Michael Jordan Would Take Kobe Bryant in His Prime

Duh.......

Kobe has a more offense and just as good as defense.  Jordon gets way too much credit and remember, without Pippen he was nothing.  Jordon also played during the man to man defense era; Kobe plays against zone defenses and still scored 81 points, and could have did it a few more times if he wanted to.  Kobe would have more titles if the owner of the Lakers would have added more pieces to the team after 2002.  Shaq was an over grown baby and stil is.  They would have beeten the Celtics if they had more meat in the middle and a taller guard/slasher to compliment Kobe. Jordan might only have 2 to 3 titles if not for Pippen. If you look at how many times per game he shot the ball you would see it was a lot more than Kobe. The owner of the Bulls was smart every year to add sharp shooters, great rebonders, and size to keep it going. the ower of the Lakers was cheap and never made the right move to keep Shaq and Kobe going. I could go on and on but NO!!! Jordon could not have taken Kobe in his prime.
Armando Anaya who know alot about baketball and talent.

Come on Laker 21! What did Scottie Pippen EVER do when not on Jordan's team? Kobe played with Shaq and only recently demanded a double team. Jordan got double and triple teamed most of his career because other teams feared no one else on the team. Jordan is a lifetime 50% shooter from the field even after the Wizard years. How does Kobe have more offense when Jordan led the league in scoring 10 years in a row? How is he "just as good" on defense when Jordan was Defensive Player of the Year and usually on the first team all-defense? All of these sharp shooters you mention what did any of them do after they weren't on Jordan's team? NOTHING! Jordan won six rings with no post player. HE would be the one posting up on the box. And the 2 years that he retired would have been his easiest 2 rings so he could've won 8 in a row. Kobe IS awesome..but he's not ready for MJ!

apparently many of these know it alls havent watched the games or theyed realize that double and triple teaming kobe has been a constant since 2000. very few coaches in the nba have the gonads to let someone go one on one with the mamba. the last year of shaq baby against detroit in the finals kobe was constantly doubled and tripled while detroits 6'9" center dunked on the flabby flat footed whoppers w/cheese junky called shaq. and as much as i love the play of mj todays nba w/ zone defense cant be compared to the days of one on one when players had to play both ends

Kobe lead the Lakers to 1st place in the West, which people consider one of the toughest playoff races in history. He lead them to defeat in the Finals. Yet all you babies cry that Kobe didnt have a good team? Read everything the "experts" were saying before the series started then after the truth was revealed when all was done.

Media are not experts; I am. I love the Lakers and even I could see that they were outmatched by Boston's Beef and Talent, before game one even started. If you truely know basketball, you would have seen this to. Boston had more beef in the middle, a better guard tandom, better small forwards, etc...I was calling the media stupid when they said that the Lakers were favorites. Of course, I wanted my team to win but would have been a miracle and belief me, Jordan would not have made a difference. Garnett was supposed to be a Laker but the Bostom tandom of McKale and Ange stopped it. It would be a different story if we received Garnett.

Dude you know nothing. Scottie Pippen was completely raw coming onto the Bulls. It wasn't until Jordan started working with Pippen every day that he started to tap into his full potential. Look at the roster the Celtics and Lakers won championships with, then look at the Bulls. End of story, Michael Jordan is head and shoulders above Kobe in all categories except maybe 3 point shooting, but Jordan made them when he needed them.

Are you forgetting pizza dude that Jordan did not have any titles before Pippen? Jordan was ball hog of the melianium until the Bulls started to surround him with great players. Kobe would have shredded any of the teams that Jordan faced in the finals. I did look at the roster and Jordan had help at every position (end of story) and owned the referees. During Jordan era there wasn't any great players like there are today, Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade, Tracy McGrady etc...No doubt Jordan was a great player but to put him way above Kobe is completely insane. Apples and Oranges.

i think kobe has more offensive arsenal than MJ.. defensively, MJ has the edge... in maturity of the game and making the right decisions, i think that's the big difference.
MJ ca be beaten but he would not allow himself to be ridiculed the way kobe was in the finals..
and also, i think MJ was loved by his team genuinely whereas kobe's team rushing to his side during his MVP moment was staged by the lakers to repair his image.. i believe its one of the conditions he demanded if he was to remain a laker.. that the organization must do everything to repair his image..

