Jordan versus Kobe

      Let me start off by saying I am a HUGE Kobe fan. I believe he is definitely the top 3 player in the NBA right now and probably the best player currently. I have followed him his entire career. For Jordan, I've watched him since 1985 but have seen plenty of footage of him playing from 1981-1985.

      Toughness. Jordan mentally defeats his opponents. This is not saying Kobe isn't tough, but Jordan killed people with his mind that nobody has ever done in the history of the league - perhaps in all of sports with exception of Ali. Back in the Knicks vs Bulls rivalry, it was a time before hand-checking is disallowed in the NBA. In fact, opponents grabbed, held and wrestled you if needed to prevent a lay-up. Never mind the double nickle dropped in MSG, there was one moment stood out more than the rest. Xavier McDaniel, a.k.a. the X-Man, one of the most feared players of that era, much like how a Ron Artest would be viewed today. The Knicks had Oakley and Ewing to back it up with strength, height and brutality as well. Yet, after some scuffles and heated confrontation, Michael took it upon himself. He went noggin for noggin against the X-Man. Their foreheads were touching and eyes fierce with fire. The fearless Jordan looked straight into the X-Man's eyes and said with the utmost clarity to the television cameras: F*** Y** baaaby. F****** Y*****! It was a moment that Bulls fan would never forget. Jordan stood up to the bully and didn't back down. He simply said, you are bigger, stronger, taller but you are still going down and I'm going to make sure of it. There was no question after that who would win the game, the playoff series, or the rivalry of the next few years. Chicago would own New York for as long as Jordan was still in the league. Staring down the bully is something Kobe Bryant would never be able to do. Players in the league feared Kobe's ability but not his swagger. The only time Kobe stepped up to the plate was against a shorter backup point guard named Greg Anthony (who for the record clocked Kobe square in the jaw when Bryant tried to stand up to him).

      Competitiveness. This debate isn't about who is who in a fight. But the toughness is just one aspect. When Jordan got his shot blocked or stolen on offense, he'd come right back at you and steal it or block it on the other end. Kobe more often than not, just sit, stare at the referee and complain about not getting the preferential treatment that he deserved. I'm not saying Jordan never whined to the ref's, but when it comes to a matter of opponents showing him up, he makes it personal with the person that did it and use his talent and natural ability to get back at them. Kobe relies more on his image and even though he can be competitive, it is not a matter of life and death the way Jordan viewed it. Jordan felt the need to win every duel in every dusty street of every town. A perfect example was the LaBradford Smith game. Back when he was a Washington Bullet, Smith had scored 37 points one night against Jordan and the Bulls. Jordan put out the word that Smith had mocked him by saying, "Nice game, Mike." Jordan said he wanted all 37 back in the first half the next night in Capital Centre. He got 36 of them. By halftime.

      Shooting. In terms of basketball skills, I believe Kobe has more range. But like Tex Winter (who assistant coached both Jordan and Kobe) said, Kobe's not necessarily a better shooter. Jordan can hit the mid range with more consistency. Kobe has more range but how much further beyond the line do you need to shoot when it all counts the same 3 points? And if you don't think Jordan can hit a three, remember the 6 he dropped in the Finals and the shrug? That was six 3's, 35 points in ONE half, in the playoffs - the NBA Finals. That was on the biggest stage, not on some meaningless regular season game against the worst team in the league. That said, Kobe does have more range and can hit the 3 with even a defender on him. He needs to do that because Jordan also has a better post move and simply does not need to venture out further. It is simply a law of nature, why go out more when inside is higher percentage? It all shows up in the FG %'s. For his career, Jordan was above a 50% FG shooter. Kobe? .438 and never had a season that was over 50%. So for Kobe to hit the same 30 points a game, he's doing it by jacking up and missing more shots. Thus creating less opportunity for his teammates to shoot.

