Luka’s Corner

David Friedman continued his assault on LeBron James in a recent article for Slam Magazine. Comparing the different aspects of Kobe Bryant’s game versus LeBron James’ game, Friedman gave KB24 a 3 to 1 advantage (with two draws) in six categories. Once again, I utterly disagree with his view:

Friedman has left out two extremely important categories: driving to the hoop and the team game. I could also go into another important category called attitude to prove my point, but let’s focus on the skills for now. What I am trying to say is that anybody can put together a "scouting report", as Friedman puts it, including only the skills that clearly benefit your player. Why even have this discussion if you are going to leave out two categories just as important as the ones you listed?

In terms of driving to the hoop, it is clear that LeBron has an overwhelming advantage over Kobe. Athleticism and strength are clearly in James’ favor, as well as his versatility attacking the hoop. I do not understand how a blogger can include shooting in one category of their basketball "scouting report" and not driving in a separate category. The two skills are equal in importance and they need to be treated that way.

Advantage: James

In terms of the team game, there is more to it than assist totals and how many passes you have in your arsenal. The team game comes down to whether you make your teammates better or if you need to score 30 points every game in order to rely on your teammates. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers fits the mold for the former and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angles Lakers, as he has done all of his career, fits the mold for the latter.

Just look at the respective rosters for the two in question. With Anderson Varejao, Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West, LeBron James was able to take his Cavs to the brink of the Eastern Conference Finals last season (in which they would have beaten Detroit again). Not only did he lead his offensively-challenged team on offense, but he also led the defensive charge. In his previous blog regarding the Cavaliers, David Friedman wrote that the Cavaliers gave Boston more trouble because they play better team defense than the Lakers. In my opinion, that all comes down to the superstar leading his team and telling his teammates that they need to dig down defensively in order to win the game. If Kobe is such a superior defender to his counterpart, as Friedman points out, then I look for him to tell Vladimir Radmanovic and Pau Gasol to play defense. LeBron definitely did that to "Wally World" and Daniel Gibson, two key players, and we can all agree that they are not particularly gifted on the defensive end to start with.

Once again, advantage: James

In the category labeled rebounding, Friedman supported his point that Kobe is more skilled at grabbing rebounds (he is supposedly crafty on the boards) by focusing on one play that occurred in a regular season game with the Cavaliers. First of all, it is foolish to base a player’s overall skill at something on one play. For example, when Paul Pierce grabbed a critical loose ball in the final game of the series with Cleveland, that is not at all proof that Pierce wanted the game more or he has more heart than LeBron James. James was simply in an awkward position and Pierce was closer to the ball to start with. My point is that one play means nothing in the overall scheme of things.

Finally, let’s not forget that the Cleveland Cavaliers won the game that Friedman referred to. In that particular game, LeBron James finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. He also guarded Kobe in the fourth quarter, limiting him to 1-6 shooting during that stretch. Overall, KB24 finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. So, David Friedman should do a better job at supporting his arguments with evidence that actually proves his point. The one thing that this game does is it proves my point.