What player besides Kyrie could you have put next to LeBron and still win?

[CTbasketball92]

Maybe Paul George, KD,Anthony Davis, James Harden ... idk? What do you think?

[ScalsFan21]

Haters making more and more tweaks to exactly how and who LeBron-ball can affect negatively. :lol

Couple years ago it was "LeBron can only elevate the play of role players, while turning fellow studs INTO role players".

[scuzzy]

Any player ranked between Mathew Dellavedova and Kyrie Irving :confusedshrug:

[SilkkTheShocker]

LeBron can play with anyone. Playing the same lineup with Wade should have proved that by now.

[CTbasketball92]

My thread title was misleading, my real question is: What other player could've taken Kyrie's place this year next to LeBron and beat this year's warriors?

This year, two stars beat a team with three and a ton of great role players. If you'd told me that the Cavs would win with only LeBron and Kyrie scoring well, I would've laughed. What other player can step up the way Kyrie did?

[ScalsFan21]

I mean, Paul George is a great choice for sure. I could only imagine him and LeBron sharing the court together...

[moongaze]

This thread should be interesting, as we know how little respect Kyrie gets

[SilkkTheShocker]

This thread should be interesting, as we know how little respect Kyrie gets

Irving has gotten a ton of love since the postseason.

[CTbasketball92]

I mean, Paul George is a great choice for sure. I could only imagine him and LeBron sharing the court together...

I can see that. I look at PG and Kyrie so similarly. They're both just outside my top 10, but only due to technicalities. There aren't more than 3 or 4 players I'd rather have in a playoff situation, but their regular season stats are somewhat underwhelming given their abilities. Also, they both idolize Kobe, and they're the only two that remind me of Mamba's smoothness on the court. I could see PG coming up huge and just having a few 40 point games and making all sorts of impact defensive plays.

Anthony Davis is just so good, he can score on any defense at will when he gets going and he can block shots. James Harden gets clowned, but he had some great games against GSW last year. Still, his style doesn't match well with LeBron's and his jumper is streaky.

[moongaze]

Irving has gotten a ton of love since the postseason.

He has but he's been underrated and hated on for a long time. Even his finals and playoff performance has gotten a lil overshadowed and downplayed.

[ScalsFan21]

I can see that. I look at PG and Kyrie so similarly. They're both just outside my top 10, but only due to technicalities. There aren't more than 3 or 4 players I'd rather have in a playoff situation, but their regular season stats are somewhat underwhelming given their abilities. Also, they both idolize Kobe, and they're the only two that remind me of Mamba's smoothness on the court. I could see PG coming up huge and just having a few 40 point games and making all sorts of impact defensive plays.

Anthony Davis is just so good, he can score on any defense at will when he gets going and he can block shots. James Harden gets clowned, but he had some great games against GSW last year. Still, his style doesn't match well with LeBron's and his jumper is streaky.

To be totally honest, Paul George I have somewhere in my 7-9 range. I just think the two-way wing who can shoot and slash is too valuable in today's game to ignore. I consider him a distant dark-horse for MVP this year if he can get the Pacers to a high seed in the East, which is doable this year. He has some things he could improve on, but he's basically a worse-defending, less efficient Kawhi who has more range. If Leonard/Westbrook don't get MVP and LeBron coasts, PG13 could make a run at it for sure.

[CTbasketball92]

To be totally honest, Paul George I have somewhere in my 7-9 range. I just think the two-way wing who can shoot and slash is too valuable in today's game to ignore. I consider him a distant dark-horse for MVP this year if he can get the Pacers to a high seed in the East, which is doable this year. He has some things he could improve on, but he's basically a worse-defending, less efficient Kawhi who has more range. If Leonard/Westbrook don't get MVP and LeBron coasts, PG13 could make a run at it for sure.

I agree. I think PG13 is a superstar, and he's got a good team now to be honest. I could see 55 wins. He's more slippery than Kawhi Leonard. I expect Westgod to win the MVP though.

[SilkkTheShocker]

He has but he's been underrated and hated on for a long time. Even his finals and playoff performance has gotten a lil overshadowed and downplayed.

It got overshadowed a little because LeBron had one of the all-time great Finals. But Irving has gotten a ton of love for what he did the last 3 games of the series, and having one of the most historic Finals shots of all-time. Saw a thread the other day asking whether people think he could be MVP one day.

[J Shuttlesworth]

Pippen for sure

[r0drig0lac]

Lillard

[moongaze]

It got overshadowed a little because LeBron had one of the all-time great Finals. But Irving has gotten a ton of love for what he did the last 3 games of the series, and having one of the most historic Finals shots of all-time. Saw a thread the other day asking whether people think he could be MVP one day.

Right, and did you read the responses on that thread?

[PP34Deuce]

Paul george the poor mans Tracy Mcgrady....

Defensively switching would be on the CAVS side. When you have Delly, George, Bron, Love, Thompson you can switch and recover.

[bigkingsfan]

Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, or Draymond Green

[SilkkTheShocker]

Right, and did you read the responses on that thread?

Don't remember them off-hand. But I think the consensus is that he is an elite scorer/ballhandler/ and arguably the most clutch shooter in the league. But doesn't do enough in other departments to get MVP consideration yet.

