San Antonio – Greetings from San Antonio, where a mean sinus infection has gotten the best of me for the first few days of the Finals. But I’m back, and I have a few things besides mucous rattling around my head. So here goes:
When your head is pounding mercilessly and you can’t breathe, it’s difficult to partake of all the decadent parties and feasts the NBA has lined up for the media. So instead of challenging the world record for barbecue, margarita, and beer consumption, I’ve been stuck in my hotel room a lot. And by virtue of that, I have watched some of the classic NBA Finals games on NBA TV.
Needless to say, Michael Jordan stars in most of these. It’s good to watch footage of MJ in his prime – not the watered down version that last won a title in ’98 or the geriatric Jordan who needlessly came out of retirement. Why? Because such an experience provides real, irrefutable proof that these LeBron James-Jordan comparisons are pure garbage.
LBJ is a fine talent, and will probably win a championship someday. But please – please – stop comparing him to MJ. It’s ridiculous. It’s insulting to the greatest player who ever lived. It betrays the ignorance of anyone who does so. It’s wrong.
Really, if LBJ were that good, people would be watching the NBA Finals on TV. Many are not, but that’s beside the point. LeBron’s game bears no – I repeat, no – resemblance to that of His Airness.
He does not break defenders down one-on-one off the dribble, but uses angles, positioning and strength to gain his advantage. He’s a supreme passer, but so was Michael in his prime. LBJ is a finisher; MJ was a starter and a finisher. LBJ rarely creates his own shot without the help of screens or pick-and-rolls. MJ did things with the basketball that no other human being who ever lived could do. That includes everyone currently alive today, and probably will include all of those yet to be born.
If we must follow through with this exercise of anointing the “Next Jordan,” then I will say this: The only player in the NBA whose game bears a reasonable resemblance to Jordan’s is Kobe Bryant. No one else even deserves to be in the discussion.
Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, a news item or two: Gilbert Arenas has told The Washington Post that he plans to opt out of his contract after next season. Gil says he doesn’t necessarily want to leave Washington, he just wants to maximize his earnings. Just another reason to love the guy. He’s honest. When it’s about the money, he says so.
It’s too bad for the Knicks, who are still projected to be $25-$30 million over the cap after next season. Even if Isiah Thomas stays the course and doesn’t add more salary, the Knicks still won’t be under the cap until after the 2008-09 season, when Kobe has his opt-out.
Do the Knicks really want to wait that long to make a major move? I don’t think so. That’s why I must point out that I continue to hear that Kobe’s situation in L.A. is no closer to being resolved to his satisfaction. I believe Kobe still wants out – the truth is, he has an official trade request on the table – and the Knicks and Bulls are the teams he is most likely to be dealt to in a sign-and-trade this summer.
The next few weeks will be crucial to deciding whether Bryant stays in L.A. or not. If the answer is no, the Knicks should be and will be ready to make their run at him now rather than wait two more years.
Comments (2)
You're right. Jordan was all by himself, way ahead of everybody else. People need to know.
What's right is right. Jordan is alone. Always will be.