DeltaGator From United States of America, joined Sep 2005, 6341 posts, RR: 16 Reply 1, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 1007 times:
Let's wait until the Cavs win multiple championships until we crown him the next NBA King and second coming of Michael Jordan. Until then I think he is a good player on a decent team but by no means incredible. Will the Pistons be the nemesis of these Cavs as the Bulls were the bete noir of the Cavs in the 90s? LeBron can't do it alone...management must get him some better supporting players.
[Edited 2006-07-08 21:06:25]
"If you can't delight in the misery of others then you don't deserve to be a college football fan."
Falcon84 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 1001 times:
Quoting DeltaGator (Reply 1): Until then I think he is a good player on a decent team but by no means incredible
Uh hu. A "good player" That's why he was 2nd in the MVP voting. He is one of the great players of this era, and, barring injury, will be one of the all-time greats of the game.
I guess seeing him only 3 or 4 times a year, DG, isn't enough to appreciate what an incredible player he is.
DeltaGator From United States of America, joined Sep 2005, 6341 posts, RR: 16 Reply 3, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 1000 times:
No need to ROFL but he is a good player. Is he a great player? Only time will tell. Getting beyond the semifinals of the conference and actually winning some titles will help him gain great player status. I will give you the fact he is a fun player to watch and despite my misgivings upon him entering the league he has succeeded beyond anything I thought or wished.
"If you can't delight in the misery of others then you don't deserve to be a college football fan."
Falcon84 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 4, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 995 times:
Quoting DeltaGator (Reply 3): No need to ROFL but he is a good player. Is he a great player? Only time will tell.
He became on the 3rd player in NBA history to average over 30 points a game, 6 rebounds a game and 7 assist a game-the other two were the Big O and Magic. He averaged 32 points a game in the regular season this year, and around 34 in the playoffs.
He's already a great player. That is not even in doubt, my friend.
And, in fairness, a lot of players who are considered great never did win a title. But I think he'll bring at least 2 or 3 here.
Luv2fly From United States of America, joined May 2003, 11957 posts, RR: 51 Reply 5, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 993 times:
Being in Cleveland Ohio myself, he is a good player. IMHO - the team needs more players and LeBron needs to let the other players play as well. Last time I looked the name was the Cavs and not the LeBrons!
Tbar220 From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 7011 posts, RR: 28 Reply 6, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 989 times:
LeBron is a very good player no doubt. But he isn't quite on the level of Kobe Bryant or Dwyane Wade just yet. Why do I say that? Because those two players alone have shown that when their team needs it in critical playoff and championship situations, they can carry the entire team on their back and win the game for them. LeBron has done it in the regular season and I don't doubt he will do it sometime in the future, but he hasn't yet. Right now, third year player Dwayne Wade has shown that he can win a championship for Miami basically on his own, even though Dallas pretty much outplayed MIami in the finals.
I am keeping Michael Jordan out of this because he is in a class of his own. I don't like comparing players to him.
Falcon84 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 7, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 983 times:
Quoting Luv2fly (Reply 5): LeBron needs to let the other players play as well.
What do you call averaging over 7 assists a game? That's called letting the other players play their game. If they had a few better shooters, his APG would probably be closer to 10.
Quoting Tbar220 (Reply 6): But he isn't quite on the level of Kobe Bryant or Dwyane Wade just yet.
Kobe is a ball hog, pure and simple. He's a deadly assassin when the game is on the line, no doubt, but he's not a team player. LeBron is probably just behind him in all-around game.
Dwayne is a great player. But where LeBron separates himself from Wade is the fact that he can get tougher underneath, and his body will hold up better in the long run than Wade's because of the play underneath.
Dwayne had a better supporting cast, but I don't think he's a better player than LeBron. I put them just about equal, with LeBron's game slightly ahead.
