Be honest, did you think LeBron would be this good in 2003

[NBAplayoffs2001]

I'm not a fan of him but I can't deny his greatness.

[HylianNightmare]

Not at all.

[christian1923]

Yeah lol he was the chosen one. I didn't think he'd lose 3 finals though

[KyleKong]

Never watched basketball in 2003.

Was his hype coming out of highschool really that high?

I've seen youtube videos of commentators on his nationally televised H.S. games saying "Shoot like Bird, Pass like Magic, etc."

[Real14]

did anyone think LeBron would quit tha cavs to join two superstars and also form one of tha most stacked rosters in NBA history in 2003?? Shit...Even I didn't see that coming.:facepalm

[Real14]

Never watched basketball in 2003.

Was his hype coming out of highschool really that high?

I've seen youtube videos of commentators on his nationally televised H.S. games saying "Shoot like Bird, Pass like Magic, etc."
:roll:

[christian1923]

Never watched basketball in 2003.

Was his hype coming out of highschool really that high?

I've seen youtube videos of commentators on his nationally televised H.S. games saying "Shoot like Bird, Pass like Magic, etc."
They were televising his games as a junior, back then high schools didn't get on Espn

[Real14]

Yeah lol he was the chosen one. I didn't think he'd lose 3 finals though
:oldlol:

[NBAplayoffs2001]

Never watched basketball in 2003.

Was his hype coming out of highschool really that high?

I've seen youtube videos of commentators on his nationally televised H.S. games saying "Shoot like Bird, Pass like Magic, etc."

Dick Vitale is an idiot who commentated some of his games.

[SamuraiSWISH]

Actually, yes.

To be honest, I thought he'd be even better. His at times passiveness is the only thing that has ever held him back.

His first televised ESPN HS game he showed all the skills, a passing ability I rarely have seen in players. Incredible ball handling. Stunning athletcism, and a body already built to play pro ball by his junior year. He seemed poised, and intelligent on the court. Dominated his senior year even with intense pressure, and scrutiny.

Then his first NBA game in Sacramento? He still matched the hype. His first year was amazing. Then every year after that he got better, slight regression in 2007, only to make another massive jump from 2008 - 2010.

[NBAplayoffs2001]

did anyone think LeBron would quit tha cavs to join two superstars and also form one of tha most stacked rosters in NBA history in 2003?? Shit...Even I didn't see that coming.:facepalm

To be honest, that's how I see him. I would have respected him so much more for winning a title eventually in Cleveland. I still remember how dirty the kid was in his rookie season. I was surprised of how he as already a borderline all star at 18. I thought his jumpshot wasn't good enough to drop 20+ a night.

[steve]

Never watched basketball in 2003.

Was his hype coming out of highschool really that high?

I've seen youtube videos of commentators on his nationally televised H.S. games saying "Shoot like Bird, Pass like Magic, etc."

Yes, SI coined both "King James" and "Chosen One" when he was going into his junior season in high school. This gets dulled a little over time and the "next big thing" comes through but the hype was even greater than Wiggins (in a dramatic sense). The only two players who were really on the level that Lebron was as a high school player (and probably would've been even greater given how social media is today) were Kareem and Ralph Sampson, no one else is even really close.

[Meticode]

Yes, I felt given Cleveland's history that it would be very difficult to win a ring here for the simple fact this isn't a place for free agents to come. That's proved to be true so far.

[NBAplayoffs2001]

Actually, yes. His first televised ESPN HS game he showed all the skills, a passing ability I rarely have seen in players. Incredible ball handling. Stunning athletcism, and a body already built to play pro ball by his junior year. He seemed poised, and intelligent on the court. Dominated his senior year even with intense pressure, and scrutiny.

Then his first NBA game in Sacramento? He still matched the hype. His first year was amazing. Then every year after that he got better, slight regression in 2007, only to make another massive jump from 2008 - 2010.

09 LeBron was insane. And I totally agree with your description, I used to watch games with my friend and his ball handling in high school was really unheard of. I personally was a little skeptical of his passing ability. He threw some really questionable passes at times. I was just more stunned by his athleticism to be honest. And his ball handling and basketball IQ for that age is what really appealed to me.

[NBAplayoffs2001]

Yes, SI coined both "King James" and "Chosen One" when he was going into his junior season in high school. This gets dulled a little over time and the "next big thing" comes through but the hype was even greater than Wiggins (in a dramatic sense). The only two players who were really on the level that Lebron was as a high school player (and probably would've been even greater given how social media is today) were Kareem and Ralph Sampson, no one else is even really close.

