More basketball!

I wasn’t planning to go this way. Though I did think, the day before the Lakers played in Miami, that the Heat would win, no problem, and considered writing that just to show my powers of analysis … but then it got too late, and the Heat led by 21 after three before winning by 11. Well, duh.

This is about one of those silly espn.com surveys. The results to this one astound me, and it involves Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

To wit:

In a pick-one survey — “Which player would you rather have on your team right now?” — the choices are Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

Anyone who watches Kobe, who is 33 and back to his brain-dead gunner mode, and LeBron, 27 and headed for a championship, would have to say LeBron James, right? And it shouldn’t be remotely close.

But as of this writing, with 27,000-plus votes in, LeBron is leading the espn.com vote by only 54-46.

What? LeBron not only is six years younger, he is the best player in the game. He is tearing up the league this season. That “no rings” thing will be over before this coming summer is.

LeBron is a beast. He rebounds, dishes, is shooting almost 58 percent this season, is basically never hurt … how can the country not notice this?

I have some theories.

Some of this is about location, location, location.

Kobe carries the vote in Ohio, which is where Cleveland is located, the city that will never forgive LeBron for leaving the Cavaliers. That’s not a pro-Kobe vote, that’s an anti-LeBron vote.

Meantime, Kobe carries California. That’s a pro-Kobe vote; he has been key in bringing five championships to Los Angeles. His greatest defenders live in SoCal.

LeBron carries Oregon. Is that a pro-LeBron vote or an anti-Kobe vote? The Portland Trail Blazers are very big in Oregon, and the fans there hate the Lakers and Kobe.

And then some of these states … I just don’t get. Why does Kobe lead (at this writing) in Oklahoma, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Washington D.C. and Alaska? Are people there not paying attention? Do they not watch the NBA — but do vote in espn.com surveys?

Some of this might be about public relations problems. LeBron’s issues (“The Decision”) remain fresher in American minds than do Kobe’s (the rape allegations).

Now, I like Kobe, as a player. A lot. I covered him for a decade, and I love how hard he competes, and his unshakable self-confidence, and I admire the way he has re-made his game as he aged.

But LeBron is 27. He is better right now than he’s ever been, and he’s always been really good. In three years, Kobe could be out of the NBA. (Don’t think he will be, but he will be 36 …) In three years, LeBron likely will still be going strong.

Plus, it is alleged that LeBron gets along better with his teammates than does the imperious Mr. Bryant, who will publicly rip anyone who isn’t Derek Fisher.

Kobe vs. LeBron. Whom would I rather have? That’s easy. I would rather have LeBron. And I love Kobe. But it’s just too easy a question.

That survey ought to be running 70-30 in favor of LeBron.

That it does not tells us more about public perceptions of the two men, I believe, than it does about basketball.