People need to stop bringing up Karl Malone and Payton as if they were in their prime. Malone RETIRED the next year and Payton got his ring being a bit player for the Heat and then retired.
This is true, and I think Malone was also injured in the Finals. Still, Shaq was in his prime (should have been MVP the following year and won a title the year after that), and everyone thought that the Lakers were going to sweep the no-name Pistons in the Finals. And they would have if Kobe wasn't so desperate to get out from under Shaq's shadow that Finals, putting on the most disgraceful display of chucking I've ever seen.
Kobe is most certainly a better long-range shooter than LeBron, but LeBron is way more efficient because he takes better shots.
And why do you think he'd rather take Lebron? Young Kobe was a media darling just as much as Lebron was. Bird's reason for wanting Kobe was that he thought he put in more work in practice and was just more dedicated to the game and less about the off the court stuff. I don't think this one season will convince Larry that Lebron is now a harder worker than Kobe is. Lastly, yes he didn't say Kobe was better than Lebron but he said Kobe is the player you want on your team if you want to win and isn't that the most important thing? Are you still unwilling to admit that people that know a lot about basketball would choose Kobe over Lebron?
This is because Lebron takes a lot more shots in the paint. It'd be like saying a big man is a better shooter because of his FG%. Kobe is undoubtedly the better shooter far and away. You are never going to see teams GIVE Kobe a open jumper like they do Lebron.
I am not really sure what Larry's opinion would be today, or even what it was then, given that he called it a really "hard question" and has also said Lebron is the "best player in our league". I can tell you that a lot of people used to say that Magic and Bird were better than Jordan when Jordan didn't win (was about the same age as LeBron now), but public opinion changed a lot over the next few years. And it'll happen now too. It just takes a while for the casual fans to recognize, because they look at team accomplishments as the barometer for greatness. Really, would prime Ray Allen have done so worse than Kobe if he had had Shaq or Gasol+Bynum+Odom for 3/4 of his career?
more like easy shots thanks to teammates Battier and co provided spacing for him to work in the paint https://twitter.com/NBAonESPNRadio/status/216008591197483010
If I had to build a team from scratch and had to choose between Kobe in his prime vs LBJ 2012, it would be a no brainer to go with Lebron. LBJ was utterly dominating while playing within a teamball concept. Unbelievable talent.
It's play style though, he's not a better shooter than Kobe. He also has a higher FG% than Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, and Dirk...is he the better shooter? Teams still rather give him a open jumper, You never see that against Kobe because it'd be like giving him 2 points.
See this is what is wrong with the NBA and many of you guys falling for it. A championship is about the team, not an individual. I am sure the media now will start to fall in love with Lebron, because he "legitimized" to be called a king which they started to call him in the 1st place. All of a sudden he's the man just because he won a ring. It doesn't mean a damn thing. Olajuwon would've been great regardless of a championship. Same goes for all the other great players. Lebron was always going to be the best. Also the way the Heat assembled their team and how terrible they are outside of the big 3 + Chalmers who's okay makes this one of the worst teams to win a championship ever. Remember your own 93-94 Rockets? Individually, people didn't think they were that good but they were on the best teams to win it. Everybody had their role, they had a legitimate 8-9 man rotation and a good coach. Spoelstra should count his lucky stars he had those 3 guys because he's not that good. All the free agents can just hope to sign with Miami so they can win a championship. It's not a team and will never be a team. So maybe Lebron should get a lot of credit, but to me he's a nobody since he left Cleveland. I loved him back then, even with his ego and everything. That team in 07 he took to the finals, at least was a team. They didn't play spectacular, they didn't have the names but they were a team and Lebron could've at least then said he was the leader and carried them on his back when he needed to. Now, I don't know what he can to himself other then I play great individual basketball and won a ring.
I honestly don't care who is better. Ya LeBron would help a team more than Kobe, but nba is all about entertainment and Kobe was just more fun to watch in his prime. LeBron is just a glorified post up player in a guards body. Amazing player and will be one of the greatest of all time but Kobe was just pure fun to watch. He was infinitely more creative than LeBron and his midrange game was so pretty.
Larry Bird isn't a casual fan. You were talking as if it was super obvious who is the better player career was. If Larry said it's a hard question then it is definitely debatable right? Nobody is saying Lebron will never be considered better than Kobe but right now that is still up for debate by a lot of people with more basketball knowledge than you. Ray Allen would not have won rings with Gasol and Bynum. Kobe actually has a better career shooting percentage than Ray and that's even after Ray had the benefit of boosting his career stats while playing the Celtics. Kobe is also a better rebounder, defender, and passer. I think Ray would have got 2 or 3 with Shaq though.
This doesn't make sense, because one of the stories of this Finals was how well the Heat role players like Battier and Chalmers played, and Mike Miller was the unexpected hero of the last game. LeBron had 13 assists and a bunch were to these guys. That is the essence of team ball, and it is the main thing that makes LeBron so much better than Kobe, who fails to get his teammates involved time and time again. LeBron left Cleveland because he knew he was never going to win a championship there. The talent was just not good enough, and you need talent to win a title even if you play perfect team ball. What LeBron did was the right move if he was interested in becoming a champion... the way he did it was not, but if that's the worst thing he ever does, he's done pretty well for himself.
Hahahah wow.. ARE YOU SERIOUS LeBron led that team to a champsionship, with his improved post play, and his pinpoints passes LeBron was responsible for 61 points in this game. He is the MVP Without LeBron the Heat lose to the Pacers
Lebron needed guidance..... Gilbert obviously let him run the organization but could not get major supporting stars come to Cleveland ..... That was one helluva circus.....