Tbar220 From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 7011 posts, RR: 28 Reply 8, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 981 times:
Falcon,
In his third year in the league, Wade has a championship and Lebron doesn't. Dallas had a better team than Miami, but Wade basically single handedly won the championship for Miami.
Detroit had a better team than Cleveland in the playoffs. Lebron still lacks that certain something that Wade shows he had in the playoffs this year. Mind you, Lebron made two great game winning shots (that I remember) in the Detroit series, but its the Heat that won the championship.
So sure, stats mean something, but if you want to have your legacy remembered, you have to win championships. And who was everybody talking about? Wade, not James.
Falcon84 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 981 times:
Quoting Tbar220 (Reply 8): In his third year in the league, Wade has a championship and Lebron doesn't.
Doesn't mean he's a better player. One person doesn't win a title-not even Michael can do it all on his own. LeBron is a better player. He's the better scorer; he's the better rebounder; he's even with Wade in assists. He's the better player-not by much, but he is.
Wade has the ring, but when it's all said and done, in 15 years, people I think will talk more about LeBron than Dwayne.
Tbar220 From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 7011 posts, RR: 28 Reply 10, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 975 times:
Falcon,
I'll have to disagree with you. If he was the better player, he would have lifted his team over the Pistons when they needed it. Wade showed that he could in the toughest of situations, with his team down 2-0 and down thirteen in game three.
Dallas was a better team than Miami, but Wade found a way to give Miami the series win.
Detroit was a better team than Cleveland, but James didn't find a way to give Cleveland the series win.
Who do you think is happier with this season? Wade or James? What would they rather have, their legacy based on small statisticaly differences, or the number of championships they lead their team to?
AA61Hvy From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 13975 posts, RR: 59 Reply 12, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 969 times:
The only thing I 'witnessed', was Cleveland not making it to the finals....
AA61Hvy From United States of America, joined Nov 1999, 13975 posts, RR: 59 Reply 14, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 963 times:
Quoting Falcon84 (Reply 13): Knew you'd get involved with this when you saw it. Nice to hear from ya
LY744 From Canada, joined Feb 2001, 5536 posts, RR: 11 Reply 15, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 953 times:
Quoting DeltaGator (Reply 1): That's why he was 2nd in the MVP voting
Thanks to the spin of the very same media you were badmouting in your thread opener. No way is he more valuable to his team than Kobe is to the Lakers. The fact that so called analysts say so is mind boggling.
Quoting Falcon84 (Reply 7): Kobe is a ball hog, pure and simple.
Yeah keep listening to the BS coming out of those journalists whos credibility you are supposedely doubting...
Falcon84 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 16, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 952 times:
Quoting LY744 (Reply 15): Yeah keep listening to the BS coming out of those journalists whos credibility you are supposedely doubting...
Cop the attitude, dude. No one else has it here. Kobe IS a ballhog. He is a great player, but he's a ballhog, and he's not making those around him any better, as guys like LeBron and Wade are. He tanked it in the last game of the year, and that tells me more than I need to know.
If I were starting a TEAM, I'd pick LeBron over anyone, with Wade a close 2nd. I wouldn't pick Kobe to build a TEAM around.
LY744 From Canada, joined Feb 2001, 5536 posts, RR: 11 Reply 17, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 949 times:
Quoting Falcon84 (Reply 16): Cop the attitude, dude. No one else has it here.
Why don't you cop the bullshit? Everyone in the media loves picking on Kobe and everyone LOVES LBJ, Wade, Melo etc. Now, I don't care, but it's gotten to the point that it affects officiating, BIG TIME. Just watch what kind of shit people get away with when they're "guarding" Kobe... and count the number of times he gets to the line, compared to, say, LeBron. I guess Kobe just isn't aggressive enough to get calls. Oh, and BTW, Kobe's APG numbers throughout his career have been on par with all the other leading shooting guards in the league. Deal with it.
