Make that – a lot of work to do. There’s no debating that Kobe Bryant has been on a scoring tear, averaging 43.7 ppg in the month of January. More importantly, the Lakers are 8-4 in those 12 games, and are now three games above .500. But we need to take it easy on the Jordan comparisons. Sure, the guy can score like a madman and there’s no doubt that he’s a phenomenal athlete. But we already knew that. Jordan was able to win NBA Championships with Scottie Pippen as his sidekick. Kobe won his as Shaq’s sidekick. If Kobe is able to lead the Lakers to one or two more titles, then we can start comparing him to Jordan.
There are a lot of haters out there. I’m not sure there has been an NBA player that has polarized the fan base like he has. Personally, I don’t particularly like the man. Living in Southern California, I suffer from Koberexposure. The titles with Shaq, his Colorado rape trial and his decision to go it alone two years ago made Bryant one of my least favorite players. He’s a lot like Darth Vader – you just love to root against him.
I am, however, amazed by the man’s game. His athleticism can only be matched by a young man in Cleveland and the two will probably spend the next several years vying for the title of best perimeter player in the league. I respect his ability to put the ball in the hole. The tear he has been on lately is phenomenal, highlighted by that 81-point effort against Toronto. But I wonder if he’ll ever reach the Finals again. To do so, he’s going to need to bring some talent in around him, and I’m not sure there are a lot of All-Star caliber players that want to go to war with Kobe Bryant.
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I saw a clip of Kobe’s interview on Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith, and he said something interesting. First off, he said he doesn’t hate Shaq, contrary to public perception, and I believed him. Of course, he wouldn’t speak to whether or not Shaq hated him.
But more interesting than that was when he started talking about what happened a couple of years ago. Everyone was saying that Kobe couldn’t win without Shaq, and of course, everyone is still saying it now. He saw that as a challenge and he wanted to prove that he could win without Shaq. It wasn’t Kobe vs. Shaq, as everyone claimed it to be, but Kobe vs. public opinion. I think it also means that Kobe didn’t “force” Shaq out of LA, but he did force the Lakers’ hand by saying that he wanted to play somewhere where he could be The Man and prove that he could win away from Shaq. The Lakers chose Kobe over Shaq, not because Kobe made them but because they wanted to keep Kobe.
Kobe definitely has a lot to prove before he’s at MJ’s level, but he could very well get there one day. The main difference in their paths to greatness was how it all started. MJ came in and was instantly The Man on his team. He didn’t have a Shaquille O’Neal to contend with. Players who came in knew who was in charge (on the floor, anyway). Kobe always played in Shaq’s shadow. MJ created the shadow in Chicago, and therefore never had to deal with the questions and criticisms that Kobe’s endured. If you put MJ in Kobe’s position, knowing what we know about Jordan, how long do you think he would’ve been content in Shaq’s shadow? Not long, I don’t care how many titles they would’ve won. Now, put Kobe in Jordan’s position, where he comes in and has all the room in the world to grow into his own player, and then give him the perfect complementary sidekick like Scottie Pippen. I’m guessing Kobe would’ve won a title or three too, and public perception of him would be completely different (ignoring the rape trial, of course).
I don’t think it’s fair to compare Kobe to Jordan right now because of these differences. Let’s see where Bryant and the Lakers are in two or three years before drawing any conclusions. Of course, if the Lakers don’t get Kobe his Scottie Pippen, he may never reach MJ’s level. But I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re talking about Kobe in a completely different tone in a few years.
If Kobe gives the Lakers brass an ultimatum – saying “I won’t play with Shaq” – then my opinion is that he forced the big guy out of LA. There are a few ways to step out of Shaq’s shadow – one is to up your game to a point where no one can argue that you aren’t every bit as good as (or better than) the big fella. Kobe chose a route that makes the world think that he forced the Lakers to trade Shaq, which he essentially did. Considering that he’d rather go it alone than bring two or three more titles to LA with Shaq at his side, he is seen as a “me first” ego-driven athlete. Personally, I’d rather share the spotlight on a winner than be the only star on a mediocre team. But I obviously view basketball in a different way than Kobe does, which is why I don’t really like the guy.
Kobe’s ego – or the perception of his ego – is also keeping potential sidekicks from coming to LA to play with him, so unless he can change his image, his decision to go it alone will backfire. A good start would be to woo potential sidekicks as a part of his Team USA commitment.
I can’t speculate on what MJ would have done on the same team with Shaq, but I can say that the guy was all about winning. If he wasn’t the best player on the team, my sense is that he would improve his game to the point that there would be no debate. I can’t see him forcing a trade, jeopardizing a potential dynasty, just so that he could go it alone.
I agree that Jordan would have just kept improving the quality of his game. Think back to Magic Johnson. He had a simisalr situation as Kobe when he started with Jabbar. But Magic was the ultimate team player. He could have scored 30 per game, but he knew that he could make the team even better by playing the point the way it was meant to be played.
Kobe is an awesome talent, but he needs to grow up. Had he been a muture person, Shaq would still be in LA, but everyone would see that Kobe was emerging as the better player. But they still would have had the chance to win more championships.