The road that leads to "Michael Jordan Heaven", is a very rough and narrow road. Don't ya think? Kobe's is accessible with a shrewed agent.

The road that might lead to "Michael Jordan Heaven", is a rough and narrow road. Where Kobe's can be guided by a shrewed agent. Don't ya think?

Bean might be better one on one, but don't get that confused with being a better basketball player.
MJ is the greatest basketball player of all time, but Kobe probably is NOT the best one on one player ever.
CONNIE HWAKINS AND GEORGE "ICEMAN" GERVIN would have killed him.

In playoff situations MJ has never been shut-down, Kobe has been shut down twice he good but no comparison!

Shut down? Neither has been shut down. Whenever you are double, triple teamed as a player you defer to teammates providing there's trust. I assume you refer to shut down as in points. Well thats only part of basketball. Was he shut down in making the right pass; shut down in rebounding or boxing out; shut down in playing team defense....There's more to b-ball than you must realize.. Also there is definitely a comparison. The biggest difference MJ was more accepted by the media for various reasons mainly his charisma.

Dude I hear what you are saying but Kobe is no MJ.... and he was shut down. Boston did not double or triple team him they played good help defense that Kobe could do nothing with. Lebron drop 40 on the same defense MJ would have hit them for 50 Kobe is great but MJ was the best player to ever play the game.

Hear what I'm saying;for a moment be neutral. they did double and triple team Kobe; not the entire game; no team ever does that. Don't watch the game on the surface. Check out the intregal parts, the offensive and defensive strategies. Not just scoring. Boston had a better team. MJ had plenty of not up to par plyoff games; playing with and against different players.
Remember you can not judge any player based on 1 playoff series. That's rediculous; however some people might depending on who they like. Kobe had a off series (28 pts-8 assist-7 reb) partly because of the team defense. Boston picked him up early with trappes, took him out of rythm; Kobe not able to defer to his teammates. That was the flow of the game. There is definitely a comparison providing you are able to look beyond favoritism. I personall think MJ was a smarter player reading defenses.

I think Mike would score on Kobe but Kobe would score
on Mike Too . (No disrespect Mike)

Jordan always had help, sharp shooters, rebounders, Pippen, and size, and never played the Celtics of 2008 with Zone Defenses. Kobe could have torn apart every team that Jordan faced in his finals.

people fail to realize that it is 2 different eras. the defense was played very different than the way it is now. you breathe on a guy wrong now its a foul. kobe would have not. i repeat would have not scored 81 points on any of the teams in the east back then. celts, cavs, bulls, hawks, and dont 4get the knicks,and bad boy pistons. i like love mj and kobe. but there is no comparing the two. because its 2 different eras. no more handchecking etc.

Follow up...The other era didn't have the zone to deal with.

OLD 40 YEAR OLD ONE LEG JORDAN WITH 19 WIN TEAM. WAS STILL ABLE TO CARRY THEM IN TODAY "HARDER BECAUSE OF ZONE DEFENSE" DUDE SCORED 50 PTS AS AN OLD MAN. THINK ABOUT IT? WHAT WOLD HE DO IN HIS PRIME?

Excellent point!!!

It sounds as if you absolutely know for sure he could not score 81on east coast teams; you're probably right. IWhat I do know for sure is he scored 81 on Toronto by knocking down long distant shots defense or no defense. It takes a special person to enter into a zone like that; not to mention he scored 60 against Dallas in 3 quarters. Also there were a few players back in those days who scored 60 plus. Ice or DT I believe had close to 70 when they allowed hand checking. I believe there is a definite comparison providing you don't play favoritism.

Thank you,

Kobe let me down this year in the playoffs. Michael would have taken that team on his back carried them to the championship. I was look for the same deal with kobe with all those physical skills.

