Enough with the Kobe/Jordan Comparisons PLEASE!

Given what happened last night, I think we should all agree that comparing Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan is IMMEDIATELY RIDICULOUS.

I HATED Jordan with every fibre of my being, but i respected him. He was a transcendent, supremely gifted, and highly disciplined PROFESSIONAL basketball player. Kobe Bryant quite simply is NOT.

I've NEVER seen any team Jordan was associated with LITERALLY QUIT like Kobe Bryant and the Lakers did last night. Jordan was a ruthless son of a b*itch, he would not have cared abt the cameras or his teammates feelings, he would have ripped into them on the sideline with unholy rage and vitriol if they got down by 20 points, much less 40 in an elimination game in the NBA finals! No doubt abt it. He would have taken over the game and went on a one man run to stop the bleeding... Kobe? Placid, blank faced on the bench. Not a word to anyone. Wow. Kobe shut it down after the first quarter. Passed to teamates who couldnt hit the broadside of a barn. And when her started shooting again, it was too late. Again, Wow.

Bottom line is this, Kobe Bryant, physically, may very well be the best basketball player on the planet right now, but he simply does not have the intestinal fortitude, the indefatigable mental strength, to be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan. He just don't.... Sorry Kobe fans, but I think you know its true.

  Jordan had the luxury of playing with a side kick like Pippen. 1 of the 50 best NBA players that we ever had. Something Kobe doesn't have. He has Lamar Odom instead. (not even close). Jordan had the luxury of passing for a 3 pointer when they crowed him to a wide open John Paxson, or Steve Kerr, Craig Hodges, Tony Kukoc or even BJ Armstrong. All very capable 3 point shooters. (Some of them the best the NBA has ever had). Kobe has to give the ball to Walton, Vujacik, Radmanovic and Farmar. (not even close either). Jordan had very capable rebounding machines in Horace Grant, and Dennis Rodman. Kobe has to rely on Odom and Turiaf for rebounding. ( again advantage Jordan big time). Centers? We all know what happened when Kobe played with Shaq. 3 titles. Jordan had very capable centers. Not the best but at least they were toughand they were holding their ground. (much tougher than Gasol, Turiaf, Mihm and DJ Mbenja for sure). Jordan never had to face zone defenses where the other team can just crowd the pain and turn guards into Jump shooters. Kobe always had to face 2 o3 opponents everytime he was driving to the basket. So when you compare apples to oranges at least be fair on your assumptions. I put Kobe on Jordan's teams in the 90's and you still win those titles. Ask Phil Jackson and he will confirm it. Put Jordan on this Lakers team and the Celtics defense would pretty much do the same thing they did to Kobe. One superstar cannot do it alone. Jordan couldn't do it. He used to get beat by Detroit's Isaiah, Laimbeer, Dumars and company, Boston's Bird, McHale and Dennis Jackson and company when they were younger. Only when these other superstars where on their way out, or retired is when Jordan made it to the top. When Kobe had help, 3 titles baby and even then he doesn't get the credit he deserves. And right now unfortunately for Kobe, that's all the Lakers got. Everyone else can be traded (keep Bynum). Be happy that at least he took this crappy team to the NBA finals. Jordan without Pippen never made it past the 1st round. It took the Celtics Allen, Pierce and Garnett to beat Kobe, so I say this guy Bryant is pretty good. I mean, he beat the Jazz and the Spurs by himself when Lamar and Gasol where pretty much out of the picture. He was just overmatched agaisnt 3 other superstars and a pretty good supporting cast. He will be back though. Count on it.

Ever since he joined the NBA right out of high school, there have been expectations of Kobe, far above what he should have been expected to acheive. There have been others before him who made attempts at carrying the torch. Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, and Ray Allen all experienced the unfair comparisons. While all were good players, even great players, they did not come close. Each had glimmers of brilliance that would remind us in flashes, but those flashes could not sustain over the years. Kobe has come the closest. There is no doubt that Kobe embodies the physical talent to rise to the level of greatness that 'He' created. Unfortunately for Kobe, physical talent alone cannot carry you to the promised land. You either need a 320 lbs mammoth starting center with a 12 foot turnaround hook shot, or you need the kind of mental toughness and calm that 'He' possessed.

Yesterday's game proved to me everything I needed to know about Kobe Bryant's career. Kobe could average 50 points a game for the rest of his life, end with 12 Championships, and I will still consider him the way I do today. He was flat out embarassed last night by the Celtics. Its not that Garnett, Allen, and Pierce are so great. They aren't. They are very, very good, but I would never say they are unbeatable. Kobe came out in the first quarter and connected on his first 3 shots, all three pointers. That's 9 points in the first 4 minutes by himself.

After that, where did he go? The Lakers defense never showed up, which should have been anchored by Kobe. After all, wasn't he supposed to be the Chosen One? The Successor? This was his time to prove it to the media who had been hyping it up ever since he was drafted. This was Kobe's chance to join an island in which only 1 other player in the history of basketball belongs on. This one game was Kobe's defining moment. And he gave up. Midway through the second quarter, you could see the life slowly being sucked out of the Lakers. I have to wonder what kind of a halftime speech Kobe gave to pump himself and his teammates up. Obviously, it wasn't a good one.

Studies show a professional athletes best years come between the ages of 27-32. Kobe is right at the peak of his career according to modern science. Can we finally jump off the name-calling bandwagon that ESPN has been on since 1997?

If the fans at the new Boston Garden did not chant it loud enough, let me tell you one more time. KOBE BRYANT IS NO MICHAEL JORDAN, nor will he ever be. Michael Jordan would not have thrown in the towel in a game he was losing by 30 points. Michael Jordan would have never been down by 30 points in the first place. Michael inflicted fear in his opponents. Kobe inflicts hatred. Michael inspires his teammates to play better. Kobe annoys and disowns his. Michael stands alone as the single greatest athlete the world has ever known. Kobe has been lucky for 11 years to remotely resemble Michael Jordan. That all ends today, for me anyway. I never believed Kobe was even close to being comparible to Mike. Now I have my proof.

lakeshow<o:p> </o:p>

First of all, GREAT players make teammates better, you insist on bringing up the sidekick issue, how do you think a sidek