Kobe vs LeBron Part Uno

So the hot debate this week has been who is better right now, Kobe or LeBron? Who should be the MVP? Who can save more cats from trees? And the questions go on and on and on and on and on...

I will attempt to bring some clarity into this debate and give you an answer on who is better. I will make a case for each player so let's do this:

LeBron James:

• Positives
• King James is averaging about 31 points per game and shooting 49%
• King James is putting up career highs in rebounds with 8.1 and assists with 7.6
• If you add up the points and points that come up from his assists you get about 45-50 points depending on whether the assist resulted in a 2 or 3.
  
• The Cavs put up 97 points a game...LeBron is responsible for about half of that output.
  
• LeBron is a beat in the 4th quarter...I'm not a big fan of putting stats on the 4th quarter because some players can put up a lot of points in the 4th in blow outs. If you just watch a Cavs game you can tell LeBron is not the 19-year-old kid who made mistakes in the 4th...He is now a prime time 4th quarter player that wants the ball. LeBron GETS THE GAME and that is scary because he is the age of the writer of this blog.
  
• Negatives
• His defense is still lagging behind his offense. The defensive tone is set by the star player...the Cavs give up 97 points a game. Even though LeBron has improved his defense and he puts a hell of an effort out there he is still the victim of a lot of back door cuts and wide open jumpers.
  
• LeBron's free throw shooting is horrendous for an offensive talent like LJ23. He is shooting his second lowest career free throw percentage at 71%.
  
• He plays in the east and does not have the best record so that will hurt his chances of getting the MVP. His age also will play a role in the MVP case because the voters will use this stupid logic that he has many more years left in the league.

In the last five years LeBron has gone from prodigy to legend. What he is doing to the NBA right now is nothing short of legendary. He is two rebounds and two assists shy of averaging a triple double for the season. His team is the 4th best team in the East and will only get better with the addition of Ben Wallace, DeLonte and Wally. I think LeBron has the physical and mental tools to take over a game at any point. Just solid.

Kobe Bryant

• Positives
• Putting up 28 points per game at a near career high 46% from the field. He is putting up 28 points per game on 20 shots. Kobe is taking better shots...although he still takes the frustrating 28-foot fade away one handed no look 3-pointer from time to time
• Kobe is currently putting up 6 rebounds and 5 assists...now these aren't career highs but they sure do look pretty with his high efficiency scoring. Kobe comes up with big rebounds (remember the Dallas game where he secured a big offensive rebound when Lamar missed a free throw?)
  
• Kobe is a monster on defense...Not only can KB24 lock up man to man but he also gets big blocks that make the people at ESPN happy for their Top 10. Kobe is not afraid to get dunked on and is not afraid to get scored on. He is a lock for his 3rd straight NBA All-Defensive team.
  
• The Lakers are in a tie with the Spurs for 1st in the West (as of time of publish)...This was the argument against Kobe the last two years when his name was brought up for MVP..."His team is the 7th best team"
• Free throw shooting percentage is 84%...forget the numbers, here is why free throws are important in this argument. In the Dallas game, Kobe was 3-15 from the free throw line and then went off for 12 in a row. Kobe drives to the hoop and draws contact. In the 4th quarter every foul Kobe took was a legit foul and not a Dwayne Wade foul where you can't find contact with a microscope.
  
• Negatives
• Public perception of Kobe has gotten better but people still find him to be a whiner. Kobe loves to let the refs know if they missed a call and will yell at them all the way down the court. Kobe leads the league with 12 Technical Fouls...yes he even beat Rasheed Wallace (9)
• "Kobe has Pau Gasol"...the argument can be made that Kobe has better players around him than LeBron so his game should be this good. Kobe has no all-stars on his team. Kobe, like LeBron, demands so much attention that every player has it easier to shoot better jumpers, drive to the hoop without much defense and rebound easier with players being out of position. Super stars make their players better and even though Kobe is not known as a Steve Nash like player that passes the ball and makes players better, he does make his players better by getting so much attention by the other team.
  

Now that the case has been made, I declare Kobe and LeBron in a virtual tie for the best player in the league. As for the MVP, I have to give it Kobe Bryant because this really is a year where he has overcome his own created drama from the summer and accelerating his play in the triangle offense. Kobe right now is entering his prime. LeBron is still a few years away from his prime...I know scary.



A quick YouTube Clip:

This is a great short movie I made about a picture that's been floating around 1560 The Game. Frank Bullington (The Bull) is the production director at 1560 and is a close friend and this picture really captures his personality.