Michael Jordan memo to Kobe Bryant:

[QUOTE=rhythmic

[QUOTE=juju151111]Maybe because Kobe fans overrate him and at 40 Mj barly played and was playing injured. He had knee sergery before the season the guy could barly move. The fact that Mj was dropping 40 pt and 50 pt games at age 39-40 on bum knees is something.
Magic is not even top 2[/QUOTE]

:oldlol: Yeah because Jordan isn't probably the single most overrated player of All-Time. OldSchool exemplifies everything wrong with Jordan fans.

Kobe? I've watched him play since he entered the league, since I was 6 years old. Over the years he has NEVER been my favorite player. I do not necessarily like him as a person, nor do I think he makes good decisions or is the best teammate to have. I also think he is extremely arrogant but very talented.

But I always see people call him out for those faults he has, I see people critisize every other damn player to ever play the game. When's the last time Jordan was criticized? ...about ANYTHING.

He was an asshole as a player, a horrible teammate who treated his teammates like dog shit. He had terrible games in crucial settings, he missed 20+ shots, he took 45+ shots in a game etc. Yet, he's untouchable.

Bullshit, I'll take Magic Johnson over Michael Jordan any day of the week, especially if I had 4 scrubs around them.

Anyways, done with this conversation already gave me a giant headache.

[QUOTE=Clove21]I'm not talking about head to head matchups. I'm talking about looking at the state of the team as a whole.

People go "OMG, Dream Team had Jordan/Magic/Bird, they can't ever lose!!!" and don't think about it being old Magic and Bird. They are going on name alone and not looking at how all players involved were/are playing.

The only matchup people are treating as a reality is the 29 year old Jordan vs 34 year old Kobe matchup.

Put the Jordan matchup aside and tell me who on the original Dream Team dominates the game to the point that they blow out the 12' team? And then tell me who shuts down Lebron (Pippen, lol), Durant and Deron?

Not happening.[/QUOTE]


The Dream Team has a huge advantage in the paint. Ewing/DRob/Malone/Barkley are all better than any big on the current team.

Pippen was one of the best wing defenders in league history. If Lebron had trouble with a declining Marion i think Pippen could hold his own.

Who shuts down Deron, the guy who shot 40.7% this year? :oldlol:

[QUOTE=LJJ]It's not my fault that your idiot ass is incapable of composing sentences that correctly reflect what you are trying to say.

What, I'm supposed to smell that you mean something different than what you actually post? That was you being serious?

No, that was you being seriously retarded.[/QUOTE]

Cool story moron, now f!ck off.

[QUOTE=RaininTwos]I was wrong about the Drazen bit, but god damn, I guess Jordan is Jesus. Here we go with the massive overrating of the guy again.[/QUOTE]

He didn't call Jordan Jesus. He just went into a detailed explanation about part of the reason he was better then Kobe. Tell us what he's wrong about if you think so.

[QUOTE=guy]He didn't call Jordan Jesus. He just went into a detailed explanation about part of the reason he was better then Kobe. Tell us what he's wrong about if you think so.[/QUOTE]

He cant. He doesnt know how to start.

[QUOTE=rhythmic

[QUOTE=Clove21]I'm not talking about head to head matchups. I'm talking about looking at the state of the team as a whole.

People go "OMG, Dream Team had Jordan/Magic/Bird, they can't ever lose!!!" and don't think about it being old Magic and Bird. They are going on name alone and not looking at how all players involved were/are playing.

The only matchup people are treating as a reality is the 29 year old Jordan vs 34 year old Kobe matchup.

Put the Jordan matchup aside and tell me who on the original Dream Team dominates the game to the point that they blow out the 12' team? And then tell me who shuts down Lebron (Pippen, lol), Durant and Deron?

