It has been said many times by those of us who ply our trade in the media that if you repeat something long enough and make it sound as if the position is indisputable, then a majority of fans will suddenly transform into a band of lemmings and make for the sea with no coaxing whatsoever. Such is the case with this year's NBA Finals. This edition of the "3 Ring Circus" will set right the lack of reasonable thought.
Kobe Bryant is no Michael Jordan
Perhaps the single most overused word in the global sports lexicon is "great." It has become little more than a throwaway syllable over-rating players, teams, victories, cheerleaders, you name it. Such is the case with Kobe Bryant.
From the network promos to some of the more uneducated members of the media, most of whom would only know a basketball is it rolled towards them from a Wii platform, the comparison has become almost a staple of this Series. Ignorance, misinformation, hyperbole and downright stupidity are the various hallmarks of this comparison.
To place Kobe Bryant in the same sentence as Michael Jordan is a blasphemous insult to Jordan for a number of obvious reasons.
Kobe Bryant is no leader. Off the court, his incessant whining early in the season may have forced Jerry Buss to make a few roster moves and bolster the lineup, but they were the cries of a petulant child.
As Jordan did in his career, you make your displeasure known to a few select insiders, such as the head coach, general manager, and owner only. You don't seek out media counsel and use them as a mouthpiece. If word leaks out, you issue a simple "no comment" and move on. Bryant is a byproduct of an era that believes in making as much noise as possible to force change and to use the press gaggle to your own advantage. A true leader does not air the laundry on a public clothesline.
On the floor, take nothing away from his talent, but Kobe Bryant cannot by simple force of will alone change the course of a game. Jordan could do this by seemingly sending telepathic messages to the other four guys on court. Every single player on every single roster that MJ played on looked up to him for guidance and support. He was another head coach that simply wore a uniform. He made other players excel around him, or he left them in the dust.
Conversely, Kobe Bryant is made great by the players who support him. Don't get me wrong, because it's obvious that Jordan could not and would not have been the icon that he is without the proper supporting cast.
But that cast changed around him and he still was able to perform feats of basketball legerdemain seemingly without missing a single beat. He fed off their energy and their skills, while at the same time allowing some of that magic to rub off.
Bryant is the polar opposite. No one could or should argue that Kobe turned the Lakers season around when he was given the right players around him. Players that for the most part would be viewed as little more than spare parts for other rosters.
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