IMO Kareem is the greatest high school basketball player ever. Dude was filthy in the NYC high school basketball scene. Led his team to 96 wins and a 71 win streak in high school. NYC high school basketball is tight.

[christian1923]

Actually, yes.

To be honest, I thought he'd be even better. His at times passiveness is the only thing that has ever held him back.

His first televised ESPN HS game he showed all the skills, a passing ability I rarely have seen in players. Incredible ball handling. Stunning athletcism, and a body already built to play pro ball by his junior year. He seemed poised, and intelligent on the court. Dominated his senior year even with intense pressure, and scrutiny.

Then his first NBA game in Sacramento? He still matched the hype. His first year was amazing. Then every year after that he got better, slight regression in 2007, only to make another massive jump from 2008 - 2010.
Yeah I thought he would be better too

[navy]

Nope. I thought Carmelo would be better than him.

[Real14]

To be honest, that's how I see him. I would have respected him so much more for winning a title eventually in Cleveland. I still remember how dirty the kid was in his rookie season. I was surprised of how he as already a borderline all star at 18. I thought his jumpshot wasn't good enough to drop 20+ a night.
Yea I remember his rookie season where Melo got robbed for tha ROTY award and Lebron was a horrible jumpshooter indeed:lol . I never liked his attitude even back in 2002 when I first heard about him in high school when he was junior. Lebron was just blessed by his God given abilities its just too bad that he's a quitter, choker and coward. If I was 6'9 and 260 I would win at least 6 rings out of 11 seasons. No doubt.

[Mr. Incredible]

Absolutely. Did you watch his first game? You knew he would be a star after that.

[Real14]

Nope. I thought Carmelo would be better than him.
Carmelo iz not a roid head tho. Plus Lebron cheated to get wheres he at.

[ralph_i_el]

I only cared about baseball and hockey in 2003. What an idiot I was :facepalm

[tmacattack33]

Back then i thought that the experts were usually going to be right...so Lebron becoming a super-star wasn't much of a surprise to me.



Currently though, when experts hype somebody up, I know that there is only like a 30% chance he becomes what they hyped him up to be.

For instance, here is the list of the super-hyped up players since 2006:

Bogut
Bargnani
Oden
Durant
Beasley
Rose
OJ Mayo
Blake
John Wall
Evan Turner



I'd say only the bolded reached the level that the experts were saying they would reach.

[SamuraiSWISH]

personally was a little skeptical of his passing ability.
That was the most heralded, hyped part of his arsenal even in HS though? WTF ... he threw brilliant Magic / Bird / Penny type passes. With a willingness to distribute we hadn't seen in the current crop of "get mines" NBA stars.

The most questionable aspect of his game was his jumper. Which is the case for near everyone coming into the league who isn't meant to be a spot up shooter. That ability comes with time, and practice.

[NBAplayoffs2001]

Yea I remember his rookie season where Melo got robbed for tha ROTY award and Lebron was a horrible jumpshooter indeed:lol . I never liked his attitude even back in 2002 when I first heard about him in high school when he was junior. Lebron was just blessed by his God given abilities its just too bad that he's a quitter, choker and coward. If I was 6'9 and 260 I would win at least 6 rings out of 11 seasons. No doubt.

Lol. And yes Melo got robbed, I totally agree

[navy]

Carmelo iz not a roid head tho. Plus Lebron cheated to get wheres he at.
Carmelo needs to get some of them roids then. He was suppose to be neck and neck with Lebron. He's not even close.

Dude got surpassed by Durant all time last year.

[NBAplayoffs2001]

That was the most heralded, hyped part of his arsenal even in HS though? WTF ... he threw brilliant Magic / Bird / Penny type passes. With a willingness to distribute we hadn't seen in the current crop of "get mines" NBA stars.

The most questionable aspect of his game was his jumper. Which is the case for near everyone coming into the league who isn't meant to be a spot up shooter. That ability comes with time, and practice.

I'm just saying I watched a lot of his basketball high school games. A lot of those passes were definitely risky if it was in a better basketball conference. He won championships in Division II in Ohio. I would have loved to have seen LeBron play in a bigger city like Los Angeles or Chicago throughout high school. I felt his level of competition in high school was pretty bad tbh. But yes, his jumper was so inconsistent. Sometimes he was wet for awhile then got cold. I still love the game of him vs. Trevor Ariza in high school. I watch it every once in awhile to see the dominance he showed after Ariza's dad called him out.

[jlip]

Nah. My take at the time was that Melo would be better, for say, the first 5 years, and then Lebron would eventually catch him. I did not consider either player being a GOAT level talent.

