Kobe or Lebron

Remove this Banner Ad

It is truly a credit to lebron to be in the same sentence as Jordan, there is NO doubt he is not as good as Jordan and has a loooooong way to go, but you gotta give it to the guy.
 
This is one of the things I hate about the NBA. Sports commentators like Skip Bayless and the like feel compelled to rate which players are better than the other when one side has been retired for over 10 years (Jordan) and the other is currently in his prime (James).

Why can't they just wait until LeBron's career is over and then start comparing? It's the same with Kobe and LeBron, Kobe started 7 years earlier so why not wait until they are both retired? Now if you were comparing LeBron and Carmelo well then that's a different story because both of them came into the league at the same time.
 
PVF said:
This is one of the things I hate about the NBA. Sports commentators like Skip Bayless and the like feel compelled to rate which players are better than the other when one side has been retired for over 10 years (Jordan) and the other is currently in his prime (James).

Why can't they just wait until LeBron's career is over and then start comparing? It's the same with Kobe and LeBron, Kobe started 7 years earlier so why not wait until they are both retired? Now if you were comparing LeBron and Carmelo well then that's a different story because both of them came into the league at the same time.
Click to expand...

This is true, but you cant even compare era's anymore anyway.

it's ok to say that Jordan is probably GOAT. vbut that's not even about just his winningness. that dude put basketball on the world stage.

however. if Lebron were to play 1 on 1 with MJ he'd win.

It's like arguing Carl Lewis is better than Usain Bolt.

People evolve and get better.

FWIW i'm ok with people saying that Kobe is the best of his time. but his time is between MJ and Lebron.

Lets be real here. they're all great. and incredible to watch.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

PVF said:
This is one of the things I hate about the NBA. Sports commentators like Skip Bayless and the like feel compelled to rate which players are better than the other when one side has been retired for over 10 years (Jordan) and the other is currently in his prime (James).

Why can't they just wait until LeBron's career is over and then start comparing? It's the same with Kobe and LeBron, Kobe started 7 years earlier so why not wait until they are both retired? Now if you were comparing LeBron and Carmelo well then that's a different story because both of them came into the league at the same time.
Click to expand...

well said.

but comparing players is a great filler when needing something to discuss. its also fun.
 
PVF said:
This is one of the things I hate about the NBA. Sports commentators like Skip Bayless and the like feel compelled to rate which players are better than the other when one side has been retired for over 10 years (Jordan) and the other is currently in his prime (James).

Why can't they just wait until LeBron's career is over and then start comparing? It's the same with Kobe and LeBron, Kobe started 7 years earlier so why not wait until they are both retired? Now if you were comparing LeBron and Carmelo well then that's a different story because both of them came into the league at the same time.
Click to expand...

I agree with you but have you seen RealGM and the ongoing discussions that board has about the same thing ad nauseum.

ESPN are just giving the masses what they want rather than pushing the barrow all themselves. It's all about ratings.
 
Damon_3388 said:
The more important comparison, LeBron vs. Jordan...

LeBron James, aged 28 years, 174 days (today):

- 2 NBA Championships (2012, 2013)
- 4 NBA Finals appearances (2007, 2011, 2012, 2013)
- 9 NBA Playoff appearances (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
- 2 Olympic Gold Medals (2008, 2012), 1 Olympic Bronze Medal (2004)
- 3 Olympic appearances (2004, 2008, 2012)
- 4-time NBA Most Valuable Player (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013)
- 2-time NBA Finals MVP (2012, 2013)
- 9-time NBA All-Star (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
- 2-time NBA All-Star Game MVP (2006, 2008)
- NBA Rookie of the Year (2004)
- 1-time NBA scoring champion (2008)
- 7-time All-NBA First Team (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
- 2-Time All-NBA Second Team (2005, 2007)
- 5-time NBA All-Defensive First Team (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (2004)
- Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2003)
- 2-time USA Mr. Basketball (2002, 2003)
- 2-time Consensus National High School Player of the Year (2002, 2003)

Michael Jordan, at the same age (August 9, 1991):

- 1 NBA Championship (1991)
- 1 NBA Finals appearance (1991)
- 7 NBA Playoff appearances (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991)
- 1 Olympic Gold Medal (1984)
- 1 Olympic appearance (1984)
- 2-time NBA Most Valuable Player (1988, 1991)
- 1-time NBA Finals MVP (1991)
- 7-time NBA All-Star (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991)
- 1-time NBA All-Star Game MVP (1988)
- NBA Rookie of the Year (1985)
- 5-time NBA scoring champion (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991)
- 1-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1988)
- 5-time All-NBA First Team (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991)
- 1-Time All-NBA Second Team (1986)
- 4-time NBA All-Defensive First Team (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (1985)
- NCAA Champion (1982)
- Naismith College Player of the Year (1984)

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Read this.

Thanks and bye.

http://kentsterling.com/2013/06/12/lebron-james-vs-michael-jordan-in-finals-not-even-close/
 
PHX said:
bP4X0vS.jpg
Click to expand...
Jordan is a beast.
 
