Kobe is a killer, Lebron is a wuss. I read some moronish arguements about putting Lebron on Lakers against Phoenix teams and Pistons. Put Kobe on a last year Cavs and you will never see a meltdown that cavs rubbed off "The King" last year. You saw it in his eyes. Kobe would just not fade like that. I see some physical decline (indicies really) on Kobe, but I take Kobe over Bron for next two years. I might be wrong at the end of the season due to Kobes age, but..
Um what? You're not supposed to move your pivot foot, that is why it is your pivot foot. His pivot foot is his right foot, he shifted it forward then turned on it.
If Kobe was on last year's Cavs team, they'd probably lose to the Hawks. Besides, Lebron had a playoff for the ages, he came through more times than not. It was his teammates not coming through in the clutch.
Kobe makes the players around him better? More like Kobe got himself an All Star PF/C because before Gasol came along the Lakers were a fringe playoff team and nowhere near contending. And somehow Lebron lands on a lottery team and within 3 seasons takes it to the NBA Finals but he doesn't make his team mates better? Ok. I realized you responded to my post but answered questions I never posed. Are you debating me or yourself? LOL
That's not entirely accurate. LBJ was drafted by a lottery team, however there were many acquisitions made to accommodate what LBJ wanted in his team.
If I had a choice to pick right now, I'd pick LeBron. I know he has yet to win the big one, but I'm convinced the Cavs have not reached the hype because of coaching. Mike Brown is a great defensive coach, but a HORRIFIC offensive coach. If you watch the Cavs, you know how much harder he makes the game for LeBron and his teammates. It's sad.
If I had to pick one of those players to win me the championship THIS year, it has to be Kobe. LBJ could never do what Kobe just did to us.
The Cavaliers' path through 2007's Eastern Conference playoffs was pitifully easy. Anytime that you find someone citing "<East Coast Star X> took his team all the way to the Finals!" in an attempt to impress you, terminate the conversation immediately--someone is trying to jerk you off.
considering kobe took a starting lineup of kwame, smush, walton, and odom with brian cook being a key reserve on the bench to the playoffs and almost eliminating the suns i would say he makes his teammates better. he made smush parker look like a decent pg and tricked some gm to give the smushcalade a multi million dollar contract.
That Ariza guy couldn't make bench rotation in Magic. The 1.5 yr in Lakers did him wonder, earned him a big paycheck. Show me an example like that for LBJ, can you?
And didn't Smush Parker get 2yr 4M from Heat, when Wade and Shaq were on board, wonder why it's not working for them?
I think you're also forgetting that Kobe dropped 35 points a game and shot about 27 times a night during that season you mentioned. His PER that year was a ridiculous 28 as well. So in a sense, no he didn't get his team to the playoffs because he made his teammates better. He got his team to the playoffs because he made HIMSELF arguably better.
LeBron... His teams have been pretty crappy and he still gets deep in the playoffs. Kobe wanted to be traded and belittle Bynum until the joke Pau Gasol trade. Kobe is still a great player, but I would take LeBron.
Carmelo Anthony was the best player taken in 2003. He has all the skill sets: postgame, face up, jumper, off the drible, screens, etc. Plus he is turning into a very good defender. He has a higher basketball IQ than LeBron. Kobe is still the king!