Who would you rather build around: Durant or Lebron

He bolted. He joined superfriends. They were expected to win the regular season and playoff by a landslide, and it didn't happen. His super friends ain't super any more these days. So which of these criticisms ain't truth? I don't hate LeBron. I think he's overrated. And he's been proving that the entire career.

 

Probably, because Lebron was the only Cavs player that played well in that series. Though, we shouldn't mention that. How come they did not play better in that series.

They all ended up getting beat by superior teams or teams who could exploit their weaknesses. That happens in sports. That's how the Giants beat the Patriots, twice. They weren't necessarily a better team, but they knew how to hit their weakpoints. There's

What are you talking about? He elevates the level of his teammates probably more than most superstar athletes. Point out specfic scenarios. Because from what I've seen Lebron is probably one of the more unselfish superstars in the league, great court vision, and SUPER HIGH basketball IQ. One thing I notice about alot of scorers in the NBA, they often turnover the ball, can get selfish and trigger happy, make more dumb plays trying to take on a defense that suited to slow them down, and sometimes lags off defense. Yet, his teammates are taking bad shots, not showing up in games, not hitting their spots, and giving lackadaisical performances. That's his fault, too right.

If Lebron is guilty of that, I can name several other superstars who tend to do that, especially if they aren't point guards. Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Allen Iverson, and *cough* Kobe Bryant *cough*. Explain this to me, you don't think LeBron uses his teammates effective, yet your hero is entitled to take 25+ shots a game. While, he's got two monster big men sitting in the paint, only getting about 10-16 shots. That's ironic to me coming from a Kobe-only fan of all people.


http://www.amazon.com/The-w****-Akron-Search-LeBron/dp/0062066366

 

SO F#CKING what. You jump on the guys case, almost every time he screws up and somehow inject Kobe into conversation. It's f#cking game. He's great player, he just hasn't his plateau (which is winning the NBA title and more). He's overrated, yet was good enough to win 3 MVPs and win with a garbage compost for a basketball franchise.


This is terrible, I'm not a fan of LeBron James, Jeremy Lin, and Andrew Bynum. In threads, people have been making statements and criticism that are little short-sighted or overboard. I don't even like these players. Indifference describes the best.


Another thing for you, goodbug, the closest you'll ever get to Kobe's balls are buying one of his autographed basketballs off Ebay or some sports auctions site. Sweetie, just buy you one, dribble it around the house, and fantasy.

 

Obsessed.

 

Just imagined the Thunder but w/ Lebron replacing Durant in the lineup, & all other pieces remaining the same. That is one scary team.

 

Check Gasol's numbers and awards after he joined the lakers, then check Wade and Bosh's after LBJ joined the Heat. What you think doesn't matter, those numbers and awards are as objective as one can get.

 

Scary team, I think not. Westbrook will become Hughes in no time. Harden will turn to Mo Williams.
There's a reason Rose didn't want LeBron at all. On the other hand, there's no way Durant averaged 2.2 points in 4th quarter in finals against Mavericks, and Durant would have had one ring by now.

 

Numbers don't lie.

 

Why is it in your signature spot? Numbers don't lie, but you sure got posted there for what reason.

 

To prove LeBron is overrated.

 

LeBron, better passer/playmaker, plays more positions, defends more positions. Body able to take more shots, meaning he won't be as prone to injuries.

And he makes his teammates better.

KD is one of the best in the league, but LeBron is #1 to me when it comes time to start a team conversation comes up.

 

How in the world do you expect three superstars on a team to average over 22 ppg for an entire season being on the same teams? If you put three superstar level players on the same team, then you can expect their numbers to fall a little bit when it comes to scoring and other offensive stats.

Now, I want to back to that little tidbit where you said LeBron does not compliment his stars or teammates very well. Doesn't know how elevate their performances or utilize their abilities. Here are some interesting numbers:

Dwyane Wade
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wadedw01.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/plus/shooting.cgi?&player_id=wadedw01&year_id=2012

- Two best FG percentages seasons of his career (last two seasons with LeBron)

- Most of his shooting percentages have remained steady from all ends of the court, but he's got a slightly higher percentage inside the paint and 3 to 9 feet.

- His TS% (true shooting percentages) still best his career average.

Chris Bosh
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/boshch01.html

Same exact story, where's this big decline in their performances when it comes offense and shooting. The only thing I've seen decrease is scoring average (LeBron's has decreased as well).



Team Offense stats (2011-12):

7th in points per game (4th best in points allowed per game)
4th in FG% percentage
9th in 3pt FG% percentage
21st in assists per game


(2010-11):

8th in points per game (6th in points allowed per game)
2nd in FG% percentage
7th in 3FG% percentage
26th in assists per game

(2009-10)

25th in points per game (2nd in points allowed per game)
17th in FG% percentage
20th in 3FG% percentage
28th in assists per game


Cleveland Cavs (2010-11)
25th in points per game
29th in FG% percentage
23rd in 3FG% percentage
20th in assists


Cleveland Cavs (2011-12)
25th in points per game
29th in FG% percentage
15th in 3FG% percentage
23rd in assists

Cleveland Cavs (2009-10)

9th in points per game
3rd in FG% percentage
2nd in 3FG% percentage
6th in assists per game (only two players had over 4 assists per game)


Cleveland Cavs (2008-09)

13th in points per game
6th in FG% percentage
2nd in 3FG% percentage
20th in assists per game

 

But, why do you need in your signature? Why would anyone have any reason to listen to you, when you've made it known that you think the man is overrated?


It makes you look like a petty troll.

 

I think I'd like my franchise guy to want to take game winning shots....and not just when he gets pressured into it. But because he actually isn't afraid of the moment.

KD all the way. And FWIW, KD's game and skillset leans towards him being able to play at a high level longer than Lebron. There will come a time and day when Lebron isn't as strong and athletic anymore....and then where is his game? KD is just a better basketball player. Period.

 

Ahh the fallacy of a bigger body somehow being more impervious to injuries. There is absolutely nothing about the human body that makes that a fact....it's just a consistent thing people say and have no clue about. Muscle doesn't keep you from getting injured except in very specific scenarios....on the flip side, being a heavier individual overall speaks more to the potential for injury. So it's actually the exact opposite.

 

actually awards are by their very nature 100% subjective since they are just voted on. if scalabrine gets the most votes for mvp then he is mvp.

even having to share touches dwade was something like 3rd in PER and 4th in WS/48 (can't look up the numbers at work) but guys like kobe and parker were higher on the all-nba teams even though he blew their seasons out of the water. lebron can't help that the voters are stupid.

 

exactly, i think it's clear that durant will be the first athlete to not get slower and less athletic when he gets older. the fact that he sometimes has trouble getting free even now won't be exacerbated by getting a little slower because he won't age. lebron though will lose lots of strength when he gets older. that's what usually happens. that's why shaq had to retire, he just wasn't strong any more.

 

Wade was getting .495 and .491 before with much higher PPG. 2-3 more assists than what he's doing right now. At the same time he isn't as consistent. At best you can say he's on par as his previous seasons. And he's getting second worst PPG this season in his career. The 3rd team is more than enough to prove his current status.

Bosh doesn't just lower his PPG, he lowers FG% by 2% and rebounds by 2 as well. And he wasn't an over the hill player or plagued by injury. He simply has to stay away from the hoop in the offense to spread the floor.
In comparison, Gasol got higher FG% and more rebounds by good margin once he joined the Lakers.

 

Durant is going to have a longer peak barring injury. MJ, Kobe and Dirk played high level late in their career. TMac and AI who relied more on athleticism, fell off early. Wade has big slump this year and he's 30.