KOBE TALK (Your one-stop shop for everything Kobe!)

[Nick]

chicochu, you're right that Jordan wins in comparison to Kobe. But you're comparing Kobe to a bunch of highlights from a Michael Jordan DVD. That is just silly.

Kobe, come to Phoenix... *drools* who cares if Lakers will offer you 40 million more dollars, and that Clippers will probably be able to offer more also. Come to Phoenix! Our owner is rich!

[Fresh8]

Kobe Bryant blocked David Robinson when Admiral was goin for a dunk!

And I was the guy who said Kobe has better handles....thats right- he does! Man- Kobe and MJ are similar players!

Their differences?

MJ is more of a natural athlete with huge hops (bigger than Kobe's)...Kobe has better handles (He's better than MJ...one game against Knicks isnt enough to prove MJ"s handles...)...and wat also sets Kobe and MJ apart are their inside games...

Sure- Kobe worked with other all-stars and learnt some new moves but in order for him to become invincible he needs to develop a MJ like fade! Other than that Kobe is the closest thing to MJ there is...even heaps of NBA coaches say that...one of them was Pop and I believe a few guys from managment who used to be with Chicago said he had an influence comparable to Michalel Jordan...

I'm not saying Kobe is as great...as I said- MJ is definately better but I do believe it is possible for Kobe to be better than MJ or equal!

I also read a stupid article on how Mitch K is only 'entertaining' offers so that kobe and all of us believe Lakers want him as the man only to lure him back to LA and tell other teams that Kobe aint available...I think Steve Kerr wrote it so it's very stupid!

[.]

ok. since the kobe vs jordan @ 25 was locked. . .

i would have to say, watch the jordan dvds. u will nver say kobe is better, or even equal to jordan. Nobody is. and who the hell said kobe was a better passer/ ball handler than jordan. remember jordan pulling a dribbling exhibition 1997 against the knicks or something. all i think of kobe is his almost travelling/palming moves when he was a rookie.

o yea remember when there was like 20 games left in 88 or 87 or something, when bulls pg was injured, he averaged almost a triple double on those games. (i read in some jordan magazine)

any1 see jordan blocking EWING, nOT 1x, but 2x! 1 with pat fading away, and 1 break away. u guys think kobe can do tha? tsk tsk... nope

jordan dominated the game, even that chuck daly guy said he was embarassing the league coz he was that good.
"you're not just facing this guy. You're a fan of his" - mark jackson
i dont think any1 has said the same thing about fobe. i like kobe too. but i just laugh at ppl trying to compare kobe and jordan. also, i think kobe is in his prime, i cant see him getting any better.

hell, who scores back to back 40pt game at age 40. i doubt kobe would be able to do that.

similarities:
-cockiness
-winning
-killer instincts
-walk
-talk
-strut

differences:
-"prove-people-wrong" attitude (mj)
-hops (mj)
-hands (mj)
-height (mj)
-foot quickness (mj) -
-~>he has thousands of moves, his feet are so quick -drexler
-speed (mj)
-clutch (mj)
-grace (mj), stiffness (kobe)
-~>somehow, mj's moves are lot better lookin the kobe's
-power (mj)
-defense (mj)
-3pt (kobe)
-mid range (mj) *fadeaways, fadeaways. . . fadeaWAYS!! *shudders*
-statue (MJ! DUH) -~> kobe will never get one


ok, thanks. thats my essay. AHHA

Well, I find your *essay* quite funny, like Nick said...you are just comparing the 2 based on highlights. Who says Kobe cant block Ewing a couple of times? I mean, he jumps high enough dont he? I think Kobe is a better ballhandler because he creates for most of his shots by getting past the defender using his dribble, Jordan would use more quickness, who cares if Jordan did that in 1 game out of all the 1072 games he has played?

Who says Kobe cant score back to back 40 points at age of 40? You do know that last year he scored 40+ points in 9 straight games including 2 50+ points right? You do know that he scored 42 points in the FIRST HALF right? which was against MJ´s team actually. lol, you actually do KNOW alot, saying that Kobe didnt reach his prime yet. Jordan didnt reach his prime untill he was like 28 or something Imo, just wait untill you make judgments like that.
And I dont think that Jordan has the edge over the "proving people wrong mentality and the clutch shooting", Id say its a tie.

