Mike Brown Too Soft on LeBron James and Kobe Bryant Comparisons

Mike Brown, current head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, knows Kobe Bryant and LeBron James well.

Because of that, it wasn't surprising that he held his tongue when discussing the differences between the current superstar he presides over and the young man he brought to the NBA Finals as a coach in Cleveland.

As we all know, Kobe is a five-time NBA champion with seven career Finals appearances.

LeBron has been there twice and lost in both.

So when asked how the two differ most, Brown gave a weak answer and said it came down to demeanor, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles.

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"They're different," Brown said. "Different personalities. LeBron, he's a guy that likes to laugh and joke and he knows, obviously, when there's a time to be serious, but he's youthful. I guess that's probably the word. Whereas Kobe is not as much. Kobe is more serious-minded and so-on and so-forth. But Kobe knows how to have fun in his own way, too."

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That’s seriously the best he could do when comparing the biggest difference between the two men?

How about the willingness to destroy an opponent, something Bryant thrives off of and LeBron has grown afraid of?

Even this week, in the relatively meaningless early portion of the regular season, Kobe has put the Lakers on his back and is putting up huge numbers in the clutch.

Last night, he hit a huge three-pointer in overtime and two game-clinching free throws with less than a second left against the Utah Jazz.

He ended up scoring 40 of his team's 90 points.

Compare that to LeBron’s performance against the Warriors on Tuesday night.

He took zero shots in the fourth quarter and only scored two points in overtime, while committing a crucial turnover and missing a three that would have tied it with seven seconds left.

The Miami Heat lost, 111-106.

While these games won’t count for much in the grand scheme of things, it does show who has the drive to be a champion and paints a clear picture of who has the fortitude to will their team to victory.

There is a reason why nearly everyone harped on James’ knack for disappearing in the fourth quarter of important NBA Finals games last June against the Mavericks.

Championship rings are forged by the play of greats in those final 12 minutes and LeBron has consistently proven he does not have the heart or desire to dominate in those situations.

Mike Brown is a smart guy and there is a reason why he has a career record of 280-142 with five playoff appearances going into his sixth year as a head coach.

If you asked him, off the record of course, whom he would rather have on his team come the postseason, the answer would certainly be Kobe Bryant.

If you asked him what he thought the biggest difference really was between Kobe and LeBron, it would be heart.