I think the reason people have a higher overall opinion of MJ is because of how he acted on the court. He would yell sometimes and complain sometimes but overall he just stepped up on the other end of the court if he felt something didn't go his way. Instead of always belittling everybody, he took his game to the next level.
Kobe is great at what he does, and I agree that he could shoot a few more shots at times, but overall he just needs to learn how to manage the team and step up at the right time consistently.
But overall for this year, I think the Lakers were just the younger and more thrown together teams. Once they have some more experience and learn to work together a little more, they will be a force next year and for the next couple.