This topic contains 8 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by AvatarAvatar tiberius 10 years, 10 months ago.

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  • #49084
    marcusfizer21marcusfizer21
    marcusfizer21
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    Sources: Hangtime.blogs.nba.com

    HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Kobe Bryant will never escape Michael Jordan‘s shadow, not as long basketball fans from different eras continue to measure one superstar’s greatness against another’s.

    The argument gets some unique spice this time around, though, from none other than Hall of fame coach Phil Jackson.

    Jackson’s new book, “Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success,” addresses the MJ-Kobe topic head on. The book is set to be released Tuesday but The Los Angeles Times received an advanced copy and highlights the Kobe-Phil-MJ dynamic in detail. Phil sides with Jordan in basically every instance, which kicked off a Twitter back and forth between Kobe and Phil that is sure to gain more steam when the hoops loving public gets their hands on the book, and throughout Phil’s book tour.

    In the book, Jackson finally details what separates Jordan from Bryant, comparing the two superstars with a perspective no one else can match. He won all 11 of his rings (six with Jordan and five with Kobe) coaching one of them. My main man Mike Bresnahan of The Times serves up the good stuff:

    “Michael was more charismatic and gregarious than Kobe. He loved hanging out with his teammates and security guards, playing cards, smoking cigars, and joking around,” Jackson said in the book, which was obtained in advance by The Times.

    “Kobe is different. He was reserved as a teenager, in part because he was younger than the other players and hadn’t developed strong social skills in college. When Kobe first joined the Lakers, he avoided fraternizing with his teammates. But his inclination to keep to himself shifted as he grew older. Increasingly, Kobe put more energy into getting to know the other players, especially when the team was on the road.”

    While Jackson coached, he often jabbed at Bryant’s seemingly annual appearance on the NBA’s All-Defensive team. Now we know why.

    “No question, Michael was a tougher, more intimidating defender. He could break through virtually any screen and shut down almost any player with his intense, laser-focused style of defense,” said Jackson, who coached Jordan to six championships and Bryant to five.

    “Kobe has learned a lot from studying Michael’s tricks, and we often used him as our secret weapon on defense when we needed to turn the direction of a game. In general, Kobe tends to rely more heavily on his flexibility and craftiness, but he takes a lot of gambles on defense and sometimes pays the price.”

    Jackson made many of these same points during a Thursday night appearance on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” He also talked about his near return to the Lakers after Mike Brown was fired, the ill-fit that he believes Mike D’Antonio to be as Lakers coach and his desire to return to the league as a front office executive and not a coach.

    But the most interesting topic by far is his perspective on the differences between MJ and Kobe:

    “Michael was more likely to break through his attackers with power and strength, while Kobe often tries to finesse his way through mass pileups,” Jackson wrote. “Michael was stronger, with bigger shoulders and a sturdier frame. He also had large hands that allowed him to control the ball better and make subtle fakes.

    “Jordan was also more naturally inclined to let the game come to him and not overplay his hand, whereas Kobe tends to force the action, especially when the game isn’t going his way. When his shot is off, Kobe will pound away relentlessly until his luck turns. Michael, on the other hand, would shift his attention to defense or passing or setting screens to help the team win the game.”

    Jackson’s most scathing observation of the two men involves the leadership qualities they possessed, and in Kobe’s case did not possess, and what kind of impact that had on their respective teams (and granted, Kobe was a youngster on those Lakers teams with Shaquille O’Neal):

    “One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael’s superior skills as a leader,” Jackson writes. “Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence.  Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he’d yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had in his bones.”

    You better believe we’re going to quiz Jackson on this topic on the Hang Time Podcast, he is scheduled to drop in for Episode 119 on May 29 with the crew, yours truly along with Lang Whitaker of the All Ball Blog and NBA TV’s Rick Fox.

     

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  • #777370
    AvatarAvatar
    d-grizzly
    Participant

    99/100 people will take his airness over kobe. It’s not even up for debate.