BigLefty said:
however. if Lebron were to play 1 on 1 with MJ he'd win.
.
Click to expand...
Wait what? You mean right now cos LeBron is 28 and Jordan is 50? Or you mean both of them in their prime. If Jordan is in his prime, Jordan would win because Jordan's competitiveness borders on insanity. It's what made him so great and so much better than everyone else.
 
BigLefty said:
This is true, but you cant even compare era's anymore anyway.

it's ok to say that Jordan is probably GOAT. vbut that's not even about just his winningness. that dude put basketball on the world stage.

however. if Lebron were to play 1 on 1 with MJ he'd win.

It's like arguing Carl Lewis is better than Usain Bolt.

People evolve and get better.

FWIW i'm ok with people saying that Kobe is the best of his time. but his time is between MJ and Lebron.

Lets be real here. they're all great. and incredible to watch.
Click to expand...

One-on-one is a terrible way to compare players. Both are unguardable in one person coverage.

I don't buy the evolution argument either. Major change in the NBA since Jordan's second retirement was the influx of foreign athletes not an athletic change. If a 21 year old Jordan entered the league today we would all be debating whether he is now the best athlete in the game.

I'd also question anyone who believes that Kobe is the best player of his time. The correct answer just lost in the NBA Finals yesterday.
 
jod23 said:
The LeBron/Jordan at the same age is stupid because LeBron entered the NBA at 18 whereas Jordan came in at 21.
Click to expand...

Fixed.

The age difference probably had something to do with LeBron James being one of the best high school players ever (maybe the best). Jordan was near the top of the list of prospects in his year (he made the McDonald's team, but Ewing was clearly the top player from that class). Maybe he wanted to go to college anyway, but there's no way he would have gone #1 in the 1981 NBA draft at 18 years old. The discrepancy was illustrated by James becoming a star and the unquestioned best player for a mediocre Cleveland team, while Jordan was the third best player for the NCAA champion Tar Heels.

Let's go through the ages from 16 onwards:

16
James: first team high school All-American (first ever sophomore to do this), Ohio Mr Basketball, state championship.
Jordan: cut from the varsity team

17
James: national high school player of the year, Ohio Mr Basketball
Jordan: not much information about his junior season

18
James: national high school player of the year, Ohio Mr Basketball, state championship, swept the high school all star game MVPs, #1 pick in the NBA draft
Jordan: McDonald's high school All-American

19
James: NBA Rookie of the Year, US Olympic team (bronze medallists)
Jordan: ACC Freshman of the year, won NCAA championship with North Carolina (third best player on the team)

20
James: NBA All Star, All NBA Second Team (sixth in overall voting)
Jordan: All-NCAA First Team, ACC championship

21
James: NBA All Star (MVP), All NBA First Team (first in overall voting), runner-up for the MVP
Jordan: NCAA consensus Player of the Year, US Olympic team (gold medallists), ACC championship, #3 pick in NBA draft

22
James: NBA All Star, All NBA Second Team, fifth place in the MVP, NBA Finals
Jordan: NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA All Star, sixth place in the MVP

23
James: NBA scoring leader, NBA All Star (MVP), All NBA First Team, fourth place in the MVP, US Olympic team (gold medallists)
Jordan: missed most of the year through injury, though he did average 43.7ppg in the playoffs against Boston (including his famous 63 point game)

24
James: NBA MVP, NBA All Star, All NBA First Team, All Defensive First Team
Jordan: NBA All Star, NBA scoring leader, All NBA First Team, Slam Dunk champion, scond place in the MVP

25
James: NBA MVP, NBA All Star, All NBA First Team, All Defensive First Team
Jordan: NBA MVP, NBA All Star (MVP), NBA scoring leader, NBA steals leader, NBA Defensive POY, All NBA First Team, All Defensive First Team, Slam Dunk champion

26
James: NBA All Star, All NBA First Team, All Defensive First Team, third place in MVP, NBA Finals
Jordan: NBA All Star, NBA scoring leader, All NBA First Team, second place in MVP, All Defensive First Team

27
James: NBA Champion (Finals MVP), NBA MVP, All NBA First Team, NBA All Star, All Defensive First Team, US Olympic Team (gold medal)
Jordan: NBA All Star, NBA scoring leader, NBA steals leader, All NBA First Team, All Defensive First Team

28
James: NBA Champion (Finals MVP), NBA MVP, All NBA First Team, NBA All Star, All Defensive First Team
Jordan: NBA Champion (Finals MVP), NBA scoring leader, NBA MVP, All NBA First Team, NBA All Star, All Defensive First Team

So, of the 13 years that are in the books, James would be miles ahead for everything from 16-24, he'd be ahead at age 27, it would be pretty much dead even at age 26/28 and Jordan might be slightly ahead at age 25 (though it should be noted, James was the MVP that year). Barring injury, James has also got two free hits coming up at age 31-32, as well. It's not his fault Jordan walked away for 18 months, after all.

I guess the question is, at what age did James conclusively drop behind Jordan's career arc? 25? He was the MVP and First Team All Defence that year. Not going too bad...

jod23 said:
I worry about LeBron as he gets older and loses his athleticism as his post game is average and he isnt a great shooter like Jordan and Kobe were.
Click to expand...

