Would a different superstar lead CAVS to a better record?

[Joseph17]

I don't think so. Even though I think Kobe is still better than Lebron, I don't think that he could have led the Cavs to a better record.

[AgEnT50]

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70+ wins easily.

Kobe - 12x All-Star
B. Wallace - 4x All-Star, 4x DPOY
Illgauskas - 2x All-Star
Wally's World - 1x All-Star

This, and also a bench of Gibson, Smith, Varejao, playing in maybe the weakest Eastern Conference ever... Monster, monster, monster.

They'd be decent, but not that good

[ubernathan]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Iverson could do it.

IVERSON
Delonte West (Can guard either guard spot and hit 3s)
Wally
Ben Wallace (Can grab rebounds in theory, and doesn't need the ball)
Big Z

This would be the perfect Iverson team. Delonte and Wally would hit 3 pointers all day. Gibson and Damon Jones would provide even more threes off the bench. Wallace, Varejao, and Big Z would all be able to block shots and rebound, and none of them really need the ball to be decent. Iverson would be free to shoot all he wanted, and his defensive deficiencies would be masked by the shotblockers.

[Serpo]

That team wouldn't work with Iverson and Wally playing no defense ...

[TheOUTLAW]

I love how people are ignoring the injuries the hold outs etc with this team. LeBron is doing a fine job considering and I doubt that anyone could do better but some might do about the same with him.

[TheOUTLAW]

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Aforementioned Larry hughes...
-Turned Big Z into a banging center...when he's a finesse player from the high post...but Lebron has the ball too much, and therefore, all big Z does is get offensive boards tbh.
-Gooden...a highly skilled low post scorer. Nowhere near the ball he should be getting.

This is just wrong. SUre Hughes was taking jump shots but that was Hughes fault. He could have driven (as he did towards the end of his tenure with the Cavs. He took the open jump shot because he was open not because he could make them). Z is a good outside shooter and that has been utilized properly in the Cavs offense. He's no where near a banger but he's always been a very good offensive rebounder. You just can't teach 7'3". Gooden on the other hand was never going to be utilized to his strength. That's just the Cavs. Even with Boozer they were never going to go inside to the PF as much as they should have. That's a scheme thing and has nothing to do with LeBron other than to say that if you are open he'll get you the ball.

[Pancho_Pantera]

I doubt Kobe could do it. First of all, Kobe's leadership is one of his weakest points. Secondly, he doesn't pass or rebound as good as Lebron. He can definitely provide a lot of points for the team. We have seen how much he can scores when he decides to jack up at will. But scoring doesn't necessarily mean success. We've seen where his team haa gone when he tries to score 40 each night. You can't plug in a big man like Duncan or KG because that team is built around a swingman. A guy like McGrady or Billups may be able to.

[conleyorbust]

No, without getting into a Kobe/Bron debate - Kobe is a superior off the ball player but Lebron's ability to be the only ball handler on his team suits him more than Kobe just because Kobe's size doesn't allow him to go to the rack every time like Bron.

... and Kobe leading a team that had Smush Parker on it to 42 wins if fine but the question was could he make THIS team THIS good and the answer, in my opinion, is no because it doesn't suit his strengths like it does Lebron's.[/i]

[Andrew Bynasty]

If Kobe could lead Smush, Walton, Kwame and Cook to 45 wins in the West, than why couldnt he lead LeBron's team to 50 wins in the East? That makes no sense. The team that LeBron has around him right now is infinitly better than the team that Kobe had the past 2 years.

[HouMac]

No, without getting into a Kobe/Bron debate - Kobe is a superior off the ball player but Lebron's ability to be the only ball handler on his team suits him more than Kobe just because Kobe's size doesn't allow him to go to the rack every time like Bron.

... and Kobe leading a team that had Smush Parker on it to 42 wins if fine but the question was could he make THIS team THIS good and the answer, in my opinion, is no because it doesn't suit his strengths like it does Lebron's.[/i]

Great points. Under a coach like Mike Brown who's quite clueless offensively and a supporting cast like LeBron's where Kobe would be the only playmaker...I just don't see how he'd be able to duplicate what LeBron's doing. Think of the last time Kobe was in a situation like LeBron's -> unimaginitive coach who gave him the ball and told him to sorta do-it-all on offense. Kobe was a mess. Putting up 28/6/6 on 40% shooting and nearly 5 turnovers a game. LA failed to make the playoffs despite having significantly more talent that season than they did in 05-06. Kobe needs a structured offense where he can maneuver from the high post and where he doesn't have to be the primary play maker for others too. Those aren't his strengths. I also believe he's regressed a bit compared to what he was a couple of years ago.