[steve]

IMO Kareem is the greatest high school basketball player ever. Dude was filthy in the NYC high school basketball scene. Led his team to 96 wins and a 71 win streak in high school. NYC high school basketball is tight.

Oh, no doubt. Through high school and college Kareem lost exactly two games and they both made legends out of people on the winning end in Morgan Wooten (coach for DeMatha) and Elvin Hayes (the star for Houston). I mean, both of them of them were great in their own right (Wooten had been called the greatest basketball coach by both John Wooden and Red Auerbach and who knows what Elvin Hayes status would be if not for Kareem existing). Both of those games were major basketball historical marks, even not being alive, I've seen the DeMatha/Power Memorial game multiple times just by the virtue of living in the DC area. But he's really the only player who compares to the level of hype put on Lebron in high school (and astonishingly enough, actually meeting/exceeding expectations).

[SamuraiSWISH]

If one actually knew what they were watching at that time in 2003, which clearly many of you didn't or were too young, too fresh to the game. His ability, and potential was obvious. He was a good NBA player AS A JUNIOR IN HS. Let that skink in a minute.

[Milbuck]

To be honest, I didn't..I thought he would be a more athletic pre-injury Grant Hill. Which is still close, but I don't think it entirely captures Lebron's level as a player. He went from a hyped up high school kid, to a potential top 3 player all time in terms of pure basketball talent..haven't seen many players match every shred of hype and expectations put on them the way Lebron has. I'm talking purely about his game..legacy wise he's had his fair share of failures.

[Real14]

To be honest, I didn't..I thought he would be a more athletic pre-injury Grant Hill. Which is still close, but I don't think it entirely captures Lebron's level as a player. He went from a hyped up high school kid, to a potential top 3 player all time in terms of pure basketball talent..haven't seen many players match every shred of hype and expectations put on them the way Lebron has. I'm talking purely about his game..legacy wise he's had his fair share of failures.
Wow I thought this too:eek:

[SamuraiSWISH]

I thought he would be a more athletic pre-injury Grant Hill.
Well, that's basically what he was. A hyper athletic Grant Hill. Then the 2006 rule changes bumped up his scoring. Then after the 2008 Olympics he began playing defense, his jumper got better and the rest was history.

[NBAplayoffs2001]

To be honest, I didn't..I thought he would be a more athletic pre-injury Grant Hill. Which is still close, but I don't think it entirely captures Lebron's level as a player. He went from a hyped up high school kid, to a potential top 3 player all time in terms of pure basketball talent..haven't seen many players match every shred of hype and expectations put on them the way Lebron has. I'm talking purely about his game..legacy wise he's had his fair share of failures.

I guess I'm not the only one who thought this

[steve]

I'm just saying I watched a lot of his basketball high school games. A lot of those passes were definitely risky if it was in a better basketball conference. He won championships in Division II in Ohio. I would have loved to have seen LeBron play in a bigger city like Los Angeles or Chicago throughout high school. I felt his level of competition in high school was pretty bad tbh. But yes, his jumper was so inconsistent. Sometimes he was wet for awhile then got cold. I still love the game of him vs. Trevor Ariza in high school. I watch it every once in awhile to see the dominance he showed after Ariza's dad called him out.

If you ever watch that documentary that came out several years back about Lebron and his high school teammates (which is a decent enough documentary but great for some of the game footage you get that you otherwise might not see), there was an AAU tournament they played in when he was in 8th grade. There's a play where he gets the ball right near the low block, he catches the defender's eye and completely looks off the defender before making a pass to the baseline for an easy lay-up. It wasn't a dramatic no look (you know, the kind that don't really serve a purpose except to be flashy) but then that's always been Lebron's passing game, he doesn't necessarily make a lot of flashy/spectacular passes but instead simple passes but in situations that really shouldn't be there and they look easy enough until you realize that he's really the only player (right now anyway) who could make the pass. He just happens to make it look ordinary.

[K Xerxes]

To be honest, I didn't..I thought he would be a more athletic pre-injury Grant Hill. Which is still close, but I don't think it entirely captures Lebron's level as a player. He went from a hyped up high school kid, to a potential top 3 player all time in terms of pure basketball talent..haven't seen many players match every shred of hype and expectations put on them the way Lebron has. I'm talking purely about his game..legacy wise he's had his fair share of failures.

I think that's doing a disservice to a pre-injury Hill, who was a beast. A more athletic Hill is a very good description of what Lebron is now.