MJ had help...Kobe has a point guard and three guys who wouldn't dominate in the CBA...That's right. Not only that, Jordan had an entire rule book rewritten to allow him to carry the ball, foul at will, and cheat on defense.

You hit that one right on the head and thank you. My feelings are in agreement. You definitely know your basketball.

And that is different from Kobe how?

Perfect Reponse!!!

Kobe did not let anyone down, Bostons' defense (zone included) was the best I have ever seen and new this before the match up even started. I am a Laker fan period but even I am smart enough to know who was the better team even before the Finals started. Jordan would have not done any better period. They had 5 guys on Kobe and the rest of the Lakers were no help.

There is no need to compare the two, there is no need to compare anyone with MJ, he is the best to ever play.

There is no comparison MJ would dominate Kobe. MJ was a better defensive player. MJ was getting 50 on teams when you were allowed to play defense. If you commit a hard foul know that are trying to decide if it is a flagrant 1 or 2. What happened to good hard fouls. Kobe could not take the physical abuse of coming in the lane against Mahon, Lambier, Rodman, Cartwright, Barkley. One thing about MJ he keep coming. Final point: how many championships did reach and not win or win MVP. Let Kobe be Kobe and not the next MJ.

To Blake 20708: Since I have played and coached basketball for 40 years, and I am not a biased fan favorite of either, I would say that Kobe and MJ are the best perimeter defensive players - ever!! However, overall, I would take Kobe slightly, because of 2 reasons. First, when Allen Iverson came into the league, A.I. faked MJ out of his jock on a crossover and made MJ look very bad. Kobe has at least slowed AI on several occassions and never been faked out by AI. Second, Dream Team 1 with MJ, lost to a bunch of scrubs from college, mainly Bobby Hurley, which made MJ look very bad. MJ was a great defensive player, but had a hard time defending against the quicker guards. Kobe can effectively defend against any 1, 2, or 3 man in the NBA including LeBron James. Kobe and MJ are the best!!

For you to have played and coached for 40 years, why would you base MJ's defense one ONE play?? EVERYBODY gets shook at some point! Why would you even expect ANY 2 guard to be able to stick with a point guard? That's ridiculous! Kobe has been shook PLENTY of times by Deron Williams and Chris Paul AND Allen Iverson! And Kobe has NOT slowed Iverson down. I live in L.A. and watch games faithfully! As for Dream Team 1, NO team could EVER beat that team. Period! That's why they walked through the Olympics the way they did and the teams of today have struggled. They had the best pg ever, the best sg ever and maybe the best 3 & 4 ever in Bird and Malone. Teams back then played defense! Kobe is a good defender but he is too slow for 1s and LeBron doesn't think twice about him.

MJ got away with murder and owned the referees. Kobe would have averaged 40 points a game with man to man defense and the teams that Jordon met in the finals, could not have touched Kobe. Jordan was nothing without Pippen.

Your name alone says that you are biased "Laker 21"! It would have been intersting to see how Kobe would react being knocked to the floor as often as Jordan did. Kobe doesn't have to worry about those hard fouls. Jordan didn't have Pippen in his early years. He had to mature as a player like EVERYONE else. Jordan MADE Pippen! It's not the other way around! Who has Kobe made??? Shaq was Shaq waayy before Kobe. Jordan also MADE those other players that you mention with the exception of Rodman. That's why those players didn't do a thing after Jordan left. Kukoc, BJ Armstrong, Craig Hodges, Jud Beuchelor, Hanson, Bill Cartwright, Clif Levingston, Bill Wennington...SUCH A STELLAR CAST!!! What did they ever do when NOT on the Bulls?

bobbymack-KOBE should have put a stop to the MJ comparisons years ago but he didn't. Why, because he was infatuated with all the attention and accolades. Now its years later and several bad Plalyoff performances later and he realizes and knows he can't even carry MJ's Jock Strap. Mike was Finals MVP 6 times and I repeat has NEVER, Ever, NEVER been shut-down or D'd UP... The media needs to stop itl. There's NO COMPARISON or LIKENESS between KOBE and MJ. I'm 54. I started watching and playing basketball in 1959. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about...

