Just how many rings would LeBron have if he was drafted by Detroit?

[Im Still Ballin]

2004 - Ring
2005 - Ring
2006 - Ring
2007 - Ring
2008 - Ring

They still pick up Rasheed in 2004

[Nilocon165]

He would be the GOAT. Disciplined by Larry Brown so he wasn't a emo bitch like he is now.

[GrapeApe]

On a related note, it's pretty amazing that 4 of the first 5 picks in 2003 are HOFers and Detroit ended up with Darko. Lebron was obviously off the board already, but the NBA landscape might look a lot different had the Pistons went a different direction.

[Im Still Ballin]

Yeah he'd be in an environment from day one that emphasized defense.. He'd probably try hard on that end from day 1

He's exactly what they needed to super charge their offense

[SpaceJam]

On a related note, it's pretty amazing that 4 of the first 5 picks in 2003 are HOFers and Detroit ended up with Darko. Lebron was obviously off the board already, but the NBA landscape might look a lot different had the Pistons went a different direction.

Darko the first one to win a ring though :confusedshrug:

http://www.ballnroll.com/Uploads/ring3.png

[Disaprine]

he would replace drako on the bench. :lol

[Im Still Ballin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFWJI1iEBkQ

Goddamn so athletic and powerful

A 250 pound freight train

[Im Still Ballin]

Always feels like LeBron's game was so much smoother back then

[GrapeApe]

Darko the first one to win a ring though :confusedshrug:

http://www.ballnroll.com/Uploads/ring3.png

Can't argue with that. I bet he'll cling to it forever too.

"Yeah, I'm that guy, but I won a ring before D-Wade and Lebron"

:rockon:

[Kiddlovesnets]

If Detroit got the No.1 pick, Memphis would've kept it since it was top pick protected. So Lebron would be playing with Paul Gasol then then.

[DingDengDong]

Dreams are nice, but then you wake up to 2/6.

[warriorfan]

Always feels like LeBron's game was so much smoother back then

he was lighter, faster, all around more athletic...and he was still strong enough to do pretty much whatever he wanted to on the court

[Nash]

He would be averaging 27/7/7 in his 2nd year.

He'd have 3 more rings right now.

[sportjames23]

On a related note, it's pretty amazing that 4 of the first 5 picks in 2003 are HOFers and Detroit ended up with Darko. Lebron was obviously off the board already, but the NBA landscape might look a lot different had the Pistons went a different direction.

Right? The question should be how many rings would Wade and Detroit have if they took him.

[Born Sinner]

1 ring as a bench player

[moongaze]

He'd be even more hated. Think about it. An Ohio boy going to Detroit and helping that craptown win titles while several hundred miles south the people of Cleveland are still waiting for a major sports champion

[TheMarkMadsen]

His style would not have worked on those teams.

A ball dominant rookie who can't shoot wouldn't have helped the Pistons at all in 04 or 05.

[Smoke117]

His style would not have worked on those teams.

A ball dominant rookie who can't shoot wouldn't have helped the Pistons at all in 04 or 05.

Yeah a guy who is a vastly better player and one of the highest IQ basketball players of all time will have less impact than Tayshaun Prince...god you're a ****ing retard. :facepalm

[ArbitraryWater]

Yeah a guy who is a vastly better player and one of the highest IQ basketball players of all time will have less impact than Tayshaun Prince...god you're a ****ing retard. :facepalm

I was about to make the Prince comparison.. that dudes view of how basketball works is so skewed :lol

[riseagainst]

He would be the GOAT. Disciplined by Larry Brown so he wasn't a emo bitch like he is now.