[blood yes]

Yea I remember his rookie season where Melo got robbed for tha ROTY award and Lebron was a horrible jumpshooter indeed:lol . I never liked his attitude even back in 2002 when I first heard about him in high school when he was junior. Lebron was just blessed by his God given abilities its just too bad that he's a quitter, choker and coward. If I was 6'9 and 260 I would win at least 6 rings out of 11 seasons. No doubt.
Mods, why isnt this guy banned:facepalm :facepalm

[Bandito]

To be honest, I didn't..I thought he would be a more athletic pre-injury Grant Hill. Which is still close, but I don't think it entirely captures Lebron's level as a player. He went from a hyped up high school kid, to a potential top 3 player all time in terms of pure basketball talent..haven't seen many players match every shred of hype and expectations put on them the way Lebron has. I'm talking purely about his game..legacy wise he's had his fair share of failures.
He is technically a more athletic Grant Hill:oldlol:

[Real14]

Mods, why isnt this guy banned:facepalm :facepalm
What's your problem niguh?:lol

[steve]

Well, that's basically what he was. A hyper athletic Grant Hill. Then the 2006 rule changes bumped up his scoring. Then after the 2008 Olympics he began playing defense, his jumper got better and the rest was history.

I think one of things that kind of does a disservice to Lebron is that everyone sort of expected him to have all of the tools all at once instead of letting him develop (like people complaining that he wasn't a great defender or he didn't have a reliable outside jumper or that he didn't have a post game) and part of this problem is perception. We sort of remember the kinds of players Magic and Jordan devloped into (although somewhat ironically people don't really remember hyper athletic attacking Jordan but slightly slowed down methodical Jordan) and don't really appreciate how long it took them to become those players. I mean, Magic didn't truly become the dominant player people remember him to be until around '86 or '87. And Lebron still has a good chunk of his career left and several different iterations left.

[miles berg]

I thought he would be better one honest. Still an all time great but espn hyped him up to be as good as Jordan which he isn't even close.

[Milbuck]

I think that's doing a disservice to a pre-injury Hill, who was a beast. A more athletic Hill is a very good description of what Lebron is now.
He was, but I think stopping at 'more athletic Grant Hill' suggests that Lebron's singular advantage over Hill is physical. I think that description was true a while ago..but the way Lebron has developed his jumper past the midrange, his post game, considering that his vision is better than Hill's, defensively he's better in versatility and effectiveness in his own position..I think Lebron has developed his game beyond the physical side to a level that Hill never reached. Wasn't trying to knock Hill, just think that Lebron's skill set right now - in that it's different, not that he's much more skilled or anything - has pulled away from the comparison a tad since he entered the league.

[Hey Yo]

To be honest, I didn't..I thought he would be a more athletic pre-injury Grant Hill. Which is still close, but I don't think it entirely captures Lebron's level as a player. He went from a hyped up high school kid, to a potential top 3 player all time in terms of pure basketball talent..haven't seen many players match every shred of hype and expectations put on them the way Lebron has. I'm talking purely about his game..legacy wise he's had his fair share of failures.
For all the hype he was getting, my older brother said he was going to be the biggest bust in the history of the game. I certainly didn't think he would be but didn't think he'd achieve this status.

[Real14]

For all the hype he was getting, my older brother said he was going to be the biggest bust in the history of the game. I certainly didn't think he would be but didn't think he'd achieve this status.
Wade, Bosh, Allen, and refs made it all possible.

[magic chiongson]

he was mentioned to play like a magic-jordan hybrid with a PF body, so i expected a lot more

[Crown&Coke]

I thought he would be good, not best in the world good. Rarely does someone match their hype coming in from HS. He came in and played point for his team. Now that aint easy, now add the fact he was an 18 year old rookie. Shit is insane.

Dude came into the league at like 220. Fast as lightning. Then dude puts on like 50 pounds, and still fast a shit. I didn't think that would last long, yet it did.

Dude couldn't shoot the rock. Leave him alone at the 3 point line and he will knock it down now.

I respect his game, but didn't ever think he would reach these heights. Dude is a baller

[NBAplayoffs2001]

Wade, Bosh, Allen, and refs made it all possible.

pure :applause:

[choppermagic]

I thought he'd be better too.

The way he was hyped into the sky, i would have thought he'd rack up 70 pt games, average a triple double in his prime, and do things that get people talking for months, and not in a negative sense like the Decision or his meltdown against the Celtics. Remember when Shaq came into the league? He brought a lot of excitement into the league and did incredible things and smashed backboards, etc. that were really memorable. And Lebron was hyped even harder than Shaq.

