Let’s face it; the NBA has been going down hill since Michael Jordan left the Bulls. As excited as a lot of people were when he returned to the NBA as a decrepit old man with the Wizards, it just wasn’t the same. The saddest part about that was he thought he could do some good and his team was honestly better without him. He ruined the possible great career of Kwame Brown and set the team back two years once he retired for good. Also, his streak of double digit scoring games came to an end.
While Jordan was aging in the NBA, everybody was looking for the man to replace him. First was Penny Hardaway who seemed to be more of a Scottie Pippen. Penny hasn’t averaged 20ppg since Shaq bolted for L.A. and by the time he was supposed to reach his peak, he lost the majority of his athleticism and was constantly injured.
My personal favorite of the “NEXT MJ†group is Grant Hill. Grant Hill was a fantastic shooter who’s rebound and assist statistics were always better than Jordan’s but never out scored him. And like a lot of people on this list, he has been injury ridden for quite awhile. Hill has quite possibly the most famous ankle in the NBA. Hill’s major problem thought is that he only has 15 playoff win’s and hasn’t been close to winning a championship.
Then there’s Kobe Bryant. Kobe has already had a fantastic career and has won three NBA Championships. He has had more 50 point games than I can count, led the league in scoring, and can dunk just as good as Jordan. Plus, both are know for being a little bit of ball hogs, although Bryant is famous for it. Sounds pretty close right? Well, something that Jordan would not do is force the most dominant center ever to leave and cause Phil Jackson to have a breakdown. Bryant needs to be more consistent and a better shooter to prove he is worthy. He also needs to be better at utilizing the talent around him.
Other’s worth mentioning are: Tracy McGrady, Jerry Stackhouse, and Vince Carter have all drawn comparisons to MJ.
There is also talk about Lebron James. But Lebron is slightly more unique. Lebron is the only person to be listed who comes close in averaging the same steals and Jordan. He also has a higher point per game average than every player on the list, even Bryant, but is probably the last person on this list to be considered a ball hog because he also leads this list in assists (including Jordan). Statistically speaking, he is easily the closest to a triple double average then any player who draws the comparisons on is MJ himself.
Each year the Cleveland Cavs have improved and push deeper into the playoffs. This year is no exception since they have yet to lose a game. The only thing he lacks is the championship, but he is only 22 years old and Jordan didn’t win his first until he was 28.
So why does the NBA need Lebron so bad? Lebron brings in revenue. Everybody wants to watch the Cavs play. Which hasn’t been said since Mark Price was nailing 3’s and Brad Daughtery was pulling down rebounds. I haven’t seen so many kid’s in #23 jerseys since 1997. It seems that the NBA is starting to get a fan base again. The NBA has always been okay, but it seems like it has lacked some truly great players for the past decade. Sure Shaq is going to go to the hall of fame, there isn’t a center out there to challenge him And Dirk, Nash, Kidd, McGrady, Yao, and others are great, but when it comes down to it, would the NBA world be devastated if Dirk Nowitzki, this years MVP, had a career ending knee injury during the off-season? With the exception of Mark Cuban and Mavericks fans, probably not. Like most players, Dirk is replaceable. But if Lebron James had the same thing happen, it would kill the NBA. There is only one Lebron.
– Colin Hansen (gobucki@gmail.com)
5 users commented in " The First Lebron. Why the NBA Needs Him. "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI agree with majority of your comment on the players you mentioned, with a little bit exception. I think you should give more credit to Penny Hardaway in Orlando. First, in his last year with Shaq, majority press has recognized Orlando should be Penny’s team, not Shaq. And Penny proved that during the playoffs, however, Penny himself never publicly said so (quite opposite to what Kobe did, Penny is much more classic than Kobe.) Second, the year after Shaq leaving, Penny averaged more than 20ppg and he was not even healthy that season, but he exploded in playoff and scored 31ppg a game for a nearly upset to 2nd seed Miami. Third, ever since Penny had his 3rd knee surgery (post-Orlando era), he soon transformed into a different player, but still the best team player around the league. Remember Phoenix upset Spurs during the first round in 2000, something Jason Kidd tried 4 times and still failed? And Penny play with only one leg that series and without Kidd as well. Since his 4th knee surgery, he is pretty much done, but can’t really say he didn’t live to the hype, I think if he were healthy, he can still be one of the best player in the game. Might not be next Jordan, but will be quite unique as well. Or maybe more of a Magic type of player. You should see his 2nd and 3rd year in Orlando, his move and assists, etc, he really didn’t disappointed the media at that time. His injuries were unfortunate, but just saying he didn’t live up to the hype is cheap and unfair.