      Creativity. It would be unfair to say that Jordan is all original. He borrowed from Dr.J and those before him. Yet Air Jordan is a cultural phenomenon. He invented moves, perfected them and set a standard for the rest of the world to follow. Even when Michael borrowed from others, he gives it his own twist, flavor and more flair. It is quite reasonable to look at Kobe's game and say 90% of his style is adapted from MJ's. That is not a knock against Kobe, following others is simply how basketball is. But to have the creativity and originality, it accounts for something. Nobody likes a copy cat, even if the copy cat can almost perfect the same moves as the original. It is like comparing a pair of OG's with a pair of Retro's. It'll never be the same so there's no point in denying that the Retro is a replica, no matter how close it is to the original.

      Championships. Mike has 6, Kobe has 3. Mike hasn't won without Scottie and Kobe hasn't won without Shaq. There is a slight difference here though. Mike was the Batman to Scottie's Robin while Kobe was the Robin to Shaq's Batman. To be the best player on the best team is a lot harder than to be a supporting player. The pressure and leadership level is much higher for the best player. This should be viewed as a fact and not an opinion. Being the MVP requires a lot more out of a player. Remember the season after Jordan went to play baseball? Pippen, finally given a chance to be the #1 go to guy, cracked under pressure and even refused to come out to play with 1.3 seconds left. Players like Clyde Drexler may have won a ring, but he didn't do it being the best player on the team (Hakeem was when Houston won). That's why he's viewed as a 2nd tier of superstars and never in the same breath when mentioned among the greatest of all time.

      MVP's. There's no comparison here as Kobe has yet to win one. An argument can be made that if Kobe isn't even the best player of his peers, how can he be compared to someone looked upon as the greatest of all time? Some grumble that Kobe isn't popular with the media and gets shafted every year during the voting process. But the same went for Jordan too. There were years where MVP awards went to Magic, Karl Malone when Jordan was clearly the more dominating player simply because they were sick of Jordan winning every year. If you really examine MVP votes, there was a stretch from 1987 to 1998 that Michael was arguably the MVP in all but 1 or 2 of those years minus the baseball break. And do those naysayers that looks back at the past 7 years honestly thinks Steve Nash, Garnett, Duncan, Shaq and Iverson didn't deserve their MVP's over Kobe?

      Scoring. Yes, it is all about the 81 pt game. There are always a few in the game that thinks basketball is about scoring. It is much like those so called car enthusiasts who thinks sports cars is about horsepower. While scoring is an important part of the game, it is nevertheless just one part of the game. What is so special about jacking up every shot you can possibly take and hope to break some record like what Wilt did with his 100 points night? Why does the "best ever" comparison for Kobe only comes up every time he goes on a scoring binge? Let's talk about it when he wins a defensive player of the year award. Or how about when he scores 70 against the Suns or Spurs in the playoffs to win by 1 or 2 points? Or when he scored 63 in the playoffs so that the opposing team's superstar (who was in midst of 3 straight MVP's) proclaims Kobe as "God Himself". Was Kobe's 81 a joy to watch? Absolutely, but meaningless scoring sprees in the regular season does not constitute G.O.A.T. status.

      The right of ascension. To be King, you don't always have to be heir to the throne. But there is a right of ascension where you must earn your way to the crown, or the peasants won't accept your claim. Michael earned his way. He came after Dr. J, Magic, Bird and moved his way up the ladder. He proved himself to be a level above Magic & Bird (at least in terms of defensive abilities) while winning championships spanning among 2 separate generations. Jordan was also a star among stars. On the original Dream Team, he was the anchor that stood out as the best of the best. Kobe on the other hand, has not even stood out among his peers - which is why any comparison with Jordan felt unnatural and unearned as of right now.

      The potential. This is really the only advantage that Kobe has on MJ at this point because Mike's career is over. Kobe still has a good 5 years left in him before possibly declining in physical traits and skill set. Does Kobe have a chance to surpass Jordan? Certainly. If he adds 3 championships as the best player on his team, obtain about 3 MVP awards and keep the same statistical pace as he had last year for the next 6-7 years, then I would consider him EQUAL to Michael Jordan (minus the cultural impact). But that is alot for Kobe to do, just to be even to Jordan's status. Anything greater than these expectations I would call Kobe the greatest ever. Anything short and Mike's the best. As for right now, there really is no comparison.