Kobe vs LeBron

Kobe. LeBron. Kobe. LeBron. This is THE debate in basketball - and maybe even in all of sports - right now. I only have to point to my own struggle in this issue to prove it. Look at the first blog post I ever wrote declaring myself as a "Witness," and essentially crowning LeBron as the king. I HATED Kobe with a passion; he was selfish, in every sense of the term. But more than that, he was lost in his own perception of himself (more on this later).

However after a year in which I followed basketball more religiously - and more studiously - than ever, I came around to Kobe's corner. Half of that was becoming more aware of LeBron's flaws, the other half being a major transformation on Kobe's part. He became the Jordan of that Lakers championship team.

***A lot of people say that Lakers team was a lot more talented than Jordan's Bulls... people obviously don't remember how good Scottie Pippen was (led the Bulls to the playoffs w/o Jordan). And I KNOW people don't remember how good Dennis Rodman was (best rebounder and defender since Russell). Kobe won that title with the softest supporting cast in the history of the NBA Finals. I dare you to prove that statement wrong.***

But I'm not writing this to argue Kobe over LeBron. Furthermore, I'm currently of the opinion that they're such different players that they can't be compared in that way. Ultimately, those two are THE CLASS OF THE NBA. What I'm going to present is my feelings on the public perceptions of both players, and when talking about one do my best to disregard the other.

LeBron James

As of now, LeBron James is the pinnacle of human physical evolution (as far as I know). Never has there been an athlete blessed with the physical tools to be successful in his sport like LBJ. The numbers he's putting up are absurd, and they're only going up. He is the true definition of a phenom.

Phenom. LeBron James is synonymous with the word. I first heard of him being referred to the next great thing when he was a sophmore; while I do keep up with high school prospects I don't think anyone before or since has been lauded so highly and at such a young age. Since he was FIFTEEN he had people in his ear telling him he would be the best player in the world.

Thing was, he made it impossible for anyone to overstate his abilities on the court, because he ALWAYS met and exceeded expectations. Never have I witnessed (pardon the pun) someone with such extraordinary talent continually live up to the hype that James and his supporters built for him. I can't state that enough. Watching his meteoric rise is something I will cherish not only as a basketball fan, but simply as a human being, forever. I know how fantastical that statement sounds, but again, think about how unique his career has been. There's very little standing in the way of him being considered the best player of all time when all is said and done.

Now, think back to when you were 15 years old (probably closer to 13-14 in actuality). Remember how impressionable you were? And you were only dealing with parents, teachers, and whatever else may have been influencing you. This kid was on Sports Illustrated in 2002 as a 17 year old junior, dubbed as 'THE CHOSEN ONE'.... We're supposed to expect the coaches, media, fans and everyone in between to not inundate him with the highest of praise? We're supposed to expect him to grow up and mature without any sense of entitlement, in spite of that?

Simply put: No.

That's why we have the biggest beneficiary of star-treatment - and the biggest crybaby - in all of sports. It's really a shame, because if he wasn't handed everything at every turn, he'd be MUCH better off for it. Look back at his first couple years in the league. Not only did he too often pass up a shot in the closing seconds, but when he did take it he was visibly scared.

Compare LeBron to Carmelo Anthony (who are similarly aged and both products of that '03 draft class) in the early stages of their careers. Anthony was highly touted coming out of Syracuse, but in nowhere near the same capacity as 'Bron - and had off-the-court issues that drove many people away from him. While LeBron was passing on final shots, Melo relished the opportunity to win games with that final shot. (One of my favorite sneaker commercials of the last few years). I actually felt 'Melo deserved to win Rookie of the Year, but true to form, The Chosen One was selected yet again...water under the bridge though.

LeBron is still in his adolescence as a player, which is part of why the opportunity we have to watch him grow is so special. But while this coddling has unquestionably retarded his growth, it hasn't necessarily set his ceiling any lower. It'll just take him longer to reach it than it would've 10-15 years ago. And unfortunately for the fans, that's probably a good thing. Today's NBA is soft, and the majority of players (and fans...) who've entered the league post-lockout couldn't handle the type of player who existed before Y2K. Speaking of that type of player...

Kobe Bryant

I will freely admit, I hated Kobe. He had an absolutely deplorable behavior; I am all for having a competitive nature, but at a certain point you need to take a look in the mirror. Thing was, as most of you should know, Kobe didn't have a traditional upbringing. At six his father signed with an Italian team, and the family moved with him. They moved back to the US in 1991, and Kobe went on to tear his high school competition apart.

