I dont like hypotheticals, but if you put Kobe on those Bulls teams, they still win 6

[Poetry]

Hungry as hell trying to win a championship. i would say yes

But he was still trying to prove something to himself. I think 27/28-year-old Kobe still felt like he could do it on his own. He was still trying to get out from under Shaq's shadow.

I don't know how well that Kobe fits into a team that had evolved as Jordan evolved into a more selfless, trusting player.

I actually think an older Kobe fits into that first three-peat team a lot better.

I'm not saying he didn't have the same hunger and instinct and desire to win. But at that age, he was probably thinking of the game the way MJ was thinking about it at an earlier age.

And that was a result of Kobe playing with Shaq when he was younger.

I don't know if you remember, but the media was still criticizing Kobe for not having developed into a more selfless player during the years in which he was scoring like mad.

People would say, Jordan figured it out earlier in his career, etc.

So plugging in a player onto a team, just because they're the same age and they're producing at a similar rate, won't always produce the same results.

Mentally, they were in different places. Both had killer instincts, but they were winning in different ways.

[Asukal]

Every day we see agenda threads by these fakkit lecramp stans. Yet they have the audacity to call us "unbearable", "haters", "mythologists", "liars", etc.

Jordan living rent free in these young fakkits heads...

[NZStreetBaller]

But he was still trying to prove something to himself. I think 27/28-year-old Kobe still felt like he could do it on his own. He was still trying to get out from under Shaq's shadow.

I don't know how well that Kobe fits into a team that had evolved as Jordan evolved into a more selfless, trusting player.

I actually think an older Kobe fits into that first three-peat team a lot better.

I'm not saying he didn't have the same hunger and instinct and desire to win. But at that age, he was probably thinking of the game the way MJ was thinking about it at an earlier age.

And that was a result of Kobe playing with Shaq when he was younger.

I don't know if you remember, but the media was still criticizing Kobe for not having developed into a more selfless player during the years in which he was scoring like mad.

People would say, Jordan figured it out earlier in his career, etc.

So plugging in a player onto a team, just because they're the same age and they're producing at a similar rate, won't always produce the same results.

Mentally, they were in different places. Both had killer instincts, but they were winning in different ways.

Its actually really hard to gauge considering the fact that they had two totally different.

I guess if you put MJ in Kobe's situation and give him shaq would MJ want to take a backseat to shaq I highly doubt it because it was easier for MJ to become more selfless based on the fact he was already considered the greatest player of his team.

now put Kobe in the Bulls (first championship year) where he wont have big prime dominant shaq in over shadowing him at a young age. i see Kobe at that point less likely to have to prove hes the man by ball dominating all the time. and given he has very similar skill set and killer instinct as Jordan he would have the same results.

The thing is Jordans career basically made Kobes skill what they are he mirror'd jordan for a reason. and had jordan never exsisted Kobe may have been happy with just 5 rings.

[T_L_P]

Those stats are closer than I originally thought.. Can you post their playoff numbers?

Jordan (27-29): 34/6/7/2/1

Kobe (27-29): 30/6/5/2/0

[BoutPractice]

Something like 3 or 4. The Bulls were a very good team, and Kobe is a superstar more than capable of leading a championship level team to the promised land, especially one made for the player he patterned his game after... but winning 6, with 2 three peats, is an almost superhuman feat.

Only a Jordan or Russell could do that, regardless of team or competition... unless you're dominating your opponents in blowouts (which they mostly weren't), people vastly underestimate the physical and mental strength required to go all the way pretty much every year. It's not just about "wanting it more", either. Kobe wants it more than anybody. It's about total self-discipline.

[ImKobe]

Kobe put up 30/6/6 for his 3 straight Finals runs in 08-10, of course he would win rings with the Bulls in MJ's place. Still has Phil, so we know he would succeed in that system. Kobe is a top 5-10 great.

[longtime lurker]

Wow Lebron stans are so fvcking pathetic. Now they're using Kobe to somehow discredit MJ. All this to draw attention away from Lebron's failures during the finals.

[STATUTORY]

The stats are similar, but mentally, were they both in the same place?

nah, one guy had no commitment to the game and took years off to play baseball and gamble professionally

I'll let you figure out which one is that

[guy]

Which version? If you put the best version of Kobe (06, 08?) sure they win 6, but that doesn't make much sense. With that said, there's no 8 year version of Kobe that wins 6 with the Bulls from 91-98.