Larry: Lebron over Kobe?

[Chelm]

"Well, probably Kobe, because of the fact that ... well, of course he wouldn't have been shooting as much as he does now ... but his desire to win, his dedication, to always get better, uh, and he's just, he's just tough," Bird said. "He's just a tough cat.

"But, if you want to have fun, like I did with Bill Walton, play with LeBron. It would have probably been more fun to play with LeBron, but if you want to win and win and win, it's Kobe. Not that LeBron's not a winner, just that [Kobe's] mindset is to go into every practice, every game, to get better."

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/7551496/larry-bird-love-play-los-angeles-lakers-kobe-bryant

[indeedproceed]

How did he choose LeBron over Kobe? When asked what teammate he'd want most, he said Kobe. Said he'd win more with Kobe. Basically, he just said how awesome Kobe is for like 5 minutes in there, commenting on his toughness, his work ethic, his desire to win...

[BudweiserCeltic]

How did he choose LeBron over Kobe? When asked what teammate he'd want most, he said Kobe. Said he'd win more with Kobe. Basically, he just said how awesome Kobe is for like 5 minutes in there, commenting on his toughness, his work ethic, his desire to win...

With the caveat that Kobe wouldn't be shooting as much with him. Don't know if that would be possible, but Bird can dream I guess.

I hate Kobe as much as anyone, but there are certain things about his ability and drive that one needs to admire, and the way he plays hurt is just incredible.

[wdleehi]

Everyone knows that Bird would be the Alpha dog on any team with Kobe or Lebron.  (In Bird's mind of course)

[Boris Badenov]

I don't see the confusion. He didn't pick Lebron. He said Kobe for winning, Lebron for fun.

Given that LB cared only about winning as a player, this means he'd take Kobe if it came down to it. Then he'd go back to Indiana every summer to play pickup ball with Lebron.

[Inside-Out]

I don't see the confusion. He didn't pick Lebron. He said Kobe for winning, Lebron for fun.

Given that LB cared only about winning as a player, this means he'd take Kobe if it came down to it. Then he'd go back to Indiana every summer to play pickup ball with Lebron.

Bingo.  It was actually a huge, huge knock on Lebron, IMO.  He basically said Lebron has everything to be the greatest talent to ever play the game, excepting a focused mindset to win and improve.

[Celtics4ever]

LeBron's weakness has always been his wilting under pressure and his will to win.  Physically he has it all, mentally not so much.

[slamtheking]

LeBron's weakness has always been his wilting under pressure and his will to win.  Physically he has it all, mentally not so much.

that and the fact he hasn't really developed his game as much as he should have if he was really driven to win.

He'd have developed his outside shot, his FT shooting and especially a post game.

[indeedproceed]

LeBron's weakness has always been his wilting under pressure and his will to win.  Physically he has it all, mentally not so much.

that and the fact he hasn't really developed his game as much as he should have if he was really driven to win.

He'd have developed his outside shot, his FT shooting and especially a post game.

That, and also the fact that he's never been on a team with legitimate contending talent until last season, and even then he might have been on the team with the worst cast 4-10 in the league.

Look at title winners over the past decade and pick out any team there that had a worse squad than any one of his Cle Cav teams.

[Inside-Out]

LeBron's weakness has always been his wilting under pressure and his will to win.  Physically he has it all, mentally not so much.

that and the fact he hasn't really developed his game as much as he should have if he was really driven to win.

He'd have developed his outside shot, his FT shooting and especially a post game.

That, and also the fact that he's never been on a team with legitimate contending talent until last season, and even then he might have been on the team with the worst cast 4-10 in the league.

Look at title winners over the past decade and pick out any team there that had a worse squad than any one of his Cle Cav teams.

Cleveland had a fair amount of talent, but the Lebron-centric offense put everyone else in stand-around mode.

Mo Williams isn't a bad player, nor are Jamison, Shaq, Varejao, or Delonte.  Lebron is supposed to be the top dog/best player, not complain that there's nobody else as good as him on the team.  Heck, Shaq and Delonte played very well for us after their stints with CLE, and many here were pining for Anthony Parker to come over in trade as well.  That should suggest that their roster wasn't so bad.

Though all past their primes a bit, several were former all-stars with all-around talent and skill.  They could have been a solid roster with a decent coach...but they fired Silas pretty quick for trying to develop Lebron early on.

[jpk2000]

He said Kobe. There's no question that Lebron is a freak of nature with extreme talent, but Lebron does not belong in the same conversation with Kobe Bryant. Kobe has accomplished much than Lebron.

Unfortunately with ESPN, Twitter we'll have to be forced to listen to these lame Kobe vs Lebron vs Jordan arguments. But give me Kobe, Pierce, Wade or Durant over Lebron any day because those guys are about winning.   

[Celtics4ever]

Look at title winners over the past decade and pick out any team there that had a worse squad than any one of his Cle Cav teams.

Hard to argue with that.   But he got swept too and the greats rarely get swept.  They rise to the occasion he played poorly that season.   Chosen ones that are heavily marketed can't not perform like that.

[Finkelskyhook]

Look at title winners over the past decade and pick out any team there that had a worse squad than any one of his Cle Cav teams.

Hard to argue with that.   But he got swept too and the greats rarely get swept.  They rise to the occasion he played poorly that season.   Chosen ones that are heavily marketed can't not perform like that.

It really isn't that hard to argue with.  In one way the messiah is like Iverson.  Where team management tried time and again to build and rebuild rosters around narcissistic chosen ones who were heavily marketed and also coddled by the league..  Some of the messiah's teams had little talent.  Some had a lot. 

I've believed since the first game I saw that the messiah was getting Jordan treatment that it has retarded his development as a basketball player.  The messiah is the most gifted athlete in the history of sports....And by far the most coddled. 

[jambr380]

First off, I agree that Bird chose Kobe over Lebron because he wants to win, which I assume is what matters most to Larry.

As for my personal opinion (which means diddly-squat to anybody, but me), I would like to hold off for another 5 years. Lebron is finally surrounded by talent. What he had in Cleveland is absolutely nothing compared to what Kobe had throughout his career. Miami was favored in the finals last year and there is no reason to believe they won't be at that point again and again. I really don't want Lebron to ever win a championship, but I'm afraid it is just a matter of time now.

[soap07]

that and the fact he hasn't really developed his game as much as he should have if he was really driven to win.

He'd have developed his outside shot, his FT shooting and especially a post game.

Not to insert facts into the discussion or anything, but his rookie year he shot 29% from 3. This year, he's shooting 40% and for his career, 33%. Clearly, he's improved his outside shot. He has developed a ton of his game, including becoming a better rebounder, passer and a more efficient scorer. His free throw shooting - yeah, it's a weak part, but it's 75%, more than passable.

Unfortunately with ESPN, Twitter we'll have to be forced to listen to these lame Kobe vs Lebron vs Jordan arguments. But give me Kobe, Pierce, Wade or Durant over Lebron any day because those guys are about winning.   

Only on CelticsBlog would someone take Pierce over LeBron any day because he is about "winning" and LeBron...is not.