It only seems fitting that the first thing I should write about is Michael Jordan. A lot of people only started watching basketball recently so they never really had a chance to watch #23 in action. If you haven't, I suggest watching some YouTube clips (the one below is probably my favourite) to really understand how this man not only dominated the game of basketball, but also inspired an entire generation of current basketball stars.
One of the biggest debates in basketball right now is the
whole MJ vs Lebron vs Kobe fiasco. Fact is, this debate will probably carry on
right until Lebron retires, or until people realize that Kevin Durant may outshine all of them with the way he is currently playing (he's on par with Lebron James, but about 5 years younger!!!). But in
any case, I thought I would give my two cents on the issue.
First off, I would take Lebron over Kobe. That debate is not very tough for me. While Kobe is without a doubt one of the best shooting guards to every play the game, he just does not have the skill set that Lebron James has. While Kobe is a better overall scorer, Lebron is a better playmaker, rebounder and defender than Kobe. Not only that, but Lebron seems to be getting better as he grows older. He is currently averaging 27 points per game on an astonishing 56% field goal shooting and 42% shooting from 3 point range – a stat line that Kobe has never even come close to averaging. Now of course, people will mention how Kobe has 5 championship rings and Lebron has 1 (MJ himself mentioned that) but the question I ask is, If Lebron had a teammate like Shaq in his prime, would he himself not have won as many rings as Kobe did? If Lebron had Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom (pre Khloe) instead of Mo Williams, Antawn Jamesion and a Shaq past his prime, would he have not won a couple of rings there as well? In no way am I knocking Kobe's accomplishments but Lebron is finally starting to show that killer instinct that was missing. Not only that, he has turned his one weakness (shooting) into a strength. He is currently dominating the competition and is on his way to another MVP award and quite possibly another championship ring.
Now for the main event, MJ vs Lebron. For some people this is a no-brainer and some would even pick Jordan just for the sake of not wanting to "embarrass" themselves in front of others. To me, this is much closer than people think. In fact, from a talent standpoint, I have to go with Lebron James as not only is he a better shooter than Jordan at this point in his career, but he is a better rebounder, passer and maybe even a better defender. Also, Lebron is 6'8 and weighs 260 pounds (all muscle) while Michael Jordan was 6'6 and weighed close to 220 pounds (all muscle as well) during his playing days which clearly gives James the size advantage. Given the numbers, this should be a simple choice right? However, there is one thing that Jordan has better than any ball player past, present and future, which is his "competitive drive" to win no matter what. No NBA player can come close to the willpower that Michael Jordan has and quite possibly, no one ever will. If you ever look at any of his past clips, you will see that no matter the situation, Michael never took second place to anyone. Hall of Fame players like Karl Malone, Reggie Miller and Charles Barkley admit that Michael Jordan is the sole reason they never won a championship. Even compared to both Lebron and Kobe, Michael won championships with relatively less star power than Lebron and Kobe. While Lebron has his big 3 and Kobe had Shaq, Gasol and Bynum throughout his career, Michael had Scottie Pippen and a group of role players that, chances are, no one could even name if they wanted to. Yet, Michael Jordan went on to win 6 NBA championships. As good of a talent Lebron is, he just simply does not have the drive that Jordan had to win. Whether MJ was injured or even sick (search up his infamous "flu game" on YouTube), he had no quit in him and is the reason he is so well respected not just in the sport of basketball, but all sports in general. I hope to see the passion we saw from MJ in Lebron one day as I feel he is just too good a talent to not go down as one of the best ever. But until he shows that fire, my choice will go with Michael Jordan all day, everyday.
Well, that's my take. Let me know who you guys pick in this debate!
First off, I would take Lebron over Kobe. That debate is not very tough for me. While Kobe is without a doubt one of the best shooting guards to every play the game, he just does not have the skill set that Lebron James has. While Kobe is a better overall scorer, Lebron is a better playmaker, rebounder and defender than Kobe. Not only that, but Lebron seems to be getting better as he grows older. He is currently averaging 27 points per game on an astonishing 56% field goal shooting and 42% shooting from 3 point range – a stat line that Kobe has never even come close to averaging. Now of course, people will mention how Kobe has 5 championship rings and Lebron has 1 (MJ himself mentioned that) but the question I ask is, If Lebron had a teammate like Shaq in his prime, would he himself not have won as many rings as Kobe did? If Lebron had Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom (pre Khloe) instead of Mo Williams, Antawn Jamesion and a Shaq past his prime, would he have not won a couple of rings there as well? In no way am I knocking Kobe's accomplishments but Lebron is finally starting to show that killer instinct that was missing. Not only that, he has turned his one weakness (shooting) into a strength. He is currently dominating the competition and is on his way to another MVP award and quite possibly another championship ring.
