Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan: twins.

[RJ87]

I don't even believe Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA RIGHT NOW. 

TP for taking the words right out of my mouth.
As much as I despise the Cavs, the best player in the NBA right now is LeBron. Kobe looks like a much better player than he really is because of the pieces around him - Gasol, Odom, Bynum and now Artest. LeBron has scraps to work with, but he makes them better players - heck he made Mo Williams into an all-star. I'm not saying Kobe isn't a great player, because he clearly is, but the real mark of a great player is making the players around you better - I don't really see that from Kobe.

^This all may very well be true, but if you remember even after the Cavaliers' near perfect regular season (they almost tied the Celtics for best all time home win percentage), the Cavaliers were still unable to make it to the NBA Finals.

Interestingly enough, the Cavaliers had the chance to tie that home-record on the last game of the season, but instead chose to rest their starters for the playoffs (including Lebron). This move was detrimental to the Celtics, because the 76ers beat the Cavs that game, and moved up a seed in last years playoffs, so that we had to play the Bulls in the first round.

**Hearkens back to the infamous Celtics Bulls 7 game extravaganza series characterized by multiple overtimes/gamewinners/controversial fouls/Ray Allen's 51 point explosion/Scalabrine coming up somewhat clutch in game 7**

...Meanwhile LeBron James was on easy street, eliminating the lackluster Pistons (see Allen Iverson implosion/sub .500 reg. season record) and the complacent Hawks in 4 games apiece, only to be upstaged by the Magic in 6 games (a team that we took to game 7) even though he was averaging playoff record numbers (35 pts, 9 rebounds, 7 assists)... 

Let's hope we can stay healthy throughout the rest of the season; I hear Kobe Bryant is playing through injuries over in the Western Conference, so it's not like every game from here on out is a 'must'-must win... 

Lol, you pretty much just made my point. In all honesty, that Cavalier team - pretty much LeBron with a bunch of role players - shouldn't have made it that far. But LeBron, as a player, made his teammates better and they were really the quintessential overachievers, but LeBron made - and continues to make - the guys around him better. To sum it up really: who's the 2nd assist leader in the East this season behind Rondo? No, not a point guard - LeBron James.

Kobe, on the otherhand, is surrounded by all-star caliber guys including a former defensive player of the year in Artest. In fact, over the past few seasons I've seen a pattern with Kobe: lying in wait until the fourth quarter, then turning it on. The ESPN "analysts" claim that's him allowing his teammates to do their thing the first 3 quarters and then him being a great closer. But what it really appears to be is him saying "look at what these guys would be without me... Now I'll come on in the 4th to save the day."

I digress because I really think I've gotten away from Kiorrik's original topic. I don't think Kobe and MJ are twins, as someone else pointed out, Kobe just emulates Jordan A LOT.

[Eja117]

If by twins you mean that they are both D Bags, sure.

TP.....thanks for running to the bottom line so fast there champ

[BigBaby]

One thing to mention is that Jordan and Kobe both have great basketball fundamentals, so that will account for some of the similarities.

They both are very similar body types, but Jordan was naturally stronger. Kobe came into the league much smaller than he is now. I think this made Jordan a much more superior finisher at the rim.

But Kobe obviously idolized Jordan along with many of the other players in the league today. Copying is the ultimate sign of respect. The history of basketball is filled with players copying past players and expanding with new plays and moves.

Kobe still has a lot of his own moves. I think he has a slightly better jumpshot than Jordan did. And I think he elevates his teammates better (only the last 2-3 years).

Jordan was overall more dominant.

[ManUp]

Jordan was by far the more efficent scorer, averaging over .500 from the field for his NBA career. Simply put, it was often times better to just pass the ball to MJ, even if you knew your opponent was going to double-team him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5auPSMaD3vE

It is a shame how the NBA has softened up since Jordan retired; no handchecking, three in the key, etc. I remember how tough it was for the Bulls come playoff time to just get past the Detroit Pistons and their brutal defense. Imo what the C's did to Kobe in the 2008 NBA Finals is nothing compared to what Michael Jordan went through in his early years, hell MJ averaged 37 ppg in his third season in the NBA:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDeiWYttLME

I love the second video. It perfectly illustrates how bad a shot selection Kobe has. The guy is a superior talent, but he doesn't always put as much pressure on the defense as he can. IMO, his immaturity/me first attitude is a big reason why we won Banner 17. He gets a lot of credit for making bad shots, but no one ever really says anything when he misses.

[Slugger]

Kobe haters are loving this, because it gives them ammo to point out how over-rated he is, or what a bad team mate he is.  Its not fair on him, comparing him with MJ.

Both are champions. Kobe is a Laker, so the hatred for him as a Laker is understandable.  However, there is no denying he is easily top 2 in the NBA - and has been for years.

[ManUp]

Kobe haters are loving this, because it gives them ammo to point out how over-rated he is, or what a bad team mate he is.  Its not fair on him, comparing him with MJ.

Both are champions. Kobe is a Laker, so the hatred for him as a Laker is understandable.  However, there is no denying he is easily top 2 in the NBA - and has been for years.

I don't think I've seen anyone call him overrated or a bad teammate other than you.

All that's been said is that he's not as good as Jordan.

Almost everyone agrees that he's top 2 in the league right now.