we all know that Michael Jordan is considered to be the Best of all time ...so who is runner up ?
or is there some one that will be greater in time ? and if i didnt name him tell us who ?

LeBron is next in comparison because of his young age (remember Jordan went to college) and he is already shattering records and establishing himself as the best and most versatile offensive player in the league, he can improve his defensive game and that would make him "The Next Jordan"

Kobe is practically there already - he's won championships, hes the same height & about the same weight as Jordan, hes excellent at dunking, shooting, crossovers, passing, dishing..you name it he can do it.

Hands down its KOBE!!!
The guy has 3 rings and shows that he can hold his own on a crappy team. Come on guys, 62 points in 3 quarters? Even M.J. couldn't do that :cool:

Hands down its KOBE!!!
The guy has 3 rings and shows that he can hold his own on a crappy team. Come on guys, 62 points in 3 quarters? Even M.J. couldn't do that :cool:

:rolleyes:

I can't vote because its too hard to choose. :)

- Nizhu

Tough call, but I think it's going to be Lebron. It's amazing how much his game has elevated in just his third year.

Scary to think he's only going to get better. :eek2:

Hands down its KOBE!!!
The guy has 3 rings and shows that he can hold his own on a crappy team. Come on guys, 62 points in 3 quarters? Even M.J. couldn't do that :cool:

exactly :thumbup:

:rolleyes:Kobe-hater.

You mean after Harold Miner, JR Rider, Grant Hill, Vince Carter, blah blah blah, NOBODY WILL BE THE NEXT JORDAN!

I agree with codetoad, Kobe is already there in a sense but I'd still like to see him win without the big fella. Next in line I would have to say Lebron. Iverson gets overlooked but look at who else was on that team when the Sixers went to the finals.

Lebron better then Magic?...blasphemy

http://www.limelightagency.com/Bernstein/images/450/Basketball/Magic_vs._Bird-071.jpg

WHOA, you're right I read it wrong, I thought it was the age old question "Who's the next MJ"

I'm not sure I could pick #2, I'll have to give it some thought but it's neither Kobe or Lebron, not right now anyway.

LEBRON JAMES!! Hes already a top star in the league and is only going to get better :thumbup:

Nobody Post-Jordan yet. I think its a little early to put Lebron that high up on the pedistal. The Greatest After Jordan?? Nah. He has to atleast get to the playoffs first. I would definitely have to go with Magic. Chamberlain, Isiah Thomas etc.

I guess its between Kobe, Lebron and Magic right now :uh:

LeBron is next in comparison because of his young age (remember Jordan went to college) and he is already shattering records and establishing himself as the best and most versatile offensive player in the league, he can improve his defensive game and that would make him "The Next Jordan"

Kobe is practically there already - he's won championships, hes the same height & about the same weight as Jordan, hes excellent at dunking, shooting, crossovers, passing, dishing..you name it he can do it.

That's because MJ would never hog the ball as much as Kobe does. Don't get me wrong I do think that Kobe is currently the best as of this season. Also remember Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game.

Kobe sucked his first couple of seasons. Compare Kobe's first 3 seasons to Lebrons. Lebron is the clear winner. He is the closest the Jordan stats after he came in the NBA.

That's because MJ would never hog the ball as much as Kobe does. Don't get me wrong I do think that Kobe is currently the best as of this season. Also remember Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game.
back in the day everyone called Jordan a ball hog ....remember :uh:

You mean after Harold Miner, JR Rider, Grant Hill, Vince Carter, blah blah blah, NOBODY WILL BE THE NEXT JORDAN!
:uh: We're talking about greatest players, not greatest slam dunk contest winners (with the exception of Hill).

Tough choice between Kobe and LeBron. I don't think LeBron has reached his prime yet, so it's a toss up for now.

back in the day everyone called Jordan a ball hog ....remember :uh:

but that was when jordan had no supporting cast. jordan shared the rock with pippen, grant, kerr, paxson, hell even cartwright got some love. kobe has shown himself to be selfish, arrogant and me-oriented. talent-wise, kobe is jordans equal. but its the mental. remember pippen? jordan made him a "50 greatest player" talent. and if you dont believe me, check his stats when jordan wasnt around. who has kobe made better? anyone that has played with him has regressed. even shaq. kobe shouldnt even be in consideration. lebron on the other hand........

and also, when jordan had his career high of 69 pts, he also had 18 boards. let that sink in for a secong. three numbers for you to remember........33..........8...........8 who could do that now?????

but that was when jordan had no supporting cast. jordan shared the rock with pippen, grant, kerr, paxson, hell even cartwright got some love. kobe has shown himself to be selfish, arrogant and me-oriented. talent-wise, kobe is jordans equal. but its the mental. remember pippen? jordan made him a "50 greatest player" talent. and if you dont believe me, check his stats when jordan wasnt around. who has kobe made better? anyone that has played with him has regressed. even shaq. kobe shouldnt even be in consideration. lebron on the other hand........

