There has been a lot of debate recently over whether Kobe is a better player than Michael Jordan. Well, I say that neither can hold a candle to "My Giant" himself, Gheorge Muresan. Allow me to prove to you why Muresan was much better than MJ:

* In Muresan's rookie season (1993-94), he averaged 5.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, .545 FG% and started 2 games. That same season, MJ started zero games, and his stats were worse than Muresan's across the board.

* Think about this: Gheorge Muresan led the NBA in field goal percentage in 1995-96 and 1996-97. You know how many times Jordan led the league in field goal percentage? None! In fact. MJ's career shooting percentage is 100 points lower than Muresan!

* In 1995-1996, Gheorge was voted the NBA's Most Improved Player. Clearly, he worked harder in the offseason that MJ that year. MJ made his teammates better, but he never made himself better. That kind of selflessness will never get you anywhere in the NBA!

Now, I know what you are saying: Michael Jordan averaged 20.3 ppg more over his career than Muresan, but here's the problem: MJ made 581 career 3-point shots! Muresan, hopeless trapped as a center, never made a 3-point shot. Shaquille O'Neal has only made one his entire career. You can't judge a player on points per game. Didn't you watch the NBA Finals this year? Points are not as important as defense. Defense wins championships, and Muresan averaged 1.3 blocks per game, while MJ only average 0.88. Muresan made a higher percentage of shots, and blocked more shots. His efficiency is much better than MJ. Your argument is ridiculous. Points... ha ha! Why you talkin' about points?

You'll probably also say that he won 6 more championships. Here's the thing, Muresan's career was derailed by injuries, and only played 6 seasons. In MJ's first six seasons? No titles! If Muresan was blessed with Jordan's extremely fortunate health, he may have won 10 titles! This isn't about luck, this is about talent. And Muresan is a whole foot taller than MJ.

And what about commercial success? My Giant made $7,985,929, while Space Jam grossed $90,443,603. OK, well you've got me there. But did MJ have his own cologne? Muresan did! Oh wait, so does MJ. But this isn't about entertainment, this is about basketball!

So, before you go around saying Kobe was better than MJ, remember this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls41a3xpmhk ... That's Muresan, dunking on Jordan's Bulls, and MJ was powerless to stop him. Take that, Kobe!