Greatest Player in your NBA history?

[ClydeLee]

Glen Selbo

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

I disagree...they are not head and shoulders above Kareem or Wilt...not at all...

Those are the only other players in the same sentence as those 2 besides Bill Russell. But when it comes to Jordan... it's fair to say that he's the undisputed best basketball player of all-time. That's why it's hard to just pull the "big men are more valuable" card.

 

[houheffna]

I remember Game 5 of the 1998 Finals all too well when he scored 38 points. And he kept them in the game in Game 6. I know everybody will remember the two free throws he missed in Game 1 in 1997, but how many good games has Kobe Bryant even had in the Finals? I think Malone actually might have had more of them.

By the time Utah made it to the Finals those two seasons, Stockton was way past his prime. I'm personally taking Malone over Kobe Bryant in a slight edge.

Kobe was the closer for 5 championship teams...the closer...please don't compare Kobe and Malone's playoff resumes...

 

[houheffna]

Those are the only other players in the same sentence as those 2 besides Bill Russell. But when it comes to Jordan... it's fair to say that he's the undisputed best basketball player of all-time. That's why it's hard to just pull the "big men are more valuable" card.

That's one guy out of thousands of players...one guy...with him being the exception, it is not hard to say that big men leave a larger imprint in NBA history...

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

Kobe was the closer for 5 championship teams...the closer...please don't compare Kobe and Malone's playoff resumes...

You can name the great shooting performances Kobe Bryant has had in the Finals on 1 hand. There was 1 game he exploded in Indiana (2000) after Shaq had fouled out. Then last year, he exploded in the third quarter in Boston in Game 5 and they still lost that game.

2 Finals MVPs to 0 Finals MVPs isn't enough in itself to say Kobe>Malone. And if we want to go by strictly numbers of championships then, by that logic, Robert Horry destroys everybody.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

If HOF big men are so predominantly valuable over HOF guards then I would have thought someone who thought that would also believe that a guy like Karl Malone would definitely be at least interchangeable with a guy like Kobe Bryant.

 

[houheffna]

If HOF big men are so predominantly valuable over HOF guards then I would have thought someone who thought that would also believe that a guy like Karl Malone would definitely be at least interchangeable with a guy like Kobe Bryant.

Nope...I don't think Malone is better than Kobe...or Lebron...watched all of them play virtually their whole careers. Nor am I putting Malone over Duncan and Garnett...

 

[FirstTimer]

I remember Game 5 of the 1998 Finals all too well when he scored 38 points. And he kept them in the game in Game 6.

I remember the first four games of that series where his piss poor play put them in a 3-1 hole. Malone was terrible in that series until the final two games and even down the stretch in Game 6 he played incredibly soft. It was pathetic to watch.

You can name the great shooting performances Kobe Bryant has had in the Finals on 1 hand.

You can say the same about Malone.

Malone wasn't exactly lighting it up in the Finals when he got there. I think he only hit 30 points 3 times.

You're not remembering Malone's Finals career very clearly.

But you should stop the hate on Kobe man...enough is enough. After you said the "I would take 2001 Jordan over today's Kobe" stuff, I knew you were consumed by hate. NOBODY who watched Kobe and Malone play would take Malone...unless you already have Jordan on your squad...and I wouldn't say it then personally. And Bird is not a better player at all...I watched Bird and I watched Kobe. He was a more skilled player than everyone on that list with the exception of Jordan. So you can say Kobe isn't as good as some of those guys...but you sure as hell wouldn't get away with it.

Kobe vs Bird is a real interesting discussion IMO. Really tight IMO on who I would take. Depends on team make up I suppose but in a vacuum I lean towards Bird REALLY slightly...but not enough that I'd really argue the point either way.

 

[FirstTimer]

Hey houf, did you ever clarify?

Do you think Wade is the 3rd best SG ever?

 

[Utahbullsfan]

Kobe was the closer for 5 championship teams...the closer...please don't compare Kobe and Malone's playoff resumes...

