Absolutely no regrets... Kobe is not as good as Jordan was...in fact, I think Kobe is vastly overrated at this point. I do think he'll develop into something similar to what Jordan provided for the Bulls...in fact, one of the best single games I've ever seen from one player came from Kobe this year at Compaq Center. My take on Jordan...he was unbelievable...but, as he once said, he was cheated. He won titles against teams that didn't have the depth of the teams that won previous to him. The league changed a ton. Magic had Bird as a counterpart...Jordan's "magic moments" came against guys like Majerle and Ehlo. Most people see the bottom line...6 rings...and say, "hey..that's it...he must be the greatest." I don't see it that way. I remember growing up watching a league that required more than 2 great players on a team to win a title. Seems to me that everything changed after the Pistons' titles (man, I loved those Pistons teams!).
If Kobe is better than Jordan, then Shaq is better than Dream. Come talk to me when Kobe averages 37 per game. Since the excuse is that he has Shaq, then come talk to me when Kobe starts a streak like Jordans where Jordan went until this year scoring double digits EVERY GAME. Thats 15 years of consistency. Kobe is good. But he is better than Jordan in your mind because he is the "in thing" now. If thats the case, Shaq is better than Dream.
No regrets, but..... A thank you card from Chicago would have been nice. Anyway, my feelings has always been these: During Chicago's reign, EVERYBODY was a Bull's fan. They were everywhere, and being a Bulls fan, even in Chicago, didn't seem very unique or significant, much like I feel towards people who say they are Yankees fans. Personally, I loved to be able to say I was a Rockets fan, and it gave me more of a sense of hometown pride, rooting for a team that had a very limited amount of supporters nationwide. The Rockets gave us more of a sense of personal pride than we could have gotten if Jordan was in Houston winning rings and generating the craze that he did. Sounds crazy, but I'll take 2 H-town style than 6 Chi-town style any day of the week.
Sorry Mr. Costas, I thought this was a Rox fan site. what the hell is kobe doing? I alreadry said I am nota Kobe fan. But Objectively, Ido think he is better than MJ ( Raw talent)
even if we don't win any rings, I have no regrets. Being a fan is about ... well ... being a fan. nuff said.
It seems that there are no regrets to taking the Dream over Jordan. Now, if the Rockets take Yao Ming, will there be any regrets? It's hard to know what the future will hold, but I think the upside with Ming far exceeds that of Williams or Odom. Think about not only having a 7'5" man player that is young, skilled and has a head on his shoulders, but also brings your team and city to the world stage!!!! Houston would become the basketball Mecca of the world. I thinik it would be really cool having millions of Asians wearing Rockets jerseys with a 15 (assuming that would be his #) and Ming on the back. Guy V Lewis and the Houston Cougars took their chances on a tall wirey African soccer player named Akeem Abdul Olajuwon. And once established, the Rockets did the same!!! I think the Rockets should do the same with Ming and repeat history!!!!
And what are you objectively basing this on. MJ was a career 50 percent shooter. Kobe has never averaged that in his life. It was rare for MJ to ever get blocked, Kobe gets blocked almost every game. Kobe is barely better than a 39 year old Jordan. Anyone that says Kobe is better now than Jordan was, is either too young to have seen Jordan play or too stupid to know what makes a good basketball player.
i think he meant kobe was better than jordan this year. that's the only possible explanation i could come away with. i'm a rockets fan, so what those two do is really unimportant but you must have never seen michael play to make that statement.
Well said Rockbox. Anyway, let's have this comparison in 3 or so years when Shaq and Phil are gone. Kobe will only be 26/27. And yes I would have taken 23...........Hakeem is the best Center of all time........not the best player. No regrets though. I do see Jordan as the best player, not only because of his talent, but because of his motivation and his ability to make teammates perform. Whether it be Kerr, Cartwright, Kukoc, Paxon, Longley, Pippen. Had to throw PIP in there.....my favorite SF of all time, but he stopped caring about the game during their last run in '98 and hasn't been the same since. He's won against several of the greats during their prime: Magic's Lakers Isiah's Pistons Drexler's Blazers Barkley's Suns Ewing's Knicks Stock and Malone's Jazz I also say he's the greatest because he won during a time when teams like the Pistons and Knicks could play hard and physical. Where some of the fouls would most definately been flagarant now-a-days. He also won during the "modern generation"[after [93-'94] when the rules were changing every couple years, technicals are called for slapping the backboard, and a "hard foul" is a flagarant, supposedly tougher defenses with more talent. Like I said....no regrets on getting a top 10 player off all time[IMO], but I just prefer MJ.
And once again I stand corrected. I thought this was a site were people could openly write down their opinions (opinions do not need to be neccerily absolute facts), and discuss them openly. At least It used to be when it opened up. But it is obvious that this site also is infilterated by blind MJ worshipers. IT WAS JUST MY OPINION. DOES NOT MEAN I AM NECCESARILY RIGHT or wrong. Age thing. Oh, that really hurt. Actually I am flattered. Stupid thing.. .. I won't even dignify that w/ a responce. Once reason fails in one's argument, Insults start flying.
