Michael Jordan: Only Kobe Bryant should be compared to his GREATNESS

When you say who is one of the greatest basketball players of recent times, one is surely to here the name Michael Jordan. If you ask who is the greatest basketball players on the court right now, you are destined to hear Kobe Bryant. Kobe, who has been a member of the Los Angeles Lakers ever since his entry into the NBA definitely knows how to get the job done on the court. If you don't believe me, look at the sheer number of championship rings on his fingers
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photo courtesy midwestsportsfans.com

According to a post on yahoo.com, editor Eric Freeman mentions the following:

Ever since Michael Jordan retired — all three times, really — the NBA has searched for the heir to his throne. Many players have popped up as pretenders to the throne, from Harold Miner to Jerry Stackhouse to Vince Carter. In recent years, people have stopped trying to find a clone and just searched for a similarly dominant great player. If you ever wondered why LeBron James is seen as such a failure, a lot of it has to do with his inability to meet the example set by Jordan.
There are many great players in the NBA these days, most of whom have never been directly compared to Jordan. Nevertheless, His Airness says only one player comes close enough to his greatness to merit the comparison. Not surprisingly, that player is Kobe Bryant. Here's what Roland Lazenby, a great writer currently working on a Jordan book, tweeted on Sunday (via PBT):

Kobe's ultimate competition is MJ. That's why MJ watches him. MJ made people think what he was doing wasn't human. Ditto the Kobester.
I never said Kobe was better than MJ. MJ just told me Kobe's the only one to have done the work, to deserve comparison.

What do you think? Do you think Kobe will be the next Michael Jordan of the NBA or do you feel as an athlete, he has set his own tone to greatness? Either way, I think its an honor to have one of the most revered players of the NBA (Michael Jordan) refer to you as such.  

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Grizzlie's Marreese Speights is out to prove HE IS THE MAN!

With Zach Randolph being out for the next couple of weeks due to an injury, Coach Lionel Hollins and the Memphis Grizzlies have acquired 6'10, 255lb forward Marreese Speights from the Philadelphia 76ers. Just a couple games into the season, Marreese is already proving his ability on the court by scoring and holding up to the defense, including his game high 17 points last week against a tough Grizzlies loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Marreese Speights (courtesy ESPN.com)

The trade did not come without controversy as word around the NBA and with coaches was that Speights would not be a good team player because of his work ethics.  Speights recently told sports writer Ron Tillery of commercialappeal.com ,"Everybody always say I'm lazy and all of that," Speights said. "But they didn't say that my first two years. It's crazy that in my third year when coach (Doug) Collins came (to Philadelphia) that all of that started coming up. I can't change the past. The only thing I can affect is my future."

With his new addition to the Grizzlies lineup, Marreese will definitely have to get a feel for other key players (Rudy Gay , Marc Gasol, Mike Conley) and find his niche on the court. Becoming a member of the Grizzlies team is sort of a second chance for him as he found himself barred off the court in Philadelphia, having some shaky ground with coach Dave Collins. and didnt play in any games before the trade. Last year, he averaged 5.4 points per game and has already seen improvement during two games with the Grizzlies up to 8.5 points per game.

Speights knows this is his opportunity to prove that he is the player needed on the team and definitely capable of getting the job done. Coincidentally, the same player who he is playing for know, Zach Randolph, faced similar issues when he joined the Grizzlies back in 2009 from the New York Knicks. Nobody believed in Zach and viewed him as trouble; however, all those issues were dispelled when Zach, now known as ZBO, showed the world that he has what it takes, including getting the Grizzlies back in the playoff spotlight during last years season.


He continues to tell Tillery that "Going through that (in Philadelphia) made me realize that everything can't be gold all of the time," Speights said. "Me and coach (Collins) have a good relationship off the court. But on the court we really couldn't get it together. I've got a fresh start here so I'm not worried about Philly anymore. ... (The Griz) need me and I need them. I'm excited to be here."

So far I am impressed with Speights. He is proving to have star power on the court. The fans cheer him on and his energy and hard play will definitely keep us as contenders.  Welcome to Memphis Marreese, I dont think they could have picked a better player.

Beyonce and Jay-Z welcome new daughter: Blue Ivy Carter

The internet has been a buzz with the news that Beyonce and Jay-Z have given birth to their first daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. Hello Hello Baby Blue!
According to a joint statement from beyonceonline.com, the couple states: We are happy to announce the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, born on Saturday, January 7, 2012. Her birth was emotional and extremely peaceful, we are in heaven. She was delivered naturally at a healthy 7 lbs and it was the best experience of both of our lives. We are thankful to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes, love and support. - Beyoncé & JAY Z

It was reported via People Magazine  Beyonce and Jay paid 1.3 million dollars to rent out the 4th floor of New York's Lenox Hill Hospital; however, executives at the hospital issued the following statement: "The family is housed in an executive suite at the hospital and is being billed the standard rate for those accommodations. Our executive suites are available for any patient, including the food service and amenities provided to the Carter family."

Now the world will be waiting for the first images of Blue Ivy Carter, who, without any knowledge of what is going on in the world, is already famous. Her father, Jay-Z, recently released a song dedicated to his daughter entitled Glory where he mentions how painful it was when he and his wife had a miscarriage prior to her birth. You can peep the song below

CONGRATS TO JAY AND BEYONCE!