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id...-game-become-highly-efficient-scoring-machine

After his summer workouts, James checked in with Spoelstra to let him know about his summer project. "Spo and I had a conversation. I told him how hard I worked on my low-post game. I knew we needed low-post scoring; we were more of a perimeter-oriented team my first year here, the year we lost the Finals, and I knew I had to get better, and in order for us to get better we had to be more efficient in the low post, so I took that approach."

It worked. James emerged from that summer transformed. "When he returned after the lockout, he was a totally different player," Spoelstra says. "It was as if he downloaded a program with all of Olajuwon's and Ewing's post-up moves. I don't know if I've seen a player improve that much in a specific area in one offseason. His improvement in that area alone transformed our offense to a championship level in 2012."
Click to expand...

James proved conclusively that he can be an excellent low post player in 2012. But to put him in there full-time would be an absolute waste, like it would have been with Magic Johnson. He's the most dangerous player in the league with the ball in his hands and if he brings the ball up, or gets it at the top of the key, he'll either have a one-on-one situation, or he'll probably have a clear passing lane to a Miller, Chalmers, Allen, or Battier spotting up for a three. I have the feeling he's going to be just fine for 6-8 more years, minimum and that, at worst, he's got a few Karl Malone-in-his-twilight years in his late 30s.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

I guess my thing with Jordan v James is the grumpy old man syndrome that it breeds. As basketball fans, why would't people actually want someone to be better than him? I'm not giving it to James; he's got to earn it. But if he can do that, it's going to be amazing to watch...another golden era for the NBA.
 
 
Damon_3388 said:
Yeah, and look at the date the article was written too. Some of the arguments against James in there were disproven/made redundant by LeBron in the last ten days. It's also comparing a smaller sample size of games from James with Jordan's entire NBA Finals output.
Click to expand...
No they werent? Yeah the article was written half way through the SA series but some of the stuff it refers to like how bad James was against Dallas in the Finals. Stuff like that doesnt exist for MJ.
 
magic told lebron he is the only person (in the A) who has the potential to become (the) GOAT.

lebron nodded in agreement. This is where Magic definitely has one over lebron. Magic is smart - he has planted the seed in kobes mind, to challenge kobe to win it all next season.

smart.
 
MC Extra Dollop said:
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id...-game-become-highly-efficient-scoring-machine



James proved conclusively that he can be an excellent low post player in 2012. But to put him in there full-time would be an absolute waste, like it would have been with Magic Johnson. He's the most dangerous player in the league with the ball in his hands and if he brings the ball up, or gets it at the top of the key, he'll either have a one-on-one situation, or he'll probably have a clear passing lane to a Miller, Chalmers, Allen, or Battier spotting up for a three. I have the feeling he's going to be just fine for 6-8 more years, minimum and that, at worst, he's got a few Karl Malone-in-his-twilight years in his late 30s.
Click to expand...
LeBron is good in the post but I think he stuggles with his identity when he gets it in the post. Is he a SG like Jordan in the post with speed, fadeaways and slashing and dunking or is he a PF and power, backing down, hook shots and bunnies. Then he seems to do a mix of either and gets nowhere. Not Malone/Duncan/Olajuwon elite in the post for a tall, not Jordan elite as a small in the post.

He is an efficient scorer, but that doesnt make him a great shooter.
 
peternorth said:
magic told lebron he is the only person (in the A) who has the potential to become (the) GOAT.

lebron nodded in agreement. This is where Magic definitely has one over lebron. Magic is smart - he has planted the seed in kobes mind, to challenge kobe to win it all next season.

smart.
Click to expand...
Magic was getting carried away there, I love LeBron just agreeing and nodding, you're talking to Magic Johnson bro, probably the second greatest player to ever play the game!!

LeBron just simply isnt Jordan. He wont ever be, he should finish top 5 though all time.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Kobe or Lebron

Similar threads

Elmer_Hauser
The Bigfooty NBA Week 18 Thread - Where LeBron attends the Superbowl
5 6 7 8 9
Replies
219
Views
8K
jod23
jod23
Son of Skeletor
  • Locked
  • Poll
The Official 2024/25 NBA Week One Thread
16 17 18 19 20
Replies
492
Views
9K
hotchilli
hotchilli
Elmer_Hauser
  • Locked
NBA Week 3 Thread
7 8 9 10 11
Replies
266
Views
9K
peternorth
P
P
  • Locked
NBA Week 1 - Tip off October 25
13 14 15 16 17
Replies
408
Views
8K
peternorth
P
P
The Bigfooty NBA Week 15 Thread
14 15 16 17 18
Replies
432
Views
10K
Look2Me4Guidance
Look2Me4Guidance
P
NBA Week 2- Where Aussies feature in 4 of 6 Monday marquee games
14 15 16 17 18
Replies
427
Views
9K
peternorth
P
Elmer_Hauser
  • Locked
NBA Week 6 Thread - I'd rather anything than watch Jordan Poole
7 8 9 10 11
Replies
262
Views
6K
peternorth
P

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top