I’ve come to know you fairly well over the past year or two. So I’m going to say this as respectfully as possible. I’m not going to call you a “Kobe hater,” but I will say that you have a very hard time giving credit where credit is due when it comes to Bryant.

Maybe that comes from your desire to prove that LeBron is greater than Kobe. I don’t know, but it’s pretty obvious.

On the one hand, you talk about Jordan’s “fairy tale supporting cast,” and on the other you claim that “Kobe will never be in the same sentence as Jordan because the Lakers won with Shaq, and if they win it this year it will be because the bench is insane and they have one of the best post players in the game.”

Don’t you see the hypocrisy there? I agree that Jordan’s supporting cast was legendary. But if Kobe wins a championship this season and puts up Jordan-like numbers in the playoffs (like he did through 3 rounds last season), his title will not be any less impressive than Jordan’s.

Bryant is blessed with a great supporting cast right now. But don’t get it twisted my friend, Kobe’s supporting cast doesn’t come close to what Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman brought to the Bulls. Pippen and Rodman (despite his omission in 1996) are two of the 50 greatest players of all-time.

Gasol will never reach their status. Bynum has a LONG WAYS to go. Chicago’s bench was phenomenal too.

Bryant deserved the MVP award last season. He deserves more credit that he’s received for elevating Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum’s games. Gasol’s numbers went up across the board when he arrived in LA.

But again, this is nothing new from you. You had a very hard time giving credit where credit was due when Kobe TOOK OVER in the gold medal game. You claimed that Kobe “didn’t step up,” he “seized control of the game.” You claimed that Kobe “demanded to be the guy, and the real leaders (LeBron and Wade) of the team deferred.”

Give me a break.

Bryant turned in one of the greatest clutch performances of all-time. LeBron, Wade, and company deferred because they knew what time it was. Coach K told Kobe — and I quote — “it’s time to let the Mamba loose” after that timeout with 8:00 remaining. As cheesy as that sounds, it was appropriate. And Kobe delivered. You can speculate all you like about what might have happened had LeBron or Wade shot the ball down the stretch, but Bryant was the one who delivered.

If you disagree, that’s fine. But I just thought I would make my peace on the subject.

I’m not offering MY opinion on the matter, I’m offering the collective opinion of most sports fans – that Jordan won without a dominant center and so far Kobe has not.

My personal opinions are WAY harsher, as you know, but I didn’t offer them.

“people need things to write about.” – LeBron James.

BORED SPORTSWRITERS.

You said, “It’s a chicken and egg thing – the Yankee hat notwithstanding. LeBron was ASKD what his favorite borough is. What kind of question is that anyway?”

No, it’s not a chicken and egg thing. Reporters are free to ask whatever they like. But if they don’t get the reply they’re looking for, there’s no story. If LeBron decides he’s not going to address the rumors until 2010, the firestorm would decrease. But he’s not going to do that. He likes that people are paying so much attention to his free agency. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t fan the flames.

You said, “Michael Jordan was friends with Spike Lee. Funny I don’t remember 90% of the stories about MJ being WHEN he was going to play in the “bright lights” of NY. I remember 90% of the stories being about him dominating people night in and night out.”

Spike Lee wasn’t part-owner of the Knicks. He and Jordan weren’t as close as Jay-Z and LeBron claim to be either. Also, when did Jordan say he wanted to be a “Global Icon?” Jordan wasn’t as focused on building a “brand” like LeBron is. Jordan’s image and marketability came about naturally. When did Jordan cheer for teams in other cities? That’s a weak comparison.

You said, “Kobe will never be in the same sentence as Jordan because the Lakers won with Shaq, and if they win it this year it will be because the bench is insane and they have one of the best post players in the game.”

Lol. I’m not even going to go there.

You said, “There is no way that the cap-clearing fire-sale teams will have a better core in 2010 to start with than the Cavs with Mo Williams @ 9 mil, Delonte West at 4 mill, Boobie Gibson at 3 mil, and JJ hickson. There’s just no way – all of those guys sans Hickson will be entering their prime in 2 years. The argument can no longer be – “LeBron will bolt Cleveland because the Cavs suck.” THe Cavs don’t suck – they have a solid supporting cast now and would probably win 30 games without LeBron, as opposed to about 10 last year.”

No way? Did you see what Donnie Walsh did in one day? Do you think he’s done now? He’s not going to just sit on his butt and wait until 2010 now that the Knicks have cap room. He’s going to continue to make the Knicks better.

You’re right. The Cavs don’t suck. And I agree that Cleveland would probably win 30 games without LeBron. But how many games do you think the Nets or Knicks will win this season? I’d venture to guess that both of those teams will win around 30 games this season.

