tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post5184111410870129195..comments2023-06-26T09:25:54.337-05:00Comments on My Baseball Fantasy: LeBron James: From Loyalty to Royalty?Greg McConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-90584357261180848022010-07-20T20:05:13.246-05:002010-07-20T20:05:13.246-05:00Plus Kobe went 6 for 24 in Game 7 of these past Fi...Plus Kobe went 6 for 24 in Game 7 of these past Finals. So yeah, he has some blemishes on his closer resume. <br /><br />Based on what I know right now, today I'd rather take LeBron on my team over Kobe. LeBron is 5 or 6 years younger, plus I think he can do just a little bit more for a team on the court. <br /><br />However, if Kobe and LeBron were to both shock the world and announce their retirements today, who would I say had been the better player? It would be very hard for me to put LeBron over Kobe. <br /><br />In terms of having the most natural basketball talent, who in our generation had more than Allen Iverson? Six-foot nothing, MVP, scoring machine, led his team to a Finals, and never practiced. ;-)Greg McConnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-45437235408672404492010-07-20T11:58:21.701-05:002010-07-20T11:58:21.701-05:00But Kobe seems to be more of a "killer" ...<i>But Kobe seems to be more of a "killer" - and a closer.</i><br /><br />The key word there is "<i>seems</i>". The <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11587/kobe-bryant-in-a-nutshell" rel="nofollow">stats</a> don't seem to indicate Kobe is any more efficient at the end of games. I'm not going to argue that it doesn't look 'prettier', but efficiency is what matters. And certainly, he <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=482" rel="nofollow">isn't</a> on the level of MJ.Westyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11349549360672400647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-49726888433644193392010-07-19T20:36:33.596-05:002010-07-19T20:36:33.596-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Greg McConnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-85570457970851355302010-07-19T20:35:57.832-05:002010-07-19T20:35:57.832-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Greg McConnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-22852315148050779892010-07-19T20:35:03.231-05:002010-07-19T20:35:03.231-05:00Easy to be in the Kobe camp this year, but let’s n...<i>Easy to be in the Kobe camp this year, but let’s not forget, Spain gave us a good game (largely due to Gasol) and he’s the same reason Kobe looks good in the NBA.</i><br /><br />I enjoy hearing you and Roland (and C-Lauff) go back and forth on Kobe v. LeBron. It's a fun discussion.<br /><br />LeBron, with his amazing passing skills from Day 1 in the NBA, has always reminded me a bit of Magic Johnson. <br /><br />And Kobe, especially since he had the shaved head in high school, has always reminded me a bit of Michael Jordan, both in the way he carries himself and his scoring ability. I remember Jordan as a guy who could not only drive the lane, but also pour in the points from anywhere on the court. When Kobe gets in one of his zones, I can't help but be reminded of MJ.<br /><br />In terms of who is better, Kobe or LeBron, for me it's a tough call. LeBron definitely adjusted to the league sooner (and thus at a younger age), so that would suggest more of a natural talent. Also, from what I can tell, LeBron has never had the supporting cast that Kobe had, yet he was able to twice lead his teams to the best record in the league - and in another season won the Eastern Conference Finals. My hunch is that LeBron can improve a bad team more than Kobe can.<br /><br />But Kobe seems to be more of a "killer" - and a closer. That counts for something. He also has shown a great ability to learn and adapt as his career has unfolded. And yes, he's got the championships. But he played with guys like Shaq (in his prime) and Gasol. LeBron hasn't had those type of teammates yet.<br /><br />Since LeBron hasn't won a championship yet, I have to give the edge to Kobe since he has repeatedly proven himself in big playoff moments. Although, it should be pointed out that Kobe and LeBron have both ended their seasons with common opponents each of the past three years (Boston in '08, Orlando in '09, and <a href="http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2010/07/026717.php" rel="nofollow">Boston in '10.</a>) In each of those in-season series comparisons, LeBron's stats were better than Kobe's, including this year when he allegedly "quit."<br /><br />Here's some food for thought. What if LeBron is able to beat Kobe in the Finals next June? In a way, that would be history repeating itself 20 years later. (MJ's first ring came against Magic, who had 5.)Greg McConnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-71397898152617608462010-07-19T13:14:23.613-05:002010-07-19T13:14:23.613-05:00I tend to believe that 'stories' of Lebron...I tend to believe that 'stories' of Lebron's misbehavior on Team USA are somewhat apocryphal at this point. I’m sure he’s not perfect, but I also don’t think he’s probably any worse than many. And that Wade and Bosh like to hang with him says there aren’t overt personality red flags. Likewise, saying everyone thought Kobe was the secret to that team is a bit much. They were stacked and were going to win no matter what. Easy to be in the Kobe camp this year, but let’s not forget, Spain gave us a good game (largely due to Gasol) and he’s the same reason Kobe looks good in the NBA.<br /><br />I agree with your synopsis, though, Greg. I don’t fault the decision, just the methodology. He’s not Jordan, and that’s okay.Westyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11349549360672400647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-25550697967351287962010-07-18T20:13:35.400-05:002010-07-18T20:13:35.400-05:00We know LeBron likes to have fun and get laughs. H...We know LeBron likes to have fun and <a href="http://showhype.com/video/lebron_james_secretly_farts/" rel="nofollow">get laughs</a>. How about Court Jester James? <br /><br />Seriously, though, I remember when Jordan came back the first time, some people were saying that now it would be "Pippen's team." It took Jordan two or three games before people stopped saying that. It will be interesting to see what type of roles D-Wade and LeBron settle into--and whether or not the LeBron sidekick jokes persist.<br /><br />I actually agree with D-Wade (and LeBron) when they say that Jordan, Kobe, Magic, Duncan, Bird, etc. didn't win their championships "alone." Those guys all had Hall of Fame helpers. (Although, I'm not sure if Duncan ever really had a Hall of Fame helper, especially considering that David Robinson was past his prime by the time they started winning. Speaking of which, how underrated it Tim Duncan?)<br /><br />Apparently Jordan was asked about LBJ's decision recently, and <a href="http://twitter.com/sportsguy33/status/18862436080" rel="nofollow">he replied that he wouldn't have called Magic and Larry</a> to see if they could play together, he wanted to beat them. And while I'm sure there's a lot of truth to that, it's also true that he already had a Hall of Famer on his team in Scottie Pippen. And when Jordan first retired in '94, Pippen had a great season and almost won MVP (lost to Hakeem Olajuwon). <br /><br />It's also true that when the Bulls needed rebounding help after losing in '94-'95 to the Orlando Magic, Jordan didn't say, "I don't want Rodman on my team, I want to beat him." Instead, the Bulls traded for Rodman, the guy who they thought could best help them on the boards.Greg McConnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-71099443959889957652010-07-18T17:12:08.206-05:002010-07-18T17:12:08.206-05:00Well, D-Wade's the King of Miami, and Pat Rile...Well, D-Wade's the King of Miami, and Pat Riley is the behind the scenes overlord. So what's LBJ's title? Skip Bayless has been using Prince James for a while. But maybe a Count? Or a Duke? <br /><br />But here's the thing - if he does finally win a championship, he'll only be 1 behind Pau Gasol for the title of best sidekick.Chairmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02042114331279771820noreply@blogger.com