lebron is a typical poster child, i watched all the cleveland games braodcasted on national tv, so many times he traveled and "blocked", never a call
Check out Ben Wallace's foul rates, relative to other centers, in the years he won DPOY. Or how about Tayshaun Prince, another defensive-minded player? He's considered one of the best wing defenders in the league, and he's averaged less than 1.5 PF/game in each of the last 4 seasons. There's little that's "normal" about LeBron James, so I wouldn't use that word. But I do think he's capable of defending at a very high level without fouling.
I don't get why people put him in front of people like Battier and Artest. Artest and Battier defend EVERY NIGHT and their jobs are mainly for defense. LeBron is an all around player, but those two have their MAIN expertise in defense. I think he's overrated on defense if people are putting him over Battier and Artest.
This is funnny...i was just thinking about posting a thread on this... I live in orlando and they were talking about it on the radio the other day... LIke u said in 9 games only called for three fouls... how can u be considered a defensive player when u don't get called for fouls?? Every player fouls...its part of the game... Refs are just favoring Lebron..thats all
Lebron got called for a foul here LMAO <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XsZVE8YcGfQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XsZVE8YcGfQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
The Spurs, who are perenially one of the best defensive teams in the league, usually commit less team fouls per game than any other team.
I remember Avery Johnson complained this in 2006 wc semi-final, and the league changed the call. We all know the result.
Well, there is another result to consider. The Spurs have won 4 championships in the last decade as a defensive powerhouse that doesn't commit a lot of fouls. There are good defensive teams that foul much more than the Spurs but playing good defense doesn't necessarily equate with fouling a lot as the poster I was responding to was insinuating.
Actually, the article I posted here was written by a chicago media, and someone has mentioned orlando media complained the same thing. Those EC playoff teams are giving pressure to the league. The leagure has treated James specially. That is a fact. They are doing the same thing as that Avery Johnson did 4 years ago. I believe if the rockets are lucky enough to play the cavs in the finals, the houston media and fans will complain the same thing.
Battier averages 1.9 fouls per game. Artest averages 2.2 fouls a game. Higher than Lebron, but it's not like Lebron's foul rate is way out of line with these guys. This is so especially considering how much Ron bangs his man every possession. As much as people complain about refs, the Rockets really get away with plenty of contact-- particularly when it comes to Artest and Scola. These two like to bang guys and don't get called for violations all that often. Yao and Hayes are bangers, too. By the way, I think the Rockets give up either the least or 2nd least amount of FTs per shot attempt. An interesting number for a team that plays very good D with relatively unatheletic but physical guys.
I have no idea what this response has to do with what you were replying to. I was simply pointing out that good defense does not necessarily go hand in hand with committing a lot of fouls. This is true for both individual players as well as teams. Regarding LeBron specifically, I don't see him playing much aggressive man-to-man defense. I do often see him playing the passing lanes and trying to block shots. In other words, he gambles a lot and avoids getting too close to the guy he's defending on the perimeter. To his credit, he does have the quickness and length to get away with giving his opponent that kind of space. I'm not surprised he doesn't commit a lot of defensive fouls. Offensively, he is the most aggressive player in the league going to the basket. Great players that play aggressively often get calls in their favor on the offensive end, not just LeBron. I also imagine that few players are willing to step in front of him when he has a full head of steam. He also has extremely good body control, as durvasa suggested, which allows him to shift enough while on the move that the defender has to adjust. It's simply very difficult to draw a charge on LeBron. You see a lot of contact at times which makes it seem like LeBron must be committing more fouls but that contact is usually made by a defender that has been beaten in an act of desperation to keep him from scoring an easy two. Forcing LeBron to shoot FTs is usually a good strategy when he gets close to the basket.
Once again, if the rockets are lucky enough to play the cavs in the finals, I am not sure whether you still feel this way.
You may be right. I don't watch LeBron enough to be too confident about what I just wrote. That's just my impression from what I have seen. I'm sure he gets his share of "superstar calls" but I'm not so sure it's any different than with many of the other elite players. As far as basing any of your argument on what the media says, that is pretty sketchy. Just take a look at the garbage pumped out by our local media on a daily basis (Astros, Rockets, etc...).
When considering the amount of minutes he plays, and the amount of time he controls the ball, to be called for only 3 fouls in a total of 9 games is ridiculous no matter how you try to defend it.
The only problem with that list is that I don't see any players on there that are as aggressive on the defensive end as LeBron and have a very high usage rate on offense like LeBron. It's pretty much either/or, or neither. Maybe Durant or Roy. But most of those guys are either role players, or guys that are "hands off" defenders, to put it kindly.
Actually, if you have a reputation of being a good defender, you usually get the benefit of the doubt from the refs. That's sort of like the defensive superstar calls. (We all know the offensive superstar treatment.) Artest gets a lot of steals when he actually makes body contact with the opponent. But he gets away with them. Battier gets a lot of charging calls when it is a "either-way" kind of situation. It's not fair, and I never like any kind of superstar treatment. But it's natural for the refs, even if they don't do it consciously.