The fact of the matter is this: at this moment, Mo Williams is the only legitimate reason (on court) for LeBron to stay with the Cavs. He’s the one guy that you can argue is better than anyone on the Nets or Knicks. And even then, I’m not so sure about that. Personally, I’d take Devin Harris over Mo.

My points is this: you subtract LeBron from the Cavs right now, and they are comparable to the Knicks or Nets.

It’s going to come down to what Danny Ferry does with Ben Wallace and Wally’s expiring contracts. But here’s the thing — no one is going to help the Cavs out. Do you think anyone in the East wants to see the Cavs get stronger?

I’m not saying it’s impossible, but Ferry has his work cut out for him. We’re dealing with a different trade and free agent landscape right now. Pau Gasol and Kevin Garnett (highly sought after trade commodities before last season) are locked up. A lot of players have moved around over the past year. A lot of players have been signed to extensions.

LeBron says he wants to win multiple championships. And after watching him this season, it’s hard not to believe him. The guy is playing his tail off. But he’s facing an uphill climb against the Celtics and Lakers. Take KG off the Celtics, and they’re still a very good team. The same goes for Kobe and the Lakers.

Cleveland has to offer LeBron a MUCH GREATER chance at winning rings than New York can. The Cavs aren’t there YET. That’s not to say that NY is there either, but I’m going to perfectly honest with you, I’m much more confident in Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni than I am in Danny Ferry and Mike Brown. I know I’ve said that in past, but Cleveland’s fast start has done little to change mind.

I guess it depends upon your definition of “talent.” I suppose basketball IQ falls into that definition. But I tend to believe “physical gifts” are the largest piece of the pie.

Jordan’s skill-set — his footwork, shooting ability, dribbling, and passing — were things he acquired after hours upon hours spent in the gym. They weren’t born of talent. I do agree that LeBron has a long ways to go to equal or exceed Jordan’s skill set.

But from a talent standpoint — running, jumping, strength — MJ and LeBron are comparable.

Tsu–I went to college in Ohio and have a lot of friends out there. Let’s be real for a minute. Ohio, specifically its cities, is quite gloomy in comparison to Miami, Orlando, New York, Los Angeles, etc. LeBron can make his money anywhere so let’s forget about the money. If he stays it’s because he has the best chance to win there, and partly because of his views on loyalty. But if the Magic or Heat or Knicks present him with just as good of chance to win, or better, how is he going to turn down the opportunity?

As a young, rich black man, who’s into fashion, music, etc., I’d much rather live in a hi-rise overlooking South Beach than in some recently constructed “luxury” condo or house in the nicest part of what is a depressed city.

All he has ever known is Northeast Ohio. Again, it’s going to boil down to whether or not he’s a mama’s boy or not. Some guys stay close to their roots, but those guys usually aren’t superstars.

I would love for him to stay in Cleveland but I think he’s going to leave.

Hoff–I’m going to ignore you for a week because of your comments on Jordan. LOL. Jordan’s IQ and skill set are a on level LeBron will never reach. Whether LeBron’s physical gifts make up for that is another story. LeBron might become Jesus, but Jordan will always be God.

So I decided that the Cavs horrible supporting cast was a testament to how good LeBron was and that it actually magnified his talents.

Well now that’s not the argument anymore. There is no way that the cap-clearing fire-sale teams will have a better core in 2010 to start with than the Cavs with Mo Williams @ 9 mil, Delonte West at 4 mill, Boobie Gibson at 3 mil, and JJ hickson. There’s just no way – all of those guys sans Hickson will be entering their prime in 2 years. The argument can no longer be – “LeBron will bolt Cleveland because the Cavs suck.” THe Cavs don’t suck – they have a solid supporting cast now and would probably win 30 games without LeBron, as opposed to about 10 last year.

Notice that the reports are only getting louder? Now the HEADLINE argument is: “Why WOULDN’T LeBron leave?”

There is no more substance to most of the articles than that. Sure they throw some details here and there about what he said when – but the bottom line is THAT is the tone of the reports. THAT is the mantra of the TV personalities, and THAT is why Cleveland hates the media. It’s not that LeBron’s teams are talent starved – it’s NOT that LeBron is unhappy with his situation, it’s NOT that LeBron has a chance to win multiple rings if he JUST leaves Cleveland. No. The mantra is “well why WOULDN’T he leave? Who WOULDN’T leave Cleveland?” Translation: LeBron you are an idiot if you stay.

I heard Sunny Vacarro say something along the lines of “You don’t get your face on Mount Rushmore through Cleveland.”