:roll:

[Born Sinner]

Yeah a guy who is a vastly better player and one of the highest IQ basketball players of all time will have less impact than Tayshaun Prince...god you're a ****ing retard. :facepalm
:rant lebron doesnt know you exist :roll:

[Nilocon165]

:rant lebron doesnt know you exist :roll:
This has to be one of the worst replies I've ever seen. He simply stated that you're an idiot for thinking Tayshaun Prince would have a greater impact than Lebron. And it's not like any nba players know who tf you are either

[TheMarkMadsen]

Yeah a guy who is a vastly better player and one of the highest IQ basketball players of all time will have less impact than Tayshaun Prince...god you're a ****ing retard. :facepalm


Prince for that team, in 04 and 05 was a better fit.

Didn't need the ball, didn't demand the ball, could shoot the three at times was a much better defender than 04 & 05 Lebron

Prince was great at being a ROLE PLAYER, which is what the Pistons needed at the time. Not a rookie who wants to run point guard.

Not a ball dominant rookie who demands the ball and has so much hype surrounding him that the coach has to adhere to playing him a certain amount of minutes/ giving him a certain amount of touches.

Has nothing to do with who's a better player, all about who the better fit was. Having a "superstar" (not that Lebron was a superstar at that time, but you get the point) on that Pistons team would have messed with everything that made them great.

[Smoke117]

Prince for that team, in 04 and 05 was a better fit.

Didn't need the ball, didn't demand the ball, could shoot the three at times was a much better defender than 04 & 05 Lebron

Prince was great at being a ROLE PLAYER, which is what the Pistons needed at the time. Not a rookie who wants to run point guard.

Not a ball dominant rookie who demands the ball and has so much hype surrounding him that the coach has to adhere to playing him a certain amount of minutes/ giving him a certain amount of touches.

Has nothing to do with who's a better player, all about who the better fit was. Having a "superstar" (not that Lebron was a superstar at that time, but you get the point) on that Pistons team would have messed with everything that made them great.

You are talking out your ass...saying Lebron would demand this and demand that on the Pistons...he played the way he played on the Cavs initially because HE HAD TO. There's no way if Lebron joined the Pistons that he would be doing this nonsense...but you're a kobe stan and a lebron hater, so I can't say it's especially surprising that you actually believe this.

[TheMarkMadsen]

You are talking out your ass...saying Lebron would demand this and demand that on the Pistons...he played the way he played on the Cavs initially because HE HAD TO. There's no way if Lebron joined the Pistons that he would be doing this nonsense...but you're a kobe stan and a lebron hater, so I can't say it's especially surprising that you actually believe this.


Great argument :lol :lol

So Lebron, as the number one pick in the draft, the guy hyped as the "next MJ" ,is going to accept a role where there are little to no plays called for him and he's asked to just play defense & hit the occasional three??

His defense was terrible in 2004 & 2005, so they'd be asking him to be the defensive stopper on the perimeter.. Which he wasn't even capable of at the time..

So even if he accepts the defensive role player role, he's accepting a role that would have been accentuating his biggest weaknesses when he came into the league..

Real life basketball doesn't work like 2k, sorry.

[imdaman99]

The only way he wings rings on that Detroit team is role playing rings. They had a team going on there, no chance of Lebron ball.

[Smoke117]

Great argument :lol :lol

So Lebron, as the number one pick in the draft, the guy hyped as the "next MJ" ,is going to accept a role where there are little to no plays called for him and he's asked to just play defense & hit the occasional three??

His defense was terrible in 2004 & 2005, so they'd be asking him to be the defensive stopper on the perimeter.. Which he wasn't even capable of at the time..

So even if he accepts the defensive role player role, he's accepting a role that would have been accentuating his biggest weaknesses when he came into the league..

Real life basketball doesn't work like 2k, sorry.

Not everyone is Kobe...some players, you know, actually accede to a coach and gameplan and set their egos aside...I know foreign concept to a kobe stan. It's doubtful the Pistons would have unloaded Tay if they did get Lebron so you'd have them both in 2004. By his 2nd season Lebron was on a much different level than Tay and he would obviously be a much bigger part of Larry Brown's offense. The Pistons are clearly better with a 2nd year Lebron as opposed to Tay in 2005.

