Kobe Bryant Isn't Michael Jordan, but He's At Least Clyde Drexler

they did call him the 'glyde'.

All those guards back in the day would run wild with the new rules.

 

I seem to recall jordan yelling at pippen for taking shots away from him. Something to the effect of "I'm the man! not you! me!!"
(pippen made those shots btw.)

Kobe isnt the leader jordan was b/c i honestly dont think his teammates fear him. i think jordan was basically (and still is) considered God.

I dont see the teammates giving kobe the same respect Jordan had.

 

You're talking about all time greats here though. Players that are in the Top 10 of all time...I'm talking about the whole league in general. The majority of the players in 1989 couldn't hold a light to the players today. Also, 20 years might not be long enough to notice a great difference in performance and athleticism (although there WILL be a difference). If the NBA is still around in 50 years I bet even the accomplishments of MJ, Bird, Magic will not seem as special as they still do today.

 

that's why an old ass deke mutumbo can d up younger more 'superior' players in his last years?

did you see James Worthy present the trophy to the Lakers? Did you see him next to Kobe, Fisher etc?

That dude looks like he can school half of the lakers now.

it's not all about jumping ability. the skill level of a Magic or Bird is rare.

 

Let's take a good team from the mid-eighties that never won anything: the Sixers. Here's your line-up: Moses Malone, Dr. J, Andrew Toney, Charles Barkley, Maurice Cheeks. Bobby Jones and Sedale Threat coming off the bench. Do you really think this team would get wiped up by an average team today? My guess is that it would be a championship contender, certainly better than the Cavs. It would probably beat Orlando, and would really expose the softness of LA's front line.

The Celtics, The Lakers, and the Rockets from the 85 season were also all better than any team currently playing.

 

I totally agree. The elite teams of today would be overwhelmed by some of those teams. If the Lakers struggled to beat Denver and Houston (w/o T-mac, Mutombo, and Yao for 4 games)...I can't see them beating any great teams for 80s or 90s, possibly teams that never got beyond on semi-finals (like the Hawks or Bucks). Unless, Kobe has outstanding series. Regardless of the rules. I seriously can't see them beating the 88-91 Pistons. IF it wasn't physical play, it would be the advantage on the boards. If not those two things, it would be the matchups, Fisher/Farmar/Brown against Zeke. Isiah would toy with them. Laimbeer/Edwards/Rodman/Mahorn against Bynum/Gasol/Mbenga/Odom. I actually think the Lakers would be more skilled, but we know how Pistons crew loved to play and get opponents out of there games. Laimbeer could easily get into Bynum's head (or Gasol), or outplay him with his shot range. Could you imagine, a better, more physical, better rebounding version of Mehmet Okur. While, that would leave Rodman and Edwards to guard whoever Laimbeer wasn't guarding. Lastly, comes the bench were I think Detroit is far and away greater than the Lakers. Aguirre, VJ, Rodman, and Salley off the bench vs. Odom, Walton, Vujacic, Brown, and Farmar.

For one, I don't even think the Lakers could get past a team, like the KJ-Chambers Suns. You think the Lakers had trouble with Billups and Brooks, could you imagine them trying to stop a super point guard, like Kevin Johnson.

 

I'd be fun if LeBron instead of Clyde played on that Portland team. The Blazers-Bulls rivalry would be as good as the Lakers-Celtics in the 80s.

 

Let's see

C - Kevin Duckworth
PF - Cliff Robinson/Buck Williams
SF - Lebron James/Jerome Kersey
SG - Drazen Petrovic/ (older) Walter Davis
PG - Kevin Porter

Hard to say, but that team would still be pretty good. If Lebron can win 66 games with the scrubs on his team, I can't imagine him being on those old Cav and Trailblazer teams. If that were the case, I don't think MJ would have six championships, today. Especially, LeBron is on the Cavs team that featured, Hot Rod Williams, Mark Price, Larry Nance, Ron Harper, and Brad Daugherty. King James would've been the last piece for them to finally get past the Bulls. Though, this is strange, because at one time the Cavs were predicted to be the team of 90s until they were eliminated by the shot seen around the world.

