If Kobe was a Bulls man and Jordan played for the Lakers (Part 1)
The modern day world is very excited to know what would have happened if it were to be Kobe Bryant versus the great Michael Jordan? Who would have been able to come out on top if the two were up against each other? Who would have been able to win more championships? Would Kobe Bryant have been able to stop Michael Jordan from becoming what he is today?
Some experts say that today’s generation of youngsters would probably agree with the statement that Kobe Bryant is the best player of the two due to the fact that they didn’t see Michael Jordan play during the time when he was at the peak of his career. They only saw him during the era of the 1990s when everything according to experts was going his way thanks to his talent and somewhat less talent in his opposition. These youngsters say that Kobe has managed to bring a Lakers team to the top with three consecutive Finals appearances out of which he was able to win two which makes him one of the greatest.
On the contrary, the older fans who have been following the sport for a while would say that Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player to have played due to the fact that he had a very important role in the revival of the basketball when it was on the decline. Added to this is the statement that Jordan was never a sidekick to any player like Kobe was to Shaq and whatever Jordan did was on his own and from the beginning. Experts say that fans have an overall mixed opinion in this regard as it’s more of the young generation versus the old one.
Without a doubt the fans might disagree to who is the greatest but the experts say that both players undoubtedly are the all time greats of the sport. What we will be discussing in this article is the fact that if Kobe and Jordan switch plays what would have been the result? Would it have been possible for Kobe Bryant to win six championships? Would Jordan have been able to win five titles with the Los Angeles Lakers? Let’s take ourselves back into the time in our attempt to answer this question.
Kobe in Chicago Bulls
Experts say that Kobe would have been the third overall pick in the NBA draft of 1984 and unlike Jordan would have averaged 20 points per game compared to the 28 of Jordan. Not only that, he would have lost the Rookie of the Year with a slim margin to Houston Rocket’s Hakeem Olajuwon. With the constant hard work that he would have put up, Kobe would have been able to make his way into the All-Star team by emerging as the league’s top scorer. Not only this but this player would have been able to lead this ordinary team with Scott Pippen as a sidekick and Phil Jackson as the coach to a team on the rise.
Experts say that the Bulls would have been able to make their way into playoffs for four consecutive years but it would have been impossible for them winning any title as Kobe would often have been shut down by the physical game of many players in the league at the time. The extremely talented player wouldn’t have been able to push the Bulls into the Finals in 1991, 1992 and even in 1993. After suffering defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks, this player would have decided to end his career at the age of 30 after achieving almost nothing compared to the achievements of the great Michael Jordan.
Then suddenly Kobe would have returned in 1995, although he would have managed to take the Bulls into the playoffs again, they would have lost to the Orlando Magic thanks to Shaquille O’Neal and company. Then in 1997 the Bulls come onto the Finals stage for the first time but again would have lost to the Utah Jazz according to experts and then in 1999 this splendid player would have announced retirement. The final phase of his career would have included a comeback in 2001 with the Washington Wizards from whom Kobe would have played two seasons but wouldn’t have been able to achieve what Jordan did, that is to win championships. This player would have finished his career after being a 12 time All-Star and two scoring titles but would not have been able to win any titles or MVP titles according to experts.
Tags: