The Lebron '20 Thread (Pt. 8)

[MisterHibachi]

Really hoping the Lakers are somehow able to get Jerami Grant or Gallo.

[Heej]

How do you guys see Lebrons 2020 Lakers doing in a hypothetical 4 team tourney between his 4 title teams? Let’s assume playoff form so you bake into the cake any health situations that popped up. I think the mere presence of Anthony Davis would absolutely give them a massive edge against Miami who struggled to defend far lesser skilled bigs with their absence of a true 5 (although Davis isn’t technically a 5) or any bulk inside. A potential matchup with the 16 Cavs would be more interesting in my view. I think the 2020 Lakers would beat either Heat team and Davis would win MVP of the series

Sorry Jules, I think 2013 if I'm allowed to cherry pick the 27 win-streak pre-Wade injury version should smoke this Lakers team. Unfortunately I think Spo was far less seasoned and way more stubborn back then and would refuse to adjust from trapping and letting AD dominate them in the short roll. For a HOF coach I thought 2014 was one of the worst black marks in NBA history with how adamant Spo was in playing an outdated trapping defense that was getting carved up by the Spurs. The main reason the Spurs went 7 with the Mavs is cuz Carlisle killed the Parker-Duncan PNR action by switching. On talent alone I'll have to go with that version of the Heat capitalizing on the Lakers' shaky shooters.

And TBH, I feel like Chris Bosh is one of the better theoretical AD defenders that you could come up with.

[JulesWinnfield]

How do you guys see Lebrons 2020 Lakers doing in a hypothetical 4 team tourney between his 4 title teams? Let’s assume playoff form so you bake into the cake any health situations that popped up. I think the mere presence of Anthony Davis would absolutely give them a massive edge against Miami who struggled to defend far lesser skilled bigs with their absence of a true 5 (although Davis isn’t technically a 5) or any bulk inside. A potential matchup with the 16 Cavs would be more interesting in my view. I think the 2020 Lakers would beat either Heat team and Davis would win MVP of the series

Sorry Jules, I think 2013 if I'm allowed to cherry pick the 27 win-streak pre-Wade injury version should smoke this Lakers team. Unfortunately I think Spo was far less seasoned and way more stubborn back then and would refuse to adjust from trapping and letting AD dominate them in the short roll. For a HOF coach I thought 2014 was one of the worst black marks in NBA history with how adamant Spo was in playing an outdated trapping defense that was getting carved up by the Spurs. The main reason the Spurs went 7 with the Mavs is cuz Carlisle killed the Parker-Duncan PNR action by switching. On talent alone I'll have to go with that version of the Heat capitalizing on the Lakers' shaky shooters.

And TBH, I feel like Chris Bosh is one of the better theoretical AD defenders that you could come up with.

How about the 16 Cavs?

[Heej]

How do you guys see Lebrons 2020 Lakers doing in a hypothetical 4 team tourney between his 4 title teams? Let’s assume playoff form so you bake into the cake any health situations that popped up. I think the mere presence of Anthony Davis would absolutely give them a massive edge against Miami who struggled to defend far lesser skilled bigs with their absence of a true 5 (although Davis isn’t technically a 5) or any bulk inside. A potential matchup with the 16 Cavs would be more interesting in my view. I think the 2020 Lakers would beat either Heat team and Davis would win MVP of the series

Sorry Jules, I think 2013 if I'm allowed to cherry pick the 27 win-streak pre-Wade injury version should smoke this Lakers team. Unfortunately I think Spo was far less seasoned and way more stubborn back then and would refuse to adjust from trapping and letting AD dominate them in the short roll. For a HOF coach I thought 2014 was one of the worst black marks in NBA history with how adamant Spo was in playing an outdated trapping defense that was getting carved up by the Spurs. The main reason the Spurs went 7 with the Mavs is cuz Carlisle killed the Parker-Duncan PNR action by switching. On talent alone I'll have to go with that version of the Heat capitalizing on the Lakers' shaky shooters.

And TBH, I feel like Chris Bosh is one of the better theoretical AD defenders that you could come up with.

How about the 16 Cavs?

Oo interesting I think I'll take the Lakers. Less 1-way liabilities. 2017 Cavs would be a dogfight tho. Even if they were very 1-way, that was the GOAT offensive team imho

[JulesWinnfield]

Sorry Jules, I think 2013 if I'm allowed to cherry pick the 27 win-streak pre-Wade injury version should smoke this Lakers team. Unfortunately I think Spo was far less seasoned and way more stubborn back then and would refuse to adjust from trapping and letting AD dominate them in the short roll. For a HOF coach I thought 2014 was one of the worst black marks in NBA history with how adamant Spo was in playing an outdated trapping defense that was getting carved up by the Spurs. The main reason the Spurs went 7 with the Mavs is cuz Carlisle killed the Parker-Duncan PNR action by switching. On talent alone I'll have to go with that version of the Heat capitalizing on the Lakers' shaky shooters.