 

Did you or did you not say Kobe was a bad leader for yelling at his teammates? Answer that and I will answer your question and hopefully educate you in the process. Jordan's name came up because he was considered a leader on his team, yet you're saying people who do those things are not leaders. I was going to use him as an example of why your example/belief is bogus.

If you saw differently, that's fine. And if I'm the only person (highly unlikely), so be it. We disagree.

 

Without trying to turn this into a Jordan thread, Kobe imitates Jordan's berating of teammates at times to a "T". Hell, even Hakeem slapped teammates in the face/head to let them know who was "the man".

Agreed. However, I think Kobe, on court, is more of a court leader/director than Drexler was. Drexler just seemed like the guy that went out there and did his job. Kobe seems like the type of guy who goes out on the court and is pissed when everybody doesn't do their job. Jordan went out on the court and expected the same as Kobe, but I think people feared his aura, unlike a Kobe.

 

I also agree that clyde and lebron are more similar but i don't think that automatically sends kobe to jordan. all three, lebron, kobe, and clyde, are/were extremely strong shooting guards. where I would say kobe and jordan or similar is there games are a lot smoother but jordan could over power his man also.

 

Never said that. I said of Kobe "elbow, shove and yell at his own guys on the bench." to which you replied (and quoted the above statement of mine) "Jordan did that too"

I followed up with "Please find an example of Jordan elbowing or grabbing team mates by the back of the head during games." and that leads up to your last post directed at me.

So to answer your question, no, I never said he was a bad leader for yelling at his team mates. I said he was a bad leader for elbowing, shoving and yelling at his guys on the bench.

Indeed we do.

 

First, I never have nor ever will say Jordan was a nice guy or a friend to his team mates.

Now to address your post, I'm well aware of Jordan fighting with team mates and being a miserable guy to practice with/against. However, cursing at, fighting with or being a jerk to a guy in practice is very, very far away from the things Kobe does his team mates on the bench during games. Fights in practice probably happen daily in the NBA. That's not even close to the same thing as belittling, bullying and striking team mates during nationally televised games.

Or do you not see the difference?

 

Jordan decked Steve Kerr during a practice game, for which he apologized later. He tore into him verbally as well. I'm sorry, but he didn't use his elbow or shove him there - he just flat out slapped/clocked him.
Jordan verbally fought and yelled at/with Scottie Pippen on the court during a Finals game (see previous post by another poster).
Jordan ridiculed Kwame Brown as an executive.

Kobe is far more lenient on his teammates than Jordan ever was. Kobe's become a better leader over the last year or two.

 

Man, I certainly disagree with you! Did you watch the games back then?

 

Kevin Johnson would be the best player in the league.

 

... for at least 50-60 games a season.

 

The 80s' league were full of midgets that can't jump.
They played no contest layups in a fast pace until Riley taught them some toughness. In 1987, when MJ averaged 37ppg, the whole leagued averaged 110ppg. In comparison, 2006-07 Suns, the best fast break team in recent history, averaged 110.2ppg. There's simply no defense in 80s. Jordan scored 63 on a championship team in a playoff, who's guarding him? A short white guy with no athleticism at all. That's the dominating Celtics' best perimeter defender,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69vkEcc-zfc
compared to 6-7, 6-8 defense specialists today, it's a joke.

Were 80s having better shooters? Not at all, in today's league, FT% is better, 3pt% is way better and consists of a much higher % of all shots. 2pt% is down by a big margin, which means more contests inside the arc and no easy layup.

 

So what does it say when a 40 yr old Jordan can average 20 ppg (02-03 season) against the 6-7, 6-8 "defensive specialists" today?

 

Joe Dumars, Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Dale Ellis, World B. Free, Cedric Maxwell, Dan Marjerle, Jeff Hornacek, and many others. You don't think odd teams could use those players in the league right now as shooters. If we had any of those sharp shooters from the 80s in their prime, we'd (the Rockets) easily win 62 games, especially with Yao in the middle.


There's not enough in the league today (if you ask me), players don't have that type range and consistent, now. Outside, of Korver, Jason Terry, Ray Allen, and few others. Alot of these players from the 80s were regularly over 40% 3 point shooting and near or over 50% in FG percentage. And, consider this, some of them, weren't even slashers to the basket.