Lebron? All his fans keep spouting efficiency numbers. Hey, you know what, shooting 57% for a month is not something that burns into your brain as sports legend. What remarkable feats has he done that will be recalled 10-15 years from now? He's had some great performances, but nothing that will stand out much i think. Magic announced his presence with a BANG in his rookie Finals playing center. Jordan has amazing feat after amazing feat. Kobe has his 81 pt game and 35.4 average year. Lebron has 56% shooting to boast about.

[Hoopz2332]

I think that's doing a disservice to a pre-injury Hill, who was a beast. A more athletic Hill is a very good description of what Lebron is now.

Lebron and Grant Hill play nothing alike outside of being all around players.

[Kblaze8855]

I said here in 2003 he would put up at least 15/5/5 as a rookie and got called an idiot for it.

Plenty of people here were acting like he was gonna be good...but nothing special.

If you polled ISH then and said would Lebron have 4 MVPs and 2 rings before he turned 30 you would have been clowned just for asking

Old ISH ezboard posts on Lebron:


Da KO King
High School Varsity Star
Posts: 80
(2/19/03 2:43 pm)
Reply Re: hmm
He will be a superstar the same way Darius Miles is a superstar. He will dunk on someone and people will say that makes him good.



TheKingOfVa
Strong playground player
Posts: 40
(9/10/03 12:00 pm)
Reply Re: lebron
he will be iight not a 30pts 6 ast 6 reb guy like Kobe and T-mac now. He will be a bust as the number 1 probably but end up to be a decent 14 pts 3 ast 7 reb Lamar Odom type guy. This is just my guess.




chingchongchinaman
NBA Superstar
Posts: 1416
(7/26/02 1:47 pm)
Reply hmm
My only gripe with LEBRON is that from the dunks i have seen etc. HE is not really that athletic. NOt sure if he can do well in the pros..hope he does though.



playground834
NBA Starter
Posts: 598
(7/26/02 11:27 am)
Reply
Re: Will Lebron James be a bust...
Take over the league with a shoot-first mentality on a crappy team. Realises he isn't going to win championships that way after awhile, so changes his game. Basically I see him on the same par as Jerry Stackhouse.



bballguru
High School Varsity
Posts: 54
(7/26/02 10:58 am)
Reply lebron
harold miner material.



Get off the wagon............he's not going to be a household name, because of image already. Can a superstar just not have tattoes anymore? America wants a jordan type image not a tattoed up freak with a wack nose.



People now act like they knew.

But we were pretty divided.

[Hoopz2332]

I said here in 2003 he would put up at least 15/5/5 as a rookie and got called an idiot for it.

Plenty of people here were acting like he was gonna be good...but nothing special.

If you polled ISH then and said would Lebron have 4 MVPs and 2 rings before he turned 30 you would have been clowned just for asking

Old ISH ezboard posts on Lebron:






People now act like they knew.

But we were pretty divided.




Great post. I remember a ton of people saying LBJ was going to be a bust and that Melo would be better:oldlol:

[dreamwarrior]

They were talking about him like he was going to not just be as good as Jordan but even better and the number 1 reason was that as a teenager he already had the body of a man and so was just going to fill out even more as he grew up. Before and since you just don't see HS kids looking like he did. He is obviously a genetic freak. I didn't believe it at the time, that all you needed was big bones and some muscles to play in the NBA but the scouts were right.

[ralph_i_el]

I didn't believe it at the time, that all you needed was big bones and some muscles to play in the NBA but the scouts were right.

yup thats the only reason Lebron is good. muscles. Great insight.

[dgaras]

I said here in 2003 he would put up at least 15/5/5 as a rookie and got called an idiot for it.

Plenty of people here were acting like he was gonna be good...but nothing special.

If you polled ISH then and said would Lebron have 4 MVPs and 2 rings before he turned 30 you would have been clowned just for asking

Old ISH ezboard posts on Lebron:



People now act like they knew.

But we were pretty divided.

some of those posters were the worst ish had to offer

da ko king? garbage

i fell into the hype right away. after the first game is when i knew

[TheMilkyBarKid]

Yeh, I was a fan since before he was drafted and you could tell from his abilities and his work ethic he was going to be an all time great.

[blood yes]

They were talking about him like he was going to not just be as good as Jordan but even better and the number 1 reason was that as a teenager he already had the body of a man and so was just going to fill out even more as he grew up. Before and since you just don't see HS kids looking like he did. He is obviously a genetic freak. I didn't believe it at the time, that all you needed was big bones and some muscles to play in the NBA but the scouts were right.
You're a ****ing dumbass, go kill yourself:facepalm :facepalm