And TBH, I feel like Chris Bosh is one of the better theoretical AD defenders that you could come up with.

How about the 16 Cavs?

Oo interesting I think I'll take the Lakers. Less 1-way liabilities. 2017 Cavs would be a dogfight tho. Even if they were very 1-way, that was the GOAT offensive team imho

The Vogel parallels with the Indiana teams who gave Miami fits is worth noting in my opinion. I think he’d have a plan for Miami and this team has even better rim protection.

I think people will probably remember 2013 Miami as Lebrons best team because of the 27 game win streak and the win total but they will always have a complicated legacy to me when you consider their playoff form. Wade was vastly diminished.

[xb3at band1tx]

still hilarious there were people who thought Heat had the personnel to slow down LeBron lol

crowder and iggy are classic Bron Jobbers

[Heej]

still hilarious there were people who thought Heat had the personnel to slow down LeBron lol

crowder and iggy are classic Bron Jobbers

LMFAO whoever coined the phrase 'Lebron Jobber' in this thread legitimately changed my life. Was it you bandit? That s*** cracks me up every single time.

[MyUniBroDavis]

still hilarious there were people who thought Heat had the personnel to slow down LeBron lol

crowder and iggy are classic Bron Jobbers

LMFAO whoever coined the phrase 'Lebron Jobber' in this thread legitimately changed my life. Was it you bandit? That s*** cracks me up every single time.

Its kind of insane bron was doing this to jimmy lol. Jimmy's prolly third on a list of people to guard lebron in the league, and bron actualy hit him with 30-12-8 shooting 60/40/65

[toodles23]

Really hoping the Lakers are somehow able to get Jerami Grant or Gallo.

Gallo's health is way to much of a wildcard to me, I'd much rather have Grant. Gallo has missed significant time every year of his career due to injury.

The problem with Grant to me is his slow release and lack of versatility on his jumper, he's good when he has time and space he's not good shooting over a contest or on the move. He showed a somewhat expanded game in the Lakers series but it's such a small sample that I'm skeptical it's real. Maybe that would matter a lot less when he has Lebron and AD but I think a versatile shooter who can run off screens and has a quick release would unlock another level of offense for this team. Don't know if there's anybody like that who the Lakers can get though.

[Heej]

I remember someone from here posted potential FAs in another thread. I think it was zimpy or nzahir. If you guys could bless us with that copypasta maybe we can talk about it? I doubt Grant is coming here. Denver would be crazy not to give him the $15 mil/yr or whatever he's asking for. I think Wes Matthews might be a good scoop. He was the guy who defended Jimmy best on the Bucks so at least he fills a token 3&D role.

[A_Biased_Fan]

still hilarious there were people who thought Heat had the personnel to slow down LeBron lol

crowder and iggy are classic Bron Jobbers

It's even funnier when the Jordan stans claim the 97 and 98 Utah Jazz had guys to slow Lebron down. It would be illegal in all 50 states what Lebron would do to that defense.

[D.Brasco]

LeBron in the 90s would be like picturing Karl Malone but almost literally splicing him with Magic Johnson and even then there's some additional athleticism that needs to be thrown into that mix.

No idea why people even try to attempt like 80s or 90s defenses would slow him down.

[MisterHibachi]

I remember someone from here posted potential FAs in another thread. I think it was zimpy or nzahir. If you guys could bless us with that copypasta maybe we can talk about it? I doubt Grant is coming here. Denver would be crazy not to give him the $15 mil/yr or whatever he's asking for. I think Wes Matthews might be a good scoop. He was the guy who defended Jimmy best on the Bucks so at least he fills a token 3&D role.

Lakers can offer a $10m MLE. Gallo said he's open to sacrificing money for a shot at a ring, and Grant might be open to something similar if the cap shrinks and he thinks he can make more after a couple of deep runs with the Lakers.

[thebigbird]

I really want LeBron to win 6 rings so we can hear clowns like SAS talk about how Jordan is still better because he never lost in the finals. I’ll never get over the absurdity of using finals losses as a scarlet letter. If that’s the case, then Jimmy Butler just damaged his legacy by making it to the finals.

Sorry, just got done watching a SAS video where he yelled on about how LeBron can’t be the GOAT because he has 6 finals losses. Not even sure they can use the ‘he only made it because he was in the East’ card anymore because he just cakewalked through the West in his first playoff appearance out there. Put him in the West all those years and you put him on a western conference team, with their generally superior team management.

[kayess]

Man, those 48 hours of hysteria after game 5 were something else. Not even gonna lie, I could barely sleep after that game . The thought of Lebron blowing a 3-1 lead kept hitting me like a ton of bricks.

There's something about Lebron that triggers the biggest overreactions. The haters were out in full force and many of us stans were in full doom and gloom mode. In retrospect, all of it was silly.

You know why man. It all circles back to 2011. Well forever have PTSD from it and the haters will always think he's only one meltdown away. No one's come to grips with the fact that he's a completely different person now and that you may as well completely erase that series from the memory books when trying to forecast current Lebron.

