Evidence Lebron will last well into his 30's as perimeter ballhandler

[3ball]

http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/4-21-2015/vP4Tmp.gif


There's so much spacing now that the course looks like an obstacle course - even wide-bodied, bumbling Blake Griffin can navigate it and set up lane penetration like a guard.

The wider driving lanes provided by spacing and the hands-off defensive rules allow SO much time and space for the ballhandler, that it's a safe bet Lebron will be able to do at least as well as Blake Griffin does against "DPOY" Kawhi Leonard.

Apparently, anyone can be a successful perimeter player in today's spaced-out non-physical game.. Imagine if Barkley, Mason, Coleman or Hakeem got a whiff of this spacing.. Or Bird (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=366456) for goodness sake.. :bowdown:

[Im Still Ballin]

Shut the **** up

[Dresta]

Blake has better handles than a lot of guards tbh, and that was a poorly defended play. Useless example.

[3ball]

Blake has better handles than a lot of guards tbh, and that was a poorly defended play. Useless example.


:roll:

Blake's lane penetration shown in the OP was against DPOY Kawhi Leonard, so it's the best example there could ever be.. The spacing and hands-off defense has made penetration an automatic, built-in component of the game that allows ANYONE to set up a lane penetration, even a slow, bumbling ballhandler by guard standards like Blake Griffin.

See the Lebron GIF below - I'm pretty sure Blake Griffin could navigate that too - you don't need a good handle to waltz through the obstacle course-looking, spaced-out driving lanes of today's game.. The very worst guards in the league are expected to penetrate as a standard - how do you think the Clippers got by the Spurs??.. Austin Rivers (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=10461537&postcount=67) filled in the automatic lane penetration role and the Clippers moved on.


http://gifsforum.com/images_new/gif/other/grand/1dc96941a9ff6d64bfb56f67900cac7e.gif

[LoneyROY7]

Blake has better handles than MJ did.

[Prometheus]

OP talkin about bran and I'm over here just like...

:bowdown: Blake! :bowdown:

[OnFire]

LeBron could play till he is 50 years old if he wants to end his career as Andre Miller.

[3ball]

OP talkin about bran and I'm over here just like...

:bowdown: Blake! :bowdown:


That's the point - Blake was like a guard but going 1/2 the speed with 1/2 the handle - that's what today's spacing allows.

[tmacattack33]

:facepalm

That play in the gif is a terrible example...it was semi-transition and the Spurs defense wasn't even set up yet.

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

Blake has better handles than MJ did.
:biggums: :biggums:

[3ball]

.
Lebron is wide load, so many plays he makes are only possible WITH spacing:


http://gifsforum.com/images_new/gif/other/grand/36ab0a78453aa4ec0f7ac468d16a13ae.gif




In the same spot with NO spacing, Lebron would have to pull it back out - he doesn't have the optimal slim physique to attack in traffic at will - too many defenders in close proximity:


http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/4-06-2015/peD32d.gif


Which defensive setup looks easier to navigate?.. Pretty obvious.. :rolleyes:

[ImKobe]

.
Lebron is wide load, so many plays he makes are only possible WITH spacing:


http://gifsforum.com/images_new/gif/other/grand/36ab0a78453aa4ec0f7ac468d16a13ae.gif




In the same spot with NO spacing, Lebron would have to pull it back out - he doesn't have the optimal slim physique to attack in traffic at will - too many defenders in close proximity:


http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/4-06-2015/peD32d.gif


Which defensive setup looks easier to navigate?.. Pretty obvious.. :rolleyes:

Are you blind? Lebron has 4 guys waiting for him at the rim while his teammates are camping behind the 3pt line. What a poor choice for a gif, because those defenders weren't even giving effort on that play and Bran's teammates were just standing around and the guys behind the arc were just walking, this is garbage time Bran.

[jimmybball]

3Ball :sleeping

[3ball]

What a poor choice for a gif, because those defenders weren't even giving effort on that play and Bran's teammates were just standing around and the guys behind the arc were just walking, this is garbage time Bran.


Lebron got all the way to the rim for a layup because there was no one waiting at the rim.

Whereas in MJ's GIF, he couldn't get all the way to the rim and had to settle for a contested, mid-range fall-away jumper.

And again, the defenders are in MUCH closer proximity in MJ's GIF... You don't see the wide gaps of space or daylight in the MJ GIF.. Lebron's wide body wouldn't fit in between close defenders like that and he'd have to pull it back out.

[OnFire]

.
Lebron is wide load, so many plays he makes are only possible WITH spacing:


http://gifsforum.com/images_new/gif/other/grand/36ab0a78453aa4ec0f7ac468d16a13ae.gif




In the same spot with NO spacing, Lebron would have to pull it back out - he doesn't have the optimal slim physique to attack in traffic at will - too many defenders in close proximity:


http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/4-06-2015/peD32d.gif


Which defensive setup looks easier to navigate?.. Pretty obvious.. :rolleyes:

The defense looks identical. The main difference is just Jordan's teammates are standing in the paint too. LeBron is in the paint against at least 4 defenders and no teammates.