Now for the main event, MJ vs Lebron. For some people this is a no-brainer and some would even pick Jordan just for the sake of not wanting to "embarrass" themselves in front of others. To me, this is much closer than people think. In fact, from a talent standpoint, I have to go with Lebron James as not only is he a better shooter than Jordan at this point in his career, but he is a better rebounder, passer and maybe even a better defender. Also, Lebron is 6'8 and weighs 260 pounds (all muscle) while Michael Jordan was 6'6 and weighed close to 220 pounds (all muscle as well) during his playing days which clearly gives James the size advantage. Given the numbers, this should be a simple choice right? However, there is one thing that Jordan has better than any ball player past, present and future, which is his "competitive drive" to win no matter what. No NBA player can come close to the willpower that Michael Jordan has and quite possibly, no one ever will. If you ever look at any of his past clips, you will see that no matter the situation, Michael never took second place to anyone. Hall of Fame players like Karl Malone, Reggie Miller and Charles Barkley admit that Michael Jordan is the sole reason they never won a championship. Even compared to both Lebron and Kobe, Michael won championships with relatively less star power than Lebron and Kobe. While Lebron has his big 3 and Kobe had Shaq, Gasol and Bynum throughout his career, Michael had Scottie Pippen and a group of role players that, chances are, no one could even name if they wanted to. Yet, Michael Jordan went on to win 6 NBA championships. As good of a talent Lebron is, he just simply does not have the drive that Jordan had to win. Whether MJ was injured or even sick (search up his infamous "flu game" on YouTube), he had no quit in him and is the reason he is so well respected not just in the sport of basketball, but all sports in general. I hope to see the passion we saw from MJ in Lebron one day as I feel he is just too good a talent to not go down as one of the best ever. But until he shows that fire, my choice will go with Michael Jordan all day, everyday.
Well, that's my take. Let me know who you guys pick in this debate!
i pick MJ ... let's just end the debate right here with this: Can you even imagine Lebron in Space Jam? it would be terrible. Jordan all day, case closed.
ReplyDeleteHaha, based on this
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bjk-BbsV2Jo
Lebron would be damn awful
Too bad Kobe isn't going to be mentioned in the greatest of all time category. We put him in there because it feels stupid not to include Kobe, but MJ takes the cup. As for the Lebron vs. MJ debate. I'm going to use the Sampras vs Federer example. Federer would murk Sampras in every way, why? Sampras uses a 1980 wilson tennis racket, today's rackets rapes, and I mean rapes any past generation racket. Athletes take several pill cocktails a day that make them a machine, in 2013, that stuff is pretty hardcore. They can do things with drugs that makes people superhuman and we're not talking steroids, things like creatine, protein and a mix of other chemical crap. Significant Sport Innovations and advancement in kinesiology and supplements makes it really difficult to isolate issues. Lebron James's massive height and his Dwight Howard like shoulder span is definitely going to make him a better re-bounder and defender, 2 inches and 40 plus pounds will do that. It's like saying, whose better Oscar de la hoya or Evander Holyfield. Pound for pound, in my opinion, Jordan is the greatest of all time. And I think that title very much relates to how dominant you were among your peers and period of history. That's why you won't be seeing Gretzky compared to Crosby or Ovechkin, some people will always be a staple...
ReplyDeleteAnd fuck the Heat...
DeleteLol! Caught me off guard having just written such an elaborate response! Good one!
DeleteWhat can I say; This may just be the first blog I follow. Mr.V, you have something going here. Loved the choice of video, but man did I LOVE your style there. For a second, I thought you were picking LeBron over Jordan, which would have been a little insane, but then you brought us back to the reality of competitive drive and how it is unmatched when it comes to Jordan's. Great piece! Looking forward to the next, and the next, and the one after the next, and yeah...you get the idea.
ReplyDelete