Every year it's the same old thing.  "Oh, this guy's the next Barry Sanders.  This guy's the next Barry Bonds.  This guy is the next Michael Jordan."  The problem with making these statements is that there will never be another Barry Sanders, there will never be another Barry Bonds, and there will never be another Michael Jordan.

Of course, there will be some people that will come close.  Reggie Bush is getting recognized as the next Sanders, and I'm sure someone out there is likening a hot young Triple A prospect to Barry Bonds.  And then there is the Michael Jordan statement.

Right now, everyone says that the battle for the next Michael Jordan is between Kobe Bryant and Lebron James.  However, it is unfair to even compair these three men in the same sentence.  Michael Jordan was untouchable.  No one could stop him, and that was when the NBA was better than it is today.

Michael Jordan played every aspect of the game.  He had the physical and skills portion of the game down pat.  He may not have been the best physically or technically, but what he lacked in those aspects, he more than made up for with his mental and emotional skills.  Michael Jordan could (and would) will his teammates to play at a higher level than basketball experts said they could.  Jordan got into his opponents' heads and wreaked havoc.  And of course, there was that unstoppable spin and fade away jump shot.

In essence, the only person that could stop Michael Jordan was Michael Jordan.  That is hardly the case with Kobe and Lebron.  Phoenix proved that in Game 7.  Everyone argues now that Kobe quit and that is why he only had one point in the second half.  If he did quit, then he doesn't have the mental and/or emotional portions of the game down.  In all of Michael Jordan's many years, I can not recall one instance where it was obvious he gave up.  Where he was not competing at one-hundred percent.

There is no doubting that Kobe has the physical and technical skills to compete with Jordan, but to be a complete player and to be "The Next Jordan," he needs to control his emotions and not let a clothesline from an opposing player get to him.

Lebron, on the other hand, plays a different style game than Jordan did.  Lebron is a bigger and more physical player (he has a two inch height advantage as well as 40 pounds on Jordan).  Don't get me wrong, Lebron is a special player.  He's a smart young guy who carries himself well on and off the court.  He makes his teammates better and knows how to take a game over.

But Lebron is still raw talent.  There are some inconsistencies to his game that can be fixed (scary that he's so good and can get better, isn't it?).

In the end, there will not be another Michael Jordan.  He is an athlete that will live on as a legend, much like Babe Ruth does for baseball.  Kobe and Lebron will definitely have very special careers and will be remembered for years to come, but they will not match Jordan.  No one can, and no one will ever match him.