Not happening.[/QUOTE]




barkely/malone ewing /robinson....

in any combo serves whoever plays 4-5 for 2012

not even close

CT: Ewing/ Robinson/ Laettner
PF: Barkley/ Malone
SF: Pippen/ Bird/ Mullin
SG: Jordan/ Drexler
PG: Johnson/ Stockton

CT: Chandler/ Love
PF: James/ Iguodala/ Griffin
SF: Durant/ Anthony
SG: Bryant/ Harden
PG: Paul/ Williams/ Westbrook

First thing that comes to mind is that absolutely no one on the current team can guard Charles Barkley. He's going to score almost every time he touches the ball. He shot 71% from the field. That's right, 71%. Jordan could make life difficult for anyone in the 2012 team's backcourt. Pippen and Malone could guard LeBron on different areas of the court, and when the 2012 tries LeBron and center, D-Rob would have been fast enough to keep up with him.

The only weakness for the Dream Team was point guard, due to Stockton being injured, and Magic being slower. Pippen played a lot of point guard though, and excelled. Frankly, if Stockton is healthy, he and Pippen would ruin Paul, Williams and Westbrook.

[QUOTE=guy]He didn't call Jordan Jesus. He just went into a detailed explanation about part of the reason he was better then Kobe. Tell us what he's wrong about if you think so.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]He cant. He doesnt know how to start.[/QUOTE]

Funny how GOBB cant respond when I come at him, but he piggybacks other posters. Shame on you for that.

He's right though, I can't respond, I've got stuff to do lol.

I will say this, I have no qualms with him saying Jordan is better, the problem is how he presents the gap as being grand canyon sized. Something that no one in their right mind should agree with.

GOBB is still an idiot by the way.

[QUOTE=rhythmic

[QUOTE=RaininTwos]Funny how GOBB cant respond when I come at him, but he piggybacks other posters. Shame on you for that.

He's right though, I can't respond, I've got stuff to do lol.

I will say this, I have no qualms with him saying Jordan is better, the problem is how he presents the gap as being grand canyon sized. Something that no one in their right mind should agree with.

GOBB is still an idiot by the way.[/QUOTE]

You've got stuff to do? Then why are you responding with a sarcastic comment? He didn't even say anything insulting Kobe, infact he said that Kobe maybe even a more skilled 1 on 1 player. I don't know, sounds like a back pedaling response on your part.

Christian Laettner gives the Dream Team the edge.

[QUOTE=SpecialQue]Christian Laettner gives the Dream Team the edge.[/QUOTE]


word....

he knows every move coach k is going to do....so he could give the dream team a heads up....

[QUOTE=OldSchoolBBall]First off, skill and peak are two entirely different things. Just because one is skilled doesn't mean they have impact. And Kobe is most certainly NOT as skilled as Jordan. Maybe in terms of strictly 1-on-1 ability [B]with[/B] the ball he's close and arguably superior, but in terms of total basketball skill? No way. Jordan's off the ball game alone destroys Kobe's, and he was a far smarter player in general about using defender's momentum, his teammates' bodies etc. to get good looks. [B]Better rebounder by a good margin, better passer/playmaker, better post player, better defender (vastly better team/help defender, actually). It adds up to at least a 10% difference in impact prime vs. prime and especially peak vs peak. No version of Kobe is seeing '89-'92 Jordan, and especially '90 or '91 Jordan.[/B]



Petro never scored more than 26 on the Bulls, and that was on 40% shooting. He did have a couple of good games in the low-mid 20's against them, though. [B]Regardless, players like Petrovic are in many ways harder to stop than players like Kobe, because he plays without the ball, is a better shooter, and was a smarter player. Kobe's strengths as an offensive player, by contrast, play right into Jordan's strengths as a defender. He'd get sucked in to a 1-on-1 battle and Jordan would pretty handily get the better of that matchup.[/B][/QUOTE]

Bolded= trolling. There is no way that Jordan is better in every facet of the damn game in comparison to Kobe. The fact that you guys see nothing wrong with what this notorious troll said is telling. I understand that you guys love MJ, I really get it, but this is out of hand. 02-03 Kobe, 07-08 Kobe are definitely competing with Jordan to the very end. You could throw in 05-06 and some other years as well.

