Printable View
[QUOTE=Abraham Lincoln][IMG]http://i45.tinypic.com/rj39jq.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i49.tinypic.com/312a73k.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i47.tinypic.com/ipwbcl.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
Those guys were 6'9 270 lbs and were one of the best passers in the league? I was unaware Abe, tell me more!
[QUOTE=glidedrxlr22]Kobe vs. LeBron: Who's better?
Comment Email Print Share
Thorpe By David Thorpe
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James square off on Christmas Day (ABC, 5 p.m. ET) for the [B]second consecutive season[/B]. So it's time to address the most frequently asked question in the NBA: Who's better, Black Mamba or King James?[/QUOTE]
Did LeBron even play on Christmas last year? I can only think of the memorable Spurs @ Suns game with Mason hitting the game winner and Celtics @ Lakers.
So why should I believe anything he says if he starts his article with misinformation?
But with that said, I pretty much agree with most of what he says, hah.
[QUOTE=Simple Jack]Those guys were 6'9 270 lbs and were one of the best passers in the league? I was unaware Abe, tell me more![/QUOTE]
spot on:lol These guys were great and exceptional for THEIR time, but Lebron is something new and never seen before - I feel privileged to watch such an amazing talent at his peak:applause:
[QUOTE=Younggrease]too bad none of these guys are that similar to Lebron...[/QUOTE]
Yes all 4 were unique players that were physically well built ahead of their time that could:
- handle the ball like a guard
- play a facilitator role
- shoot with respectability from midrange
- penetrate the lane at will
- finish the fast break
- set up the fast break
- play the post (Elgin, Barkley)
- rebound (Elgin, Barkley)
They each had different responsibilites on their team, but physically speaking in terms of unique ability all 4 were indeed similar.
[QUOTE]Those guys were 6'9 270 lbs and were one of the best passers in the league? I was unaware Abe, tell me more![/QUOTE]
He is not 270, nor is he 6'9 and yes a peak version of Doc and especially Elgin & Barkley were among the top passers of their time as well as all time.
[QUOTE=Simple Jack]Those guys were 6'9 270 lbs and were one of the best passers in the league? I was unaware Abe, tell me more![/QUOTE]
chuck got him beat in weight tho :lol
[QUOTE=Abraham Lincoln]Yes all 4 were unique players that were physically well built ahead of their time that could:
- handle the ball like a guard
- play a facilitator role
- shoot with respectability from midrange
- penetrate the lane at will
- finish the fast break
- set up the fast break
- play the post (Elgin, Barkley)
- rebound (Elgin, Barkley)
They each had different responsibilites on their team, but physically speaking in terms of unique ability all 4 were indeed similar.
He is not 270, nor is he 6'9 and yes a peak version of Doc and especially Elgin & Barkley were among the top passers of their time as well as all time.[/QUOTE]
If you want to speak in broad terms, yes they all played basketball and were unique physically.
Lebron has the ability to play the pg, and passes like a pg...Bakley and Dr. J could never do that. Neither could handle like that and neither could shot like Lebron. It doesnt matter what role they were asked to play they couldnt play like Lebron plays. They play totally different styles.
Edit:
Barkley never handled like a guard...he handled like the ball like a big that could handle. Lebron handles like a point guard.
Dr. J never had half as good a handle as Lebron. I dont even think it was good for his time. Lebron is one of the best handling players outside of pgs in the league. He also handles just as good as some pgs.
Lebron played the faciltator role from the pretty much the pg spot, while Barkley was on the post. Thats not similar unless you call Shaq and Nash similar because they both can facilitate
Relax everyone, he is talking about THIS SEASON, and LeBron is shooting better than Kobe from outside. It is what it is. But don't be suprised if Kobe raises that 3pt avg. by a LOT by the end of the season.
[QUOTE]They play totally different styles.[/QUOTE] In part LeBron is more wing oriented, but I think they have certain similarities as mentioned. And he could not rebound or play the post nearly like Elgin or Barkley could. He has been misused in the Cavaliers "offense" for some time now as Barkley has mentioned. I did not mean to say they were near identical like that of Jordan & Wade/Bryant. But sometimes his unique talent can be overhyped while other forgotten greats like Elgin are dismissed. I have seen LeBron referred to as[I] "Magic on steroids" [/I] before, as an example.
[QUOTE]Lebron played the faciltator role from the pretty much the pg spot, while Barkley was on the post. [/QUOTE]Goes back to team role. With the Sixers I have seen him perfect anything from wing lob entry passes to 1/2 court behind the back pinpoint passes.
They are both very good. But Lebron is a freak of nature physically I dont know how many steroids does he pump in him self a week but it is sure as hell working. Kobe is a better clutch player than lebron and lebron is a better passer. That I think are the differences that have most distance in these players other are quite the same and as I said Lebron is better physically so overall I would take Lebron as a better player.
*sigh*
Its funny that the one difference between the players comes down to the most subjective analysis of them all - making teammates better.
[QUOTE=Abraham Lincoln]
Goes back to team role. With the Sixers I have seen him perfect anything from wing lob entry passes to 1/2 court behind the back pinpoint passes.[/QUOTE]
so you saying that Chuck could have ran point guard for whole seasons at a time?
Not like LeBron, just referring to their passing ability. But he was able to play point forward.
[QUOTE=Mor'Fiyah]*sigh*
Its funny that the one difference between the players comes down to the most subjective analysis of them all - making teammates better.[/QUOTE]
Even by ESPN's own criteria, how can you say that Lebron makes his teammates better? When he does his 1-man-team thing his teammates just stand to the side and get cold. This happened in the Orlando series. Whereas Kobe spends the first half of the game facilitating so that he can get his teammates involved. Kobe never holds the ball for more than 2 seconds just dribbling, something Lebron does all the time. ESPN is too prone to a player's reputation rather than watching the actual game.
And Lebron makes more long 2's than Kobe so he's a better shooter than Kobe now? That's ridiculous. Over half of Lebron's shots are long 2's, that's just a sign of bad shot selection. Everyone knows that long 2's are the lowest percentage shot. Lebron is also not as well guarded as Kobe at the perimeter, his defenders keep more distance between them since they are only concerned about his drives. You can say that Ariza last season was a better shooter than Kobe too, but put Ariza in the same situation as Kobe and now? 38% FG.
Another point. Lebron has the 2nd highest turnover rate in the league, how is he a better passer than Kobe? The assist numbers don't tell the whole story, assists are just proportional to how often you have the ball in your hands. This season Kobe shares the ball more than in past seasons, yet his assist numbers went down.
LeBron being the better player is a legit opinion to have, but I hate this scorig system. Especially the part that its almost always 10 vs 9 as in boxing. As if:
a) basketball was an individual, head to head sport
b) you could turn every opinion into a score (10 or 9 of course)
Why not ranking them instead? #1 vs #2 abd then sum and whoever has the lower number wins.
At any rate, it is not the way the public will decide. And certainly not the way I will. The public will go with Kobe this year if nothing changes, that's for sure. And I'll say the same thing I've been saying for quite a while: there is no 'best player'. It depends on the team, the coach, the situation... and you have more than these two candidates. Always wanting to tell who the ultimate, undisputable #1 is at anything is an illness of the western culture.
That being said, thinking LeBron is the best is a valid opinion. Until you don't want to 'prove' it and especialy until you are not dumb enough to believe that you can 'prove' such a thing at all.
[QUOTE=DukeDelonte13]I think there is even more separation between the two. But that's just my opinion.[/QUOTE]
:rolleyes: