Knicks · Phil Jackson's new book: Michael Jordan > Kobe Bryant (page 1)
Some excerpts from the book. On their personalities:
"Michael was more charismatic and gregarious than Kobe. He loved hanging out with his teammates and security guards, playing cards, smoking cigars, and joking around," Jackson said in the book, which was obtained in advance by The Times."Kobe is different. He was reserved as a teenager, in part because he was younger than the other players and hadn't developed strong social skills in college. When Kobe first joined the Lakers, he avoided fraternizing with his teammates. But his inclination to keep to himself shifted as he grew older. Increasingly, Kobe put more energy into getting to know the other players, especially when the team was on the road."
Translation = Michael was a card playing dick that would make fun of you as you were losing the hand. Kobe was a stuck-up, spoiled, anti-social prick that after seeing Shaq win a ring without him started to become "friendlier" with the other lowlifes called teammates on the Lakers.
On their defensive abilities, and why Kobe's defense was overrated:
While Jackson coached, he often jabbed at Bryant's seemingly annual appearance on the NBA's All-Defensive team. Now we know why.
"No question, Michael was a tougher, more intimidating defender. He could break through virtually any screen and shut down almost any player with his intense, laser-focused style of defense," said Jackson, who coached Jordan to six championships and Bryant to five."Kobe has learned a lot from studying Michael's tricks, and we often used him as our secret weapon on defense when we needed to turn the direction of a game. In general, Kobe tends to rely more heavily on his flexibility and craftiness, but he takes a lot of gambles on defense and sometimes pays the price."
Translation = Michael Jordan was the greatest 2 way player in the history of the league. Kobe often imitated Michael on the defensive end, but benefitted from having Shaq, Bynum, Pau, and Artest having his back, and allowed him to gamble more on defense.
On when their shot wasn't falling:
"Jordan was also more naturally inclined to let the game come to him and not overplay his hand, whereas Kobe tends to force the action, especially when the game isn't going his way. When his shot is off, Kobe will pound away relentlessly until his luck turns. Michael, on the other hand, would shift his attention to defense or passing or setting screens to help the team win the game."
Translation = Despite Jordan's gaudy scoring average, knew their was 4 other guys on the court, when the shot wasn't falling. Kobe would wait for the 4th defender coming his way before passing out.
On Bryant's sexual assault charge:
It "cracked open an old wound" because Jackson's daughter was the victim of an assault while on a date with an athlete in college."Brooke expected me to get angry and make her feel protected. Instead I suppressed my rage as I'd been conditioned to do during childhood by my parents it left her feeling alone and unsupported. (In the end, after filing a report with the police, Brooke chose not to press charges.)
"The Kobe incident triggered all my unprocessed anger and tainted my perception of him. ... It distorted my view of Kobe throughout the 2003-04 season. No matter what I did to extinguish it, the anger kept smoldering in the background."
Translation = Once a rapist, always a rapist.
On the biggest difference between the Jordan and Bryant:
Still, though, Jackson probed Bryant's leadership deficiencies compared to Jordan.
"One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael's superior skills as a leader," Jackson said. "Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence. Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he'd yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had."
Translation = Kobe's all bark, no bite. All talk, no walk. Mental midget.
Good stuff from the Zenmaster! 