yeah but the point is kobe took the shots and lebron isn't doing that. i think he'll figure it out though.
I just noticed that the Cavs lost again last night. That's six losses in a row. WTF. They're going to turn this around eventually right? They can't possibly collapse and miss the playoffs again, can they? Right?
Well, I guess it is time to stop over-hyping LeBron and start over-bashing him. Just like every young star in this league. He's going to be better than Jordan! No wait, he's a choker. He's going to be better than Shaq! No wait, he's soft. He could re-define the point guard position! No wait, he's a ball-hog.
He won't ever approach Jordan's mental toughness or even Kobe's for that matter. He's a great talent and a physical speciman, but I just don't see that 'nastiness' in him, he seems to crack whenever the pressure is on. Early on in his career, Jordan was guilty of doing too much himself and not trusting his teammates, but neither him nor Kobe have ever had a problem with taking pressure shots. McGrady was the same thing, I have never seen him shy away from taking big shots. IMO, great players want that type of responsibility on their shoulders, they are more than willing to take the praise and the blame. Now, I am not saying Lebron won't develop that over his career, but I just don't see that 'edge' or 'x factor' in him as a player yet. If anything, his three years in the league so far have been marred by inconsistency in his team (Cleveland has always been had stretches in which they couldn't lose followed by stretches in which they just can't win anything). Look, I know the kid is only 21 and is a great talent, I am just saying that I don't see that Larry Bird/Jordan/Isiah Thomas "me against the world" / "I will stomp my own mother" attitude on the court, just not sure if he has it in him...
LeBron scores 51 in Cavs' win over Jazz James scored 51 Saturday night, becoming the youngest player in NBA history with 5,000 points in his career, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Utah Jazz 108-90 Saturday night to snap a six-game losing streak. link
its too early to tell if he will get jordan and kobe's killer instinct. I remember early in kobe's career, he didn't have it. I think he had the instinct and wasn't afraid to take the last shot, but he often missed. don't give up on lebron just yet, hes still very young.
I agree that Kobe didn't show a killer instinct early in his career. What he showed was a selfish instinct that made some veterans on the Lakers curse him. The assassin in him came later. Way too early to figure where LeBron is going. He needs a playoff series or two for seasoning, then clutch plays during regular season games may not seem so big to him. People just love finding fault with young stars for some reason. Nobody here has any idea how mentally tough this 21 year old player will be in future years.
LBJ bounced back with a nice 51 points in a win, and he did it in the Kobe-panties. You know what I mean,
The way you quoted me makes it look like I was saying he's going to be better than Jordan. I'm not. I was just trying to point out how the media is always jumping to conclusions as early as possible, trying to be the first to label a guy. The guy's career is just starting. He hasn't even been to the playoffs yet to choke. If I remember correctly, Kobe used to throw up airballs at crunch time in the playoffs early in his career. Many would consider TMac a choker because he's been ahead in two playoff series, needing only a win to finish things off, and hasn't done it yet. We couldn't get Horry to shoot the ball enough his first two seasons, and then he became synonymous with the word clutch. Let's wait until Lebron goes Nick Anderson or Chris Webber or Peja Stojakovich in the postseason before we come down hard on the guy.
