ThaLiveKing wrote:Kobe has more offensive move IMO, Jordan better defender, but the things Kobe does, somtimes you think he's better than Jordan
Can't say I feel the same way.
Joe, a North Carolinian, wrote: "The man gambled a good bit of his money away, [allegedly] had a long-term affair with [had to be deleted for fear of a lawsuit], ran the Wizards into the ground, single-handedly destroyed Kwame Brown, and was overcompetitive to the point of violence. Despite all this, we love Michael Jordan. The man could get away with murder anywhere in North Carolina. I should know, I grew up in Durham."
There's some truth to what that reader wrote but to address a couple of the points, is there any conclusive evidence that Michael Jordan gambled away a significant amount of his earnings, enough to affect his family? I doubt he's the only NBA player who has ever thrown away a lot of money, or an amount that would seem like a lot of money to most of us. The affair is none of our business, nor is it behaviour restricted to the rich and famous.
It's become popular to say Michael Jordan ran the Wizards into the ground. That suggests they were an elite team before he took over, which simply wasn't the case. People never seem to mention how the Wizards shed themselves of the contracts of Rod Strickland, Mitch Richmond and Juwan Howard, moves that allowed them to sign Gilbert Arenas. The acquisition of Jerry Stackhouse has since allowed them to acquire Antawn Jamison. Was this all in Michael Jordan's master plan for the Wizards? Probably not, but for a team that was "run into the ground" they sure haven't done too bad for themselves in picking up the pieces.
I love the accusations that he destroyed Kwame Brown. Isn't it about time we stopped making excuses for Brown? He couldn't handle the old school mentality of Jordan and instead of responding to his criticisms, he crawled into a ball and whimpered. We could suggest that Brown doesn't have the heart or the mentality to be a superstar but why do that when we can heap blame on Michael Jordan? Kwame Brown's story should be that of the spoiled athlete who wants to be pampered but instead it's the story of big bad Michael Jordan picking on that poor kid. Isn't it about time Kwame Brown took responsibility for his own career?
Not surprising to see Jemele Hill defend her absurd claims with more absurd claims.
(1) I do not believe the NBA is better now than it was then. It's my fault for not explaining this better. At least a third of you who e-mailed thought I was on crack -- and seriously at least 400-500 e-mails had, "Are you on crack?" in the subject line -- for even entertaining the possibility the NBA is a better product now.
No, it's not. That's not what I'm saying. I believe today's player is more athletic, stronger and has more raw ability than players in the '80s and early '90s. Clearly those players in the Magic, Bird and Isiah era were more polished, tougher and had unbelievable basketball acumen. It was a better game because the players were more skilled. Today, we see guys with extraordinary physical gifts and no fundamentals. So, to sum up: Today's player has more talent, but yesterday's player was a better basketball player.
Because you know, in Michael Jordan's day most of the players were unathletic set shooters who were puzzled by the concept of a crossover dribble. There were tremendous athletes who had exceptional basketball skill back then, just as there are now. And since when did having a knack for the fundamentals display a low level of talent?
(2) That being said, there are teams in the league right now that were better than at least three of the teams Jordan beat in the Finals. The Mavericks, Suns and Spurs are better than Clyde Drexler's Trail Blazers, Gary Payton's Sonics and Charles Barkley's Suns. The coaches: Avery Johnson, Mike D'Antoni and Gregg Popovich versus Rick Adelman, George Karl and Paul Westphal. Not even a debate there. Drexler was horribly overrated -- a slasher, terrific shot-blocker and rebounder for a 6-foot-7 guy, but he was a subpar shooter and mediocre ballhandler. You play the who-would-you-rather-have game with the rosters and you would favor most of the 2007 players. Nash or KJ? Duncan or Kemp? Stoudemire or Kemp? Shawn Marion or Buck Williams? The only untouchables are Payton and Barkley. And by the way, I'm not entirely convinced Jordan's Bulls could have beaten the Rockets in '94 or '95 when Hakeem Olajuwon was at the height of his filthiness (I mean that in a good way).
That assessment of Clyde Drexler is ludicrous, if The Glide is anything it's not overrated. I don't entirely disagree on her "comparison" between the coaches (I say "comparison" because she states her opinion rather than providing any argument or evidence) though I think she's underrating the coaches of the Bulls' opponents somewhat as well. Those teams were a lot better than she's willing to give them credit for and that's what it comes down to; you can play "Who would you rather have" and compare the individuals but it comes down to what the team can accomplish and the challenge they posed to the Bulls and every other team in the league.
