I understand that you have your opinion and you've been respectful. I just think we're in a circular debate and have found it's difficult to talk with LeBron fans. Let's just say he's a top 5 player (I have him two) but everything I said about him is true. I also compare him closely to ARod
I’m not a fan of him personally but denying his greatness is usually only from pure hatred. Like people who hate jordan or brady. I don’t really mind it though cause i’m not a fan.
Who denies how accomplished he is? I just think that everything I said about him is true. I guess I could say Bonds instead of Arod but I think you know what I'm saying
Tons of people, there's a pretty substantial portion of nba fans who think he's worse than kobe.....KOBE
That's because a ton of them are Lakers fans and Kobe is associated with Jordan. Those aren't educated fans
I think Blek Mamba Mentality is a Brand now with the Snake as its symbol. Lebron has his KING copyrighted but it is not as resounding.
Totally understand where you are coming from, but you can't just diminish what those guys brought to the team to make knee-mac look better. If you look at Kobe's teammates from 04-09, they weren't all that great compared to the Rockets role players and he got a championship in 2009 Pau Gasol - Yao/Chuck Hayes/Mutombo Andrew Bynum- Mutombo/Chuck Hayes/Yao Lamar Odom - Scola/Carl Landry/Shane Battier/MWP Trevor Ariza- Shane Battier/MWP Derek Fisher- Rafer Alston/Aaron Brooks/Kyle Lowry other than those guys everyone else was forgettable. Bottom line though If Kobe had Yao and those role players, Houston would at least have 1 ring. My point is that although Tmac was supremely talented he was a quitter lazy wayy to injury prone and was selfish. We all know what happened with him on his way out of Houston. Some Rockets fans hold him in such high regard, and he never even won us a playoff series. How he even got in the HOF is a mystery to me. His most memorable moment is 13 in 33 in a regular season game.
Unfortunately this analysis falls apart since Yao, Mutombo and McGrady himself were all broken by 2009. Kobe and team beat a Centerless and Starless Rockets team by game 7, so how is that championship the boon to Kobe's legacy over Tmac again? The Rockets won 3 games in that series with a B-team. Kobe counted his lucky stars that the league gifted him 6 time all star Pau Gasol. Maybe next we can rehash the debate that Tmac faked injury and his decline was a strange act of self sabotage to get off the Rockets and make 10% of his former salary for a few more years. Ah, good times.
Let's be honest, without the Magic years he wouldn't have made the HoF..... It was all Orlando Magic......I remember like yesterday where he blew up. His stints at Toronto, Houston were average to okay ish. Spurs, Atlanta, Knicks....meh. It shouldn't be a mystery.
Kobe maximized the talent around him & challenged guys to get on his level. Tracy did not. Whatever excuse you got for tmac always coming up short is just that an excuse. Tracy did not play in the playoffs that year. Yao & MWP carried the Rox. Yao went down game 1 but the fact the Rockets made the WCF without contribution from Tracy speaks volumes.
Even in Orlando. He had some great scoring seasons that's it. But let's be real. They blew a 3-1 lead in the playoffs, and he never made it out of the 1st round there either. Toronto they never sniffed the playoffs. Those other stops I don't even recognize. Tmac super overrated and was only rivaling Kobe maybe 1 season.
He rarely never put it together, in Toronto a defender, in Orlando a super scorer, in Houston a facilitator and sometimes scorer. On other teams just a washed role player. Kobe is not that great as well, he was glorified because of the helicopter accident, he is Top 12 All Time yes but that is it. Lebron James despite not having killer mentality was by far the more talented guy. And guys like Lebron and Durant watched Tmac growing up......more so than Kobe because Penny and Tmac were the role model Small Forwards. Then came Lebron, Durant, Carmelo, Kawhi and now Flagg, Amen, Dybantsa, Bailey....etc.
