Is LJ much better than SF3? Compare their first year numbers, I don't see that! Yeah, now everyone is praising him, after a couple of years, if they don't make playoff, his fans won't treat him any better than we do over SF3. LJ YEAR TEAM G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG 03-04 CLE 54 54 39.8 .410 .282 .768 1.30 4.40 5.70 5.7 1.46 .74 3.56 1.90 20.6 SF3 YEAR TEAM G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG 99-00 HOU 77 77 36.1 .445 .345 .786 2.00 3.30 5.30 6.6 1.53 .38 3.97 3.00 18.0
Even though James and Francis may end up with 6 asists each after a game, what Lebron has will not be seen in stats. He has the talent to pass and see things that many do not... he is not as talented in say, Mark Jackson or Jason Kidd in that category but he is up there. He makes the right pass at the right time. Stevie, for as talented as he is in other areas, simply does not have that gift. Stuart
As far as the numbers between rookie LJ and rookie SF. Take this into account. LJ is a 19 year old rookie. SF was a 22 year old rookie. LJ came from H.S.! Francis came from Junior college and then one year at University of Maryland. So the numbers don't really compare. Not if you compare whose actually doing it. Also, some people can only use stats to measure a player. But you also have to watch them on the court where you can observe their tendencies to do other things. The intangibles that can't be measured: court vision, shot form, easy setup for teammates, attitude, work ethic, defensive minded, maturity... Plus, just look at the guy. He a BIG 2! 6'8", 240lbs! And is very strong for his age. He's got all the physical tools like long arms, large hands, long legs, and great leg strength. Again, all at the age of 19. So, when you add it all up...LJ just has a lot more "gifts" than Francis. He has some, but not enough to trump LJ.
LBJ is special. At 19, he already sees the floor like a veteran. While SF still struggles to make plays.
LJ23 is better than SF3 now. I say "NOW" and much better in the future. Their difference is not from the flair, energy. LJ23 is not selfish in the court, his ability of understanding the match is far better than SF3. Flair and number LJ23 = SF3 ; Leadership LJ23 >> SF3
If you ask me which one I am going to pick, I will probably still pick Steve. I like his passion, though sometimes I hate his stubbornness. I do think LB is slightly better, and probably have a greater future because of his age, but judging from the numbers, I don't see why he is considered better at the present. SF shoots better in his first season, had more assists, had slightly less rebs, but more on the offensive end (He is much shorter than LB) Take a look at LB's rankings in the league, in what aspects he has a lead within top 10. Ranks #7 in the NBA in Minutes Per Game(39.8) Ranks #5 in the NBA in Field Goal Attempts(1033.0) Ranks #3 in the NBA in Total Turnovers(192.0) Ranks #4 in the NBA in Turnovers Per Game(3.56) Ranks #8 in the NBA in Turnovers Per 48 Minutes(4.28) Well, you can say Steve is about the same now, but at least SF is not leading in Field Goal Attempts, AND this year is his worst year. Everyone says LB is going to be next Jordan. But how many "Jordan"s have been there since Jordan retired? KB? TMac? AI? VC? Grant Hill? KB won a ring, but that is because of Shaq & more importantly, Phil Jackson. (Without Phil Jackson, who knows, maybe even Jordan would be just another AI or TMac?) Everyone says LB is as good a passer as Magic, but why his assists is even less than SF's first year? Considering the progress KG, KB (both high schoolers) made since his first year, you might assume LB will have much much higher numbers in next year. But, KG or KB never played that much minutes in their rookie years, and LB looks older than JJ. I know he will grow, but how much more? As much as I like LB's dunks, I hope SF can grow smarter and win a ring with Yao.
agree agree agree!!! The fact that he's in the top ten of field goal attemps really says something!!!
Dwayne Wade looks like he could end up better than SF3... and he isn't even mentioned in the same breath as James or 'mellow
damn steve is special. just looking at those rookie stats, compared with lbj and we see how great steve was/could still build upon. steve played 1 year of higschool ball. lbj played on the 2nd ranked school in the country, because of him and his other potential div 1 team mates. spent a couple years in juco leagues against marginal highschool talent, then went to maryland for 1 year and propelled himself upward all the way to the 2nd player taken in a good draft class.
It's way too early to judge Lebron. Some players just reaches peak earlier than others. I'm not saying LJ has reached his peak yet, but there is a possibility that he may not improve that much in the future like so many people think. Just look at Francis and Griffin, nothing is a given. Steve is having his worst season after 4 years, including his rookie year. Eddie Griffin came in at 19 and everybody thought he'd be dominant by now. You all know what happened. Besides experience,Lebron's biggest weakness right now is his defense and his shooting. Let's take a look: Defense: I assume he'll improve, by how much? that depends on how hard he works on it. Shooting: It's very hard for a player to improve his shooting percentage through out his career. I haven't seen any super star player improve his career shooting percentage over rookie season percentage by more than 5 percent yet. Even free throw shooting is not that easy to improve, just look at Shaq and Duncan. Kobe is one of the hardest worker in the league, he improved his shooting by about 4 percent in his career. Considering that Kobe didn't have a NBA ready body when he came to the league, I'd say it's even harder for Lebron to improve his shooting. So my feeling is Lebron would be very lucky if he'll end up with a career 45% shooting percentage. Considering the minutes Lebron has been given(40 min) and his already matured body type, it's not a given that he'd be a whole lot better in 4 years. It also depends on how hard he works. Let's just wait and see before we claim him to be better than everybody else.
Michael Jordan's rookie year. YEAR TEAM G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG 84-85 CHI 82 82 38.3 .515 .173 .845 2.00 4.50 6.50 5.9 2.39 .84 3.55 3.50 28.2 Man, 51.5% shooting , 10% more than LB. It is a high number even for Center! MJ didn't waste that many opportunities. 2.39 steals, that is from someone who was criticized for his defense at that time. 5.9 assists, and he was considered a bad team player and very selfish at that stage. I would trade SF3 + CM5 for him in a heart beat! But not for LB.
I would trade SF3+CM5+MoT+Cato+JJ for Jordan. damn, he is the god. With Jordan, it's just too easy to rebuild.