(4) I'll say it again: Kobe is just as good or better than MJ on the defensive end. Jordan was an unbelievable defender, but some of you seemed to forget he was playing alongside a defender who was just as capable -- Scottie Pippen. If you think that didn't help Jordan beef up his defensive stats, you are delusional.
If anyone's delusion in this whole affair, it isn't the fans who objected to that statement. Yes, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen combined to form a formidable duo at both ends of the floor and Pip's presence certainly helped MJ in several facets of the game. But as far as beefing up his defensive stats...well, it still comes down to Jordan making the play. I'm reminded of a tongue-in-cheek Alonzo Mourning quote after he won Defensive Player of the Year: "I thank my teammates for letting their men blow by them."
It's also worth noting that Michael Jordan's first season of 200+ steals and 100+ blocks came one season before Pippen's arrival. He averaged 2.6 spg 1.2 bpg in the three seasons before being teamed up with Scottie Pippen. He had the stats and was establishing himself as a one of the league's better defenders before Pippen came into the NBA.
The reason I give Kobe even more credit is (A) he's the only player in the league even remotely interested in being a good defender and (B ) he's been named to the All-Defensive first team four times during an age when every rule is geared to create more offense.
Emphasis is mine. The only player in the league remotely interested in being a good defender? I think Shane Battier, Bruce Bowen and even Raja Bell would beg to differ. Even if she's only referring to superstars I wouldn't say the likes of KG and Duncan shirk their responsibilities at the defensive end.
Will Kobe ever win Defensive Player of the Year? Probably not. But then again, he probably won't win a lot of the awards Jordan received because people really, really hate Kobe. The wall of hate that Kobe faces is why he remains underappreciated.
The Hater card gets played again! And it's as much rubbish as it was the first time. It's not that there's other good players in the league who might - dare I say - be more worthy of certain honours that Kobe, people are just hating on him.
No matter how much surgery he performs on his image, most people always will view him as an egotistical ball hog who got away with a major sexual assault even though he was never convicted. Hey, people just prefer to show blind loyalty to a player some people believe is a degenerate, philandering gambler whose teammates would have killed him if they didn't fear prison.
The fact that the sexual-assault charge against Kobe was dropped was often overlooked by e-mailers.
That's probably the first time I've heard Michael Jordan referred to as a degenerate. No doubt he has his demons that his public image have often shielded but degenerate still seems too strong a term. I think that paragraph is also quite revealing about Hill's feelings towards Jordan and indeed the motivation behind some of her twisted arguments.
It's true that Kobe was never convicted of rape and it's an unfortunate stigma that continues to plague him, but it's strange that Hill criticises Jordan for having an affair whereas Kobe is excused because he wasn't convicted of rape, as though that somehow justifies him and makes him a victim. Yes, it's unfortunate that he got caught up in that mess and faced those allegations. But as a married man he could have avoided the situation quite easily. When it comes to their affairs, MJ and Kobe are neither better nor worse than each other. They both did something wrong and it's irrelevant when discussing how good they are on the court.
And finally, my favorite e-mail, from Amsterdam:
"Hello, I'm Sharone Wright, a former top-six pick in the NBA. I was around Kobe my first and second year with the 76ers (Bryant worked out with the 76ers when he was in high school). Kobe would be the first to be at practice and he would be the last to leave. You want to talk about a will to win? This kid was amazing. He has a mad streak only the good ones have. When he wants to stop you, he will. When he wants 50, he'll give you 50. Simple as that. "I played a lot of games against Jordan, and truthfully Michael was the greatest I've ever seen, but Kobe has everything and even more to his game. The comparisons are so equal. So many critics let their displeasure for Kobe in his personal life blind them when it comes to his game and his place as one of the top-three players of all time. Kobe should be going on his fourth MVP, but they are so blinded by what their perception of Kobe is. Say what you want, but poll 20 NBA players right now, the ones that don't hold a grudge against Kobe, and they will tell you that it isn't even close to him and another player in the league. That's real talk for you."
Gee whiz, if Sharone Wright says it then it must be true.
It's no surprise it was her favourite email, Jemele Hill is the Sharone Wright of sportswriters. Alright, I have to admit a Sharone Wright sighting is kind of cool in it's own way.
Kobe had a triple double AND put 55 on MJ in his comeback seasons, Jordan didn't really do much damage against him.
