Mutnt wrote:An Unbiased Fan wrote:Nobody has dominated the ball more than Lebron in the modern era, except maybe Prime Nash. This isn't about USG%, it's about how all of Lebron's teams are focused around utilizing HIM, and not the other 4 guys on the court. This leads to huge box scores, but like I always ask, what's the overall impact? Lebron controls the ball way too much, and turns his cast into props. This limits the impact of his teammates, which is why we always hear "he doesn't have enough help"...even when paired with Wade/Bosh.
Again, pulling illogical stuff out of your ass like always UBF. USG% = how much the ball is in your hands = how ball dominant you are on your team. You can try to twist the definition as much as you wish, it ain't gonna help you.
No actually, USG% doens't = how ball dominant you are.
For exmaple.....
2005 Nash = 20.5
2006 Nash = 19.0
2007 Nash = 21.0
Nash was probably more ball-dominant than anyone, and yet had a relatively low USG%.
How LeBron is utilized by Spo and how the other players are positioned around him has absolutely no direct connection with ball dominance. LeBron fills the stat sheet because he's good at every faucet of the game, doesn't matter how he's played or who his teammates are. He's earned his offensive freedom, the ball and the decision making much like every other great player in basketball history. You trying to make it look like LeBron having the ball in his hands a lot (which isn't true, like I've already proven) is a bad thing is bogus.
I called Lebron out for his ball-dominance way back in 2009 on this very forum. YES, he IS good at every facet of the game. But that doesn't mean it's good for his teams for him to control every facet. What a great player is supposed to do, is adapt his game based on how teams play him, AND his cast.
Wade & Bosh always played great with LeBron. Obviously Wade is injured now, you seem to willfully ignore that as being important. Other than that, the key word you're looking for is 'sacrifice'. When you pair 3 great players together there's gonna be a drop in production... there's only one ball, it's just a matter of who will sacrifice the most (in Miami's case, Bosh & Wade are inferior to LeBron, so LeBron get's to be the alpha dog).
Wade had to sacrifice a bit of his game to let Lebron be Lebron. Bosh is a glorified roleplayer at this point. I don't think either has been particularly great by their standards since teaming up with Lebron. The point of the big 3, was to have all 3 playing at an optimal level.
No, you don't get it. LeBron is less involved in the offense than in their championship year. In fact, for being clearly the best player in the league, he's UNDER-UTILIZED. Who do you think should be utilized more? Cole? Chalmers? Allen? Battier? A one-legged Wade? They are all horrible, but yet, still get a lot of playing time and butcher everything LeBron does well. You can maybe make a case for Bosh, but not at LeBron's expense, that's for sure.
How much more utilizing of Lebron can Miami do? And I love how you ask who they should utilized more, when i have said that repeatedly.....BOSH. Work and inside-outside game between Lebron/Bosh. This would make things easier for the whole team, it would keep bosh closer to the rim, and it would put pressure on Indy's bigs.
Using Bosh the right way would help Lebron, just like using Pau correctly helped Kobe's game.
The guys around him ARE one-dimensional... It doesn't get more one-dimensional than Allen, Battier, Chalmers, Cole, Haslem, Joel Anthony, Mike Miller etc. Bosh can drive a bit, but against Hibbert he has no chance other than to spam jumpers or wait for a good entry pass (by LeBron of course). Wade is also pretty one-dimensional in his current state. He can't shoot and can't drive effectively with that bum knee, which was pretty evident when he butchered countless scoring opportunities last game (or quite frankly, the whole playoffs)...
But Wade/Bosh certainly aren't one-dimensional. Miami has shooters because of Lebron, just like Cleveland did. that whole team is built around LBJ. For a guy being are calling the GOAT, I expect this cast to be enough. it's not like he's facing some hard road to a title. Indy is a good, not great team.
In conclusion, you have a very flawed way of analyzing things and assign fault to LeBron in areas that make no sense. Wade stinks and has a bum knee, IT'S LEBRON'S FAULT, Bosh is just taking jumpers, IT'S LEBRON'S FAULT, everyone is missing wide open threes, IT'S LEBRON'S FAULT, Hibbert and West are feasting on Miami's interior, IT'S LEBRON'S FAULT!
If LeBron doesn't play for Miami, or has a less prominent role within the team, Miami would've had 0 rings by now in the Big Three era and would never reached an NBA Finals, simple as that.
Hmm, I think Wade/Bosh with Lebron's salary could have made a few runs. And I'm not blaming Lebron for Wade's knee, but I am blaming him for turning Bosh into a jumpshooter.
Basketball is 5 on 5, not 1 on 5. HOW a star utilizing the players around him, it very critical to a team's success. Lebron is GOAT level at "getting his", but not so much at elevating those around him. So yeh, that's a problem for the Heat, and his overall legacy if he doesn't win it all this year.
But seriously, do you have any idea what function a coach serves in basketball? It seems to me you just think the players roam freely doing whatever the wish on the basketball court.