DUMBEST QUOTE EVER. For the obvious reasons that there is no more room on Rushmore, if there WAS room then Barack’s face would already be there, and athletes generally don’t wind up there. But the point was that Ohio isn’t worthy of greatness – and that is both arrogant, incorrect, and incredibly demeaning.

It’s a chicken and egg thing – the Yankee hat notwithstanding. LeBron was ASKD what his favorite borough is. What kind of question is that anyway?

Michael Jordan was friends with Spike Lee. Funny I don’t remember 90% of the stories about MJ being WHEN he was going to play in the “bright lights” of NY. I remember 90% of the stories being about him dominating people night in and night out.

I’ll admit that LeBron does pour fuel on the fire. But here is what you don’t understand. LeBron is loved by the organization and fans for more than just his game. He has got to be the most respectful superstar ever in terms of paying his dues. He came into this league and deferred to Ricky freaking Davis. He echos his coaches philosophy. He has a personal relationship with former Cavs like Austin Carr, Jim Chones, and Campy Russell. A few nights ago he went diving into the seats to save a ball and landed near Joe Tait, the Cavs longtime radio commentator. Immediately after the game he hopped up and started talking to Joe live on the air, and was genuinely humble and you could tell Joe Tait loves him. He can be seen riding his bike around Akron in the summer to get exercise. Many people were surprised that he built his house right off of a busy state route. He commented that he wanted to be near family and friends. He hasn’t abandoned his roots (yet).

Look, I’ll make this easy. Every day you hear stories about people in relationships that end them because SOMEONE ELSE tells one of the principle players that they are too good for the other person. Whether it’s a friend that doesn’t approve, a parent, or a gold-digger trying to steal someone away – it happens EVERY DAY.

Sure, you can sit there from afar and say “well, ultimately it was his/her decision to end the relationship” – but real people know what is going on behind the scenes can have a dramatic effect on the decision.

LeBron has made himself a superstar with hard work and unparalleled humility – it’s why everyone around him likes him and why old timers that don’t go for the big egos today, can still get on board with LeBron because of how respectful he is of those that came before him. And he’s done it in Northeast ohio. Now he has someone in his ear 10,000X a day telling him he’s too good for Cleveland – one way or another.

If you don’t think he’s impressionable just because he’s LeBron – think again – everyone can be influenced from the outside. And from what I know of LeBron – he is VERY aware of what others think of him. The few times the Cavs fans have booed the Cavs for whatever reason or another has REALLY bothered him – like REALLY bothered him that he felt the need to bring it up multiple times on multiple occasions. He called out Charles Barkley 2 years ago because Barkley was always bashing the Cavs. He knows what is being said, and it affects him.

To a certain extent, I agree with Tsunami’s fairytale comment. Don’t underestimate how great Scottie Pippen was and how well he fit alongside Jordan. It was Pippen — not Jordan — that guarded the opposing team’s best player. It was Pippen that facilitated the triangle offense and quarterbacked Chicago’s defense. It was Pippen that built teammates up after Jordan verbally abused them in practice.

I also agree that LeBron is comparable to Jordan from a talent standpoint. Just like I agree that Kobe is comparable to Jordan from a skill set standpoint.

LeBron is the most talented player ever. If you disagree, than you haven’t watched him enough.

You said, “Mike Brown has pretty much refused to treat those conference rival games like playoff games. He is playing guys like JJ Hickson and Lorenzan Wright.”

That’s a mistake in my book. Every time you get an opportunity to face a conference rival, it’s important to bring your ‘A game.’ Why? Because you want to plant that seed of doubt in the opposition’s mind. You want to have a psychological advantage.

You said, “Things are different today. If the media can affect something as big as a presidential election, they can certainly affect LeBron’s destination.”

LeBron’s free agency isn’t going to be decided by a popular vote. It’s LeBron’s decision and LeBron’s decision alone. If I were a Cavs fan, I’d be much more concerned with LeBron’s relationship with Jay-Z than Sportscenter or The New York Times.

You said, “The more he hears that the only way he will become what he wants to be – ‘an iconic figure’ is through NY, the more he is going to believe it.

He’s got more talent than any basketball player before him. Now he just needs a either a fairytale supporting cast (like Jordan) – or a supernatural hype machine (like Kobe) to become iconic.

The media is to blame – and when I say the media, I won’t be vague. Steven A. Smith is to blame. ESPN is to blame. FoxSports is to blame. the NYT and LAtimes are to blame. Bloggers are to blame.”