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  • #777444
    AvatarAvatar
    d-grizzly
    Participant

    99/100 people will take his airness over kobe. It’s not even up for debate.

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  • #777372
    AvatarAvatar
    MJ FOR LIFE 23
    Participant

    The Zen master said it himself, it’s official 😉

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  • #777446
    AvatarAvatar
    MJ FOR LIFE 23
    Participant

    The Zen master said it himself, it’s official 😉

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  • #777393
    AvatarAvatar
    max23
    Participant

    MJ’s lowest fg% for a season is 46.5(disregarding 2 18 game season and the wizard years),his last one.Kobe’s best is 46.9.For their career MJ is at 49.7,Kobe at 45.4.
    The argument is that Kobe shot more 3s,which is true(3.93fga vs 1.7),but :
    Kobe’s highest fg% season came while shooting only 1.7 3fgas.
    They both practical identical 3fga percentages for their career
    MJ did shoot 22.9 fgas for his career vs 19.6 for kobe,with 4 % better fg%.
    That kinda discredit the argument.Furthermore why id someone who isnt that good at shooting 3s taking so many?That credits Phil Jackson’s theory of Kobe not letting the game come to him as much as MJ.
    Defensive wise,no need to talk stats,people who have watched hundred of games of both know MJ was superior to Kobe.But if you do look at stats,MJ has 2.3 stls and 0.8 blks for his career vs 1.5 stls and 0.5 blks for Kobe.
    Im a big fan of Kobe’s,and i didnt realy like MJ when he was playing.I thought he was just a very selfish player,taking all thiese shots.But in retrospect,i dont think it’s much of a contest,MJ was better.And that’ without talking about all the accolades and trophies…

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  • #777467
    AvatarAvatar
    max23
    Participant

    MJ’s lowest fg% for a season is 46.5(disregarding 2 18 game season and the wizard years),his last one.Kobe’s best is 46.9.For their career MJ is at 49.7,Kobe at 45.4.
    The argument is that Kobe shot more 3s,which is true(3.93fga vs 1.7),but :
    Kobe’s highest fg% season came while shooting only 1.7 3fgas.
    They both practical identical 3fga percentages for their career
    MJ did shoot 22.9 fgas for his career vs 19.6 for kobe,with 4 % better fg%.
    That kinda discredit the argument.Furthermore why id someone who isnt that good at shooting 3s taking so many?That credits Phil Jackson’s theory of Kobe not letting the game come to him as much as MJ.
    Defensive wise,no need to talk stats,people who have watched hundred of games of both know MJ was superior to Kobe.But if you do look at stats,MJ has 2.3 stls and 0.8 blks for his career vs 1.5 stls and 0.5 blks for Kobe.
    Im a big fan of Kobe’s,and i didnt realy like MJ when he was playing.I thought he was just a very selfish player,taking all thiese shots.But in retrospect,i dont think it’s much of a contest,MJ was better.And that’ without talking about all the accolades and trophies…

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  • #777483
    AvatarAvatar
    tiberius
    Participant

    MJ was simply put flawless. Kobe is one of the greatest players of all time and he deserves a lot of respect, and could’ve even beaten MJ in certain games had they both played against each other. But MJ was, is and will always be the greatest player of all time.

    Just like in the world of bodybuilding Ronnie Coleman had a bigger physique and a greater amount of accolades than Arnold Schwarzenneger but Arnie will be always remembered as the greatest because he was a pioneer, inspiring countless athletes and launching the bodybuilding stage to greatness around the world.

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  • #777409
    AvatarAvatar
    tiberius
    Participant

    MJ was simply put flawless. Kobe is one of the greatest players of all time and he deserves a lot of respect, and could’ve even beaten MJ in certain games had they both played against each other. But MJ was, is and will always be the greatest player of all time.

    Just like in the world of bodybuilding Ronnie Coleman had a bigger physique and a greater amount of accolades than Arnold Schwarzenneger but Arnie will be always remembered as the greatest because he was a pioneer, inspiring countless athletes and launching the bodybuilding stage to greatness around the world.

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