Kobe is still young...All this season proved is how incompetent Phil Jackson is. He got out coached. Jordan never had to win with 3 scrubs.

bobbymack you would like people to trust you because that. Give me a break... MJ played on a differnt team (that with in itself makes it difficult to compare) and had more media acceptance due to his charisma. I will say MJ read defense better than Kobe. Finally, to compare does not mean One is Better than the Other; it means there are simularities.
I personally think Kobe has more talent but MJ has a higher b-ball IQ.

Kobe shoots 3s better and THAT'S IT! And only because Kobe works at it. Jordan had others to do that but when he needed them he would make them. It's plainly obvious who Kobe patterned his game after. He walks like Jordan, talks like Jordan and sounds like Jordan. One on one I think Jordan would have defended Kobe better than Kobe would have defended Michael not to mention Jordan's refusal to lose. Jordan was stronger, faster and jumped higher in addition to being smarter.

kobe would win... every team has a jordan on its roster, brandon roy, lebron james, dwayne wade, tracy mcgrady, vince carter, richard hamilton, paul pierce, shawn meriman, and all the great point guards. even kevin garnett once a long time ago when he came up drew all sorts of comparisons with jordan. if kobe stands high above them he will take jordan to school. it wasnt just kobe's 81 it was the whole season. scoring 50 ten times that season, 55 in a half, 30 points in a quarter, 4 consecutive games with 50 or more. 6 times voted first team all defense. kobe's has been to 5 championship games by the time he was 29, jordan got to his first one at 29.

If Jordan had a Shaq when he first came in the league, he would have rings in every season they'd played together. Don't make Kobe the sole reason why they were in five championship series. If it was MJ, he would had won all five, not three or five.

for one, not every team has a jordon on their roster. maybe they have wannabes,but no jordons.what a dumb thing to say. also,to even think labron is even in the same league is just not an option. some think hes good, but I think he needs to go back to school and learn the basics of life in general. I have never, and probably never again see it, another player like jordon play this game. he was fun to watch, he was unpredictable, and he was a great for the game. now a days, you have guys who think they wanna be mike, but someone else in here said it, they couldnt carry jordons jock strap, no matter how hard they tried

Jordan had a higher b-ball IQ; Kobe has more raw talent. One on One I think Kobe wins.

Whatever. Kobe wasn't even the "best" player when he played in all the Finals. He had Shaq at 18.

No team has ever had or ever will have a Jordan, I don't know where you get that "every team has a Jordan" garbage. You listed Kobe's accolades, here are Jordan's: 14 time all-star, *5 time MVP*, 6 time Finals MVP, DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, NINE TIME FIRST TEAM ALL DEFENSE. Yes, Kobe's been to 5 championships by the time he was 29, 3 of which he won because he had the most dominant center in the game. Jordan WON six titles, with no notable posts to speak of. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO COMPARISON. Kobe's not fit to carry MJ's piss bucket.

Without the changes the ower of the Bulls made every year, Jordan would not have won so many. Take Pippen out and the fact that Jordan owned the referees, the only thing left is a ball hogger. Kobe would have loved man to man defense in the finals.

So...Kobe ISN'T a ball hogger--even when he has Pau Gasol and s*** gets rough, he tries to take control...and bombs (ie. Finals '08) and not to mention if you BREATHE on Kobe it's a foul--MJ was MJ. No one can ever come close to his accomplishments. I don't care if it'd a different time period or not...NEVER.
KOBE = FAIL

NOBODY owns the referees! The Bulls basically had two teams that each won 3 rings. Teams make moves every year. Not just the Bulls! You continue to use the term "ball hogger" when I am willing to bet that Kobe shoots more than Jordan did and I know for a fact at a lower percentage! Take Pippen away from Jordan and we wouldn't even be TALKING about Pippen because he would have done the same thing that he did when Jordan left which is NOTHING!