TOP 10 REASONS WHY LEBRON IS BETTER THAN KOBE

by DMtShooter, Five Tool Tool

In today's Cavs-Lakers game, the ABC announcers fell over themselves to anoint Kobe as the best player in the Association, probably because the Lake Show has a better won-loss record than the Cavs, and in a tougher conference.

But I'm not ready to give away the MVP to Colorado's Shame (that'd be Chris Paul), or even appoint him as the Best of Each Other... for the following 10 reasons.

10. Age. LeBron's getting better at 23 going on 27, and Kobe's not at 29, going on 35. (We're adding on for the lack of college years for both, and the extra seasons of playoff games for Kobe.)

9. Sanity. Um, is it OK to remember that just three months ago, the Mamba was starting the season under a cloud of on-again off-again trade demands, right? LeBron's never done that. Kobe's a long-term injury to Andrew Bynum away from putting back on the Trade Me warpaint.

8. Making teammates better. LeBron actually makes Boobie Gibson and Larry Hughes look like NBA players from time to time. Kobe just freezes out the special needs players on the Lake Show.

7. Keeping it in his pants. From Colorado to the train wreck marriage, Kobe's a tribute to himself. LeBron's biggest mash note so far is to SportsCenter ads and Nike. Significantly less messy, really.

6. Size. If the 6'-6", 220 pound Kobe blows out a knee, he loses a ton of effectiveness and is on a fast track to irrelevance. LeBron, at 6'-8" and 240, could always bulk up and be a reasonable forward. Besides, the size already lets King James get two more boards a game, and nearly twice the number of blocked shots.

5. Coach support. Kobe has knifed one of the best in NBA history without blinking an eye. LeBron has toiled for Mike Brown, who eats paste, without complaint.

4. Percentages. Bron shoots 48% from the floor this year, and 46.5% for his career. Kobe's at 44.8% for the year, and 45.2% for the career. Considering the number of shots taken here, that's a sizable difference. (Kobe does, to be fair, kill LeBron at the line, so this is close to, but not quite, a toss-up.)

3. Value. Kobe's contract is for $19.5 million a year, while LeBron is at $13.0. With the extra cash, the Cavs were able to shoot themselves in the ankles with Larry Hughes!

2. Team intangibles. Kobe ran off Shaq. LeBron made Ilgauskas look alive. Kobe buried Head Case Radmanovic. LeBron cultivated Sideshow Anderson Varaejo. Oh, and there's also the whole Game 7 in Phoenix screw job, too. Let's face it, folks -- Kobe's not exactly a nice guy. The worst thing LeBron's ever done is sleep through a bunch of games last year.

1. Hometown. LeBron's a god in Ohio. Kobe's a pariah everywhere outside of the Staples Center, and especially in the Philadelphia area.

Oh, and the bonus... Kobe's 0-2 in playoff series sans Shaq. LeBron is 4-2 so far.

So, if you please, ABC... stop Obeying Your Thirst with Mamba mouth jobs. The better player is James. (Oh, and his team won the game, on the road, with James outperforming Bryant.)