To me Kobe was just a part of Shaqs team for those 3 rings jmo

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

A lot of Malone's struggles throughout the '97 Finals and the first few games of the '98 Finals was because he had an all-time great defender to go up against in Dennis Rodman. By Games 5 and 6... Rodman just didn't show up to play. He must have been hung over from traveling to-and-from Las Vegas and Salt Lake City between games.

 

[FirstTimer]

A lot of Malone's struggles throughout the '97 Finals and the first few games of the '98 Finals was because he had an all-time great defender to go up against in Dennis Rodman. .

Ok.

Malone played like shit when challenged.

That doesn't exactly do anything to help your point.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

And Houf, Kobe Bryant is far from the same player he used to be. It was a bold statement for me to say a 2002 Jordan could be as useful but I don't think those two players are all that much different. Jordan always had a better mid-range and post-up game than Kobe Bryant. He was much stronger and could get inside baskets at-will. Kobe Bryant simply does not have the penetrating ability of even last season.

The guy had 0 lay-ups/dunks in those 2 home losses vs. DAL...

Defenders used to sigh a breath of relief whenever Kobe pulled up for a jump-shot. Now, they are always willing to contest them.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

Ok.

Malone played like shit when challenged.

That doesn't exactly do anything to help your point.

I'm just saying that Malone was going up against arguably the greatest defensive team of all-time in those series. I don't think that it's fair to say that he didn't show up. There was only so much that he could do by himself.

 

[houheffna]

And Houf, Kobe Bryant is far from the same player he used to be. It was a bold statement for me to say a 2002 Jordan could be as useful but I don't think those two players are all that much different. Jordan always had a better mid-range and post-up game than Kobe Bryant. He was much stronger and could get inside baskets at-will. Kobe Bryant simply does not have the penetrating ability of even last season.

The guy had 0 lay-ups/dunks in those 2 home losses vs. DAL...

Defenders used to sigh a breath of relief whenever Kobe pulled up for a jump-shot. Now, they are always willing to contest them.

Jordan was not a top 20 player then...Kobe is top 5 arguably now...definitely top 10. No doubt about it....there is no comparison to be made there...that is just bias against Kobe and quite an insult to his game...

 

[FirstTimer]

I'm just saying that Malone was going up against arguably the greatest defensive team of all-time in those series. I don't think that it's fair to say that he didn't show up. There was only so much that he could do by himself.

Go back and watch the games. Malone played soft as hell and was intimidated by Rodman from the word go.

Malone played like a pussy.

 

[Utahbullsfan]

Go back and watch the games. Malone played soft as hell and was intimidated by Rodman from the word go.

Malone played like a pussy.

I heard Rodman used to eat whole cloves of garlic before he played malone and then he would blow in his face and stuff

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

My original point was that nobody here can tell me that Kobe Bryant was flat out better than Karl Malone. Malone was intimidated going up against Chicago, sure. But there comes a point where you should stop giving Malone the criticism and give the Bulls' defense the credit. Utah wasn't supposed to win those series in the first place.

 

[houheffna]

My original point was that nobody here can tell me that Kobe Bryant was flat out better than Karl Malone. Malone was intimidated going up against Chicago, sure. But there comes a point where you should stop giving Malone the criticism and give the Bulls' defense the credit. Utah wasn't supposed to win those series in the first place.

If Malone was intimidated he DEFINITELY doesn't get the nod over Kobe...who isn't intimidated by anything on the basketball court...

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

Jordan was not a top 20 player then...Kobe is top 5 arguably now...definitely top 10. No doubt about it....there is no comparison to be made there...that is just bias against Kobe and quite an insult to his game...

Jordan was probably a top 10-20 player back for most of his Wizards' days. Kobe Bryant is barely hanging onto his top-10 status in the NBA.

Obviously, there was a time when Kobe Bryant was the best player in the NBA. He was in the top 3 players from 2004 until arguably last season. But he's lost a good step and you don't see that explosion from him on a consistent basis anymore.

When it comes to who I'd rather have when it comes to Kobe losing one step versus Jordan losing two or three... it's still hard for me not to take Jordan.