Kobe may be the best comparison available, but does that mean they should be compared? no All It says is the fact this league is a whole lot weaker than It used to be. Mike only once averaged less than 30 points in a playoff series which was his rookie season. He is a career 33, 6 and 6 player in the post season. Until Kobe can prove he can knock down shots at will, the comparison is totally pointless.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AllNet:</div><div class="quote_post">MJ also thought Jerry Stackhouse was a better player than Rip Hamilton, thats why he traded for him. Not everything MJ says is correct.</div> Stackhouse was better at the time, trust me I watched the Wizards game, Rip didnt have any game except for his mid range Jumper, he was very raw..at the time it was a good trade, no one expected Stack to get injured...I though didnt like the trade because I dont believe in trading youth for age. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Mike only once averaged less than 30 points in a playoff series which was his rookie season. He is a career 33, 6 and 6 player in the post season. Until Kobe can prove he can knock down shots at will, the comparison is totally pointless.</div> IN the 4th quarter who is the best player ion the game today? Kobe. Why? He knocks down shots whenever he wants, he gets to the line at will...I am not saying Kobe is better, or even as great...I am saying if Kobe keeps progressing like he has, he is going to be the closet thing to MJ that we have seen.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Stackhouse was better at the time, trust me I watched the Wizards game, Rip didnt have any game except for his mid range Jumper, he was very raw..at the time it was a good trade, no one expected Stack to get injured...I though didnt like the trade because I dont believe in trading youth for age. </div> If you watched Stack in the playoffs you would of noticed how he choked and completely dissapeared. Rip has always had the better jumper and better at attacking the basket. He wasn't great at creating his own shot but was still the better player. Anyone could see trading away a younger guy for a older guy was a bad move. You could see the potenial in Hamilton. Dumars is better at spotting talent. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> IN the 4th quarter who is the best player ion the game today? Kobe. Why? He knocks down shots whenever he wants, he gets to the line at will...I am not saying Kobe is better, or even as great...I am saying if Kobe keeps progressing like he has, he is going to be the closet thing to MJ that we have seen.</div> He is a guy who can and does come in the clutch, Reggie Miller type and has the style of Joe Dumars. I can see why people compare them but for someone who watched Mike growing up I don't like when people mention Kobe in the same sentence as Jordan. Untill he shows he can carry his team on his back for 48 minutes, through every playoff series he is never going to be close to MJ's level, Kobe is far too inconsistant when it comes to certain playoff series. The finals have been a prefect example.
Kobe will never be as good as MJ was. However, he will be the only comparison we have to the basketball God that is MJ. And sadly, that's not gonna even be close to how good MJ was.
Players always say something glorious and magnificent of another player when it's forced to be said, but they don't actually mean it. Carmelo said that Lebron should win the ROY at the time, but he never meant it. He knew that he should of won it. It's just a matter of respect for one another.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting BronxTeeRex:</div><div class="quote_post">Kobe starting to look Jordanesque? has Jordan sexual harrast a young cheerleader.....NO.......so NO!</div> No, but he's commited adultery! <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Kobe 8 Ball:</div><div class="quote_post">IN the 4th quarter who is the best player ion the game today? Kobe. Why? He knocks down shots whenever he wants, he gets to the line at will...</div> Yeah, and he was really getting to the line at will last night. Game Three gave a perfect example of the separation between Kobe and MJ. MJ would constantly will his team to victory. If his jumpshot failed, then he'd get to the line. Kobe didn't try to attack the basket last night. We all saw him try to shoot himself out of a slump rather than get to eh line. MJ always found ways to score. Kobe didn't last night. So I'd have to disagree with you when you say he can get to the line at will and knock down shots when he wants. MJ can do that; Kobe can't.