Zach Lowe always talks about how Jordan just felt inevitable. Like you never entertained the idea of him losing. LeBron kinda lost that luster for good 10 years ago, but I'm kinda glad because the uncertainty is what makes the victories that much sweeter.

Beyond that, essentially people gravitate toward Jordan because they want to believe in perfection.

Something I appreciate about LeBron's run - doesn't make it "better", just appreciate it - is that everyone has to grapple with the stumbles he had because it happened on the grand stage.

LeBron's perceived "dominance" is what dominance actually is. There are chinks in the armor, because they always are.

When we talk about Jordan's "dominance", we're supposed to talk about Jordan's 60 point game against the Celtics without talking about the fact that his team got swept, we're supposed to talk about the Dream Team without pointing out that everyone on the team was hyper-efficient except for Jordan who was shooting more than he should have because he wanted to be "The Man" while everyone else was there for the team, we're supposed to talk about his baseball years as if he have won the NBA championship had he simply been playing, we're supposed to talk about the Last Dance as if Jordan was going to win titles forever if only Krause wasn't a villain, and we're supposed to pretend Jordan's time in Washington just never happened.

People don't want Jordan's incredible success put into context so we can understand his limitations were and why he was dramatically more successful at sometimes compared to others. They want a hero, and Jordan wants to be that hero, so the spin continues.

None of this means LeBron > Jordan, but the people who side with Jordan because of this false notion of perfection are a real problem. The Jordan narrative literally makes people, including the players who grew up in his shadow, dumber about basketball.

The mantra of literally every fan who believes Bron has a legit GOAT argument. Forget the silliness of ring counting, it's the refusal to apply context both ways that's really appalling.

[therealbig3]

LeBron in the 90s would be like picturing Karl Malone but almost literally splicing him with Magic Johnson and even then there's some additional athleticism that needs to be thrown into that mix.

No idea why people even try to attempt like 80s or 90s defenses would slow him down.

They would hand check the crap out of him, and pummel him whenever he got anywhere close to the rim. LeBron has never done well going up against physical defenses and that's in today's much softer league. Would be forced into a bunch of jump shots, which we all know is not his forte, and he doesn't have a post game to punish smaller defenders.

Defensively he would struggle too because they didn't switch like they do today, he would actually have to guard his matchup, and he tends to coast on defense.

[Fadeaway_J]

I really want LeBron to win 6 rings so we can hear clowns like SAS talk about how Jordan is still better because he never lost in the finals. I’ll never get over the absurdity of using finals losses as a scarlet letter. If that’s the case, then Jimmy Butler just damaged his legacy by making it to the finals.

Sorry, just got done watching a SAS video where he yelled on about how LeBron can’t be the GOAT because he has 6 finals losses. Not even sure they can use the ‘he only made it because he was in the East’ card anymore because he just cakewalked through the West in his first playoff appearance out there. Put him in the West all those years and you put him on a western conference team, with their generally superior team management.

You have only yourself to blame

[kayess]

LeBron in the 90s would be like picturing Karl Malone but almost literally splicing him with Magic Johnson and even then there's some additional athleticism that needs to be thrown into that mix.

No idea why people even try to attempt like 80s or 90s defenses would slow him down.

They would hand check the crap out of him, and pummel him whenever he got anywhere close to the rim. LeBron has never done well going up against physical defenses and that's in today's much softer league. Would be forced into a bunch of jump shots, which we all know is not his forte, and he doesn't have a post game to punish smaller defenders.

Defensively he would struggle too because they didn't switch like they do today, he would actually have to guard his matchup, and he tends to coast on defense.

Wait, you are being sarcastic right?

[MisterHibachi]

LeBron in the 90s would be like picturing Karl Malone but almost literally splicing him with Magic Johnson and even then there's some additional athleticism that needs to be thrown into that mix.

No idea why people even try to attempt like 80s or 90s defenses would slow him down.

They would hand check the crap out of him, and pummel him whenever he got anywhere close to the rim. LeBron has never done well going up against physical defenses and that's in today's much softer league. Would be forced into a bunch of jump shots, which we all know is not his forte, and he doesn't have a post game to punish smaller defenders.

Defensively he would struggle too because they didn't switch like they do today, he would actually have to guard his matchup, and he tends to coast on defense.

Did someone hack your account?

[thebigbird]

I really want LeBron to win 6 rings so we can hear clowns like SAS talk about how Jordan is still better because he never lost in the finals. I’ll never get over the absurdity of using finals losses as a scarlet letter. If that’s the case, then Jimmy Butler just damaged his legacy by making it to the finals.

Sorry, just got done watching a SAS video where he yelled on about how LeBron can’t be the GOAT because he has 6 finals losses. Not even sure they can use the ‘he only made it because he was in the East’ card anymore because he just cakewalked through the West in his first playoff appearance out there. Put him in the West all those years and you put him on a western conference team, with their generally superior team management.

You have only yourself to blame

Haha you’re not wrong