ACL1, I just made you the first person on my buddy list (hope you don't mind). It sure is refreshing to come across someone else on this board who isn't completely awed by Jordan's marketed greatness. I also agree that Kobe is about as good now as Jordan was (I don't necessarily like him though, especially after that game 6). Don't quite agree with Magic being the best ever though. He's the third guard on my all-time team (behind Robertson and West). I consider Chamberlain the best. You know, I was posting on a Jordan thread, presented a ton of arguments, and this one guys kept insulting me. I kept insisting that he counter my arguments instead of insult me, but he never did. I came up with points that he couldn't refute, so he just tried to make me very angry (it worked, by the way). This seems to be the pattern with Jordan-jockers, doesn't it? He also consistently read things into my post that I never said. For example, I say "Jordan is top 50 at least, but he is not the undisputed best player ever." The guy fires back at me, saying "Yeah right. Just try to name 49 players who were better than MJ." I say "top 50 at least," and he thinks I said "#50, period." That's just one example. And how about this one, on this board: Oh yes, that's the only possible explanation! There's no way there could be someone who holds different beliefs from mine! Thinking Kobe is better than Jordan is just totally unreasonable!
ACL1 I apologize for in insulting you, it should have never come to that. I want to state that I am not a Jordan. I never was nor ever will I be but I have to give respect when respect is due. Kobe isn't even the best player on his team, how can anyone say he is better than arguably the best basketball player of all time.
No harm done. Drexlerfan thanxs for the support. How do u add someone to the buddylist. Maybe i need to Clarify; When I say Kobe is better than Mike I am talking Raw talent and potential. At this time of his career he has more skills than MJ did AT THIS TIME OF HIS CAREER>. ( now i need to duck and get the backlash from his Airnesses temple) . BTW as far as not seeing MJ in his prime! Lets say I was around when Phi Slamma Jamma were kicking butt in UH. I have seen MJ play in the college, national team the first time before he was a pro, seen him win the slam dunk contest when everyone watching it "objectively" thought that Dominique should have had it that year, and gotta admit have seen some amazing games from him ( my favorite the 63 gainst Cleveland, but not enough to convince me he was the best ever. He might have been one of the best. Agree on west, and robertson. I am Partial to hakeem on the center position. However, Wilt was an amazing athlete. The man dominated in two sports. Plus averaging a triple double a whole season! Wow. For those who don't know he was a member of the National Volleyball team. But I think Dream that had more versatility and dominated so many great centers in his team even though he was undersized for his position. And dream was in the UH same time I went there so I am really attached there. As far as apoology. Not needed. NO harm done. We all get pasionate when our heroes get put down by others. I know I have deffended dream and clyde pretty aggresively myself.
I agree with your overall assertion that Mike was better than Kobe is...but I do NOT agree that he won while matched up with others in their prime...the only one from above I'll give you for sure is Drexler's Blazers. 1. Isiah was not in his prime that season they lost to the Bulls. That Piston team was a shadow of the team they were the previous two seasons. 2. Magic was in his prime in 1991?? i know you're not serious here!!! 3. Barkley's Suns -- great...but Barkley never "matched up" against Jordan. One is a frontcourt player...one is a backcourt player. MJ got his off a guy named Dan Majerle...who was subsequently torched the next year by a guy named Vernon Maxwell. 4. Ewing's Knicks -- quite frankly, these teams weren't very good, in my opinion. Yes, they ultimately made it to the Finals in 1994...but this team was no where near the Pistons or the Celtics before them. And, again, MJ's points didn't come scoring against Ewing...they came against Jon Starks, for heaven's sake! 5. Stockton and Malone's Jazz -- again...MJ's magic moments come against guys like Byron Russell. Ultimately, it took FAR less to win in MJ's championship years than it did in the seasons preceding that. The 86 Rockets were a team LOADED with talent. They weren't good enough to win a ring in 1986...but in my opinion, they would have mopped the floor with the 1993 Chicago Bulls. Too much depth...too many good players. The 1986 Celtics and the 88-89 Lakers, to me, are the torchbearers of great teams from an era gone by. Multiple hall of famers all playing in their prime for the same team is something we simply don't see anymore...and MJ never saw it. It's not MJ's fault...but it is reality.
I'm not one who looks back in time and regrets things. Not in my personal life and surely not in my "sports life". And (as has been very accurately pointed out) you can't just switch Dream and Jordan and assume the rings would follow along as well. My only minor "regret" (yes, hindsight is 20-20) is not Dream taken over Jordan, but passing on Clyde for Rodney McCray. With Drexler, the Rockets were more likely to get past the Sonics and into the Finals. 40% of Phi Slamma Jamma on one NBA team? Now that's what I'm talkin' about.
