If you had to build your team around one of two players . .

[doctor fite]

love em both... but bron hands down.

[Spot31]

Dwight. I'll take defense over offense anytime.

[Deeeez Knicks]

good question - easy answer.

Lebron

the game has changed and versatile wings are more important than centers even

besides, lebron makes everyone better. Howard hasnt done that yet.

Howard makes his teamates better too just by the fact that teams have to double and pay so much attention to him. He opens up the floor for everyone. That's why a guy like Turkoglu is having a career year. He's just capitalizing on the open space and shots he's getting.

8 of the last 9 championship teams were built around dominant big men so I think dominant big men are still more important. Its just a lot easier to find the right types of players to surround your big man with rather then if your building around a swingman.

[JohnStarksTheDunk]

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8 of the last 9 championship teams were built around dominant big men so I think dominant big men are still more important. Its just a lot easier to find the right types of players to surround your big man with rather then if your building around a swingman.

Exactly. I personally think LeBron > Dwight. However, if trying to build a championship team, I'd rather start with Dwight.

As others have pointed out, bigmen need a solid (not necessarily all-star) PG to get them the ball. Jameer Nelson seems to be doing a pretty good job, and I don't think it's really too hard to find a PG of his calibre. This is no knock on Nelson, or any of the Orlando guards. It's just easier to find a solid PG and a couple of 2nd or 3rd tier wing players like Lewis or Turk, than it is to find a bigman who can score and defend in the low-post, which is what LeBron might need (unless they can find him a Pippen -- easier said than done). No superstar wing, other than MJ, has led a team to the title in recent history without a bigman who can score and defend in the post.

[UDRIH14]

lebron took a scrub team to the finals

come back when d12 gets pass the first round.

[O Poutsokleftis]

King James....

I was actually speaking about this with one of my friends. We were discussing one player to build a franchise around.

I thought the perfect team would be:

PG: Billups
SG: Mike Miller
SF: Lebron James
PF: David Lee
C: Chris Kaman

[Knick 4ever]

Would you choose Lebron James or Dwight Howard? I was discussing this with a friend, and was curious what the general consensus might be.

Easy answer: Lebron. Why? because Lebron makes everyone else around him better. He can create for others.

[Deeeez Knicks]

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Exactly. I personally think LeBron > Dwight. However, if trying to build a championship team, I'd rather start with Dwight.

As others have pointed out, bigmen need a solid (not necessarily all-star) PG to get them the ball. Jameer Nelson seems to be doing a pretty good job, and I don't think it's really too hard to find a PG of his calibre. This is no knock on Nelson, or any of the Orlando guards. It's just easier to find a solid PG and a couple of 2nd or 3rd tier wing players like Lewis or Turk, than it is to find a bigman who can score and defend in the low-post, which is what LeBron might need (unless they can find him a Pippen -- easier said than done). No superstar wing, other than MJ, has led a team to the title in recent history without a bigman who can score and defend in the post.

Yeah, I agree with everything you said.

It kinda reminds me of the Shaq vs Kobe debates a few years ago if you take away the age difference. And we saw that Shaq was able to have a lot more success then Kobe even in his twighlight. Its just so much easier to build around someone like Shaq and have success. I mean Kobe had some quality wing players in Odom and Butler. But it was harder for them to mesh. Like you said, there are a lot more quality wing players then big men so it

[TKF]

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I agree that Howard has the better supporting cast. But is it THAT much better? Beyond Lewis, Orlando's next best player is that scrub (according to TKF) Turkoglu. Are Lewis, Turk, Nelson, Bogans, and Arroyo really that good? Compared to Zydrunas, Hughes, Gooden, Gibson, Pavlovic? No doubt, having a better #2 man helps a ton. I just think it's easier to build a true winner around a dominant bigman.

Starting from scratch, I'd take Howard over LeBron.

why quote me? do you believe that turk is a scrub? if not then why is it relevant to your post? anyway, Lewis is in his prime, the magic have a better bench, and their scrubs turk is better than lebron scrubs.. gooden is good, but that is about it, Hughes is often injured and not the same player. I would take lebron because he is a rare player, I would always go big over small, but lebron plays big, does so many things and he can have the ball in his hand everytime down because he could run point forward if he had to.... Lebron also led that group to the finals... I take lebron...

[TKF]

Lebron James. Just compare what he did with a mediocre cast last year to what Dwight did with a mediocre cast last year. Dwight... swept in 4 games by the Pistons. Lebron... beat the Pistons singlehandedly in 7 games in the ECF.

Basically, I value a player of Lebron's talent more, even though Dwight is a great big man. Lebron has everything you'd ask for out of a wing... unselfish, makes his teammates better, a great scorer, a great defender...

exactly and I love Dwight, but lebron is not an ordinary wing, his size and strength is almost unmatched in this league, so physically he is a mismatch for just about anyone, almost like a 6'8 Howard, except lebron has a lot of real basketball skills. He makes his teamates better and he just controls the game from almost every aspect....

[TKF]

I think the rule is to take a dominant big over a dominant small, but there are exceptions and those exceptions are for elite talents.. Dwight is physically gifted but not gifted skillwise in basketball. In otherwords, take lebrons and Howards physical attributes away and lebron still is the better "basketball player" BY FAR.. now add the fact that lebron is as gifted physically as Howard and I take lebron,but this along with jordan and kobe are probably the only times I take a small over a big, unless we are talking shaq and Duncan here. And even Then I take jordan over any big... And lebron is on the cusp, and has an opportunity to put himself in like company. He does so many things well, that I don't think you need a great big to play with him... Dwight is going to need an allstar win in order to win... I think that is the difference...

[jakoub]

lebron by far. He has that look in his eye that only a few players have in the league. The look that puts fear into other teams when they face them. Him dwane and kobe are the only players that can carry a team into the playoffs

[krustytheclown]

lebron