[Dragonyeuw]

Chris Paul

[CarlosBoozer]

PG13 is a great player paired up with LBJ

That's insane defense and offense combined.

CP3 is a good choice as well. Harden would be strangled by Lebron because of his lack of effort on D :lol

[RedBlackAttack]

Kyrie is a perfect counter-weight to LeBron, because he is so good in isolation (something all LeBron teams have always done to a great degree). But it doesn't end there... he is also a deadly shooter who can space the floor with the best of them. When he is focused and locked in defensively like he was in The Finals, he is the perfect guard for LeBron to play alongside.

Kyrie and LeBron are also deadly when they run the P&R together, which is often the Cavs' offense late in games, with the combination of speed, size, handles, power, shooting, etc. between them... it's a pick your poison scenario.

It allows LeBron to play at a max level in all the areas he excels in and Kyrie can completely take over the scoring load whenever called upon.

There are other elite guys in the league that might be able to do different things well enough to beat that Golden State team, but it would look a lot different ... and I do think Kyrie is the perfect offensive fit with LeBron.

[Doranku]

I think Melo at the 2/3 and LeBron at the 3/4 would be a really nice fit. Basically like RBA said, isolation scorers make LeBron-led teams infinitely better because LeBron can basically do everything else. Add in a guy that can score from anywhere on the court and it's game over.

[AintNoSunshine]

A lot of talents would have complemented Lebron's game too especially if you replaced Kyrie with a great two way player. But it depends on if they show up like Kyrie did. Because Kyrie showed up big time.

[CTbasketball92]

A lot of talents would have complemented Lebron's game too especially if you replaced Kyrie with a great two way player. But it depends on if they show up like Kyrie did. Because Kyrie showed up big time.

I'd only take Anthony Davis, Paul George, Kevin Durant and maybe westbrook. Here's why:

Anthony Davis: Awesome offensive player and a great shot blocker. He lit up GSW in last year's playoffs, and he can score on anybody. His two way play might have also helped the cavs not lose one of the first two games.

Paul George:PG is a really good ballhandler for his size and he can obviously shoot the ball and finish well enough at the rim. He can create his own shot easily and throw in a few 30-40 point games while taking klay out of the game.

Kevin Durant: To me , KD is most likely the league's second best player. He won't get shut down like curry because he'll get to the freethrow line with his size and athleticism, and he can still flat-out shoot. AND he can be an elite defender at times.

Westbrook: Westgod would be my last choice, but he's just really, really good. Maybe the series doesn't go 7 games with him on the team.

Boogie: He's just nasty, didn't even think about logistics.

CP3 is great, but i don't think he can score as many points as the others, though he's an elite-ish shooter and can make a lot of shots, he won't give you the points kyrie did. The assists won't matter as much and kyrie did enough on Curry to slow him anyway. Wall & Lillard are great, but they aren't good enough iso scorers to score consistently on GSW.

LMA is nasty, but i don't quite see it. Blake Griffin isn't good enough imo.

[AintNoSunshine]

I'd only take Anthony Davis, Paul George, Kevin Durant and maybe westbrook. Here's why:

Anthony Davis: Awesome offensive player and a great shot blocker. He lit up GSW in last year's playoffs, and he can score on anybody. His two way play might have also helped the cavs not lose one of the first two games.

Paul George:PG is a really good ballhandler for his size and he can obviously shoot the ball and finish well enough at the rim. He can create his own shot easily and throw in a few 30-40 point games while taking klay out of the game.

Kevin Durant: To me , KD is most likely the league's second best player. He won't get shut down like curry because he'll get to the freethrow line with his size and athleticism, and he can still flat-out shoot. AND he can be an elite defender at times.

Westbrook: Westgod would be my last choice, but he's just really, really good. Maybe the series doesn't go 7 games with him on the team.

Boogie: He's just nasty, didn't even think about logistics.

CP3 is great, but i don't think he can score as many points as the others, though he's an elite-ish shooter and can make a lot of shots, he won't give you the points kyrie did. The assists won't matter as much and kyrie did enough on Curry to slow him anyway. Wall & Lillard are great, but they aren't good enough iso scorers to score consistently on GSW.

LMA is nasty, but i don't quite see it. Blake Griffin isn't good enough imo.

That's true, I didn't think too hard about it and probably exaggerated when I said "a lot". There is not many iso scorer as good as Kyrie, so they will either need to make up for it with elite defensive impact or be able to punish Warriors inside. Maybe a handful of guys I guess. But after all they need to show up and play up to their expectation which Kyrie did, and then some.

[plowking]

Pippen for sure

Would have swept them with Pip.

[inclinerator]

any great 1 on 1 player

[WolfGang]

Anthony Davis. Godbrook, D.lil, Dwayne Wade and Kawhi Leonard.

[BlkMambaGOAT]

Ray Allen.

He hit the same 3 Kyrie did and look at Bran expecting even better head than what he received in 2013.

[AintNoSunshine]

Ray Allen.

He hit the same 3 Kyrie did and look at Bran expecting even better head than what he received in 2013.
:facepalm