Because next season hasnt started yet. I dont think that team would make the playoffs without Lebron after all these drama, but it doesnt mean they werent a contender with Lebron, those are pieces put together to compliment to the king --- you think 93 rockets sans Olajuwan would make the playoffs?
Huge difference right there. Yao's mum didnt ride west, Yao would never ever quit the team during the playoffs and even go out there announce his departure on national tv.
The departure thing has nothing to do with what I said. I never said that LeBron exited the right way. I said that based on how the Cavs were set up you can't blame him for wanting to leave. As far as quitting in the playoffs. Keep feeding what Dan Gilbert is giving you.
Kobe in 06 form can only take the team to 45 wins maximum. Bynum has a significant injury every year. This Lakers was better than 06,07 Lakers because they have the addition of Gasol. So replace Kobe with Gasol and they'll win 45 wins? Gasol was able to win 50 in Grizzles because he had a better cast there, simple as that. And 45 wins means no playoff in the west last 2 seasons.
76ers of 01 sans AI were much worse than Cavs sans LeBron. That team didn't anyone with the scoring ability of Mo or Jamison, or Shaq. LeBron was no better than AI for what he had done.
I don't remember Kobe had Mo and Jamison, he had Odom and Smush and 2nd and 3rd leading scorer. And there's no way they could have best record in regular season. When was the last time a player left after MVP season? Let alone 2 consecutive.
Smush wasn't terrible, and Odom is just as good as Jamison!! Even before LJ got the tiny bit of help from mo and Jamison, they were still a top 2 or 3 seed!! Mosos malone did it and I think Kareem did it as well!! Did that hurt their "legacy"?....... NOPE!! so why would it hurt lebrons??
Christ, he only had Jamison for the last two months or so. They were the best team in the NBA without Jamison. At any rate, all of the Kobe nutlickers will see just how great of a supporting cast the Cavs were next year. Lebron was just like David Robinson & Larry Bird in that he defined that team and was the reason they were so good (eg, 40 game turnaround, which is what you'll see next year when they go from 60->20 wins). But both of those guys got help later to take them from elite to championship... Lebron never got that and that's why he left. And the 2001 Sixers had a pretty decent supporting cast around AI. They had McKie and Snow, who were both good players at the time, as well as DPOY Mutombo. But mostly they had the best coach in the NBA, Larry Brown, not to be confused with the Brown on Cleveland.
you take the main piece away from any team and of course they wont do as well. This is logic. No **** they're not going to be good next year. Thats what happens to a team who loses their leading scorer, they miss the playoffs. People are saying 'oh he wasn't surrounded by a great team' yet they had the best regular season record. 'Well they only won that much because of Lebron'. So if the main reason they won is because of Lebron then he should be the main reason why they failed as well. Why is the failure of the organization on everyone but Lebron. Failure goes both ways. Everyone's to blame...
That's because this year those 8 teams were heading to 50 wins, and No.9 seed had no hope to catch up. If one of them was on the pace to 45, the No.9 would be motivated to win more and it's no guarantee to make playoff with that record. We saw how Warriors couldn't make playoff with 48 wins before. The point though, if Kobe could only carry that team to 45 and 42 wins seasons in his prime. Replace Gasol they could win 45? Don't forget Gasol played more than 65 games in only 2 of last 6 seasons, he's not iron man either.
Smush wasn't terrible because he played along Kobe. He joined Wade the season after and was dismissed in 2 months, never made NBA again. In his heyday, Odom never had 20/10 number in a season. He's just not that good and he's inconsistent.