Kobe is also an all-time great defender and I am not just going by some First team defense selections either. I've seen Kobe take on and shut down some of the best scorers the league has ever seen in a golden era of swingmen. We are talking about Kobe defending prime versions of: T-mac,Pierce,AI,Carter,Ray Allen,etc.

Kobe is a student of the game and has learned a lot of from MJ, but he's also made some things on his own as well. I don't understand how you can look at the two players and think in a head to head matchup, both in their primes, Kobe is 10% away from Jordan. That's the very definition of trolling.

This is what I've been talking about the whole summer, Jordan is getting overrated by guys on here. I don't even know what the hell I was watching all these years on WGN and the internet. It must have been a slightly less godly Jordan out there because these fables that people call descriptions are laughable.

I agree that Jordan is a slightly better player at their respective peaks, but if they went up against each other in a game, I wouldn't know who to choose.

I understand how this is a completely hypothetical discussion and there's no real way to prove who'd be right, but I remain surprised with how many people are so quick to discredit many of the stars on the '92 Dream Team when comparing them to current '12 Olympians.

Much of the focus seems to be revolving around the top stars of one roster vs. the top stars of the other roster (i.e. MJ, Magic vs. Kobe, LeBron). It is my feeling one of the prevailing traits of the original Dream Team is their entire roster (discounting Laettner) was made up of absolute, top of the line super stars. To simply mention the presence of Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, and Karl Malone off-hand is a complete disservice to the discussion. To me, players like that [i]are[/i] the reason the original Dream Team would have such a healthy advantage.

In total, using Bill Simmons' updated Pyramid ranking as a very, [i]very[/i] (very) loose base, the Dream Team featured 8 of the top 29 players of all-time (10 of the Top 44). All but two of those players were virtually in the prime of their respective careers. Even then, unprime Magic Johnson's last season in the NBA prior to his HIV announcement ('91) featured 19ppg, 7rpg, and 12apg on 48% shooting. Bird's '92 season produced 20ppg, 10rpg, and 7apg (though I suppose one thing that'd have to be discussed would be whether the original Dream Team would have a healthy Bird or an injured one in this comparison. Healthy, he was still putting in work. Injured, he was hardly a shell of his former self).

Anyhow, with the Dream Team boasting 8 Top 50 players in their prime (or top 44 according to Simmons), I must wonder how many players from the '12 team hold that status. Overall, I believe [i]at least[/i] three players from the current squad will go down in history on the front side of top 50 (top 25): Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant (and/or Chris Paul). Of those three (now four with Paul), one is no longer in their prime (Bryant). That leaves three prime top 50 players. The next question may be, is there anyone else on the '12 team that may end up in that area (top 50) by the time they're said and done? Are we experiencing the beginning of what will be a historically fruitful prime for guys like Blake Griffin or Kevin Love?

From the looks of it, every single non-Laettner member of the Dream Team was in the midst of a Hall of Fame career. Like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird's careers were no longer skewing upward. But that still left guys like Chris Mullin, a jump shooter coming off a 26ppg season on 53% shooting, John Stockton averaging 16ppg and 14apg, and David Flippin' Robinson averaging 23ppg, 12rpg, and 5bpg. How many '12 Dream Teamers do we believe to be in the midst of no-doubt Hall of Fame careers? I ask this sincerely.

I just don't see how the '12 Dream Team stacks up in any way, through and through. James Harden, Andre Iguodala, Tyson Chandler and Deron Williams are not the answer to Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing, and John Stockton. With that said, if we transplanted the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant to 1992, I think they would have fit right in with the original Dream Team.

