There has been so much talk over the past 10-15 years about who would be the next Michael Jordan. Would it be Grant Hill, Harold "Baby Jordan" Miner, Vince Carter, etc? The list goes on and on. But for a while now, people have been comparing Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan, saying that he is the closest thing to Jordan since...Jordan. Some people have gone so far as to say that Kobe is even better than Michael, and to that, I say, NONSENSE!

While Kobe's skills are amazing, what has happened during this 2nd round playoff series against the Houston Rockets is all the proof you need to know that Kobe is no Michael, nor will he ever be.
People tend to forget what made Jordan great. It wasn't just his ungodly athleticism, his clutch heroics, or his will to win. It was also his ability to motivate his teammates, and get the best out of them. And if for some reason that failed, then he took it upon himself to make sure the team didn't. In this series against the Rockets, we have seen the Lakers blow out Houston by 40, and also get embarrassed on two different occasions. That level of inconsistency would never have flown under Jordan's leadership.

It's not just this series though. Think back to last year's Finals. The Lakers had a 24-point lead over the Celtics in Game 4, and ended up losing by six! Do you think Michael would have ever let that happen? Or what about the 2004 Finals? The Lakers with Shaq, Karl Malone, Gary Payton, and Kobe fell to the Detroit Pistons in five games! I realize there was some dissention on that team, and Kobe was dealing with issues off the court, but really?!?! Five games!?!

Look, I'm not trying to say Kobe isn't a great player, he absolutely is. He'll go down as one of the greatest of all-time. But there's a big difference in being one of the greatest, and THE greatest, and that spot belongs to Michael.