Now, again, I'll try to put you in Kobe's shoes (at least as far as I'm able). Being an American kid in Italy, he was certainly an outsider. Then coming back to the States for high school from Italy, you can bet that again, he was an outsider. Obviously he was the center of attention, being the best prep player in the country. But an outsider nonetheless. Living a life like this is going to make you develop a MAJOR chip on your shoulder.

On the flip side of this, he had every reason to be confident in his abilities, so he carried himself like an heir-apparent should (start the video at 2:25). So when these two personalities come together in the same person, you're gonna have problems, as he did.

Now, whether you agree with all that or not, the fact remains that for a while he was an awful teammate. There's no denying the truth that, above all else, Kobe valued winning. He worked tirelessly, making himself the best player he could possibly be. He had an inhuman, Jordan-esque hunger to be the best that he could be, so he could lead his team to victories and ultimately championships. He studied the game from a very young age - thanks to his dad - and picked up little nuances because of it (as evidenced by the savvy that he's displayed for his entire career). He truly did everything he could to make himself the best player he possibly could.

But he kept to himself. Again, take my analysis for whatever you'd like, but if you believe that being a great athlete correlates with having a captivating and outgoing personality you're delusional. And growing up as an outsider will condition you to be a reserved individual. In turn, you're people skills will suffer, which will inevitably make it that much more difficult for you to connect with teammates. Kobe obviously didn't mesh with his teammates. Not only is that fact, it's a big understatement.

The entire weight of that blame can't go on Kobe's immaturity, however. As I somewhat alluded to earlier, Kobe is an old school player; gritty and tenacious on both ends of the court, and INTENSE on and off it. Too bad neither of those first two words even exist in the vocabulary of post-lockout NBA. That played (and still plays) a major role in why he doesn't get along with teammates - and is painted as a bad teammate. People just aren't expecting it anymore, and will naturally become flustered when a personality like Kobe's comes along.

The boom in media coverage (thanks to blogs, YouTube, etc.) also exposes us to a lot more of Kobe than would've been available in previous eras. We're presented with to far too much FILTERED INFORMATION about what happens outside of games (until you can pick up fantasy points for it, we DO NOT pay players to practice). So forget demanding one of your teammates be traded, can you imagine what would happen if Kobe punched Derek Fisher in the face?

(By the way, if anyone reading this remembers when Jordan punched Kerr, can you enlighten me on how this was received in the media, I'd greatly appreciate it.)

In summation, I wish the NBA would go back to where it was when defense was actually allowed. Both of these players would be much better off in that league; as opposed to today's confused version of basketball, where defense STILL wins championships yet what owners have decided filling seats comes from scoring 120 points per game. Kobe would be in his element, and LeBron would be miles ahead of where he is now (a thought both wondrous and terrifying). Some people say that you can't develop a killer instinct, and while I generally subscribe to this theory, for all intensive purposes LeBron James is retarded. I'm still certain that he'll become one of the all-time great assassins. As I said, nobody has ever been blessed with the tools that LeBron has. He just needs to remember that he's an unstoppable freight train going to the basket and to STOP FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIS WILDLY INCONSISTENT (albeit improving) JUMPSHOT. He doesn't have to do what Jordan did - and now what Kobe's doing - and become more perimeter oriented to extend his career because he's a physical marvel, and still only 25.

***Actually, while I'm on the subject, LeBron needs to be himself. Stop copying other people's styles, because he is a truly unique player. Less of this and more of this. And seriously, BRING BACK THE LEBRONS! END THE PUPPET MADNESS IMMEDIATELY!***

P.S. Watching Kobe's game evolve over the last three years has been a thing of beauty. He doesn't attack the basket like he used to, instead taking a page out of Jordan's book with the goal of maintaining his physical health for as long as possible (who cares if he only has eight fingers ha). Nobody can create a shot for themselves without going anywhere like Kobe does. And I have never seen a post game like his, which is the most recent development. He's virtually unstoppable when he gets post positioning. We are witnessing the best Kobe Bryant there's ever been, and for those of you who don't remember what it was like to see Jordan play, this is as close as you're ever gonna get. And it's damn close, at that. His conditioning is on par with the likes of Jerry Rice, he's got quite a few years left. I hope.

P.P.S. Kevin Durant is the TRUTH. He's another truly unique player that will have his name among the all time greats when it's all said and done. FACT. He has that 'IT' factor RIGHT NOW. And he's only 21. The only thing in his way of being the all time scoring leader is injury ha (and me jinxing him of course). 30 points per game already? What on earth??? I just hope he grows into his body, 'cause I don't see how he can actually stay healthy being as lanky as he is.