[QUOTE=juju151111]Clyde a worse version of Granger. Shut ur dumbass up. 29 year old Mj>>>>>>>>> 34 year old Kobe[/QUOTE]



Drexler>>>>>>>>>>>Granger its not that close

[QUOTE=RaininTwos]Westbrook, the most athletic PG ever, would do some unspeakable things to Magic and Stock.[/QUOTE]

after westbrook does unspeakable things to magic, Ewing & Co will be waiting for him do the unspeakable things around the rim. After that unspeakable things, westbrook decides to shoot jumpers instead of driving to the hoop, and when that happens coach K will sit his a$$ down.

and no, westbrook who isn't even a PG, is not more athletic than derrick rose. don't be silly.

[QUOTE=SilkkTheShocker]I don't think the gap between Jordan/Kobe is as big as some believe. But at the same time, there is a gap. Kobe is a beast, 2nd best SG ever. But Jordan was the lead-dog for every team he played on in the NBA. Kobe was a sidekick for like 8 seasons.[/QUOTE]

Hey dumbass if youre a sidekick next to the BEST PLAYER IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE how can you fault that?!

[QUOTE=Linspired]after westbrook does unspeakable things to magic, Ewing & Co will be waiting for him do the unspeakable things around the rim. After that unspeakable things, westbrook decides to shoot jumpers instead of driving to the hoop, and when that happens coach K will sit his a$$ down.

and no, westbrook who isn't even a PG, is not more athletic than derrick rose. don't be silly.[/QUOTE]
Derrick Rose who just tore his ACL is more athletic than Westbrook? Even when he was healthy it was debatable.

Also I guess fouls aren't being called unless you think Ewing and D-Rob are going block every single drive cleanly. :facepalm

[QUOTE=RaininTwos]Bolded= trolling. There is no way that Jordan is better in every facet of the damn game in comparison to Kobe. The fact that you guys see nothing wrong with what this notorious troll said is telling. [/QUOTE]

:oldlol: Thats your argument? Why don't you actually say what Kobe is better at instead of dismissing it as impossible, which it isn't.

[QUOTE=RaininTwos]Derrick Rose who just tore his ACL is more athletic than Westbrook? Even when he was healthy it was debatable.

Also I guess fouls aren't being called unless you think Ewing and D-Rob are going block every single drive cleanly. :facepalm[/QUOTE]


They don't have to block his shot to force him to miss or prevent a shot. And if the lane gets cut off he isn't going to suddenly become a pg and consistently find an open man.

[QUOTE=RaininTwos]Derrick Rose who just tore his ACL is more athletic than Westbrook? Even when he was healthy it was debatable.

Also I guess fouls aren't being called unless you think Ewing and D-Rob are going block every single drive cleanly. :facepalm[/QUOTE]


you said most athletic PG EVER. you didn't say most athletic PG right now.

no one can prove who is more 'athletic', but rose did have better standing vert, max vert, and 3/4 court sprint. and IMO rose looks visibly more agile than russell.

and let's not act like physical plays = automatic foul. foul or no foul, damn boys back in the days know how to play tough D and send a message. westbrook is like a little boy running around like a deer in the headlight to them.

:facepalm

oh by the way, AI would run circles around westbrook and AI is also 'shoot first PG' just like westbrook was. :roll:

whoever said clyde is worse version of granger should quit NBA for humanity.

clyde and granger? lol i've read it all.

I don't see how 1992 vs. 2012 is even a comparison. From a statistical standpoint its absolutely NO comparison....these are the seasons these men were coming off of...

So lets make some comparisons really the only way that we can, statistics....

Because I sincerely doubt, this team will be beating these international teams by nearly 50 points per game :lol


David Robinson 23.2points - 12.2reb - 2.3stl, 4.5blk, .551FG%
VS.
Kevin Love 26.0points - 13.3reb - .448FG% (pathetic)
***David Robinson is a much better overall player, add on his defensive presence.

Patrick Ewing 24.0points - 11.2reb - 1.0stl, 3.0blk, .522FG%
VS.
Blake Griffin 20.7points - 10.9reb - 3.2ast, .549FG%
***Pretty nice even matchup, Patrick had the edge on the defensive end.