AirCop From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 18, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 942 times:
With LeBron signing on the dotted line to play long term in Cleveland and Denver coming to an agreement with their stars, perhaps the smaller markets (Sorry Tom, New Orleans has such bad ownership) are going to be able field teams that have a decent chance of winning. LeBron will be associated with Cleveland as Jerry West was with the Lakers.
Jacobin777 From United States of America, joined Sep 2004, 14968 posts, RR: 61 Reply 19, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 940 times:
Quoting Tbar220 (Reply 8): In his third year in the league, Wade has a championship and Lebron doesn't. Dallas had a better team than Miami, but Wade basically single handedly won the championship for Miami.
a LJ and Ben Wallace duo would have made a formiddable force in Chi'town..add a few more quality players and Chicago would be one of the top teams in the NBA..
JCS17 From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 8065 posts, RR: 43 Reply 21, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 916 times:
If I was professional athlete I would take a small pay cut to go to a decent city, without a doubt. Here, you have the world in your hand, and you decide to live in a place who's prime has passed 40 years ago.
I couldn't imagine getting paid millions of dollars per year in the NBA and having to live in Memphis, Cleveland, Milwaukee, or Sacramento. Or playing in the NHL and having to live in Pittsburgh or Buffalo. I mean, I hate Houston, but if I was getting paid millions of dollars I wouldn't mind it, but Buffalo (NHL) or Cleveland (NBA)... Wow, you'd have to throw me one hell of a nice offer my way to actually care about your city.
LTBEWR From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 12331 posts, RR: 12 Reply 23, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 904 times:
I am glad to see that he is showing loyalty to the team and his home state. Of course, he could be traded to a NYC/LA team in the future.
He is from the Akron area, so maybe he likes the idea of and feels confortable in his home state, playing not far from where he grew up. With the crap from the fans and sports writers that happens to celeb athletes in NYC and LA, maybe he is making the smart move. Sometimes money isn't everything. To me he is a great player already, and will be up there in the all time greats. He isn't a selfish ball hog, plays an excellent and balanced all around game.
LTBEWR From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 12331 posts, RR: 12 Reply 24, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 904 times:
I am glad to see that he is showing loyalty to the team and his home state. Of course, he could be traded to a NYC/LA team in the future.
He is from the Akron area, so maybe he likes the idea of and feels confortable in his home state, playing not far from where he grew up. With the crap from the fans and sports writers that happens to celeb athletes in NYC and LA, maybe he is making the smart move. Sometimes money isn't everything. To me he is a great player already, and will be up there in the all time greats. He isn't a selfish ball hog, plays an excellent and balanced all around game.
25 RayChuang: Actually, a number of ESPN Radio talk show hosts (Mike Greenberg, Mike Golic, etc.) have said that it would be a horrible decision for LeBron James t
26 Falcon84: Agreed. But there's no doubt that some in the national media, and in media in New York and L.A. especially, have been pushing this "LeBron doesn't wa
27 Texdravid: I'm so glad that LeBron is staying in Cleveland. I enjoyed the old Gund Arena in my time in Cleveland and I hope he does well there. I'm further glad
28 Falcon84: Or do you mean the old Richfield Coliseum? Gund Arena-now Quicken Loans Arena, is only about 12 years old. Just curious. I preferred the old Coliseum
29 Jacobin777: true...it will be interesting to see how the East comes out this year..
30 LY744: Well it looks like Detroit lost it's edge now (and it's not just Big Ben leaving), too bad, I liked them. Sheed's career being on the downside is ano
31 IFEMaster: Who? Where's that cargo bay pic when you need it?
32 Jacobin777: ... No title for Detroit this time around..
33 LY744: I was really hoping for them to take it this year but oh well... they're done. But anyways, the east is pretty open, everything considered. I mean th
34 Redngold: I think LeBron's decision proves, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he is a genuinely caring and faithful man. If he was all about the money and the cha
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That's why he was 2nd in the MVP voting. He is one of the great players of this era, and, barring injury, will be one of the all-time greats of the game.
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