Ah…your facts are wrong…Kobe does average more points than LeBron. Also, do you know who the biggest draw in the NBA is? Tada…Kobe Bryant. LeBron is good, but he is no Kobe…at least not yet. Kobe is, by far, the most intriguing and most media covered player in the NBA today. The NBA is pushing LeBrob as hard as it can. When the Lakers play the Cavs, he gets all the love from the officials. Just type in Kobe vs. LeBron on Youtube and you’ll see for yourself. Regardless, Kobe is the most talented player and he has a shot that is a lot better than LeBron. Although LeBron is a better passer and rebounder, but Kobe is a better defender. Also, Kobe has that killer instinct, LeBron does not. Right now Lebron is doing good in the playoffs, but look at his competition. Nets! Wizards without Gilbert! Kobe’s competition? Suns!
First off, for a career, Lebron is averaging 26.7ppg compared to Kobe’s 24.6. Also, your claims of Kobe having a better shot are an opinion. Lebron has a higher FG% than Kobe as well (.453 to Lebron’s .463). Maybe you mean his shot looks prettier, which I will give you, but that doesn’t mean he is a better player. Also, claims of Kobe being a better defender may also be false. You said yourself that Lebron is a better rebounder so I won’t throw any stats at you. But Lebron averages more blocks and steals per game. Sources are from nba.com
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kobe_bryant/
Compared to:
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/lebron_james/
And Kart: your stats are right about Penny. I thought Shaq was there one more year but I guess not. Although Penny’s stats dropped the year after Shaq left they dropped dramatically the next year. Going from 20.5 ppg to 16.4. He also averaged less rebounds and assists.
I totally agree with Hansen that LeBron is much better a player than Kobe is. Stat-wise, it already says a lot and Hensen just did a good job. Team-wise, saying Kobe is with worse supporting case is also false. Odom is much more of a proved all-star than Larry Hughs, and he plays very well. Luke Walton is a smart team player. And K. Brown sometimes has stellar game just as Big Z is but they both are not consistent. But Kobe can never lead this team pass first round (and failed to make playoff a couple of times since Shaq left.) However, LeBron makes everyone in the team happy and they have big progress year by year, and really, the supporting case LeBron has really kinda sux. Jordan with Pippen can already make a championship, so the key is to find a Pippen type of player, which I think Odom pretty much filled the role. But Kobe is just a ball-huggler, never trust his teammate and never like to pass, that’s why their team chemistry still sucks no matter how many points Kobe can score each night. Quite the opposite, LeBron still doesn’t have a Pippen type of player around him, but Cavs are doing quite OK out there. That tells you a lot what LeBron is capable to do. Also, LeBron probably has most 4th quarter scores than anyone else this year in the leaugue, saying he doesn’t have killer instinct just makes me laugh. Cuz you know what, LeBron is the type of player at the last second you can’t tell if he is gonna pass to a wide open shooter or shoot by himself (similar to Penny), and by counting how many times LeBron’s pass/shot beat the buzzer will far greater than Kobe’s last-sec shot (Again, similar to Penny, there are just countless Penny’s last sec pass beat the game (remember marion’s ally-oop dunk with only 2 secs left? or Crawford’s dunk? just countless successful pass, Penny is really great out there).
And Henson, I am not saying Penny is better than LeBron, but I do think if he is healthy, he could be THE ONE. But unfortunately, he is NOT healthy. I think if Penny was not that great, LeBron and T-Mac won’t idolize him (they all said so during the first year). That tells you a lot Penny’s game.
I was just wondering why you guys didn’t include carmelo anthony and dwayne wade in this “who is the better player” argument. I mean didn’t carmelo anthony for example lead the nba in scoring a couple of seasons ago! And as far as style goes… well I reckon they all have that.
And Kevin Garnett!!
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