Larry Bird 20.2points - 9.6reb - 6.8ast - .406/3PT
VS.
Lebron James 27.1points - 7.9reb - 6.2ast - 1.9stl - .531FG%
***This is actually a good matchup up of individuals who can work both ends of the floor. Larry the better shooter, and puts up equally impressive overall stats. What is crazy, is Larry put those stats up in his FINAL year in the NBA. I doubt that many players will be able to put up stats like that after 12 plus years...

Scottie Pippen 21.0points - 7.7reb - 7.0ast - 1.9stl
VS.
James Harden 16.8points - 4.1reb - 3.7ast
***HAHA joking right? Scottie in a landslide...

Michael Jordan 30.1points - 6.4reb - 6.1ast - 2.3stl, .519FG%
VS.
Kobe Bryant 27.9points - 5.4reb - 4.6ast - 1.2stl, .430FG% (Pathetic)
***No comparison, Kobe's shooting percentage is below the NBA average..

Clyde Drexler 25.0points - 6.6reb - 6.7ast - 1.8stl
vs.
Kevin Durant 28.0points - 8.0reb - 3.5ast - 1.3stl
***Kevin Durant, solid player...he is going into his own.

Karl Malone 28.0points - 11.2reb - 1.3stl - .526FG%
VS.
Tyson Chandler 11.3points - 9.0reb - .679FG%
***Mailman takes this one easy

John Stockton 15.8points - 13.7ast - 3.0stl - .407/3PT
VS
Deron Williams 21.0points - 8.7ast - 1.2stl - .407FG% (pathetic)
***Deron could never live up to Stockton's presence, even when in Utah...turnover city!

Chris Mullin 25.6points - 5.6reb - 2.1stl - .524FG%
VS.
Carmello Anthony 22.6points - 6.3ast - .430FG% (pathetic)
***Chris Mullin, in his prime was a better shooting version of Scottie Pippen, without the athleticism. The man could flat out shoot....

Charles Barkley 23.1points - 11.1reb - 4.1ast - 1.8stl - .552FG%
VS.
Andre Igoudala 12.4points - 6.1reb - 5.5ast - 1.7stl
***LAUGHS AGAIN!!!!!

Magic Johnson - 19.4points - 7.0reb - 12.5ast
VS.
Chris Paul - 19.8points - 9.1ast - 2.5stl
***again no comment

Russell Westbrook - 23.6points - 4.6reb - 5.6ast - 1.7stl
VS.
Christean Laettner
***well finally this years team wins...


Jordan had it right on the money, basketball back then folks had a higher IQ. Today's game is full of individuals forcing shots and settling for 3pointers....1992 Dream Team would smash any other US Olympic team ever assembled. HANDS DOWN!!!!

[QUOTE=RaininTwos]Also I guess fouls aren't being called unless you think Ewing and D-Rob are going block every single drive cleanly. :facepalm[/QUOTE]
To be fair, oftentimes actual blocked shots are just a small part of what makes having a Hall of Fame center in the middle so effective. Even from my lame basketball playing history of going against relatively unathletic 6'9'' guys, sometimes just having them there is enough to at least make a player think twice about both when they're going to choose to attack and how they're going to attack.

For instance, if Joel Anthony was waiting in the paint for Westbrook, I think a relentless attack would be at the forefront of Russell's mind. However, placing a 7'1'' Patrick Ewing or David Robinson back there (big men who actually had significant skills) would surely have to alter how Westbrook was going to attack. If he attempted to challenge those two just as he would a 6'9'' scrub, I feel as though his wild shot attempts would spike significantly. That's not to say he'd be shut down 100% of the time, but it's just not as simple as "Westbrook blow by Stockton, Westbrook dunk, get fouled, or get blocked". The big thing missing is, "Westbrook must pull up, change shot, retain dribble and escape elsewhere, or force bad shot into contact." Elite big man effects go well beyond block or foul.

