Will's "Best hitter of all time" thread got me thinking....

[CadaverDawg]

Todd mentioned the different eras of baseball and how that makes comparisons so tough. I think that is the case in a lot of different sports.

So answer the following questions.....

1. Who is/was the better golfer in his prime...Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods?

2. Who is/was a better basketball player...Michael Jordan or Lebron James?

How do you answer a question like these when each player leads in different categories of their selective sport?
Lebron is bigger, stronger and faster than MJ, but MJ was a better leader, more clutch, and has all of the rings.
Tiger is more athletic and has better technology to work with than Nicklaus, but does Tiger have the competition that Nicklaus had? Nicklaus has the record in Majors.

[Bo Darville]

1. I think Jack Nicklaus is the better golfer, but Tiger still has a chance to surpass Nicklaus. The question was best in his prime. I would take Tiger in his prime.

2. I think MJ is a better player than Lebron. When picking the best player, longevity should be considered. I think Lebron stands a chance at surpassing MJ and being crowned as the greatest ever.

[Will James]

1. Tiger is the best golfer ever. There may never be another Tiger, ever.

2. Right now it's MJ.

[Political Hack]

Lebron's a better athlete. MJ is a better basketball player. That won't change.

[Homedawg]

1. Tiger is the best golfer ever. There may never be another Tiger, ever.

2. Right now it's MJ.

There may neve be another tiger. That's true. As of right now, there's never been another jack.

[Coach34]

Lebron's a better athlete. MJ is a better basketball player. That won't change.

agree 100%

Jordan also is the better clutch player

**edited to add**- LeBron is like Chamberlin. There are no other athletes like him and that is what makes him so good- but he is far from polished as a basketball player. Same with Wilt- Wilt was just a damn giant and there were no others like him at the time- but there have been many big men more skilled than him that have come along since.

[Coach34]

There may neve be another tiger. That's true. As of right now, there's never been another jack.

I agree with this too...Not only does Jack own the Majors record- but he had a large number of 2nd place finishes also. I think Tiger came along at weak time in golf and now that time has passed. You're seeing many more golfers on the Tour showing some sack that they never did 10 years ago.

[FISHDAWG]

I don't think Jack was as obsessed with winning and making it to 19 majors as Tiger is .... Jack started other business interest that distracted him somewhat early in his career ( along with being a family man ) .... however, I think what Tiger has accomplished has been done against a more talented field where modern equipment tends to add more parity ... MJ was in my opinion the best BB player I have ever seen

[Ghost of Hank Flick]

I don't know about the golf question, but I think LeBron is better than Jordan.

LeBron is a different player, he is like a super-sized Magic Johnson. Jordan was a scorer and defender.

Look at what LeBron did in Cleveland - he had zero help but got them to the Finals and several #1 seeds in the playoffs, after he leaves they go in the tank. He was literally the whole team and raised them to an elite level competing for championships. Jordan never won anything without Pippen. He even had other greats like Rodman, Kucoc (sp), Grant, etc. His Bulls teams were basically the current Miami Heat.

Everyone says Jordan is the greatest, mostly because of his clutch shots and performances when it mattered the most. But Jordan's game is different than LeBron's. Jordan is a shot-taker, LeBron is a shot-creator. Yes, Jordan creates shots for himself, but LeBron creates shots for himself and others with his ability to drive. He will kick it out to a teammate for the last shot, Jordan takes the last shot. Jordan is obviously the better shooter and scorer.

If I was going to start a team and I got to pick between Jordan and LeBron in their prime, I'd pick LeBron. I think he makes his team better more so than Jordan.