klvanzu wrote:kylio27 wrote:I am not saying it doesn't matter at all, I am just saying it is overrated. Team legacies should be what is remembered.
And I agree, individual awards do not matter to myself, and they shouldn't for anyone.
I usually "compare" players based off style and play, rather than just hardware. Lebron is not similar to MJ AT ALL, he is more similar to an oscar robertson
It may be overrated to you, but to most people it's not at all. What teams do people want to see win championships? The ultimate "team" such as the 2004 Pistons, or a team lead by an all time great player such as the Bulls? My point is that a teams' legacy can be directly related to the individual legacies that make up the team. This may still not make a difference in your eyes, but it certainly does in most.
To me, the individual legacy is more appealing and valuable than the team, because the individual is the one that has to look in the mirror at night and reflect on who they are, and how much they loved the game and wanted to win. MJ can look in the mirror and say, all the hard work that
he, the
individual, put in paid off because at the end of the day he overcame so many obstacles in his NBA career and still won multiple championships. He challenged himself at the highest level, and won. The Bulls legacy of the 90s rests heavily on his shoulders, and that's primarily what we remember. LeBron on the other hand will look in the mirror and say that he wanted to win, on a great team, while becoming one of the greats of all time. However, there's no way that he can convince himself that it was the ultimate challenge, or that he overcame any obstacles at all, because up to this point in career he hasn't.
I also see where you are coming from. I like anyone, loves to look into the individual accolades and legendary persona that has been given to these players, such as MJ, KOBE, or even MAGIC. Although I think people put too much emphasis on individual success today than they should. I just don't think an individual "legacy" should define the success of a player's career.
If Lebron goes on to win 3 or 4 titles with the heat or some other team, he will have a legacy, one which involved a team. Comparisons to other players that were "the guy" like MJ, just seems childish to me.
I get what you are saying, but you have to admit...people are overplaying this whole "Lebron's legacy is tarnished, cuz he is not the guy", it is just silly, is it not?