Damn, I love LeBron. I really wish the NBA would stop trying to hype up this so-called "rivalry" between he and Carmelo Anthony because it's really embarassing. They're not even on the same planet. Carmelo is just a spoiled brat while King James is already the best wing player in the game. I got a kick out watching Carmelo come down last night and selfishly try to take on the entire Cavs defense while LeBron would just go down on the other end and effortlessly find the open man. This kid is a major breath of fresh air.
100% agreed. Lebron is the man. He's got the game, the highlights, the attitude, he's got everything. Not to jump on his nuts, but the kid is nothing short of spectacular.
The only thing missing from his game is intensity. Sometime he disappears out there. Sometimes I think it is too easy for him. If he developes Kobe's drive, he will become the best player ever.
From what he's shown, I think it's money in the bank that he will surpass Kobe as a player. Lebron will definitely end his career in the Magic, MJ, Hakeem, Bird echelon of players. While they are still young, I think both Kobe and T-Mac will end their careers at a slightly lower level.
The scary thing is that just a few months ago some were debating whether Kobe could be put in Jordan's class. Now, the general consensus is that this 19 year old is already probably already more talented than Kobe. I realize that they're in the East, but a 19 year old has them at 10-6. We'll see how many championships he ends up with. Remember Danny Ainge's comment before the draft that there were only 5 players in the league who he would trade James for? And we all laughed. You can trim that down even further to 2 (KG, Duncan).
I think we are going to see both TMac and Kobe make status comebacks in the next few years. Kobe is an animal on the court. And I have been surprised by his non-selfish play this year. The Lakers just don't have the players or the chemistry yet. If you put Z on the Lakers, we might be talking about Kobe being great and Lebron struggling. And TMac has all the skills and ability to play with those two. They all see the court well, and can put their teams in great positions to score. TMac has a better perimeter game than Lebron, probably better than Kobe's. Kobe goes to the hole better than both of them. And Lebron breaks down the defense and makes the best decisions with the basketball. Lebron is probably closer to Magic with better scoring skills. Kobe is probably closer to Jordan with his defensive intensity and his scoring ability. TMac is somewhere between Jordan and Magic with the long range jumpers, and the ability to drive and dish. TMac needs to up his energy and he will be great. I think they will all finish their careers as great players, although I would look for Kobe and Lebron to play longer than TMac. I think TMac's back will finally get him and shave some years off his career.
The hype surrounding Lebron was so ridiculous when he was drafted, I didn't think there was any way he could turn out as good as touted. Looks like I am already being proved wrong...and that's ridiculous since he is still in his teens. Unbelievable.
The incredible thing is how quickly he improved his outside shot. That was a major hole in his game, but after one offseason, it's like he has no weaknesses offensively. Haven't watched enough of him to know how he's doing on defense though.
As much as I hate Kobe, I have to say LeBron is far off from Kobe. Kobe has the mind-set of a champion, I would say he is the closest to the level of Jordan than any other player in the league right now.
Well, yeah, for now Kobe is still the better player(T-Mac too). I just think that Lebron will surpass him in the not-so-far-off future. He's bigger, he's younger, and he has amazing awareness and instinct for a freakin' 2nd year player. When all is said and done, I think Kobe and T-Mac will rest at a level with the likes of Dr. J, Elgin Baylor, Clyde Drexler, etc...though they do have the potential to make it to that top level.
The best thing I can say about LeBron is that he makes me want to watch NBA basketball again. Although he is in the same class of athlete as a Vince Carter/Tmac/Amare, he plays basketball with an effortless economy of motion that is so refreshing. Unlike those mentioned above (and many, many others), he always takes the path of least resistance for points. What I mean by this is that he always makes the basic, simple play when it is available, rather than wasting 12 seconds trying to set up a one-on-one iso that has plagued the league for the past 10 years or so. But when only the spectacular is available, he has shown a flair for that as well. I really had gotten to the point where I couldn't watch the NBA (even playoffs) b/c I hated the style of dunk-or-brick iso crap that has become its staple style of play. LeBron has changed that and given me a reason to watch someone other than the Rockets again.
The Carmello/LeBron rivalry Hype IS stupid. The rivalry of good players should be LeBron vs Dwayne Wade. In my opinion Wade has surpassed Carmello in terms of a better all arond basketball player. I am personally VERY surprised at the level in which Wade is playing at. I had a feeling LeBron would be this good, but Wade has surprised me.
China: Ad insults national dignity Associated Press BEIJING -- China has banned a Nike television commercial showing NBA star LeBron James fighting a cartoon kung fu master, saying it insults national dignity. The commercial, titled "Chamber of Fear," was broadcast on Chinese stations and the state television's national sports channel before being pulled last month. The ad shows James in a video game-style setting defeating the kung fu master, two women in traditional Chinese attire and a pair of dragons, considered a sacred symbol in traditional Chinese culture. The advertisement "violates regulations that mandate that all advertisements in China should uphold national dignity and interest and respect the motherland's culture," the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television said Monday on its Web site. "It also goes against rules that require ads not to contain content that blasphemes national practices and cultures. ... The ad has received an indignant response from Chinese viewers." Maurice Zhou, a spokesman in Shanghai for Nike, said the company had no response except to say that it "respected the government's decision." "We respect and follow the Chinese government's laws and regulations," Zhou said. He said he could not elaborate. http://bbs.clutchcity.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=87621
Honestly .. . I think it helps him Also LeBron has been GROOMED the kid was playing with Jordan and Pros since d*mn near 8th grade It shows that . ... grooming and opportunity makes all the difference Melo has something to prove. . so he tries to be all world instead of just Melo Rocket River
I wish I could find old threads, so I could read the comments about hype from before we all got to see him in the league. Or hell, even when he'd only been there a month or so. Seems like I remember a thread about him early last season.
NBA Dish - http://bbs2.clutchfans.net/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=15&daysprune=1000&sortorder=asc&sortfield=title&perpage=25&pagenumber=38 Draft - http://bbs2.clutchfans.net/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=8&daysprune=1000&sortorder=asc&sortfield=title&perpage=25&pagenumber=143
Not so wise takes (make sure these guys are not your financial advisers). #1 #2 Very wise folks. Listen to them often. #1 #2 #3
