How Does Kobe be Better than MJ?

What does Kobe need to accomplish to finally get out of the shadow of Michael Jordan? Well, despite having 5 All-NBA Defensive First team selections, he has yet to win a Defensive Player of the Year award. MJ’s got one of those. So far, the Lakeshow have looked stellar on defense. The team is holding opponents below 86 points per game and 38 percent shooting. The new zone that they’ve incorporated has done wonders, so it’s not Kobe’s kudos for the team’s defensive prowess—however, it’s possible for him to take home the award KG got. It’s obvious the team feeds off of Kobe’s intensity—much like KG. Just a little thought to throw out there. The other thing Kobe doesn’t have that Jordan has is the best regular season record. There are going to be those that say that Kobe’s team is way better than the ones Jordan played on, and while that might be a sound observation, those people would also have to admit that Jordan never played in a crazy-stacked conference like this year’s Western Conference. If Kobe’s team wins 73, 74, 75 games this year (and it’s a real possibility given the depth of the team, 12 deep), then it would have to silence the Kobe haters, if not the MJ apologists. This is going to be a crazy season. I’m still not convinced Kobe has found the right balance between passing and scoring. His shooting percentage is nowhere near where I thought it would be. But watch as the season goes on for him to become much more efficient. Trevor Ariza and Jordan Farmar are playing amazing as well. And Andrew Bynum pulled down 17 boards Wednesday night. Everyone on the team is doing their part, sharing the ball and not forcing things (except maybe Kobe at times). Odom is not complaining about coming off the bench. Instead, he’s embraced that role and transformed the Lakers bench unit into the strongest in the league. Vlad Rad’s playing well. Pau’s playing well. The Lakers look fabulous.