Saw another thread about Kevin Durant and it said he was in his 6th year already, and I couldn't help but compare him to a 2002 Kobe (when he was in his 6th year)

So with regard to LeBron, which player would you start your team with in a draft? Both players in their 10th season... Also, who is better (all skills considered)

Could LeBron have done more with the Smush/Luke/Kwame team?

Give me Kobe. I know how to build a championship team around Kobe, if you can get your hands on a quality big along with some decent role players you're going to be a contender (as we saw in 2008). With Lebron it's still not clear as to how to build around him, and he doesn't have the same killer mentality like Kobe which is something you'd want your leader to have.

Close But Overal I'd Go with Kobe

XXIV wrote:Give me Kobe. I know how to build a championship team around Kobe, if you can get your hands on a quality big along with some decent role players you're going to be a contender (as we saw in 2008). With Lebron it's still not clear as to how to build around him, and he doesn't have the same killer mentality like Kobe which is something you'd want your leader to have.

Yo that's really a solid point my dude.

Kobe.

Although Lebron showed a lot in the playoffs last season, I trust prime Kobe in the clutch way more than I trust Lebron.

I would take prime Kobe over pretty much anyone, ever, so yeah, Kobe.

Did I miss New Years?.....

Smart A** comments aside.... LeBron is like no one that's ever played IMHO.... there really isn't much he can't do on the court. He's a stat machine and has added to his game in recent years. As far as a skilled basketball talent he's the best I've ever seen on an all around basis.

However...... his mental approach/make-up is where he falls way short of a Kobe Bryant. Kobe doesn't believe that there is anything he can't do..... ever. That makes an incredible talent like Kobe into one of the top 3 players/winners I've ever seen play.

Rooscooter wrote::man3: Did I miss New Years?.....
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i realized that if I said "2012 LeBron" that'd be equivalent to 2005 Kobe (who was 3rd team all-NBA), we always use the latter year (unlike football) so I was just trying to be more exact lol

I thought it would be more close than this... I'm not so sure LeBron couldn't have taken the Smush/Kwame team as far now that I look back at his Cleveland teams... Antawn Jamison was their idea of 'keeping LeBron happy'... and we're starting to see signs of the killer instinct, whether it be natural or not... it was enough for a chip
It's just hard for me to choose 'cause I will always be biased toward a 2006 Kobe, who's the best player I'VE ever watched play on a game-to-game basis

GoldenChocobo wrote:http://www.lakersuniverse.com/kobe/kobe ... 052006.htm

that pretty much puts the ridiculousness in perspective
a shame he was never considered unanimously the best player except for maybe 2008, which was probably only because of the team's turnaround more than his actual gameplay

another thought: could LeBron have contained the 2006 Kobe on defense? Was there a better perimeter defender than LeBron in 2006? after all, kobe was just scoring 45% on those guys (not bad considering how highly we think of Iverson and his 40% displays)

GoldenChocobo wrote:http://www.lakersuniverse.com/kobe/kobe ... 052006.htm

I had noticed that when Kobe scored 81 points he only played 42 minutes. The way he was scoring I wonder what he would have gotten to with 6 more minutes.

2006 Kobe was the single most potent offensive player I've ever seen. He was also a very, very good defender, but he made his money by putting up 40 and 50 points regularly.

LeBron knows how to stuff a stat sheet, he knows how to dunk a ball, he's developed a better offensive game, and he's become one of, if not the, the premier perimeter defenders in the league.

But at this point, I'd have a hard time picking anyone against 2006 Kobe Bryant. If you take out 2006 Kobe Bryant and put him on any team ever, he'll have at least the same success, if not far greater success. Meaning his team was so bad in 2006, the fact that he put up those numbers was largely in SPITE of his counter parts and not the other way around. If you insert 2006 Kobe into Miami in 2013, they're one of the scariest perimeter teams ever assembled. Their offense instantly becomes first in the league. And their perimeter defense doesn't skip a beat. In short, I think 2013 Miami gets better with Kobe than they'd be with LeBron.

If you put LeBron on the Lakers in 2006... They are pretty much the same team, probably a bit worse because LeBron isn't known for making game winners and he'd be forced to score much more than he's used to.