Who can Kobe pass the ball too to guarantee a basket? Its not Odom because you need to catch the guy on a "good" night for him to have 19 points. Mihm? Sure but he is a Center who is not as vesitle as a guard (aka Kobe) and he will be shot-down with a simple double team. Im not even going to talk about the rest of the Lakers because as of right now, they are a joke. Kobe needs to be this agressive EVERY night untill he can get a decent team to back him up.

If they get a hold of Ron Artest and / or Kevin Garnett, then ITS ON LIKE DONKEY KONG!!!

Who can Kobe pass the ball too to guarantee a basket? Its not Odom because you need to catch the guy on a "good" night for him to have 19 points. Mihm? Sure but he is a Center who is not as vesitle as a guard (aka Kobe) and he will be shot-down with a simple double team. Im not even going to talk about the rest of the Lakers because as of right now, they are a joke. Kobe needs to be this agressive EVERY night untill he can get a decent team to back him up.

If they get a hold of Ron Artest and / or Kevin Garnett, then ITS ON LIKE DONKEY KONG!!!

nah, bruh. i dont wanna hear it. odom has an incredible skill-set. kobe just doesnt utilize it. he is the exact player that pippen was. tall, athletic with a knack for handling the ball. kobe just dominates the offense. he has them kids scared to do anything that might fall outta favor with him. like i said, skill-wise, kobe is jordans equal. maybe better. but the mentals arent there.....

These arguments and debates will never end so im not even gunna get into this because "aint no one gunna change their minds" As much as a T-Mac, Wade, Lebron fan as I am. I will currently admit, I would have no other player to take the game winning shot other then Kobe. He is clutch and has the most potential to take over a game on any given night currently in the NBA. Sure there are players that can dominate and take over, but not to the extent that KB8 can. I can recall this is the second explosion he has had in the last couple of years. This past game against the Mav. with 62 points 3 quarters and DNP in the 4th and a few years back when he had 56 points against the Grizzlies in 3 quarters and DNP in the 4th. Closes scoring to Kobe's 62 in recent years was T-mac's 62 points, but he needed 4 quarters to do it.

here is a Kobe "clutch video"

http://s4.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1MO55VF0XXMZD3S5ZB0DSZ24N4

nah, bruh. i dont wanna hear it. odom has an incredible skill-set. kobe just doesnt utilize it. he is the exact player that pippen was. tall, athletic with a knack for handling the ball. kobe just dominates the offense. he has them kids scared to do anything that might fall outta favor with him. like i said, skill-wise, kobe is jordans equal. maybe better. but the mentals arent there.....
Doc, I was hyped to see Odom come on board because I thought the same thing you've mentioned. He does have an "incredible skill-set." But, he's W-A-Y too passive (dare I say soft) on this team and has yet to assert himself on a consistent basis. He could be the Pippen type but he hasn't made himself that guy yet. I think even Pippen hovered @ 20 ppg w/ Jordan :uh: What good is it to be all that talented and defer to KB ALL THE TIME? It's VERY frustrating man. He could do much more than he does if he just stepped up and quit hiding in KB's shadow. His near 15 ppg should be closer to 20 IMO. Sure some of that is KB but some falls on LO as well.

Come on guys, 62 points in 3 quarters? Even M.J. couldn't do that :cool:

This has got to be one of the worst comparisons I have ever heard. Jordan could do EVERYTHING and then some. This was a regular season game against the Mavs, c'mon get real and put it in perspective. Jordon did this in the playoffs against Bird, McHale, Parrish, and Co. (see below). Until Kobe has a Game 5 in the Finals like Jordan did in 1997 against Utah (where he was ill and still carried the Bulls to Victory in the 4th Qtr) these comparisons should be kept to a minimum. Let's see Kobe win a title w/o Shaq or someone comparable. Also Kobe has not yet made anyone else around him better like Jordan did for so many years, yes Kobe has the talent but he doesn't have the mental game or discipline that Jordan had. The Lakers will be lucky to make the playoffs this year.

