Is Lebron the greatest player in the league?

cfan79 · Post #1 » by **cfan79** » Mon May 5, 2008 3:45 pm

Yes, I think he is, he's got the total package. But I think this series will play out like the 86 C's/Bulls series. Cavs have the best player, but we have a better team.

dwestside · Post #2 » by **dwestside** » Mon May 5, 2008 3:55 pm

I think so. Complete game, 6'9'', built like a tank, pretty good attitude, and most importantly, he seems to make the right decision on when to distribute, and when to force the issue. Give him another decent player to play with, and a good coaching staff and that team would be unstoppable.

bruno sundov · Post #3 » by **bruno sundov** » Mon May 5, 2008 4:03 pm

I think so!

bruno sundov · Post #4 » by **bruno sundov** » Mon May 5, 2008 4:06 pm

Guy has the body of Antoine Jamison, the hands of CP3, and a steady jumper to go with it. He is amazing.

sam_I_am · Post #5 » by **sam_I_am** » Mon May 5, 2008 4:12 pm

I voted no because I think Kobe is better. Is Chris Paul better? Maybe. Is Dwight Howard? I don't think so.

Relative Autonomy · Post #6 » by **Relative Autonomy** » Mon May 5, 2008 4:12 pm

he's real good that's for sure. i think he's like a super athletic magic johnson. right now he's the best or most talented player in the league.

i think greatest is a odd word choice here. That's something that's reserved more a completed thing not an something that's on going. Lebron maybe the greatest one day but for right now people say that's MJ. Either way, the conservative thing to say is that he is as good as anyone in the league, if not better. Time will tell if he's great, the greatest or whatever else.

Athanacropolis · Post #7 » by **Athanacropolis** » Mon May 5, 2008 4:19 pm

I voted no, only because I think Kobe is a more complete player on the defensive end. To me, LeBron is a VERY close second current best player in the league behind Mr. Bryant.

Scalamental · Post #8 » by **Scalamental** » Mon May 5, 2008 4:24 pm

bruno sundov wrote:Guy has the body of Antoine Jamison, the hands of CP3, and a steady jumper to go with it. He is amazing.

The guy has the body of Ben Wallace/Leon Powe. Lebron is too good. God forbid that he and Phil Jackson ever find themselves in New York.

MyInsatiableOne · Post #9 » by **MyInsatiableOne** » Mon May 5, 2008 4:27 pm

No to LeBron. Bad free throw shooter (for a star), not a good defender, weak outside shooter. Those are the only flaws in his game, but Kobe is better in all three of those categories and is the same multi-faceted offensive threat as LBJ.

GuyClinch · Post #10 » by **GuyClinch** » Mon May 5, 2008 4:31 pm

Kobe is better. So no..

Pete

Taget · Post #11 » by **Taget** » Mon May 5, 2008 4:41 pm

I'll go with Lebron. Though he is kinda in a situation like Kevin was in Minnesota. He can do so much that he almost has to consciously pull back just to get the rest of his team involved.

He's cordially invited to play for the Celtics any time he wants.

spf211 · Post #12 » by **spf211** » Mon May 5, 2008 4:52 pm

I agree -- I place both Chris Paul and Kobe ahead of LeBron, at least this year.

GreenGrizz · Post #13 » by **GreenGrizz** » Mon May 5, 2008 4:52 pm

He is juiced

dwestside · Post #14 » by **dwestside** » Mon May 5, 2008 4:53 pm

MyInsatiableOne wrote:No to LeBron. Bad free throw shooter (for a star), not a good defender, weak outside shooter. Those are the only flaws in his game, but Kobe is better in all three of those categories and is the same multi-faceted offensive threat as LBJ.

These are good points ... I think LeBron has actually proven himself a good defender, though not as good as Kobe. His outside game is pretty good too, but again not as good as Kobe. Man it's a tough decision. I'd still take LeBron ultimately because of his attitude.

jfs1000d · Post #15 » by **jfs1000d** » Mon May 5, 2008 5:01 pm

Kobe 1,LBJ 2, probably everyone else third.

MalReyn · Post #16 » by **MalReyn** » Mon May 5, 2008 5:05 pm

Kobe has a more diverse offensive repertoire, but Lebron still exceeds him in several areas, namely passing and rebounding.

Lebron also is bigger, and has more potential in the post offensively and defensively. Heck, he could easily play PF (and be an All-Star) if that's what he wanted to do.

Datruth345 · Post #17 » by **Datruth345** » Mon May 5, 2008 5:13 pm

yes, definitivley

The Rondo Show · Post #18 » by **The Rondo Show** » Mon May 5, 2008 5:23 pm

I say yes. I think he has a bigger impact and does a better job of making his teammates better than Kobe does.

Do you think Kobe could've gotten by Detroit w/that supporting cast LeBron had? I don't. He missed the playoffs with a similar supporting cast (Odom, Butler vs. Big Z + Gooden--Odom and Butler were a little better but Cleveland had better role players by a bit) in '04/'05. This is the first time he's been out of the 1st round w/o Shaq I believe, and he's got another All-Star big man (and a damn good player in Odom with great role players) instead.

You could argue Delonte West is Cleveland's 3rd best player. Think about that for a minute. It's West, Varejao, Wally, Boobie Gibson, Ben Wallace and Joe Smith in contention to be Cleveland's 3rd best player. Big Z isn't exactly a very good #2 star either, he's ideally the 3rd or 4th best player on your team.

Their supporting cast is downright awful yet LeBron is so good he has already beaten Detroit to get to the finals, he's got 2 50 win seasons under his belt and he has me at least a little worried that a supporting group that consists of West/Varejao/Wally/Boobie/"Big" Ben/Joe Smith is going to beat the Celtics simply due to him. LeBron is just unbelievable and I can't see Kobe doing as much with as little as LeBron does/did/might do.

Gomes3PC · Post #19 » by **Gomes3PC** » Mon May 5, 2008 5:36 pm

bruno sundov wrote:Guy has the body of Antoine Jamison, the hands of CP3, and a steady jumper to go with it. He is amazing.

Steady jumper? Are you kidding? He is a terrible outside shooter, someone with range but is incredibly streaky and will put up numerous bricks but then dance around when he finally nails a 3.

He also plays no real defense other than an occasional block or pickpocket. Until he does that, Kobe is #1. Like Shaq, Lebron is a dominant force because he's a physical freak and has amazing vision. However, until he wins a championship and/or starts playing some real defense I hand my vote to Kobe, with CP3 closer to Lebron than Lebron to Black Mamba.

Gomes3PC · Post #20 » by **Gomes3PC** » Mon May 5, 2008 5:39 pm

For the record, Lebron had an eFG of 39% on jumpshots this year according to 82games.com.

For comparison's sake, Dirk Nowitzki's eFG was 49.7% on jumpers, and Bryant's was 45.7%.

Lebron is a volume shooter. He is a force of nature going to the rim, but I'll let him shoot jumpers all day. You hope and pray he falls in love with the 18-22 footers. That's the easiest path to victory vs. the Cavs.