Kobe is great, hell yes, probably one of the best players in the league and for a long time to come. Sure he's had a lot of achievements through stats and even proven himself without the stats, meaning clutchness and overall great versaility. However, unlike Jordan he cannot carry a team as well as Jordan could, he has such a great cast around him. He'll never achieve nor never be capable of what Jordan has done, he'll simply go down as one of the best if he ever does finish a great career uninjured.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting BronxTeeRex:</div><div class="quote_post">Kobe starting to look Jordanesque? has Jordan sexual harrast a young cheerleader.....NO.......so NO!</div> Just a thought, but, that was uncalled for completely. Last I knew, we were comparing what they did on the court. That is his personal life. And, for that matter, totally uncalled for. Way out of discussion. But, anyways, my thoughts here. I think Kobe can be compared to Jordan, not necessarily because of an entire game, but, clutch wise. Kobe is as good a player as the league has seen since Jordan. Kobe is the reason why the Lakers got the #2 seed in the playoffs, he's the reason why they won game 2, he's the reason why they have done so many good things this year. People like to look at his inconsistency in the playoffs. But, when it all comes down to it, who cares if you're inconsistent, you can be inconsistent the entire game, but, if you hit a game winning or game tying jump shot, that's clutch. For example, just look at game 2. I remember my brother saying in the final seconds to give it to Fisher cause he is a better 3 point shooter. But, at that point, Kobe's 4/28 3 point shooting in the 4th in the playoffs meant nothing. Kobe could miss every shot in a game, but, when it comes down to it, he will hit the big shot. He's been doing that for a while now. In my thoughts, it doesn't matter how inconsistent you are, you can still be clutch. Kobe may be inconsistent in the playoffs, but, if he wasn't so good in the clutch, they'd be down 3-0 right now. So, in the aspect of being clutch and hitting all the key shots, you can compare him to Jordan that way. And, just a thought, Kobe doesn't average 30 ppg in the playoffs because he has Shaq. Sure, Jordan had Pippen, but, that's not Shaq. Shaq demands a lot more shot attempts than Pippen ever did. But, yea, this is my thought on Kobe being compared to Jordan at this stage in his career.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting BronxTeeRex:</div><div class="quote_post">Kobe starting to look Jordanesque? has Jordan sexual harrast a young cheerleader.....NO.......so NO!</div> No Jordan did not do that. He just committed adultery with a stripper. But she's just a stripper so it's okay right? Wrong. Now if Kobe is guilty of raping this "cheerleader" then he has to pay his dues but until then let's leave the situation at "Innocent until proven guilty"
Kobe Is very much making a case for himself to be compared to MJ definitly because at the age of 23 kobe has 3 titles looking for the fourth and at age 25 MJ only had 1 his second coming shortly after his 25th birthday true you can say that MJ never played with Shaq but then that would also make a case for why Kobe can be compared toJordan because he has had to fix his game to fit shaqs and still averages 20+ points and leads his team also at his age of 23 jordan had no were near as good a jumper as kobe already has and this after a couple of years of college experence while kobe came out of high school so he deserves to be compared to Jordan no dought imo.
MJ never had to adjust his dunking-all-over-people game simply because he was so dominating he had no need to change his game. It wasn't until later on he got old or bored or whatever he changed his game to turnaround jumpers. Just like that MJ changed his game AS HE WISHES and STILL dominated the league while Kobe was FORCED to change his game to COMPLEMENT Shaq. MJ didn't adjust his game to adjust nobody. He was the man, everybody had to adjust to him. Like I said, Kobe is the closest comparison to MJ we have, but Kobe is nowhere near as dominating as MJ was.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Moo2K4:</div><div class="quote_post">Kobe may be inconsistent in the playoffs, but, if he wasn't so good in the clutch, they'd be down 3-0 right now. So, in the aspect of being clutch and hitting all the key shots, you can compare him to Jordan that way. </div> Have you considered that if the comparison is indeed warranted, LA wouldn't be down AT ALL?
How many times does have he have to prove to you guys that he is getting to jordans level. We can never compare the two they played in two diffrent dacads, the leuge was weaker in jordans time, right now everyone is tougher physically and mentally, Kobe is only 26! he hasn't even reached his peak yet! just wait and we will all see.