[TheMarkMadsen]

Not everyone is Kobe...some players, you know, actually accede to a coach and gameplan and set their egos aside...I know foreign concept to a kobe stan. It's doubtful the Pistons would have unloaded Tay if they did get Lebron so you'd have them both in 2004. By his 2nd season Lebron was on a much different level than Tay and he would obviously be a much bigger part of Larry Brown's offense. The Pistons are clearly better with a 2nd year Lebron as opposed to Tay in 2005.

I'm positive of two things

1) You can't go more than two post without bringing up Kobe

2) you didn't answer the question of Lebron accepting a defensive role player role and never addressed the fact that his level of defense wasn't even good enough to fill that role.

also, they would have to change up their entire play style if they were planning on using Lebron in a major way after 2004 and that would have changed the entire dynamic of the team.

And honestly, there is little to no chance that Larry Brown messes with the formula of a championship contender to accommodate a rookie/ 2nd year player.

Actually, there is no chance he does that, especially not with these Pistons. And another thing, look at those Pistons best offensive players, they could all shoot! The offense and especially defense would have looked completely different with Lebron in those first few years.

[Duderonomy]

Yeah a guy who is a vastly better player and one of the highest IQ basketball players of all time will have less impact than Tayshaun Prince...god you're a ****ing retard. :facepalm
Would Okafor help the spurs more than Kawhi right now? 3and D system players who are easy to coach are more impactful for contending teams.

[raprap]

Darko the first one to win a ring though :confusedshrug:

http://www.ballnroll.com/Uploads/ring3.png
That's why rings are not that big of a factor when it comes to player comparisons.

[Nash]

Prince for that team, in 04 and 05 was a better fit.

Didn't need the ball, didn't demand the ball, could shoot the three at times was a much better defender than 04 & 05 Lebron

Prince was great at being a ROLE PLAYER, which is what the Pistons needed at the time. Not a rookie who wants to run point guard.

Not a ball dominant rookie who demands the ball and has so much hype surrounding him that the coach has to adhere to playing him a certain amount of minutes/ giving him a certain amount of touches.

Has nothing to do with who's a better player, all about who the better fit was. Having a "superstar" (not that Lebron was a superstar at that time, but you get the point) on that Pistons team would have messed with everything that made them great.
:roll: :roll:
as usual, you're dumb as hell.

Lebron with Detroit team would be a better team. Whatever made them good+Lebron is way better than minus Lebron.

[TheMarkMadsen]

:roll: :roll:
as usual, you're dumb as hell.

Lebron with Detroit team would be a better team. Whatever made them good+Lebron is way better than minus Lebron.


So a rookie Lebron being asked to be a 3 & D guy when he can't shoot or play defense, in his rookie year, would make the team better?

As usual you know nothing about how teams work and just think this is 2k

[knicksman]

0 coz hes not clutch.

[raprap]

So a rookie Lebron being asked to be a 3 & D guy when he can't shoot or play defense, in his rookie year, would make the team better?

As usual you know nothing about how teams work and just think this is 2k
Tayshaun was a 3 and d player? :biggums:

[TheMarkMadsen]

Tayshaun was a 3 and d player? :biggums:

Prince was pretty damn good defensively.. Is that seriously a question?

He was the perfect role player on that team. Lebron had no defense when he entered the league. He would have been asked to play the role of a perimeter stopper and with his defense, the Pistons would be worse off with him in that role.

Unless you think they would have put the ball in lebrons hands and let him play his game, which I don't see how anybody can think the Pistons would be better off allowing a rookie Lebron to do that.

I've already explained why I think Lebron wouldn't make these Pistons teams better in 04 & 05.

Has literally nothing to do with who is better. Pistons didn't need another point guard.

Larry Brown wasn't going to change up the game plan of a championship contender to accommodate a rookie.

They'd obviously be better off down the road though.