It's tough to be LeBron's teammates

i'm sorry, i'm going to have to start putting you on ignore right now. you seriously are someone i consider a "hater" and i rarely put ppl on ignore. the rationale is simply not there.

i'm just going to stop.

 

goodbug, one more for you so you can go to sleep.

kobe's usage rating in the playoffs: 33.2 (despite his inefficiency in the first round), which is higher than lebron james. and his usage rating in the reg. season was 32.3. kobe also has always been a high usage player, similar to lebron.

so who gets the ball more again? and makes it harder for his teammates b/c they don't get a chance to go 1-on-1?

 

Of course I don't agree with the idea that the organization is sabotaging their ability to win to pump up LeBron's stats. The Cavs want to keep LeBron happy, and the best way to do that is to be a successful franchise. LeBron's got all the statistical accolades, but he's out of the playoffs. You think he's happy right now? You think the Cavs feel good about their chances of keeping him? I don't.

How about they hit a cold streak and they were facing a team that's playing championship-level basketball? That's a plausible explanation, and it can happen to any team. I'd sooner believe that then "Oh, well their star player is incapable of winning in the playoffs."

But I realize that probably isn't a very satisfying answer for you, so let's get into specifics.

The Cavs were a top 10 defensive team during the regular season, but they had a very difficult time defending the Celtics (not LeBron ... Pierce was covered up). Shaq and Jamison, who only played I think 5 games together in the regular season, were a particularly poor defensive combination against Boston. That's a huge factor.

Coaching could be a factor as well. How you make adjustments within a series as you're facing the same team many times in a short stretch obviously makes a difference. Sometimes, one coaching staff does a better job of it than the other.

LeBron missed the last several games of the regular season with an elbow injury, and it apparently bothered him enough to keep him from being his best heading into the second round. It was pointed out that his worst games came with only 1-day rest versus multiple days of rest.

So, with LeBron not at playing at his regular-season superhuman level, were the rest of his teammates equipped to step up and pick up the slack? Delonte West played awful. Shaq couldn't convert a jump hook and struggled defensively. Jamison shot 6-20 in the last 2 games of the series, and he missed a number of shots within 15 feet that he's supposed to be very good at converting. Mo Williams had one good half in the last 3 games. Answer: no, against the well-executing Celtics team, they weren't good enough to make up for LeBron not being at his best.

 

You have to understand, goodbug is posting behind China's propaganda wall, so he doesn't actually get to see the games. He sees highlights of Kobe, probably set to heroic Chinese war themes (the Chinese like Kobe because he did some kind of media tour back there a few years ago). So he doesn't realize that for every "clutch" play Kobe makes he's chucking up 10-12 horrible shots. And since China doesn't allow open google access he also doesn't get to see the box scores that validate this fact. Obviously, given the numbers and the actual full-game footage, it's obvious that Lebron is superior to Kobe in every way except having good teammates, but imagine if you only had access to what the Chinese government told you? So sympathize with goodbug.. he's not really an idiot as it first appears to us (with our media freedom); he's just ignorant (through no fault of his own).

 

I understand the frustration of not being able to talk sense into a guy who doesn't appear to be reading English very well, but sir you are not less ignorant and ill-informed than he is with all those comments you made about China, a country you know little about. Please stay classy and objective, put him on ignore list if he upsets you that much.

 

I answered your question on why there was a disparity, though it now appears the only reason you asked it was to divert the conversation away from the original thread topic. "Stop making excuses" is a weak response on your part. If you didn't want to hear an alternate explanation to "It's LeBron's fault", you shouldn't have asked for it.

Getting back on point, you admit that Mike Brown may have lost more games in the regular season if he tried your offensive approach. If that's the case, why do you think he coached that way simply to appease LeBron rather than to win as many games as possible? Especially when the evidence shows that the Cavs were far and away at their best during the season with LeBron in control of things? Also, how are you so sure that the best strategy in the regular season wouldn't also, ultimately, be the best strategy in the playoffs? It doesn't follow that simply because they lost in the playoffs there must have been a better style of play for that group. Nor, as I explained, does it make sense to point to their regular season success as evidence that they can be more successful playing another way.

Sorry goodbug, but your arguments don't work. I think I'll stop at this point, because I don't think this is going anywhere.

 

The Cavs are like the McGrady era Rockets. Lebron, like McGrady, certainly makes his team better but his presence causes players to lose their game. When you go to the Cavs you either become a catch and shoot guy or a garbage man because with Lebron handling the ball and running the offense that's the only two positions left. Guys like Mo Williams and Jamison can certainly shoot the ball and seemingly thrive in that type of role BUT they lose their rhythm as a complete player. Then, when Lebron doesn't have it going and can't score or get them open jump shots they look horrible because they forgot how to play the game the way they used to.

 

We know the offense hasn't worked in the playoffs against great defensive teams (though the losses against Orlando and Boston have been just much a defensive failure, which your arguments just gloss over). That isn't the presumption. Your presumption is that there is a better alternative -- not simply better balanced, but more effective -- with the players they have. And moreover, you think it is LeBron's "stats obsession" that is locking them into an unsuccessful offensive approach. But when a team is so dominant in the regular season, and when the team struggles so much with the player not on the floor, its hard for anyone being objective to buy that. The simpler explanation is that when LeBron is controlling things the team's offense is much better than it otherwise would be, but still vulnerable when facing elite defensive squads in a best-of-7 series.

 

The comment about China's "wall of propaganda" are tongue in cheek... sorry if they offended you. I have no reason to be classy towards goodbug; he is a troll who is only here to get a rise out of people by pushing his very specific Kobe-first agenda. The broken engrish may even be an act (if not, he should get to ESL classes).

 

Lebron lacks the ability to make certain teammates better. He helps out spot up shooters incredibly but players who need the ball in their hands seem to somewhat struggle with him. I'm no Lebron James expert though but there is my 2 cents.

 

This question has already been answered by me.

Unbalanced teams generally don't win 60+ games in back-to-back regular seasons either, and yet LeBron's team did. Unbalanced teams don't finish top 6 in offense in back to back years, and yet LeBron's team did.

If you want to say that team's should learn from history -- yes, I agree. History shows that if you're top 10 in offense and defense you're likely a legit contender. History shows that the more you win in the regular season, the better your chances are of winning in the playoffs. History shows that your chances of advancing through the playoffs go up with a higher seed.

So, did they have the personnel to have LeBron play a diminished role and still accomplish the above to put themselves in an advantageous position for the playoffs? You say, "No doubt about it". I say, "I doubt it."

Was Mike Brown making a basketball decision when he chose not to have LeBron play a diminished role this season, or was he yielding to his star's ego? You say the latter. I think the former.

OK, so that's the disagreement. I'm ready to move on.

 

Kobe has also been SEVERLY exposed against the Celtics... Go watch the tape...


The Celtics are that good.

 

I didn't hear LeBron using his elbow as an excuse against the Celtics either.

But by you bringing up Kobe's pinky as most Laker fans do (even though there was no difference in his stats pre and post injury), are you not doing exactly what you're criticizing others for doing when they bring up the elbow? Seems like it to me.

If you feel the need to deflect criticism towards Kobe by bringing up his various ailments, it's only fair that you not be offended if others do the same with LeBron. And it hardly matters if you don't consider his injury as serious. Kobe has been putting off surgery for a number of years, so apparently that isn't so serious either. And yet you feel the need to keep mentioning it, don't you?

The simple fact of the matter is that only the players and their doctors know how disruptive their injuries are. Let's not pretend like we know better.