And by the way, let people compare the 2. Comparing Kobe with Jordan doesnt mean that he is better then him as most people think that is, Kobes game is very similair to MJ´s admit it, thats why all the comparisons has started, not meaning that he is better. I know that MJ is better then Kobe, but they are very similair in terms of gamestyle and attitude.

I'd say Kobe will consider it. If he was 100% certain he wanted to remain a Laker, he would not have opted out and would be negotiating an extension instead. But I'm guessing he'll stay in LA, with Shaq most likely moving on.

I think his mind is set already now that Jackson is gone and Shaq most likely to, but he always told the media that he wants to meet every team that has shown interest in him, (not counting Denver and Utah which he rejected), this is the first time in his career to be able to look around and I think thats what he wants, but he knows he will eventually sign with the Lakers

[Stevan]

I don't know if Kobe has better handles than MJ. All he actually has are a couple of over exagerated crossovers which players like him and Iverson started using in the mid/late 90's.

MJ used his dribble and showed off with it much more early in his career, lol just check out some clips where he has hair, and as we know he spent more time in the post late in his career than he did working the perimiter. But the way players dribble now is slightly different to a decade ago or two decades ago in terms of style. I dunno if anyone agrees but that's the way I see it.

Tim Bug, Isiah Thomas, and even Kenny Anderson were flashy dribblers, and they are so different to Iverson (with his over exaggerated almost carry of a crossover) or some of the guards now. Less effective? Probably not. Better? Who knows? Different? Yes.

[J@3]

Kobe's taller than MJ. Just pointing that out to the guy who posted earlier.

[Amphatoast]

i think you guys got the thread wrong
just compare kobe bryant today at age 25 to the age 25 jordan. Not age 30 Jordan, age 25, back in the late 1980s.

[th3gh05t]

Kobe's taller than MJ. Just pointing that out to the guy who posted earlier.

woops, i meant to say fobe.

posted it really sleepy.





on another note...

i never said use ONLY the highlights. its just an example. have you seen kobe do all those stuff? even if its just *highlights, kobe cant do them.

(*especially the 1 against nj when they still had blue unis. while in the air, double clutches 2-3x against 4 opponents. and it looked so nice. )

oi, and jordan was a great passer. period.

im just saying. . ., jordan got significantly better every year. . kobe did not. but i guess we'll see when he's the #1 guy on his team this year. maybe he will.


case in point, kobe will not be better or even equal. they are different. kobe is too slow (25 jordan vs 25 kobe). he is too stiff when he does his *moves' inside/air. (*like he's forcing it) mj forced it, but you can't tell. its like he wanted to do that from the start. so fluid, so graceful. no1 in the league had and will never have better *moves than mj (*graceful yet very effective)

jordan is natural.

btw, i very much like kobe as a player. he's like top 4 in my list with LBJ, TMAC, KG. but comparing any current players to mj and saying that they might actually be better than him is laughable. (all high school. wtf)

[.]

have you seen kobe do all those stuff? even if its just *highlights, kobe cant do them.

He probably can.

(*especially the 1 against nj when they still had blue unis. while in the air, double clutches 2-3x against 4 opponents. and it looked so nice. )

1 play......Kobe dunked over Ben Wallace from the dotted line with 1 foot....Jordan cant do that, never.I never seen Jordan do that so he is not able to do that *sarcasm*

oi, and jordan was a great passer. period.

Kobe to...period.

im just saying. . ., jordan got significantly better every year. . kobe did not.

Yes he did, I dont count this season because all the injuries, off court problems and roster changes. I think he would become a better player then last year and alot stronger to.

case in point, kobe will not be better or even equal. they are different. kobe is too slow (25 jordan vs 25 kobe). he is too stiff when he does his *moves' inside/air. (*like he's forcing it) mj forced it, but you can't tell. its like he wanted to do that from the start. so fluid, so graceful.

WTF?