Gotta side with MJ on this one but not necessarily based on pure talent and athleticism.

Players today are just mentally softer. Too many mental giants on that '92 squad.

and i'm not sure if this was brought up. but 92 dream team would out rebound 12 team by a large margin.

yes, love is a great rebounder, but he will get beat up by malone & barkley. and chandler can't even hold ewing & drob's jockstrap. blake? shakey at best. bron? sure he will get 6-7 rebounds, but 92 team is just too big and physical.


you can't teach toughness, length, and power. westbrook won't see much playing time. harden will never see a playing time. deron and cp3 would have to be perfect, but they are far from perfect. kobe would have to sacrifice his role and let durant/bron be the go to guy, but will he?

2012 team can't win without a prime Kobe leading them. Maybe if Bosh, Howard, and Wade were on the team.

[QUOTE=tontoz]They don't have to block his shot to force him to miss or prevent a shot. And if the lane gets cut off he isn't going to suddenly become a pg and consistently find an open man.[/QUOTE]
He finds cutting big men on the regular for OKC, but now that he's playing with better big men he wont?

With the way you guys talk about him, I wonder how he gets assists.

[QUOTE=Callystarr]I don't see how 1992 vs. 2012 is even a comparison. From a statistical standpoint its absolutely NO comparison....these are the seasons these men were coming off of...

So lets make some comparisons really the only way that we can, statistics....

Because I sincerely doubt, this team will be beating these international teams by nearly 50 points per game :lol


David Robinson 23.2points - 12.2reb - 2.3stl, 4.5blk, .551FG%
VS.
Kevin Love 26.0points - 13.3reb - .448FG% (pathetic)
***David Robinson is a much better overall player, add on his defensive presence.

Patrick Ewing 24.0points - 11.2reb - 1.0stl, 3.0blk, .522FG%
VS.
Blake Griffin 20.7points - 10.9reb - 3.2ast, .549FG%
***Pretty nice even matchup, Patrick had the edge on the defensive end.

Larry Bird 20.2points - 9.6reb - 6.8ast - .406/3PT
VS.
Lebron James 27.1points - 7.9reb - 6.2ast - 1.9stl - .531FG%
***This is actually a good matchup up of individuals who can work both ends of the floor. Larry the better shooter, and puts up equally impressive overall stats. What is crazy, is Larry put those stats up in his FINAL year in the NBA. I doubt that many players will be able to put up stats like that after 12 plus years...

Scottie Pippen 21.0points - 7.7reb - 7.0ast - 1.9stl
VS.
James Harden 16.8points - 4.1reb - 3.7ast
***HAHA joking right? Scottie in a landslide...

Michael Jordan 30.1points - 6.4reb - 6.1ast - 2.3stl, .519FG%
VS.
Kobe Bryant 27.9points - 5.4reb - 4.6ast - 1.2stl, .430FG% (Pathetic)
***No comparison, Kobe's shooting percentage is below the NBA average..

Clyde Drexler 25.0points - 6.6reb - 6.7ast - 1.8stl
vs.
Kevin Durant 28.0points - 8.0reb - 3.5ast - 1.3stl
***Kevin Durant, solid player...he is going into his own.

Karl Malone 28.0points - 11.2reb - 1.3stl - .526FG%
VS.
Tyson Chandler 11.3points - 9.0reb - .679FG%
***Mailman takes this one easy

John Stockton 15.8points - 13.7ast - 3.0stl - .407/3PT
VS
Deron Williams 21.0points - 8.7ast - 1.2stl - .407FG% (pathetic)
***Deron could never live up to Stockton's presence, even when in Utah...turnover city!

Chris Mullin 25.6points - 5.6reb - 2.1stl - .524FG%
VS.
Carmello Anthony 22.6points - 6.3ast - .430FG% (pathetic)
***Chris Mullin, in his prime was a better shooting version of Scottie Pippen, without the athleticism. The man could flat out shoot....

