Your joking right.
OK, this isn't my argument, but just a variety of points disproving Kobe.
First of all :
Nothing would have changed, Kobe would have 3 more rings, and that's that. Would MJ still be THE MAN?
Yes, MJ would still be the man, and maybe Shaq would be in the discussions for the GOAT, Kobe would still be Shaq's second in line.
Secondly :
Obviously supporting cast has had the biggest impact on MJs career, with players wanting to play with him, but does that make MJ a better player, or a better team mate?
Kobe had Shaq, who (with respects to Scottie) is more dominant than any teammate Jordan ever had. Michael never had a dominant postman, Horace Grant, Luc Longley and Dennis Rodman don't count, and they still won.
Here's the difference in supporting casts, Kobe has a group of guys who CAN play, but underachieve, and he in NO WAY affects their performance or makes them better (see Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Smush Parker, Luke Walton) - And all those guys can play, they just underform.
Jordan takes a bunch of good players, Steve Kerr, John Paxson, Bill Wennington, Randy Brown, Jason Caffy, Luc Longley and turns them into a group of supporting cast who helped him win 6 championships in 8 seasons.
Jordan makes players better, while Bryant has players who are good, but they underperform while playing with him, what does that say about Kobe?
Next :
Kobe won 3 rings with Shaq, and then the Lakers went down hill from there.
If Shaq had stayed, and the Lakers won another 3, then what??
That's right, the Lakers went down hill. They struggled to make the playoffs, and a Shaquille O'Neal team went to the Conference Finals two years in a row and won the 2006 Championship. A 32+ year old O'Neal had a bigger impact on the game than a young Kobe, how could Kobe even measure up to MJ?
Another point :
I know MJ lead the Bulls to their 6 Championships, but MJ didnt do it all...
That's true, and maybe that's what made MJ better. He actually helped involve his teammates and play in a team concept. Kobe has had some very good players with him, Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Chris Mihm, Smush Parker, Devean George, Brian Cook etc etc. These guys aren't scrubs, maybe if he made them better and showed confidence in his teammates they'd step up and all of a sudden you have the 1990's Bulls.
Fill a team with good players and win?? :
Fill a team full of good players and they're bound to win.
Not neccessarily. How many championships has Steve Nash won? He's a player who's truly great, makes his players better and really works in a team environment despite the fact that he can be offensively dominant.
Just using Nash as an example, he's been on two very great teams.
Dallas (3 All-Stars) - Steve Nash, Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki + Bench
Phoenix (3 All-Stars) - Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion + Bench
Both those teams had great benches, so teams full of good players aren't neccessarily "bound" to win, so many great players who were in teams with "good supporting casts" never won despite the fact that on paper their teams were better than the teams who beat them. (See the 1990's when the Bulls prevented good rosters such as Indiana, Seattle, Phoenix from winning)
And lastly :
They both have very similar games, teamleaders, scoring champions, etc.
No they don't.
Kobe Bryant scores 62 points and 81 points in regular season games.
Michael Jordan averaged nearly 40 ppg in vital playoff series.
Kobe Bryant hits the game winner or game tying three pointer in the finals against the Detroit Pistons, but they lose the series.
MJ hits the game winning three or field goal, that wins them the championship.
Kobe goes off in the regular season, but doesn't show up in the playoffs and can't deliver his team into the next round.
Michael is even MORE dominant in the regular season than Kobe, but leads his team in the playoffs as well.
Kobe hits amazing shots in regular season games, but that means nothing.
MJ hits amazing shots in the playoffs, when it actually matters.
But the bottom line, if we aren't talking about wins, and we're just talking about the players themselves in the regular season:
Kobe is a great scorer. (35.4 ppg career high + Three 30+ ppg seasons)
Michael was better. (37.1 ppg career high + Eight 30+ ppg seasons)
Kobe is a great defender. (All-Defensive Team Selections)
Michael was a better defender. (Defensive Player of the Year Award)
Kobe is a great regular season performer (Numerous All-NBA 1st Team)
Michael was a better regular season performer (5-Time Regular Season MVP)
And about the statistics, Michael averaged more points per game, more rebounds per game, more assists per game, more steals per game, more blocks per game, better field goal percentage, better free throw percentage.
And he actually had people on his team who could block shots and get rebounds.