[magius]

it is inevitable that the top shooting guards in the league will be compared to the greatest shooting guard ever. Kobe seems more similar because of the tongue wag thing, other than that the rest is just basketball similarities. Kobe can dunk, mj can dunk, vince can dunk, etc.., you can say that kobe can hit big shots, but i doubt he will equal the big shots mj has taken, and besides, the oppurtunity to hit any big shots at all is doubled when playing with shaq because he will keep you in the game, their are a handful of players who could probably hit big shots given the oppurtunity as well. I doubt that kobe will ever reach anything close to mj territory, but i could be proven wrong, i can't tell the future, but i seriously doubt it. This is not a bad thing, there are a lot of great 2s that never reach mj territory. I don't even think kobe will ever be the best player of his generation, that distinction probably goes to duncan and garnett and shaq if you could include him.

I also don't think kobe will have a great impact on basketball, the way mj did. Yes, he will draw fans, but so does tmac, so does ai, so does vince, I don't think kobe has the tools to influence the game spectacularly. This isn't a case against him as a player, but the players we consider greatest genearlly have always achieved some type of milestone. What is uniqe about kobe? nothing.

[Amphatoast]

kobe has gotten a bit more publicty with teh whole sexual assualt case, but i agree, the NBA would probably be the same without Kobe (except laker fans) and you cannont say that about Jordan.
KG (MVP i may add), Carter (dunks), LeBron, Carmelo, Iverson, McGrady, and many others are also have a great impact on the sport. Not to say others didn't have impact in Jordan days, but when you say NBA in Russia, Iraq, or anywhere else, first thing that comes to their mind is Jordan. I don't think Kobe has that status yet.

[Amphatoast]

Kobe wants to stay in LA!
The Phoenix Suns just might offer Kobe Bryant a huge contract. But Bryant really wants to stay in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times.

And that seems to leave two teams: the beleaguered Lakers, or the, (gasp!), Clippers.

Bryant has reportedly narrowed his focus to include only the Los Angeles teams and has turned his attention away from Phoenix, and the San Antonio Spurs.

The Clippers are clearing salary cap space for a maximum-level contract, and it's been something they've worked on since last fall, when they learned Bryant could be available as a free agent.

And the Clippers, like several teams, are anxious to begin speaking to Bryant's representatives.

Teams can only speak to players until July 14, when the free-agent signing period begins.

"We'll leave no stone unturned," Clippers GM Elgin Baylor said last week. "I'll put it that way."

The Lakers, on the other hand, have said they would offer a maximum deal worth $136 million over seven seasons.

As for the Clippers, it remains to be seen exactly what is offered to Bryant. And it becomes a little more interesting when you consider guard Quentin Richardson is also a free agent.

Richardson has reportedly said he is almost certain to visit the Denver Nuggets. And if the Nuggets offer Richardson a contract, the Clippers would have 15 days to match.

During that time, Clippers officials say they expect to know if Bryant is interested in changing L.A. uniforms. If he is, it appears the Clippers would be willing to let Richardson sign elsewhere so as to make room for the addition of Bryant.

guess this is great news for Lakers and Clippers ( is there any here?! lol) fans out there. Sorry Suns fans

[Fresh8]

Kobe cant go to PHX cause NAsh just signed a contract which takes the SUns out of the Kobe Sweepstakes!

I agree...it seems to me that nearly everything in this forum nowadays focuses on Kobe...especially by the time Playoffs came close to everything was about Kobe/Lakers and come offseason- we're still talking about Kobe!

I honestly doubt that if Kobe had not gotten into trouble- we wouldnt be talking about him!

And I'm always thinking about this...When Kobe retires in say 8-10 years...will he be remembered in the future the same as MJ is remembered now? Or will everyone forget about him?

[magius]

we're not yet in a position to say whether or not he will reach mj heights in the future, but in my opinion he most definetely won't, and thus i don't think he will be remembered as mj was. I also don't think kobe can be as commerically viable as mj once was considering the crap he got himself into, and even before that i don't think he would've been because in mj's time mj was head above shoulders. now you have kg, now you have td, tmac, yao, bron, melo, etc.. Kobe isn't in a league of his own like mj was and i dont see him getting to one.

