Cal.E.'s Korner

C.: ( I guess the NBA playoff game hasn’t started yet, so I’ll call d.c. and we can write today’s blog.)

l

Hey, d.c., the NBA playoffs are starting now, and everyone is asking the question “who’s the G.OA.T., Michael Jordan or Lebron ‘King’ James?” I mean, Jordan does have two more rings than Lebron, so there’s an argument for him. But, Lebron played more games to earn his rings, and with three different teams.

d.: I'm looking at a reliable website, so I can give you some statistics about some players and some coaches., Bill Russel has more rings than anyone. He earned eleven as a player and as a player/coach. The late Kobe Bryant had five, one less than Jordan, so he should also be in the conversation. The argument is that there were less teams so Russell had to play less playoff games to earn them, but the other side of that is that the talent pool wasn’t as diluted then as it is now. I think anyone who could lock down Wilt Chamberlain consistently is in the conversation for the G.O.A. T. of the NBA. Wilt was an awesome talent, but he played before the NBA was as popular as it is now. He was also a lot bigger than most people realize. He said that it was against his religion to have his hight measured, so we only know that he was ‘a lot taller’ than Nate Thurmond. His teammate and backup center at Kansas was six-eleven,m so seven-one is an underestimation of his height. As far as his weight goes, he never got on the scales, either. He probably was more in the class with Shaq as far as that goes than his listed weight of 285. He and Bill Russell played before every NBA game was televised, so not as many people were able to see him play.

If you’re strictly going by the number of rings that a player has earned, Robert Horry has one more than Jordan, and with three different teams.  He earned two with the Rockets, but he wasn’t part of their  1995 playoff roster. He did earn that ring, though. That’s because he was the key piece in the Houston Rockets’ trade for Clyde “The Glide” Drexler. That trade is what helped that team earn their second consecutive NBA championship. Horry would have mediocre regular seasons but always came through with big shots during the playoffs. That’s what earned him the nickname “Big Shot Bob.”

 Of course, the incomparable (thank goodness) Red Auerbach earned the most rings as a coach, so he would win that argument hands down.  Russel’s other competition as a coach, though, is Greg Popovich with five.  I know that Popovich had five rings with San Antonio; and he was a great coach. However, for my money, the G.OA.T. of coaches is Rudy Tomjonovich. He took the same players his predecessors had and did something no one else could do-lead them to two consecutive championships. I’m so glad that he was elected into the James Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. I met him when I was in the service industry because he was a customer of mine. He was also friends with my mentor. We both agree that him being elected the to the hall of  fame couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

C.: That’s all well and good, and you bring up some good points, d.c. But, the argument is always that it’s between Lebron and M.J. for the G.O.A.T. So, who would win in a one-on-one game?

d.:  It would be a tough game and probably would go on for a while since the winner must have two more baskets than the loser, but I still would definitely go with Lebron James.

C.: Really? I thought that you were a through-and-through MJ man.

d.: I am, except when the Houston Rockets’ defensive stopper, Mad Max, Vernon Maxwell, was guarding him.

C.: Well, is it because Lebron is three inches (or more) taller and outweighs MJ by thirty pounds, so he could take Jordan into the post and muscle him out? I mean, Jordan played the medium post with the Washington Wizards after his ill-fated break from basketball to play baseball for the AA minor league team the Birmingham Barons.

d.: No, that’s not it.

C.: Is it because Lebron has played against superior competition?

d.: Definitely not.

C.: Is it because Lebron you think that Lebron has a higher basketball IQ than Jordan?

d.: No, that’s not true at all. MJ probably had the highest basketball IQ of anyone who ever played the game. And… now he’s a billionaire, so he’s a really smart man if you ask me.

C.: Then, why do you think that Lebron James could take Micheal Jordan in a one-on-one game of basketball?

d.:  Well, because MJ’s sixty-two years old, and Lebron James is only forty.

C.: ….That’s all the time we have for today, folks. Please join us tomorrow for another episode of Cal.E.’s Korner.