The question is one that has been debated many times over , between workmates and internet pals worldwide.  Just look on the RealGM Boards and you will be bound to find someone asking who is the better player.  Kobe Bryant Vs Vince Carter...  Tracy McGrady Vs Paul Piece? or any variation thereof.  Who is the better player is always dependant on who you ask, but there has always been the common thread of agreement that these players are the future of the NBA.

Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald is rather blunt in his opinion; Kobe Bryant is overrated.  Batard uses the argument that Bryant is only a dominant force because he rides the coat tails of one Shaquille O?Neal, the NBA?s most dominant force.  

Does Bryant really have an advantage over the likes of Tracy McGrady, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Chris Webber and maybe even Gary Payton because he has Shaquille O?Neal at his side to take double and triple teams, opening the court for Kobe?  Are his assist numbers bloated by having Shaq as a target?  ?Even Jeff Miller would have five assists a game if he were passing to Shaq? writes Batard.

Batard is working from the stance that Bryant is not the best player in the NBA, Shaq excluded, because of the influence that Shaq has on his game.  Would Kobe without Shaq be similar to Scottie without Michael, or Penny without Shaq?  ?The easiest job in basketball is being Shaq's teammate, which is how the Rick Foxes and Robert Horrys of the world stay relevant,? continues Batard.

Would a Tracy McGrady or a Paul Piece be able to put up Kobe-like numbers on the Lakers with Shaquille manning the middle?  Possibly, but in our opinion Batard has not factored things like sharing the ball (and the limelight), being ?the man?, and carrying the team in conjunction with the man mountain in his diagnosis.  

While Paul Piece needs to share the ball with Antoine Walker, who without a doubt takes his fair share of shots for the Boston Cetlics, Walker is not as demanding as Shaquille O?Neal.  Who does Tracy McGrady need to share the ball with in Orlando?  He basically has a free reign in Florida and puts up similar numbers to Bryant despite being the focal point, having Mike Miller in support if need be.  When Grant Hill played his handful of games for the Magic franchise and demanded his touches TMac?s numbers went down as he wasn?t required to do as much, and who is to suggest that the would not go down further with such a dominant force like Shaq to unite with against a common enemy?

So the question still remains, is Kobe Bryant overrated?  Are Tracy McGrady and Paul Piece among others perhaps underrated by comparison? While Batard maintains his ?yes? stature on Bryant we take the ?glass half full? / ?glass half empty? approach.  Does Bryant benefit from Shaq?  Yes.  Would Piece and McGrady benefit from Shaq?  Yes.  Would the output of each player be similar should they switch roles?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

But for now we will stick to an easier question.  .  Kobe Bryant Vs Vince Carter.  Tracy McGrady Vs Paul Piece.  Who is better?