By Sam Amico
ProBasketballNews.com
Question: Who’s better, Kobe or LeBron?
Answer: Who knows, who cares, and how long before we get to see them go head-to-head again?
That’s the bottom line after LeBron James and Cleveland defeated Kobe Bryant and host Los Angeles 98-95 on Sunday.
And seriously, after watching a game like this, how can you possibly say one is better than the other?
We hear it all the time from fans and media --
James is a better passer, Bryant is a better
defender. Or James is a better rebounder, but
Bryant is better in the clutch.
Oh yeah? Then how do account for the fact
Bryant snared a game-high 12 rebounds, to
go along with his 33 points? Or what about
LeBron, who made every meaningful basket
in the final moments on his way to a game-high
41?
Bryant also finished with six assists to four
for James … while James had two steals and
hit the game-winner with Bryant defending him.
But again, does any of this really matter? Does
any of it prove one is truly the better player?
No, no, and double no.
Everyone likes to blame NBA marketing types for turning these games into “Kobe vs. LeBron” when they should be promoting the “Lakers versus Cavs.”
That sure sounds nice, and I’m all for team basketball. But let’s not kid ourselves -- as they stand today, both the Lakers and Cavs are one-man operations in the truest sense.
That should change as the younger players around Bryant and James develop, and it may happen soon. For now, though, we’ll have to settle for watching each team’s superstar try to do everything himself.
And based on Sunday’s game, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
So let’s stop worrying about who’s The Best -- and start focusing on the idea that Kobe and LeBron are among the greatest who ever played.
For real basketball fans, that ought to be good enough.
MORE ON LEBRON
• James was a high school football star and it’s not hard to envision him as an NFL receiver. He drives to the basket like someone who’s running a pass route, zig-zagging through opposing defenses with power and a purpose.
• I know this sounds crazy, but James is a better all-around player this season than last. I cite three reasons: 1). He has much better form on his jump shot. Ex-coach and current ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy said James shoots with a “stonger base,” meaning he jumps straight up and comes straight back down
-- as opposed to falling back with his legs flailing; 2). He’s an even better finisher, especially with his left (weak) hand; and 3). As nearly every coach in the league has already pointed out, James is a much better man-to-man defender this year. That was particularly evident against the Lakers, as Bryant struggled to elude James without first getting a solid pick.
• James and the Cavs have beaten the Lakers five straight times, sweeping the series in each of the past two seasons. But that can be deceiving, as both games this year have come down to the final shot.
MORE ON KOBE
• Bryant may possess the best fade-away jumper in NBA history -- or at least the best since Dick “Fall Back Baby” Barnett was hitting the shot for New York back in the 1960s. You can lock down Bryant with perfect defense, then go straight up with a hand in his face when he rises to shoot. But as anyone who’s ever defended him has discovered, Bryant will just fade back and get the shot over and around you.
• And guess what, kids? That’s the type of edge you get when you put in extra work during the summer. As I’ve written before, it’s fun to watch Bryant and James in their commercials and “Saturday Night Live” appearances, but these guys are superstars because of their relentless practice habits.
• On the downside, Bryant needs to get back on D and stop complaining to the officials after he misses a shot. Want to gripe? Fine. But at least wait until the play is dead.
• Having written that, every time I think I’m going to vote for James for league MVP, Bryant does something to change my mind. Then I’m sold on Bryant, and James does something else. Thankfully, there’s still plenty of basketball left and I don’t have to vote for at least another four months. Again, as someone who still really loves the game, it’s a good dilemma to have.
CAVS TALKING TRADE?
• The Cavs and Knicks recently had serious trade discussions centered around Cavs guard Larry Hughes, team sources on both sides confirmed last week. One scenario included a package that would have sent Knicks swingman Quentin Richardson to the Cavs, another involved guard Jamal Crawford. Apparently, those talks are dead (for now).
• One thing’s for certain -- all those leg injuries have robbed Hughes of his explosiveness. Instead of erupting to the basket with a burst of athleticism, Hughes often settles for mid-range (or even long-range) jump shots. Fortunately for the Cavs, he seems to be getting better in that area. That’s especially true in the last two games, when he’s combined for 13-of-26 shooting from the field (including 5-of-9 on 3-pointers).
• Also, Hughes has been a big reason for the Cavs’ resurgence on defense. He’s still fairly athletic and never backs down from guarding the opposing team’s best backcourt player.
