The Second Coming of Magic/Bird/Jordan?

How good is this years MVP race!  Three guys who are getting the most out of their teammates by pushing them to be the best they can on a nightly basis.  It has also become a can-you-top-this race as it is pretty clear they are paying attention to one another.

Not that I am in favor, or even think Dwayne Wade has a realistic chance at the MVP trophy (due to the lack of talent around him and the fact they are only six games over .500), but he continues to amaze.  Thanks to ESPN, who just informed the world that Wade produces 49.7% of the Heat’s field goals created, if you include assists and field goals made; LeBron James creates 46.4%; and Kobe Bryant creates 37.2%.  Wade’s 29.9 ppg average is 30.3% of the team’s points; LeBron’s 28.5 ppg is 28.4%; Kobe’s 28 ppg is 25.9%.

This got me to thinking:  Is it fair to compare this trio to Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan?

The answer is probably not, at least not yet.  However, I am going to compare them side by side nonetheless.  What I want to do is actually look at LeBron as Magic; Wade as MJ; and Kobe as Bird.

• The new group has four rings between them — the 80s and 90s boys produced 14.
• The current trio has one MVP — the old trio had 11.
• KLW have made the All-NBA First Team eight times (going on 11 after this year) — MJB has 28.

How do they compare at the same age

• Bird (age 30) — 37.1% of team’s FG         Kobe — 37.2%
• Magic (age 24) — 34.1% of team’s FG      LeBron — 46.4%
• Jordan (age 27) — 39.7% of team’s FG     Wade — 49.7%

During one of their MVP seasons

• Bird — 38.9% (’84-’85)
• Magic — 44.4% (’86-’87)
• Jordan — 39.3% (’91-’92)

Obviously, there is more we can do to compare the groups, but I think this current trio stands out and is on their way.  Bird and Magic took the league to new heights during the 80s; Jordan then ran with it in the 90s.  To really make a statement, this group has to do the same, and I think the NBA is clearly trying to use Kobe, LeBron, and to a lessor extent Wade, to promote the league in a similar way.  They are becoming global icons, thanks in part to the Olympics, but what will really define their greatness, and whether they will stand the test of time, is if they win less hardware (MVPs) and more jewelry (rings) as their forefathers did decades earlier.

Winning defines us!