I think when we look back 10-12 years from now it will be Lebron. Remember it took Jordan a few years to make the playoffs and then he had to score 50 plus in losing efforts (one year they got swept by Boston 3-0 (Bird and Co.) and he had 59, 58, and 63. Early on he learned you can't win doing that and over time he found a way to make his team better around him, getting the most out of his teammates. I think Lebron is one of the few that has the attitude and talent to do the same.

This has got to be one of the worst comparisons I have ever heard. Jordan could do EVERYTHING and then some. This was a regular season game against the Mavs, c'mon get real and put it in perspective. Jordon did this in the playoffs against Bird, McHale, Parrish, and Co. (see below). Until Kobe has a Game 5 in the Finals like Jordan did in 1997 against Utah (where he was ill and still carried the Bulls to Victory in the 4th Qtr) these comparisons should be kept to a minimum. Let's see Kobe win a title w/o Shaq or someone comparable. Also Kobe has not yet made anyone else around him better like Jordan did for so many years, yes Kobe has the talent but he doesn't have the mental game or discipline that Jordan had. The Lakers will be lucky to make the playoffs this year.

I think when we look back 10-12 years from now it will be Lebron. Remember it took Jordan a few years to make the playoffs and then he had to score 50 plus in losing efforts (one year they got swept by Boston 3-0 (Bird and Co.) and he had 59, 58, and 63. Early on he learned you can't win doing that and over time he found a way to make his team better around him, getting the most out of his teammates. I think Lebron is one of the few that has the attitude and talent to do the same.

Lebron has more talent on his squad than KB8 does :egads: Odom so far is a dissapointment ..Phil needs to smack the ***** outta him B4 everygame to make him react :D

Remember it took Jordan a few years to make the playoffs and then he had to score 50 plus in losing efforts (one year they got swept by Boston 3-0 (Bird and Co.) and he had 59, 58, and 63.

and the legend grows. it was actually 49, 63 and 18. but youre right. jordan made players around him better. you think kobe would ever pass to smush parker at the end of a Finals game for the final shot? kobe continues to think that the game revolves around him. lebron is a team player and will be the future. maybe better than jordan, depending on the talent that they surround him with. folks are just jazzed lately that kobe put on that incredible show. and it was impressive. but he aint jordan yet............

:uh: We're talking about greatest players, not greatest slam dunk contest winners (with the exception of Hill).

I was referring to some of the guys that were tagged as "The next Michael Jordan" coming into the league. Remember Minors nickname, Baby Jordan :sad:

What about Bill Russell, haven't seen his name come up yet.

That's because MJ would never hog the ball as much as Kobe does. Don't get me wrong I do think that Kobe is currently the best as of this season. Also remember Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game.


EXACTLY! :thumbup:

No one is saying that Kobe is Jordan. NO ONE IS JORDAN. All im saying is that Jordan had a squad that actually made shots when given the ball. There is NO one on the Lakers that can be as consistant as Kobe. The game previous to Kobe's 62 point effort, he had much less points because he kept passing the ball just to see the guy miss the shot.

and the legend grows. it was actually 49, 63 and 18.

Dr Rick, I believe they actually played Boston 3 straight years in the 1st round when they 1st started making the playoffs as a #8 seed and I'm pretty sure the one year he scored over 50 in all three games (maybe you're thinking of a different year). I'll try to check tonight, who knows I've been wrong many times before and I did this from memory.

how the heck did 1sick get in there ? :uh: :D

Who added 1sicklex :uh:

might as well give him 99999989898989595895999999 votes on the poll too :p

I don't see two other obvious contenders on the list either........Lou Alcindor ( Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar ) and Wilt ( the Stilt ) Chamberlain.

My vote for King Jordan's runner-up would probably be a tie between these two. Next to MJ, they have been the most impressive people on the court I have seen.

Jordan has no equal. League's changed, people's skills have changed. Its highlights and jive. Kobe makes me sick. Jordan never needed to beat his chest at the crowd or the opponents bench. Jordan would not let his team loose, he would let you think about winning, and then destroy your spirit. I mean Jordan would have 50 points a game with how weak defense is this day and age. To be the greatest, you must do great things, motivate great ideas, and make people believe. Is that happening?

Gotta be either Magic / Bird. No way the young'ins.

It's disputable that Jordan's the greatest of all time. You can make credible arguments for at least Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson among others.