I do know that he will not be forgotten. One, he won 3 championships as second fiddle, two, he has had a much publicized rape incident.

the reason kobe is talked about in the reg season and playoffs so much is because he seems to have an extremely fanatically loyal fan base that sometimes on occasion exagerates what he is capable of. Note, that this is not true in all cases, but it only takes one to cause a ripple. He's obviously being talken about in the off season a lot because he is the biggest fa available, and because of the lakers idiotic handling of shaq.

[Stevan]

Yeah yeah !!! The Bulls contacted Bryant. What the heck !!! it hurts like hell !!! why did they skip trading for Pierce ? i am really pissed as (ex) bulls fan !!! i mean enough is enough man.Starks,Salley,Edwards and now Bryant.Always stupid mistakes.it really made me mad !! i dont wanna see any basketball anymore these days.

What the heck: Bulls contact Kobe
Bidding begins for Lakers' All-Star

By K.C. Johnson
Tribune staff reporter

July 1, 2004, 10:28 PM CDT


In an idea that is as far-fetched as it is tantalizing, the Bulls contacted the representatives for Kobe Bryant on Thursday, the first full day of NBA free agency.

Then again, 29 other teams probably did too.




Despite his uncertain future, Bryant is far and away the biggest name in a shallow free-agent pool. The six-time All-Star will stand trial for sexual assault in late August.

The Bulls can offer Bryant only the mid-level exception of roughly $5 million, a salary he could surpass overwhelmingly from teams with salary-cap room like the Clippers and Suns, not to mention his current employer, the Lakers.

The Suns, in fact, were reported to be preparing a $100 million offer, but agreed to a five-year, $65 million deal with former Dallas point guard Steve Nash on Thursday—almost certainly removing themselves from the competition for Bryant.

Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor said Thursday a meeting has been set up with Bryant.

The Bulls' only hope—and it's as infinitesimal as their recent victory totals—would be if Bryant falls in love with the idea of playing in Chicago and demands the Lakers execute a sign-and-trade.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has adamantly refused to entertain such a scenario. Plus it surely would cost the Bulls several players from their young core of Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, Jamal Crawford and Kirk Hinrich.

This is certain: The Bulls figured a cursory call to Bryant's camp was better than nothing.

Among the things Bulls GM John Paxson learned from his first round of calls on Thursday:

The Knicks' interest in Crawford is genuine, based on a call from Knicks President Isiah Thomas to Aaron Goodwin, Crawford's agent.

The league-wide interest in Brian Cardinal and Adonal Foyle is also genuine. Chicago-based Mark Bartelstein, Cardinal's agent, said Paxson's call was one of more than 20 he received about the 6-foot-8-inch forward, who is from Downstate Tolono and played at Purdue.

His hustling style seems to be a fit with what Paxson and coach Scott Skiles are trying to establish, but the wealth of interest likely will drive Cardinal out of the Bulls' price range.

Paxson also placed a call to Chicago-based Herb Rudoy, the agent for Toni Kukoc, who played well for Milwaukee last season.

Malone retirement talk wrong

Karl Malone had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday and will decide during the summer if he will return for another season.

Malone's agent, Dwight Manley, denied reports the second-leading scorer in NBA history was set on retiring.

Quoting sources, the Salt Lake Tribune and Los Angeles Daily News reported that Malone, who turns 41 this month, had decided to end his career.

"The retirement reports are way out there—wrong," Manley told the Associated Press. "It's Karl Malone, he'd play with an amputation."

Layups

Nets All-Star guard Jason Kidd had surgery on his left knee Thursday. Team President Rod Thorn said there was no timetable for Kidd's return. … Latrell Sprewell exercised his $14.625 million option to stay with the Timberwolves. … The Jazz hired DePaul alum and 16-year NBA veteran Tyrone Corbin as an assistant coach. … The Pacers named former NBA coach and player Quinn Buckner vice president of communications. … The Heat guaranteed forward Malik Allen's contract for next season, picked up the option on center Wang Zhi-Zhi's deal and made a qualifying offer to forward Rasual Butler.
Copyright © 2004, The Chicago Tribune

Copied the article so y'all don't have to sign up.

