Lebron James vs. Charles Barkley

Joseph17 · Post #1 » by **Joseph17** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:37 am

Who is better prime Charles or Lebron now?

Jemini80 · Post #2 » by **Jemini80** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:41 am

this is another one of these questions that will expose 14 year olds from people who actually got to watch Sir Charles the 2nd greatest PF of all-time.

farzi · Post #3 » by **farzi** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:42 am

I think they're both overrated, and they play different positions, but I'll take LeBron

big123 · Post #4 » by **big123** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:22 am

A whole prime of Charles vs Lebron just right now. Charles

Teddy KGB · Post #5 » by **Teddy KGB** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:57 pm

I'll take LeBron in a close one, prime Charles was amazing.

But then again I think that LBJ will go down as the greatest of all time

nyu3 · Post #6 » by **nyu3** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 1:08 pm

Really close. I'll give a slight edge to prime Barkley for higher efficiency and great rebounding, but Lebron can probably surpass Barkley in a few seasons.

TheKingOfVa360 · Post #7 » by **TheKingOfVa360** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:41 pm

Charles

Alyosha12 · Post #8 » by **Alyosha12** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:56 pm

This all time greats vs. current greats comparisons are so stupid.

Why would you compare them. For all we know, LeBron God forbid can fall into an injury slump like G.Hill and all he will be is could have been GOAT.

So all these comparisons are waaay to early. Wait till his career comes to an end and then compare FFS.

As of now there is still no comparison,

big123 wrote:A whole prime of Charles vs Lebron just right now. Charles

+1

hermes · Post #9 » by **hermes** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:47 pm

charles

Post #10 » by **penbeast0** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:17 pm

I'm a bit older and watched Sir Charles play. Heck, I was an older fart then having started watching basketball around 69-70.

That said, I'd take prime LeBron over prime Charles fairly easily. On Barkley's side of the scale, he was one of the most efficient inside scorers ever. His rebounding rate is also higher, even relative to other 4's while comparing LeBron to other 3's.

However, LeBron is the superior volume scorer, the superior passer, and much the superior defender. And, possibly the biggest gap, LeBron is a team leader by example who works hard in practice and sets a good example; Charles was a lazy practice player who cared more about late nights and partying and prioritized that over winning.

He also had a real tendency to shoot off his mouth and blame teammates, the same things that make him the most entertaining commentator I've ever enjoyed (looking forward to Shaq doing broadcasts but he will have a tough time keeping up with Chuckles). Off the floor, Barkley is the greatest until dethroned. On the floor, he clearly ranks behind Duncan, Malone, Pettit, and Garnett, and is fighting for the 5th best PF of all time ranking with a number of other players depending on what kind of team you are building.

a-rod · Post #11 » by **a-rod** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:38 pm

The Round Mound of Rebound, i don't like selfish players, but Charles was something special.

BirdIsDaKing · Post #12 » by **BirdIsDaKing** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:19 pm

penbeast0 wrote:I'm a bit older and watched Sir Charles play. Heck, I was an older fart then having started watching basketball around 69-70.

That said, I'd take prime LeBron over prime Charles fairly easily. On Barkley's side of the scale, he was one of the most efficient inside scorers ever. His rebounding rate is also higher, even relative to other 4's while comparing LeBron to other 3's.

However, LeBron is the superior volume scorer, the superior passer, and much the superior defender. And, possibly the biggest gap, LeBron is a team leader by example who works hard in practice and sets a good example; Charles was a lazy practice player who cared more about late nights and partying and prioritized that over winning.

He also had a real tendency to shoot off his mouth and blame teammates, the same things that make him the most entertaining commentator I've ever enjoyed (looking forward to Shaq doing broadcasts but he will have a tough time keeping up with Chuckles). Off the floor, Barkley is the greatest until dethroned. On the floor, he clearly ranks behind Duncan, Malone, Pettit, and Garnett, and is fighting for the 5th best PF of all time ranking with a number of other players depending on what kind of team you are building.

lol "prime" lebron

Harmless · Post #13 » by **Harmless** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 2:18 pm

Until Lebron is 35 years old and shows what he has accomplished, Barkley please.

Not to say that LBJ is not better than Barkley, for sure he has the potential to be, but it's a bit premature to choose LBJ because he still has plenty of years ahead...

Post #14 » by **Luv those Knicks** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:14 pm

I think, when doing this comparison, you have to take Prime vs. Prime, not Career vs. Career

and Prime vs. Prime it's a fair question.

I think Penbeast answered it best. Barkely was great. There was a time when he was playing where he was regarded as the best PF in the game (not of all time), but Barkely Prime was considered by Many to be better than Karl Malone. Barkely didn't have a John Stockton feeding him assists, and Barkely wasn't a great defender (he was OK), and the game, at the time was much more physical than today's game. Barkely once said after a Knicks game, I scored (so and so many) pts, but that was with Charles Oakley hanging onto me around me all game. It would be interesting to see how Bron would do in the more physical game that Barkely played in.

Still, when you look at passing, and Bron's ability to score inside and outside, and Bron is taller than Charles (yeah, it's SF vs. PF) so it's hard to say.

But in Charles day, he was considered at times the best PF, at times, behind Malone.

In Bron's day - today, he's not only considered the best SF, but the best player by many.

Bron also seems to carry a team better than Charles - who forced his way out of Philly (and who knows, bron may yet do that to Cleveland, but so far, he's been a model citizen, outside of the Yankee cap incident - that was tacky).

So, my vote goes to Bron. (Prime vs. Prime) - Sorry Charley.

but I had to think about it.