As for the Next Jordan, I currently have Kobe there but LeBron looks like he's got a strong chance to surpass him.

who the hell voted 1sicklex? lol

Kobe Bryant is DA MAN!!!

http://tinypic.com/jadseg.jpg

Every time I start to think that one of these young guys is going to be the next Jordan or is even close to his skill set, an old Bulls game comes on ESPN classic and I realize how amazing Jordan was and how much better he was than these guys are now. On a side note, think about it, Jordan scored 55 points at age 40.... (That's crazy.) These young guys do not understand the game of basketball. To score 55 at a time when you don't have the athletic ability you used to, you have to understand basketball...how to get a shot off against a more athletic guy, when to shoot, where to shoot, etc. (There are a few of the young guys that do understand the game... Pistons team, Spurs team, LeBron... and a few others, but overall as a whole the young guys do not). I'm not even a Kobe hater, but he is not even close to Jordan in the skill or mindset level. I like Kobe as an individual player, so you can't say I'm Kobe bashing. Take a look at Jordans old tapes, and you'll understand. He was so graceful in his moves like it was an art form. These young guys (Kobe, Vince, LeBron) are so rigid and ungraceful in comparison. They do some incredible things but not with the gracefulness. So when Jordan did those things it looked a million times better. Not to mention, Jordan had all the intangibles. He willed his team to win in situations, he never gave up, made his teammates better, and learned to trust his teammates. This is something these young guys have to learn. Anyway, I wonder what the younger generations will be looking up to and how they will view Jordan since they didn't see him first hand. We can only speculate, so we will never truly know who is or will be the next Jordan or if there will ever be another Jordan. This will be interesting.

And as for the vote for 1Sicklex, I'm laughing so hard right now because I ball with that dude on occasion...when he comes out!!!! We :ban: him from the court last time because he kept shooting over the goal!!!! Hahahahaha. Sick, holla at ya boy!!!! :woohoo: :D

And as for the vote for 1Sicklex, I'm laughing so hard right now because I ball with that dude on occasion...when he comes out!!!! We :ban: him from the court last time because he kept shooting over the goal!!!! Hahahahaha. Sick, holla at ya boy!!!! :woohoo: :D


Looks like someone might be getting :ban: from CL :D

I agree with the arguments that todays players are lacking the knowledge of the overall game of basketball. Everyone gets hyped up at just watching guys dunk and scoring that they forget about the other aspects of the game (defense, strategies, team play, etc). Jordan was on a level that I have never seen and really don't expect to ever see again. I can't comment on Kareem, Wilt, or Oscar because I never actually saw them play and didn't see how the other teams defenses were at that time.
IMO Kobe is the best player overall from my time, aside from Mike. I was able to see Magic from 1988 and up. Kobe just seems to have a more well rounded game. He is one of the top defenders year in year out, can score 50 points on any given night, is about as clutch as they come in game winning opportunities, and he definitely knows the game of basketball. Knows where he needs to be and how to get there on the court. All the baggage that Kobe has as far as his cocky attitude and accusations of sexual assault are not relevant because we are talking about basketball. Mike was cocky in his own way. He did not show it as much but he was, I think you have to be in order to be as great as they are.
Lebron is an excellent player and he is just starting out. Who knows what his legacy will be, but just keep in mind he must win several rings in order to be considered one of the top players ever.
My vote goes to Kobe.

And as for the vote for 1Sicklex, I'm laughing so hard right now because I ball with that dude on occasion...when he comes out!!!! We :ban: him from the court last time because he kept shooting over the goal!!!! Hahahahaha. Sick, holla at ya boy!!!! :woohoo: :D

Hahah, that vote was from me :D Seems I'm still the only person too!

Dr Rick, I believe they actually played Boston 3 straight years in the 1st round when they 1st started making the playoffs as a #8 seed and I'm pretty sure the one year he scored over 50 in all three games (maybe you're thinking of a different year). I'll try to check tonight, who knows I've been wrong many times before and I did this from memory.

you could be right. i did it from memory too. but i know that was his 2nd year in the league. coming off the broken foot, played the last quarter of the season and was limited to like 20 minutes a game. albeck (i think he was the coach then, might have been collins) turned him loose and he just went berzerk on the beaners. the third game was in chicago and kc jones revised his strategy to make the rest of the team beat them and really focus on jordan. jordan only had 18 pts. i distinctly remember bird saying that he wasnt even taking a change of clothes to chicago, cause there wasnt gonna be a 4th game.........