Michael Jordan thinks only Kobe Bryant deserves comparisons, but what about - Oscar Robertson?

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Earlier this week, Micheal Jordan made waves for something that we have all been arguing and prognasticating about for years since his second retirement. The media, fans, non-fans, kids, friends, enemies and the like argued Grant Hill. They argued Vince Carter. They Argued Tracy McGrady. Dwyane Wade. Lebron James. On and on. But Micheal kept quiet on the comparisons, mostly because Micheal knows he's the best and doesn't need to, and because he is too competitive still to give anyone a chance to come close to his greatness. Yet, with his distance from who he was growing, a part of him felt that it was time to give HIS idea of his "Air" Apparent. And out it came. Kobe Bryant. Right there, it didn't end, but the consensus definitely was swayed and questions, ideas and doubts were quenched.

But, luckily for us fans and debaters, there is more than one NBA great to compare and contrast our current lot of players to until our faces turn blue.

Arguably, one is the greatest pure shooter, one is the greatest pure interior defender, one may be the greatest of all time, including Mike. But we'll leave that to debate of course.

I chose only players in the league Currently, that still start for their respective teams and/or are a major part of their teams scheme and ability to contend. To add to the fun, I broke it down into three categories:

Skills: A player that may not have the disposition or the numbers, but have the same talents and abilities as the great their compared to.

Stats: A player that has similar but not exact skill level and the numbers to boot.

Match:This player, may not be a perfect fit, but they match talent, ability, close on numbers and have a familar characteristic set to the NBA Great they are paired with.

Championships and MVP's are out, as those are more a product of the team than the individual.
With that said, lets get to the comparisons. And please when your done, reading, don't be afraid to disagree and comment harshly.

Oscar Robertson

Oscar Robertson, the "Big O," is the player against whom all others labeled "all-around" are judged, and he may remain the standard forever.Statistically, one need look no further than the numbers Robertson put up in 1961-62, just his second year in the league: 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game-an average of a triple-double for an entire season. Not even Magic Johnson or Larry Bird could match those numbers.An elite scorer, proven by his ranking Sixth all time in the category, coupled with a generous dishing hand and ability to lead his team in rebounding as a guard plays to his play making ability and scoring brilliance. Robertson was the first "big guard." Magic was only one-year old when Robertson registered his first NBA assist, crashed the boards for his first NBA rebound and sank a jumper for his first NBA points.

Skills:

Tyreke Evans

Tyreke Evans hasn't come close to putting all together to even sniff Robertson's output, but if the talent is the first thing you need to get there, then Evans has what it takes to do it. His desire to do it all is amazing to see in such a young player, and his size and strength are amzing for any age player at his position. It is this size that allows him to get rebounds against stiffer competition, score against those large and small and see the court well enough to use his vision. It will be great for the Kings to see him finally reach his potential, and its way to early in the game to say he won't.

Stats and Match:

Lebron James

No, I don't have a man crush on the guy, I'm not a Heat fan and rarely ever look the guy up. But you cannot deny talent, you can't deny output, and you can't find a better match for the Big "O" in the league right now. We went over his abilities to multitask in the Magic comparison, but it is his size as well that puts him in this spot. At 6'9 and 250, James, for the most part is a guard in a forward's body, at least visually. But his elite speed and ups allow him to truly dwarf the competition. If he were 6'2 or 6'4 and lighter, defenders might find him a bit more tame, but at his current size and ability, its no wonder his transition from high school star to NBA star to NBA great was seamless. Now for his sake, maybe his career with Oscar's a bit and the big bodied guard can grab a ring or two before it's all said and done.