They would be better, but still not as good as LeBron. LeBron really doesn't trail any wing, besides Jordan and Robertson, when it comes to statistical production. Maybe Bird too. As far as team success, Kobe got to 3 Finals without Shaq and won 2. LeBron has gotten to 2, won 1, and looks like he is headed back this year. If you look at Kobe's stats post Shaq he has scored around 1 more ppg than LeBron and trails in almost everything else.
Kobe didn't start from day 1 because he wasn't ready to start. LA had Ceballos and old Kersey starting around 50 games that season. You are right about Shaq, but without him those 3 titles aren't there.
No he doesn't. One more FMVP and he has already got Kobe beat. He is a way more dominant playoff and regular season performer. This comparison is only going to get worse and worse now that Lebron's second best player on his team isn't Mo Williams. If Lebron was drafted by the Lakers and Kobe was drafted by the Cavs. Kobe would be considered a glorified Allen Iverson while Lebron would have at the bare minimum 6 rings, 3 FMVPs, 3 MVPs.
Not really, unless you are strictly talking about his legacy of longevity. LeBron has better numbers than Kobe (even if you only consider Kobe's numbers post Shaq). After this season LeBron will have 3 more MVP's than Kobe. If Miami wins a title this season he will have led his team to as many titles as Kobe. He also is producing at a level that Kobe never has reached (this year and last).
This year and last? More like 09, 10, 12, 13. Kobe hasn't even come remotely close to Lebron in any of those seasons if you factor in RS and Playoffs and while Kobe's playoff performances have been great they are nothing special for a top 10 player all time. Very run of the mill in fact. He's there due to longevity and a whole lot of luck. Not really up there in terms of overall dominance.
Kobe career wise is an abysmal Finals performer. Lebron had little help in 07. 11 was a choke job admittingly. Look up the stinker series he had against Indy. Way worse than anything Lebron has ever had in the Finals or even his 2010 series that was highly mediocre. We already know what Kobe as the alleged best player in the world does with a scrub team which is get eliminated in the 1st round of the playoffs. Lebron can carry scrub teams to 60+ RS wins.
I compared Kobe (post Shaq) to LeBron: Kobe 9 seasons (667 games played) 28.6 ppg 5.5 rpg 5.1 apg 1.5 spg 0.4 bpg 3.3 topg 45%, 34%, 84% 1 MVP 8 All-NBA selections (7 1st team) 7 All D selections (6 1st team) 3 Finals 2 Titles 1 Finals MVP LeBron 10 seasons (756 games played) 27.6 ppg 7.3 rpg 6.9 apg 1.7 spg 0.8 bpg 3.3 topg 49%, 34%, 75% 3 MVPs 8 All-NBA selections (6 1st team) 4 All D selections (4 1st team) 2 Finals 1 Titles 1 Finals MVP It really doesn't make sense to want to say Kobe would have had better numbers with Shaq, then include the titles he won with Shaq when he admits he wasn't the teams primary player. As you can see, even if you take his numbers post Shaq, LeBron still has better numbers. They will both add All NBA selections this year, although Kobe should not sniff a All D team but they may gift him another. LeBron is going to win his 4th MVP and if he wins a title it will be exactly what we saw Kobe do from 08-10. We need to stop making this comparison. LeBron has already surpassed Kobe, especially when you look at how he has played over the past 2 seasons. And he can still get better!!
Overall legacy. Bron needs atleast 3 rings before you can legitimately argue that he has a better legacy than Kobe. It's plausible, maybe even probable, Miami does that but you guys aren't appreciating the difficulty of a 3peat. Kobe & Shaq did it, lets see if LeBron can do it with Wade and Bosh. If he can't, it's not a conversation when Bron has just 1 ring. The mark Kobe's left on the game is too great to try to argue that Bron has a better legacy with just 1 ring.
What about the minutes played? If LeBron played more minutes than Kobe, ofcourse he would get more opportunities to get more points, rebounds, assists, steals, etc. than Kobe. And what about the matchups? Was the east weaker than the west, just like this year? If so LeBron has a better chance to do better than Kobe. I think comparing stats are unreliable if you dont consider all the elements.
Minutes aren't even relevant here. Lebron's career averages are equivalent to Kobe's best statistical season. Use Per 36 numbers, PER, win shares, any dam advanced stat in the world and Lebron annihilates Kobe in RS and PS. East being weaker is irrelevant considering the East contains the most elite defensive teams so there is no stat inflation there. Not to mention Lebron has better records with his 60+ win Cleveland teams against the West than against the East. The Heat are also 27-5 against the West this season. Better than their record against the East. Overall, I haven't seen any strong arguments for Kobe well ever. 5>1 isn't a good argument and never will be. Soon Lebron will have 2 FMVPs the same as Kobe with much greater overall impact in the RS and PS.
Illogical. Kobe only has two rings as the man and he was not really all that dominant for a "top 10 player all time" in either of those runs. Playing the Pippen role for 3 rings is impressive but ultimately isn't even equivalent to 1 very dominant playoff run as the man(which Kobe doesn't even have mind you).
If LeBron was drafted by LA in that time, Shaq would have led LeBron too. Kobe was a young player on a team with one of the most dominant big men of all time in his prime, of course he's going to be the second option. Kobe led LA to 2 rings with a worse team than Miami. Bron hasn't even done that yet, even if we ignore everything else Kobe's done. So lets calm down a little.
