Kobe vs. LeBron. Who's better?

One of the greatest sports arguments of this current era is: Who is better, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant? This year's Most Valuable Player versus last year's Most Valuable Player! They led their teams to the best and second best records in the NBA. They have both gone to their conference's final playoff series, with the Lakers getting into the NBA Finals, and Cavaliers failing to match. Regardless of who wins the MVP award or NBA Finals, the debate of these two individuals will rage on for years to come.

First off, I'd like to establish some ground rules for better clarity on this question "Who is better?" The following are some examples of arguments that I'd like to eliminate on this issue.

When all is said and done, who will have the better career?

This answer is not possible to answer with certainty so it would be best leave such speculation out of the conversation. Clearly, thus far Kobe has enjoyed the better career as explained by Kobe's puppet. However, since LeBron is about 6 years younger than Bryant, his career could be even brighter. Either way, this would be an incomplete analysis, as both men have yet to complete their biographies.

If you could have one player for one game that you had to win, who would it be?

I don't believe this question is the most accurate in determining the best player, as one game does not a better player make. This answer would be hands down in favor of Kobe Bryant. I must present for the record the memory of an 81 point game, the second highest total in NBA history. A few weeks before that game, I went to the Lakers - Mavs game, in which Kobe had 62 points through three quarters... the Mavs had only 61. That's right, this one guy scored more than the entire other team. In addition to his ability to pour on insane scoring totals, more like a video game than a real life human against the greatest competition in the world, he is the greatest closer in the game. In fact, he may be the greatest Closer of all time - move over Kyra Sedgwick! Mine eyes have seen Kobe make more impressive and difficult shots when the game is on the line, than Magic, Kareem, Bird, Jordan, or Reggie Miller. Bringing those names in might bring on another disagreement best argued another day. For now, I believe most objective sports enthusiasts would agree that while LeBron has learned a lot in terms of taking games over in crunch time, there is NO comparison with Kobe on this point.

Therefore, I submit, the most fair question to determine the better player is: If you could have either player for only one season, who would it be?
This takes into account the player's ability to lead his team on a consistent basis, and discover how he could best help their chances to win through an entire season. The marathon of an 82 game season plus playoffs would be the greatest test to determine the best player in the NBA.

When referring to the two teams' records, there is not much to contrast between the two players. LeBron's team (66-16) has only one more win than the Lakers (65-17), but in a much weaker Eastern Conference, so I will call this comparison a push. In terms of skills, Kobe's the better shooter, while LeBron's better at passing, driving to the basket and rebounding. They are comparable on defense. As mentioned, Kobe is better in the clutch, but LeBron is not far behind in being able to take over games. Under my analyzing - LeBron James is better! (Pause for Laker Nation to regain consciousness...) (Still waiting...) Since they are very close talent-wise, my reason for putting him above Kobe is because his style of play is better to build around. LeBron's bread and butter play is driving to the teeth of the defense. This causes a better field goal % (+2%), more free throws (+2 per game), and more assists (+2 per game). In short, LeBron style of play means that his contribution to his team is more efficient.

One of the most telling, albeit hypothetical, scenario I use to judge who is better is: how good would their teams be if they switched teams? Does anyone honestly believe that the supporting cast of Gasol, Bynum, Odom and three point shooters like Fish, Sasha, Ariza, Brown, & Farmar would be doing any worse with LeBron distributing shots to them after scrambling the defense after one of his dribble drives barrelling in through the key? Only the biggest Kobe die hard would say that the very unimpressive supporting cast of the Cavaliers would do better with Kobe. It seems obvious to me they would do much worse that 66 wins with Kobe as their leader.

This brings me to Kobe's biggest weakness. For years, Kobe has had to deal with the unflattering moniker of Ball-Hog. I would suggest his downside is a little more complex than shooting too much. He does average about 5 assists per game this season, which is very good considering that is 5th in the league amongst non-point guards. The problem is not as much his unwillingness to pass, as I've seen many times when he is in his facilitator mode that he passes a lot, and sometimes too much. His weakness is that he cannot switch his mind-set between the Cold Blooded Mamba style assassin of scoring and the distributor getting his team involved. Most great players in the NBA are very good at reading the play of the game and instinctively choosing whether passing or shooting would provide the best chance to have the team produce. Kobe's greatness and weakness are the two sides of the same coin. His greatness is due to his INTENSE FOCUS that results in success against the most improbable circumstances and defenses. His extreme confidence provides the mental edge needed to be considered the best player in the league for the past 9 years in the league, proving it night in night out, year by year. The only problem with this great focus and confidence is the drawback that is created in his teammates. Have you ever seen the rest of his team become tentative when Kobe is taking over a game? This is created by Kobe's lack of leadership in knowing when to pass and when to shoot. Because the top priority for a leader is NOT simply to succeed on the next scoring opportunity, but to make your team the strongest it can possibly be. Now everyone in the NBA is a great player and is getting paid insane amounts of money to be ready at all times. However, if your leader is telling you that his doubled-teamed fall-away three pointer is a better option than you being wide open 15 feet from the basket could you see how their confidence could be less than it could be? If the captain of the team is more comfortable shooting a left handed 17 foot bank shot on the run in traffic than hitting the open man and continuing to run the offense, it would most certainly plant a seed in his teammates to conserve their efforts when setting an additional screen or cutting so hard to the basket.

Due to these reasons, LeBron is now a better player than Kobe this year and actually was last year during Kobe's MVP year. Don't believe my assessment, please ask the NBA Logo.

I'm sorry to make the June Gloom a little gloomier for Laker fans. But do not lose hope, in my opinion, Mr. Bryant can still regain the title of Best Player in the NBA. His Game 1 performance in the NBA Finals was nearly flawless, rivaling Magic Johnson's unbelievable effort in Game 6 of the 1980 Finals. For almost the entire game he had the perfect balance of creating for himself and for his teammates. In the 4th quarter he got a little trigger happy, but he had already won the game. If Kobe can better hone this ability, he can once again be the Best in the current NBA and genuinely make a shot at the Jordan "All Time Title". (I would disagree and say that Earvin Johnson deserves this title... but that's another blog!) But until that ever happens, he'll have to be happy with being a close 2nd.