2006 Kobe, no question. His shotmaking was off the charts in level of difficulty during the 2004 - 2007 era. He would take shots with 4 or 5 guys defending him, and still make the shot. I've never seen anyone, including MJ, take such difficult shots and still make them. His scoring during that time was enough to put him IMO as the best shotmaker ever in basketball. Tex even said during that time that Kobe took and made many more difficult shots than MJ ever did.

If he would have had a decent team built around him that year, I have no doubt that he would have won a championship in MDE fashion.

lol..this is like asking if kobe is your favorite player on a boston celtic forum. Of course everyone here is going to choose Kobe. IMO it depends on the situation. Lebron has proven he can do more with less, so I 100% believe lebron could have done better with the 2006 lakers than kobe did. So basically if its a bad to decent team then I would pick lebron, but If its a more complete team then kobe would be the better choice. prime kobe with a complete team around him wouldve been insane

^^^ Please show me how Lebron did more with less...

KJ MonK wrote: kobe was just scoring 45% on those guys

he was going for 45% with teams double/triple teaming him almost every possession. I remember when he was doubled team he would just rise up and pop the shot and hit it anyways. It didn't matter if the whole team was defending him he would still score. Which is of course pretty reckless, but understandable because who else could he have passed it to Butterfingers Kwame Brown?? . At that time any team that allowed Kobe to go 1 on 1 was retarded. Remember this was when Kobe was practicing 1000 made shots a day.

I'd take Kobe without hesitation. LeBron can't hold prime Kobe's jock strap.

Doc Brown wrote:^^^ Please show me how Lebron did more with less...

well LeBron's mike brown coached Cavs team won 66 games, thats more than all of Kobe's better teams except 2000, and shaq was mvp of that team... does that count
he just seems to single-handedly make whoever he's playing with at the time relevant... he took boobie gibson to the finals too... now he has a tv show with keisha cole lol

I have never seen a basketball player do what Kobe did in 2006. That was unbelievable.

Cavs roster that year....

Mo Williams / Delonte West / Lebron James / Daniel Gibson / Anderson Varejao / Zydrunas Ilguaskas / JJ Hickson / Ben Wallace / Wally Sczerbiak / Joe Smith

Lakers roster 2006....

Kobe Bryant / Lamar Odom / Kwame Brown / Andrew Bynum / Brian Cook / Maurice Evans / Jordan Farmar / Smush Parker / Luke Walton / Ronny Turiaf / Vladimir Radmonovic / Sasha


You can't honestly say Lebron did more with less comparing those teams....


Cleveland was legit 8-9 deep that season

LA was what 5-6 deep that year

KJ MonK wrote:

Doc Brown wrote:^^^ Please show me how Lebron did more with less...

well LeBron's mike brown coached Cavs team won 66 games, thats more than all of Kobe's better teams except 2000, and shaq was mvp of that team... does that count
he just seems to single-handedly make whoever he's playing with at the time relevant... he took boobie gibson to the finals too... now he has a tv show with keisha cole lol

to me winning a lot of regular season games doesn't mean anything unless you A. broke the record or B. won a championship. I'm not being harsh on Lebron if you would to ask me that question with any other great player it would be really close, but 2006 Kobe was too beastly. I mean 81 points in 42 min!!! What planet was he from???

Had an argument like this before. My friend said LeBron is the better defender, rebounder, passer, finisher, shoots a higher FG%. Kobe is only a better scorer and a better clutch player (as is Carmelo when compared to LeBron).

What's a good reply to that?

V.V.V.V.V. wrote:2006 Kobe, no question. His shotmaking was off the charts in level of difficulty during the 2004 - 2007 era. He would take shots with 4 or 5 guys defending him, and still make the shot. I've never seen anyone, including MJ, take such difficult shots and still make them. His scoring during that time was enough to put him IMO as the best shotmaker ever in basketball. Tex even said during that time that Kobe took and made many more difficult shots than MJ ever did.

This

^it's like saying that Obama's not really that successful, even though he went to Harvard, was on faculty at the University of Chicago, and became president of the USA.