[ImKobe]

Lebron got all the way to the rim for a layup because there was no one waiting at the rim.

Whereas in MJ's GIF, he couldn't get all the way to the rim and had to settle for a contested, mid-range fall-away jumper.

And again, the defenders are in MUCH closer proximity in MJ's GIF... You don't see the wide gaps of space or daylight in the MJ GIF.. Lebron's wide body wouldn't fit in between close defenders like that and he'd have to pull it back out.

You compare two gifs to make your point, at least use gifs of both guys scoring against the best defenses in the league, not Lebron vs Charlotte and MJ vs what it looks to be Utah's 2nd string players...

And even then, one play is not enough to convince anybody.

Yeah, in MJ's case, there is basically no spacing at all, but it's not like he's going at the entire defense alone, you see those guys covering his teammates and he fades over one defender, who's too far away to affect his shot anyways

In Lebron's case, he's going up against a zone and there are 3 guys waiting for him at the rim with a 4th one close enough to go contest that shot (which would leave a 3pt shooter wide open, if James gets it through), but it's in garbage time and those guys looked as if they were asleep.

The defense prevents Jordan from getting an easy basket at the rim, but he gets wide open jump shots/fadeaways in his sleep against that setup.

[3ball]

.
Lebron is wide load, so many plays he makes are only possible WITH spacing:


http://gifsforum.com/images_new/gif/other/grand/36ab0a78453aa4ec0f7ac468d16a13ae.gif




In the same spot with NO spacing, Lebron would have to pull it back out - he doesn't have the optimal slim physique to attack in traffic at will - too many defenders in close proximity:


http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/4-06-2015/peD32d.gif


Which defensive setup looks easier to navigate?.. Pretty obvious.. :rolleyes:
.

[3ball]

LeBron is in the paint against at least 4 defenders


http://gifsforum.com/images_new/gif/other/grand/471b27f9e2e8a205f5411af79d40c0de.gif


Not a soul in the paint - the other 4 defenders are OUTSIDE the paint, so Lebron gets all the way to the rim 1-on-1 vs. Al Jefferson..

Otoh, there were defenders waiting under the rim for MJ, so he COULDN'T get all the way to the rim and had to settle for a contested fadeaway jumper instead.

[ImKobe]

http://gifsforum.com/images_new/gif/other/grand/471b27f9e2e8a205f5411af79d40c0de.gif


Not a soul in the paint - the other 4 defenders are OUTSIDE the paint, so Lebron gets all the way to the rim 1-on-1 vs. Al Jefferson..

Otoh, there were defenders waiting under the rim for MJ, so he COULDN'T get all the way to the rim and had to settle for a contested fadeaway jumper instead.

:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm

Those guys are obviously supposed to collapse on Bran as he drives into the paint, they can't camp in the paint because of the rule...

you only have those two gifs to use? really?

[3ball]

Those guys are obviously supposed to collapse on Bran as he drives into the paint, they can't camp in the paint because of the rule...

you only have those two gifs to use? really?


.
in the GIF below, look specifically at horace grant under the rim - the rules in previous eras didn't require horace to stay within armslength (http://www.nba.com/nba101/misunderstood_0708.html) of his man, so he decides to stop under the rim and camp in the paint, instead of following his man toni kukocs out to the 3-point line in the far corner... as a result, horace is there waiting on MJ, and actually gets there AHEAD of time:


http://gifsforum.com/images_new/gif/other/grand/ff00eb05f6a2bc1d374e2727b50a5351.gif




otoh, look specifically at harrison barnes near the far corner below - durant must stay within armslength (http://www.nba.com/nba101/misunderstood_0708.html) of barnes to remain in the paint - so durant goes towards the edge of the paint to stay within "armslength", and consequently, he's late coming over.


http://gifsforum.com/images_new/gif/other/grand/270ad21b124fe5a38ae181bac30c0a8d.gif

[3ball]

http://gifsforum.com/images_new/gif/other/grand/c33b0be11565b94476f8e7a7e9902217.gif


NO COMPARISON


http://gifsforum.com/images_new/gif/other/grand/832a26d5ea87f83465b92fe12837530b.gif

[3ball]

.
one guy immediately makes a quick move into a paint that has 3 defenders in there..


http://gifsforum.com/images_new/gif/other/grand/c27a7589bc4681278938f85dbb781f40.gif



the other guy ***** around with the ball even though the paint is wide open - not a defender in there at all.. :facepalm


http://gifsforum.com/images_new/gif/other/grand/8cfb1f5cd6acc974960d916586e49b4a.gif

[ralph_i_el]

LeBron would have been even better if he was allowed to hook and bully perimeter guys like MJ.

[warriorfan]

LeBron would have been even better if he was allowed to hook and bully perimeter guys like MJ.


You mean like this?

http://s9.postimg.org/i8vtl3mwt/Paul_Foul.gif

[TheMarkMadsen]

can't lie the OP is 100% spot on