• A lot of people continue to link Sacramento point guard Mike Bibby to the Cavs -- and while they do need a point guard, they don’t necessarily need Bibby. They just need someone who can penetrate and dish and hit the occasional perimeter shot. Someone like Luke Ridnour (Seattle) or Tyronn Lue (Atlanta) or Beno Udrih (Sacramento) would suffice. As an added bonus, the Cavs wouldn’t have to gut the rotation to get a guy like any of those three.
LAKER NOTES
• For all the grief Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak takes, there is a lot to like about the way he’s building this team. Second-year players such as guard Jordan Farmar and forward Ronny Turiaf are two draft steals who understand how to win. You can be sure neither will be a role player for long. The same is true of guard Sasha Vujacic, who’s still only 23 years old (until March).
• And I didn’t even mention center Andrew Bynum, who’s missed the past six games with a knee injury. Up until then, the 20-year old had been averaging a double-double (13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds) and has the potential to be a remarkable big man in the league for a long time. Not surprisingly, the Lakers have lost four of the six games without Bynum.
• Remember all the talk about Bryant wanting the Lakers to trade Bynum, either to New Jersey for Jason Kidd or Indiana for Jermaine O’Neal? Well, they will have a better chance to win another championship in the next three years with Bynum than with either of those guys. That’s why the best players don’t always make the best GMs.
• Also, veteran forward Lamar Odom isn’t the all-around threat he once was, but there’s a lot to be said for his unselfishness and underrated desire. I know, it’s hard to be underrated in L.A. -- but somehow, Odom has found a way.
• Finally, the Lakers sure play a lot of illegal defense. And I mean A LOT. They were whistled for three such infractions against the Cavs, and it could have been worse. But that’s mostly a credit to coach Phil Jackson, who is a master at frustrating the other team‘s star (with the exception of James). It’s like Jackson is daring the refs to make some calls.
ALL-STAR THOUGHTS
• I agree with Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, who said on ABC that neither Kidd nor Miami’s Dwyane Wade should be starting for the Eastern Conference in the All-Star game. Not when Kidd’s team has lost nine in a row and struggled all season, and when Wade’s is among the worst in the league (at 9-33).
• In fact, it’s time to rework the voting process. Instead of letting fans have control over the whole thing, give them just a third of the vote. The players should then get one-third, with coaches getting the other. I mean, why should Detroit’s Richard Hamilton and Boston’s Ray Allen NOT be rewarded for the great seasons they and their teams are having? The fact Kidd and Wade are starting ahead of them is a total basketball rip-off.
BLAZER E-MAILS
A couple of reactions to my previous newsletter praising Portland :
• Jeff Duncan (Idaho Falls, Idaho) wrote: “I grew up in Portland and watched the great 1977 Blazer team with Bill Walton, Maurice Lucas, Dave Twardzik, Larry Steele, Johnny Davis, etc. I also was around to see the great teams of the early ’90s with Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey, Buck Williams, and Terry Porter. I was also present, unfortunately, to watch (former team president) Bob Whitsitt ruin the team and make it the laughingstock of the NBA.
“The fans forced (owner) Paul Allen's hand by not coming to the games and he got the message. The Blazers have hired competent front office people who have drafted incredibly well. I look in my crystal ball and see a championship within three-to-four years. Blazer Mania is back! As the great Bill Schonley used to say, The Blazers are RED HOT AND ROLLIN'!”
• Matt Wagner wrote: “I look at the Blazers and compare them to my beloved Good Guys from The Toy Shop (the Rockets) and why are they succeeding while my guys are teetering, and the answer to me is plain as day: Coach Nate McMillan. Look at Rockets and Bulls and Nuggets and Hawks and, yes, Heat, and replace their coaches (as Scott Skiles has already been replaced) with a McMillan or a Phil Jackson or a Jerry Sloan or an Eddie Jordan and … voila! Night becomes day. Coaches do matter in the players' league.”
CONLEY OVER DURANT?
ProBasketballNews.com assistant editor Justin Powell expects big things from Memphis rookie point guard Mike Conley Jr. -- maybe even bigger than Seattle’s Kevin Durant.
Check out Powell’s column here, and all the other articles on PBN.com every day.
I’ll talk to you next time -- and will be sure to read the many e-mails that are sure to come my way. After all, newsletters involving Kobe and LeBron always tend to get you typing.
The Amico Report is a free e-mail newsletter from ProBasketball News.com editor Sam Amico. He has covered the NBA for various newspapers, magazines, and Web sites, including NBA Inside Stuff and Basketball Digest, for more than a decade. Contact him or subscribe to the newsletter at amico@probasketballnews.com.
