Who’s The Man?

From the man who brought you quotes such as, “Sacramento and the Lakers…that ain’t no rivalry…” and “Kobe is not the player he used to be. Father time is undefeated” comes a truth about being on top that we all do well to heed. Charles Barkley, the sage that he is, does not entertain that Kobe Bryant is in the same consideration as Michael Jordan nor does he mull over whether or not Kobe can still dominate the opposition on a nightly basis. Good, bad or indifferent, Sir Charles is seldom off the record and while that quality presents potential volatility, I think the quote about Father time is worth the rewind.

Most sports fans are nostalgic. We upload and peruse Youtube too much to compose accurate ideas and current evaluations of athletes. We think Kobe, for instance, scored that 81 in January when actually that was at least 3 years ago. We defend our endeared icons like family members because vicariously, they should remain “The Man” forever. We think Magic Johnson could lace ’em up today and start-up with the Triple-Doubles and the showtime. Jordan is like a deity to his contemporaries, not the least of which is Barkley himself. I don’t expect someone born in 1960 to say Kobe Bryant is a better perimeter player than Michael. But skip the generational loyalties. The lesson is simple.

No one can stay “The Man” forever. There, I said it. Kobe, to me, is unlike any scorer I’ve seen but then so was Kareem, Shaq, Jamaal Wilkes, Julius Erving, Larry Bird, etc.. Weren’t all those dudes “The Man” at one point in time? Why are the comparisons between eras necessary? Do you want to be heralded as the greatest ever because you’d be as vain as your predecessors. Do you, the best you can and leave it alone. Because like Chuck said, “Father time is undefeated.”