Charles Barkley 23.1points - 11.1reb - 4.1ast - 1.8stl - .552FG%
VS.
Andre Igoudala 12.4points - 6.1reb - 5.5ast - 1.7stl
***LAUGHS AGAIN!!!!!

Magic Johnson - 19.4points - 7.0reb - 12.5ast
VS.
Chris Paul - 19.8points - 9.1ast - 2.5stl
***again no comment

Russell Westbrook - 23.6points - 4.6reb - 5.6ast - 1.7stl
VS.
Christean Laettner
***well finally this years team wins...


Jordan had it right on the money, basketball back then folks had a higher IQ. Today's game is full of individuals forcing shots and settling for 3pointers....1992 Dream Team would smash any other US Olympic team ever assembled. HANDS DOWN!!!![/QUOTE]



did you just said ewing & blake is nice even match up? and has an 'edge' on defensive end? :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:


that's the funniest thing i've ever heard!!! blake couldn't do a damn thing about 50 year old tim duncan!!!!
ewing would make blake cry like a little baby! i mean we are talking about 29 year old ewing here!! what's going on in this board! ewing was a filthy animal!!

[QUOTE=RaininTwos]MJ is wrong and he knows it. I would love to see these teams play a series against each other. Kobe and MJ would really be the best match up ever.[/QUOTE]

Prime Jordan vs 2012 Kobe? Best match up ever? MJ would murder Kobe.

[QUOTE=guy]:oldlol: Thats your argument? Why don't you actually say what Kobe is better at instead of dismissing it as impossible, which it isn't.[/QUOTE]
Kobe is a better shooter, better off ball defender and just as good in one on one situations, plus his post game is all time nasty.

[QUOTE=GOBB]There is a gap between 29yr old MJ and 34yr old Kobe. Dream Team was full of cerebral players where the competition level was unreal. And documented. Todays players are more friendly with one another. Who complained about hard fouls on the Dream Team? I know some cried over D.Cousins hard fouling.

The size of the Dream Team trumps them so much. Come down the lane Bron.[/QUOTE]

Exactly!!!!!

Lebron isn't coming down the lane with Patrick and David in the lane at any given time.

[QUOTE=Take Your Lumps]Gotta side with MJ on this one but not necessarily based on pure talent and athleticism.

Players today are just mentally softer. Too many mental giants on that '92 squad.[/QUOTE]
This is just one of many responses in this thread solely going off the 'old man mentality'. It's like you cant beat your dad up even when you grow bigger than him..

except these are all grown men were talking about and aint nobody anybodys daddy.

[QUOTE=eliteballer]You guys are complete morons. Jordans own teamates and coaches say Kobe is comparable/close to Jordan. Yet you act like Jordan is going against some D-Leaguer.[/QUOTE]

To be within 10% of Jordan in terms of impact prime vs. prime doesn't make you a D-Leaguer, it makes you one of the best players of all time. It just doesn't make you Jordan.

[QUOTE=RaininTwos]Kobe is a better shooter, better off ball defender and just as good in one on one situations, plus his post game is all time nasty.[/QUOTE]
Kobe is the better man defender, not help defender, and Kobe is better in the post and in pure 1v1 situations like you said.

[QUOTE=SilkkTheShocker][B]I don't think the gap between Jordan/Kobe is as big as some believe[/B]. But at the same time, there is a gap. Kobe is a beast, 2nd best SG ever. But Jordan was the lead-dog for every team he played on in the NBA. Kobe was a sidekick for like 8 seasons.[/QUOTE]
People constantly overdue it to extremes.

Some act as if Jordan is a god and Kobe is just barely better than Joe Johnson. Others act as if Kobe is equal to MJ or just slightly under him.

The truth is, there is quite a gap, but not to some untouchable mythical degree.

If Jordan is a perfect 10, Kobe is like an 8.5 or a 9.

If it wasn't for Patrick Ewing and David Robinson, 2012 might have a chance.