Sports Lounge

While the talent may be similar, the biggest difference - and the reason Kobe will never approach Michael - is the mental aspect.

Kobe has the talent to take over a game when he wants, he just can't do it as consistently as Jordan did. How many times did Michael bury the winning shot in the waning seconds? The Lounge can tick off three right now - Cleveland, twice, and Utah. What about Bryant? Not as easy.

Kobe just isn't as tough mentally, and he's much more stubborn, usually to the detriment of the team. Four for 25 in an NBA finals game? Kobe was throwing up more bricks than Shaq does at the free-throw line. Jordan always saved his best games for when his team needed it the most. Remember his 3-point barrage against Portland when he was battling the flu? Kobe has had some incredible games on the same day he was in court for his sexual assault trial, but somehow that's just not the same. Jordan was battling the flu, Kobe may have raped a woman. Big difference there. It's hard to hold a player in reverence for a performance when he just wrapped up a day in a courtroom that very well could decide his freedom. Everyone has battled through the flu. Most accused rapists don't get to fly back and forth between the courtroom and their job. It's hard for people to relate.

While Jordan was known to berate teammates in practice, his main goal was to make that player better to win championships. Bryant, on the other hand, wants to prove that he can do whatever he wants any time wants - the rest of the team be damned.

Jordan was clearly the best player on the Chicago Bulls' teams that won six championships. The Lakers have three in the "Phil Jackson era" - notice I didn't say the "Kobe era" because Kobe was around for a few years before Jackson showed up and the Lakers didn't win a title.

Jordan was all but forced to carry the Bulls on his shoulders during their title runs. He didn't have the luxury of playing with a future Hall of Fame center like Shaquille O'Neal. Jordan may have been smart enough to know that if you have a guy that's 7-1, 340 pounds and is one of the most dominating players in the game (when he wants to be), you might want to get him the ball more than a couple times a game.

But Bryant was so determined to show that he could do it by himself, Shaq often times became an afterthought - just like the rest of the Lakers.

So, Detroit won the NBA championship because the Pistons were the better team. The Lakers have more talent, but no chemistry.

Now, the break up the Lakers has begun. Coach Phil Jackson is gone. Shaq is fed up with Lakers' management bowing to every Kobe request and demand - get rid of Jackson, make the Lakers' Kobe's team, etc. - and give him whatever he wants. Shaq will probably demand a trade. Gary Payton is a has-been and is pouting all the way to the Hall of Fame. Karl Malone is a shell of his former self, limping into the Hall of Fame. Malone could be back; no way for Payton.

It's not even a sure thing Kobe will be back, as he has vowed to test the free-agent market, say nothing about his sexual-assault trial that could land him in prison for a very long time.

Assuming Kobe is acquitted and the Lakers keep him, what does the future hold? Kobe and Derek Fisher, along with Rick Fox and Kareem Rush? Some Russian guy in the middle? The Lounge is sure that lineup is sending shudders through the NBA. Sacramento and San Antonio must be giddy.

They called the Bulls "Jordan and the Jordanaires" because his teammates played second fiddle and backup "vocals" to Jordan. Kobe, on the other hand, is just a solo act.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102. What do you think of this column? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com