Did people really think Lebron/AD wouldn't be good together?

[StrongLurk]

They fit seamlessly when considering style of play on offense AND defense.

Lebron's second best players were always other ball handles, but it was obvious he would be most successful chemistry wise with an elite big man.

AD is also an amazing finisher of plays and can create enough for himself as well in the post.

[elementally morale]

I didn't think they would be this good this soon. I thought it has a good chance of working out but let's give them time till the all star break to gel. So yes, I thought they wouldn't be 21-3. Had there been a question I would've guessed 15-9 or something like that. And a 50-55 win season. Playoffs? Possible WCF and most definitely 2nd round. Something like that were my expectations.

[RRR3]

Yeah you did. You said they’d be the sixth seed did you not?

['Toine=MVP]

Which superteam did AD join? The Lebron/Caruso/Kuzma triumvirate?

Created one. Not joined one.

[RRR3]

Not sure what “HOF role players” the 12 Heat or 16 Cavs had.

Not sure how the Lakers, Cavs or Heat have/had more than 2 superstars.

[Phenith]

I think the doubt lay in the fact that LBJ is getting old and he looked it last season... many were questioning if he had a bounce back year in him at this age... so far so good, only a 1/4 of the way through the season though.

[Shogon]

Created one. Not joined one.

How are two All-Stars a super team?

LMAO the people that post here are such utter dipshits. I mean you guys are basically functionally retarded. Every time I think I can't be amazed any further, you guys one up yourselves.

Basically what a couple of you morons are saying is that every team that's won the title ever is a super team then... except less than a handful.

Yeah, k. LOL.

Absolute ****ing retards.

[elementally morale]

I think the doubt lay in the fact that LBJ is getting old and he looked it last season... many were questioning if he had a bounce back year in him at this age... so far so good, only a 1/4 of the way through the season though.


Not only did he bounce back (he did) but he also plays much differently than he has not only last year but most of his career. He plays like young LeBron only better. Getting healthy I totally believed... but the change in his style of play is the thing that surprised me the most. And I think this change in style (+ Davis, obviously) is what matters most. Both in results and entertainment value.

[StrongLurk]

Yeah you did. You said they’d be the sixth seed did you not?

That is different. The Lakers team does not equal AD/Lebron. I never said AD and Lebron wouldn't be great.

I just figured injuries would take their toll on the Lakers team (which it has EXCEPT for Lebron and AD which is key).

We still have a ways to go, but I expected either Lebron and AD to miss time due to injury and/or load management. This is why I figured they would be around the 6 seed since I thought the west would be very close in seedings.

If Lebron and AD both play 75+ games, then yeah any seed is possible.

If Lebron and AD only play around 65 games (which I expected), then hence the 6th seed.

[Shogon]

Not only did he bounce back (he did) but he also plays much differently than he has not only last year but most of his career. He plays like young LeBron only better. Getting healthy I totally believed... but the change in his style of play is the thing that surprised me the most. And I think this change in style (+ Davis, obviously) is what matters most. Both in results and entertainment value.

Vogel did this. He made LeBron the primary ball handler whose clear role was to primarily distribute. LeBron's best skill has always been his passing, but he's always used it as a 50/50 thing when looking to score or not. Now it's more like 66/33 looking to pass.

[elementally morale]

Vogel did this. He made LeBron the primary ball handler whose clear role was to primarily distribute. LeBron's best skill has always been his passing, but he's always used it as a 50/50 thing when looking to score or not. Now it's more like 66/33 looking to pass.


It may be Vogel but LeBron had to buy in. He always had this style of play in him and I disliked his game mainly due to the fact that he purposefully abandoned it for more than a decade. I really liked LeBron in his first 2-3 years and I thought he would be a better Magic Johnson. He could have been... he didn't do it... and I was bored big time watching his teams play. I was bored last year, too. It's actually a great change whoever may have been the initiator.

[Smoke117]

Vogel did this. He made LeBron the primary ball handler whose clear role was to primarily distribute. LeBron's best skill has always been his passing, but he's always used it as a 50/50 thing when looking to score or not. Now it's more like 66/33 looking to pass.

lol Not really. He's still taking 20 shots a game.

['Toine=MVP]

How are two All-Stars a super team?

LMAO the people that post here are such utter dipshits. I mean you guys are basically functionally retarded. Every time I think I can't be amazed any further, you guys one up yourselves.

Basically what a couple of you morons are saying is that every team that's won the title ever is a super team then... except less than a handful.

Yeah, k. LOL.

Absolute ****ing retards.

1. Championship teams are almost always pretty loaded, which is why they win championships.

2. Championship teams very rarely have multiple superstars on the team (two or more players considered to be top 5 or so in the league by most people) before the current era of the FREE AGENT superteam. So yes, we've seen Steph and Durant, LeBron and Wade, and now LeBron and AD. Before this free agent superteam era, we have had very rare instances (and they developed in a more natural way) Shaq and Kobe (Lakers got "lucky" with Kobe who developed into a big time 2nd piece) and before that Malone and Stockton (extremely organic there). The 83 Championship 76ers team was probably the worst we've seen prior to the modern free agent superteam where Moses Malone basically pulled lighter version of KD, but the end result was Moses and Dr J (and that 82 76ers team was already a contender - not to the level of the Warriors team KD joined). We also saw two superstars on the Lakers when they acquired Kareem still in his peak and then drafted Magic (somewhat similar to the early 00s Lakers but Magic was a ready made product unlike Kobe).

3. There is another kind of "superteam" where people seem to care about having 3 very good or all star quality players, but this seems less egregious overall. Were Kyrie and Love great players? Kyrie yes (with issues) and Love proved to be not-so-much, but neither of them were superstars. It is still somewhat lame to form this kind of "superteam" via free agency, but not nearly as bad as when a superstar joins another superstar (either through FA or trade demand). We've seen TONS of this kind of "superteam" in NBA history. I'm not going to bother to go through this list.

In sum, "two all-stars" are not a superteam. Two SUPERSTARS is exactly what makes a true superteam. And when it is done organically, like you draft both guys, or you trade/sign one and THEN draft/develop a 2nd one, it is fine and actually a great thing for the NBA in many ways. When one superstar recruits another or one superstar decides to join another, it is just pathetic, much like the person I am replying to.

[insidehoops]

And now, what's your updated take on this.

[Rico2016]

Not I