I think most people agree with me. The poll is certainly going LeBron's way.

[TheOUTLAW]

to be honest I seriously doubt that Kobe could take the pounding the LeBron takes on a nightly basis. If you watched the game last night it was clear that Washington wanted to try to punish LeBron all game long. That's really 2 nights in a row a team has come out with that view.

[conleyorbust]

to be honest I seriously doubt that Kobe could take the pounding the LeBron takes on a nightly basis. If you watched the game last night it was clear that Washington wanted to try to punish LeBron all game long. That's really 2 nights in a row a team has come out with that view.

Thats the point I was trying to make. Kobe doesn't take it to the hoop nearly as often as Lebron, and especially not with so many defenders hanging off of him. Kobe's quickness, strength, and leaping ability are definitely as a super elite level but he's not built like Lebron.

Kobe wouldn't be as good as Lebron in Cleveland just like Lebron probably wouldn't be able to fill Kobe's role as well because the Lakers have other guys that can create.

[Tesla]

No, Lebron is the best fit for Cleveland.

Just as other superstars are better fits for their teams than Lebron would be.

[CB4MiamiHeat]

nope..Lebron is getting the most out of that team. I dont think anyone would have the Cavs winning 56% of their games with all the 4th quarter heroics by Lebron and the injuries theyve had.

Kobe looked injured at the beginning of the seasons, those games where he struggled shooting and the Lakers won regardless..i dont think hed get away with that in Cleveland...

Paul would be reiled on to score 25+..he wouldnt have the luxury of being a set up man for most of the game like in NO.

Kobe and Paul would be the closest though..probably have that team at .500

[Icefire10304]

It seems like people don't watch the Cavs. This team is really painful to watch sometimes because no one can create (except LeBron) and they don't have a big man that can score down low since Z has been out now so they're basically a perimeter team unless Bron decides to take it to the hoop. I'll say that Kobe can't do what LeBron is doing now because his skill level isn't as good as LeBron's in terms of passing ability and involving teammates. We all saw what he did in LA when Rudy was the coach and he wasn't successful at it.

[Scalabrine]

The only players that I would consider a superstar in this league are:
LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Chris Paul
Carmello Anthony (im gonna get hammered for that but Iverson is holding him back)

I think LeBron doesnt make his teammates better but he is just so good and can lead that team to a good record. By the way that team is built I dont think there is any player that could lead the team to a better record.

[big123]

Carmello Anthony (im gonna get hammered for that but Iverson is holding him back)

Like holding Melo and the team back to under a 44-38 record before AI got there?

[Harmless]

No because the Cavs are built around the SF position. You can't fit Kobe, Duncan, or Paul in there and expect them to have the same type of success.

[Jemini80]

Duncan would lead them to a better record. Kobe would be a horizontal or slight step forward at best.

C- Duncan
PF- Ben Wallace
SF- Wally
SG- Boobie
PG- Delonte

have Big Z and Joe Smith coming off the bench playing about 25 mins a night. They instantly would become the best defensive team by far in the league with that interior rotation, and could even go with a large lineup with wallace at the 3. Plus you could trade Side Show bob for a vet point guard. As much as Lebron is carrying role players, Duncan take role players and makes them into good players just by stepping onto the court. I acknowledge the fact that Mike Brown isn't even worthy of eating one of Pop's farts, but no coach could screw up a team with Duncan anchoring the post, Wally and Boobie shooting lights out and a great rotation of bigs for the PF position.

[BrooklynBulls]

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Aforementioned Larry hughes...
-Turned Big Z into a banging center...when he's a finesse player from the high post...but Lebron has the ball too much, and therefore, all big Z does is get offensive boards tbh.
-Gooden...a highly skilled low post scorer. Nowhere near the ball he should be getting.

So the first and third are no longer an issue...

And as for the 2nd, I'm pretty sure you should watch more Cleveland games. Z gets offensive boards because he's quite good at getting offensive boards. But Z operates in the high post as much or more than he does down low. They use his sweet jumper off the pick and roll to start basically every game.

I'll address Gooden and Hughes, just for arguments sake. Hughes is plainly a mediocre player, and in Cleveland's OFFENSE, NOT LeBron's decision, he had no place. The offense was made to spread the floor from the wings, and Larry just could not do that. It was an awful signing to be honest. Its not LeBron's fault Larry did not fit the identity of the team.

As for Gooden, how can you proclaim that he's a good post scorer? He certainly wasn't with his first team. As with Cleveland, he rarely ever played in the post, how could you tell if he was a good post scorer? And as for his most recent stint with the Bulls, he's been...meh. "Excellent" post scorer, he is not.

You usually have better stuff to say than this.