Are you kidding me? I’ll admit that the media attention is overwhelming and oftentimes over the top. And I’ll admit that I do my part to contribute to that.

But LeBron is just as much to blame as the media. He’s the one that stokes the fire when he’s in NY or NJ. He’s the one that said New York is his favorite city and Brooklyn is his favorite borough. He’s the one that attends Cleveland sporting events with a Yankees hat on.

I can PROMISE you that if LeBron kept his mouth shut, the media attention wouldn’t be half of what it is.

And they were no slouches either. They DID win 55 games in 1994.

My point is simply that Jordan would have been the best ever with or without them – but it only with them that he would win 6 championships, and it was only with 6 championships that he became iconic – the way LeBron wants to be.

I agree with Tsunami on everything he said minus the comment on Jordan and his fairytale cast. That’s just a ridiculous comment. Jordan MADE the Bulls from ground up.

LeBron is one of the most talented players ever, but don’t compare him to Jordan. Jordan had a will to win that brought about all that he needed to win.

Things are different today. If the media can affect something as big as a presidential election, they can certainly affect LeBron’s destination.

Everything goes through the journalists and the tv personalities, and PTI, and Sportscenter, and FoxSports.com and ESPN.com, and Around the Horn, and Monday Night Countdown, and the AP Poll, and First and 10.

Unless you turn on your TV at tipoff, mute the announcers, turn it off during halftime and postgame – you are getting fed sports through a medium that is increasingly biased and more importantly, exceedingly interested in shoving that bias down your throat, one way or another.

The media gave Kobe Bryant the MVP last year.

It’s funny, you would NEVER disagree with me that the media HYPE surrounding LeBron James is partially what inked him a $90 million dollar deal with Nike.

You don’t think LeBron watches TV? He’s got 20 some LCDs in his house, I know because my Uncle ran the monster cables for him. He gets more media bombardment than anyone.

The more he hears that the only way he will become what he wants to be – “an iconic figure” is through NY, the more he is going to believe it.

He’s got more talent than any basketball player before him. Now he just needs a either a fairytale supporting cast (like Jordan) – or a supernatural hype machine (like Kobe) to become iconic.

The media is to blame – and when I say the media, I won’t be vague. Steven A. Smith is to blame. ESPN is to blame. FoxSports is to blame. the NYT and LAtimes are to blame. Bloggers are to blame.

One thing no one will be able to blame is the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have bent over backwards since day 1 to make their organization world class. They have the best locker rooms, the best practice facility, one of the best personel coaches, a core of youth, the 3rd best attendance rate in the NBA, and an owner with a SERIOUS hole in his pocket.

Cleveland has done just about everything right – but they can’t compete with millions of incessant arrogant voices gawking at the idea that anyone good would want to play in Cleveland.

I understand that Cleveland is a team built for the postseason. But what has that achieved so far? They need to be shoring up their loose ends in the regular season and playing their best basketball against conference rivals.

The Cavs reverted to a lot of their old ways against the Celtics and Pistons. We’ll see if that changes in future meetings.

The media won’t be to blame if LeBron signs elsewhere. It’s his decision my friend.”

You can’t win them all. The Cavs have yet to play 48 minutes to my liking. But this is the point I am trying to make. In the postseason, the Cavs have been IN almost every game they have played because of defense. Even in the “sweep” series that you love to bring up because of your favorite back-handed compliment – the Cavs were IN every game. No 40 point blowouts here. They win games with defense. They lose games because of lack of offense. It’s hard to beat great teams, especially great defensive teams like Boston and Detroit when you have 1 dynamic offensive player, and 9 role players. Now the Cavs have 2 dynamic offensive players, and more solid role players. And they may be able to acquire another player in the Vince Carter/AK-47 mold with Wally’s expiring contract.

The Cavs may have reverted to their old habits against Boston and Detroit, but if history proves anything, the Cavs generally exceed expectations in the playoffs. And so far they are exceeding expectations (even mine) in the regular season.

Also, Mike Brown has pretty much refused to treat those conference rival games like playoff games. He is playing guys like JJ Hickson and Lorenzan Wright. You really think those guys are going to be going up against guys like Garnet in the playoffs? No, LeBron is going to play 45-48 minutes, the defense is going to be suffocating, and they aren’t going to spend 3 quarters getting Z involved JUST BECAUSE. Mike Brown is once again taking a very laissez-faire approach to the regular season, which pissed me off last year because we needed a high playoff seed. This year, I don’t think that will matter, even though Boston is dominant at home – I don’t think they can beat us in 7 games again.

Dusty was a lunatic.

I agree about the state of the NBA. But I think the transformation began last season.