"The NBA's best player visits Verizon Center on Friday night, but don't take my word for it. That's the opinion of none other than Larry Bird.

"You know, Kobe [Bryant] was always my favorite since I got out," Bird told ESPN's Bill Simmons recently. "But LeBron James is by far our best player in this league. I don't really think there's anyone next to him. I think he's there, and then you go down the list."

It's hard to argue with Bird, one of the league's all-time greats. But James is a debate magnet. Arguments follow with speed and fury whenever his name is broached — especially since he left Cleveland for Miami and became a bad guy to many previous fans."