[J@3]

Yeah yeah !!! The Bulls contacted Bryant. What the heck !!! it hurts like hell !!! why did they skip trading for Pierce ? i am really pissed as (ex) bulls fan !!! i mean enough is enough man.Starks,Salley,Edwards and now Bryant.Always stupid mistakes.it really made me mad !! i dont wanna see any basketball anymore these days.

[putodelagoa]

OK.

I'm not getting in the debacle about who's better, Jordan or Kobe, because the answer is obvious: for as good as he is, Jordan at 36 was still better than Kobe is at 26 .

But:

People tend to downplay Kobe's game because he's been playing along Shaq.
(Now I take defense of one of my favourite players ever)

Did Jordan win anything before Pippen and Ho Grant came along with their games? Was he that different from, say, T-mac?
He was just a freak of a player rowing against the tide. A perennial playoff looser.
He wouldnt reach all his greatness without this guys, because despite opposite opinions I still think that Pippen was a dominant SF, and a guy who would require a fair ammount of respect from the defense.

He proved his MVP potential in 1994 when he carried, with Horace Grant and Tony Kukoc the Bulls deep into the Playoffs. Remember? Jordan was swinging bats, back then...

Pippen had only one year to showcase his solo skills, in his prime.

Grant was an hell of a power forward... So here you go with the Big man thing. Not a Dominant guy, but still a defensive force.

Chicago crumbled in 1995 when he departed to Orlando and only recovered their defensive soul when they snatched Rodman.


What I mean is:

For Shaq is a dominant guy, and Kobe is a young gun ( who will get better, as soon as he understands the team thing, which he does but tends to forget ), Jordan's sidekicks were sick players by their own right, and dominant at their respective positions.

It 's not like " Jordan only had Jordan, while Kobe had Shaq".

So i'm giving it to Pippen, and to a lesser extent to Kobe too.

[Fresh8]

Kobe is going to meet the Clippers and the Bulls have contacted Kobe

The Bulls said if Kobe wants to join them theyd be willing to engage in a sign and trade...but the Lakers dont want to

[Fresh8]

Looks like Kobe going to the Clippers has become more likely...

[Amphatoast]

no link but someone on ESPN boards said that Kobe is going to make his decision on what he is going to do by Monday.
I guess this means that Shaq could be dealt by then. HArd finind anything on ESPN forums these days with the spammers they have there even with there new forum:(

[Andrew]

I've decided to unsticky this thread, and open up the forum for multiple Kobe related threads. BUT...please try to keep the topics unique (we don't need 50 "Where will Kobe sign?" threads).

[Andre]

Some of you know I'm a big Kobe's fan (Magius, Jackal, ), but this latest one really pissed me off.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1837345

So, Kobe, not happy with all the Lakers are doing for him.....he's also testing how far the clippers would go. He asked them to consider playing at least 10-11 games in Anaheim, which is closer to his house in Newport Beach.....

They are gonna give him so many millions and he doesn't even want to go to LA Downtown? That's not that far.....this is ridicoluos.

Ok, this is too much, I have to admit it Magius and Jackal, Kobe has gone too far. I stronly hope someone or something will bring him down to planet earth, caz right now He thinks he rules the NBA

I begin to suspect that he did rape the girl too. This guy has lost his mind.

[Jackal]

Ok, this is too much, I have to admit it Magius and Jackal, Kobe has gone too far. I stronly hope someone or something will bring him down to planet earth, caz right now He thinks he rules the NBA

Hihihi, nah I don't think he raped the girl.

He is on cloud nine though, but he's always been high in the skies, so it comes as no surprise to some of us.

I think he's just playing around, "let me see how far everyone will go to satisfy my needs"...it is the first time he's not being seen as second fiddle to Shaq. He's enjoying his spotlight and the power he holds in his hands.

I just hope one thing for Kobe, I just hope he doesnt expect to be treated as royalty (like he's being treated now) after he's signed the contract. This is all being done to lure him into a contract, after he's signed..it's back to planet earth, unless....Buss has completely lost it.