LeBron James will play the PF Position next season

[QUOTE=RedBlackAttack]But, at the same time, did anyone on the Bucks' team take defense seriously? It sure as hell didn't look like it the times that I watched them play.

It is a little different when you not only have a coach that is 100-percent committed to defense, but a team and, possibly most importantly, a superstar that expects nothing less than your best effort defensively.

I'm not saying that CV would become a top tier defender via osmosis, but I do think that he is athletic enough to be a serviceable defender and the Cavs, unlike the Bucks (even under Skiles), demand that from everyone.[/QUOTE]

Well, in any case let's hope his tweets on Twitter are true and he wants to play for Cleveland. :D

[QUOTE=RedBlackAttack]But, at the same time, did anyone on the Bucks' team take defense seriously?[/QUOTE]

I don't know. All I know is that Skiles' teams always play good defense. His Bulls were always one of the top rated defensive teams, even before they got Ben Wallace. And this year, the Bucks went from worst defense in the league to 15th best. So I guess their coach takes defense seriously. But yeah, like you said, on this Cavs team, everyone is committed to defense, so it's probably not the same scenario.

We'll see what happens. I heard CV was the plan B. But unfortunately I don't know what plan A is, or how reliable that info is. Windhorst or Wine&Gold never talked about that.

[QUOTE=Mikaiel]We'll see what happens. I heard CV was the plan B. But unfortunately I don't know what plan A is, or how reliable that info is. Windhorst or Wine&Gold never talked about that.[/QUOTE]

Makes me wonder what plan A is too...

RedBlackAttack,

Your post was spot on.

People fail to see that your position on the starting roster does not limit you to only guarding that player of the same position on the other team. LeBron guarded other positions B4. It happens. Shawn Marion guarded players everywhere from 1-4.

For LeBron and the PF situation... [B][I]it would only be for certain stretches of games [/I][/B]and he would not be disadvantaged by the majority of PF's in the league. At the SF position LeBron just dominates anyone, and matches well on the Defensive end with basically every other SF in the league. At the PF position LeBron would have the advantage versus nearly every PF on the offensive end, but on the defensive end he could be exploited by a limited number of players.

Cleveland could have the luxury of playing matchups also, by playing LeBron at the 4 for portions of certain games. [B][I]Cleveland could have that luxury of TRUE versatility[/I][/B].

There are a lot of pending things with Cleveland and a lot hinges on their PF position. What Cleveland could do is resign Varejao and then sign a solid tall wing, and for stretches they could have LeBron be the PF who can stretch the offense, while having a Matt Barnes play SF, which could keep players 1-4 on the perimeter for Shaq, and LeBron can still drive.

David West, Dirk, Bosh, Rashard, KG, Pau, Lamarcus Aldridge, Amar'e, Rasheed, and a number more of PF's don't always play back to the basket, there really aren't to many true back to the basket big men anymore. LeBron is quicker than most, and he could be strong enough for all of them also. So for stretches, YES, LeBron could man the PF position. It would hinge on them having a solid back up Wing player.

Cleveland would have done this last year if Wally wasn't the player he was on defense. It would have been a horrible mismatch for Wally vs. any other SF, but Wally could at least lean his body into a posted up PF, or a PF who wasn't as quick as that teams SF.

Cleveland could resign Varejao and then sign a tall wing player, so they could have versatility, and then have Varejao be Center during Small Ball and then play PF when they need him to pester the another player.

LeBron could handle the 4 for stretches, and he DOES NOT have to be in the post on the offensive end.

I'd like for someone to name me a team who has their 4 and 5 primarily posted up on both blocks, and always down low on the offensive end? One team I can think of now Memphis, and we haven't seen it yet, but Memphis with Gasol and Thabeet since neither is considered a jump shooting big will have that problem with 2 big men crowding the paint, so we'll see how that turns out.

Like Meticode also said, I really want Matt Barnes, He's tall enough for the SF spot, and quick/a good enough shooter for the SG spot. He can also hit the spot-up 3's LeBron always gives. He's also a great rebounder and passer, and huge hustler. I hope the management sees this and makes in an offer. He's still underrated.

[QUOTE=Mikaiel]We'll see what happens. I heard CV was the plan B. But unfortunately I don't know what plan A is, or how reliable that info is. Windhorst or Wine&Gold never talked about that.[/QUOTE]

I think Plan A is to resign Varejao and then to sign the tall Wing Player, I'll use Matt Barnes as that's the player I think would work well for this hypothetical lineup.

I just don't believe the Cavs want to leak that part of the information for leverage purposes with AV. I agree that AV brings a lot of intangibles to the Cavs, but he isn't a player you want to pay a lot of money because he's not a starter, well not with the Centers that we have.

I think the Cavs want to resign AV and then grab the big Wing player (Barnes) so they could then run different lineups, thus having more versatility than they did last year....

When Shaq is in they would have LeBron play the 4 spot, and Barnes at the 3, which helps stretch the floor with Shaq, which everyone says is necessary. LeBron still plays on the wing, but with Shaq it keeps the opposing big man honest. LeBron could then get by the other PF with his speed, while leaving Mo, Delonte, and Barnes open for the outside jumper.

When Z is in the game, the Cavs could run with AV at the 4, LeBron at the 3, and Barnes at the 2, and Delonte or Mo at the 1, which having Delonte at the 1, would give them a good defensive unit at positions 1-4.

The Cavs last year, tried to play with different lineups thus creating versatility, but it was not that successful, I believe with resigning AV and signing a bigger Wing player, the Cavs would have tremendous versatility... LeBron could play Rashard, or whoever the Magic sign as their PF (assuming they don't bring back Hedo), and if the Magic resign Hedo, then LeBron and Barnes could stick Hedo and Rashard better than what Cleveland did this past year.

Against Boston, AV could pester KG, and LeBron could guard KG at times, while Barnes could handle Pierce during those stretches.

Also having Barnes, LeBron, Delonte and Mo, you have players that can handle the ball and create. Delonte and Mo will be better, with the added continuity and chemistry, and hopefully some added confidence.

What exactly Cleveland would do in a Charlie V. signing I'm not sure, because they would still need to sign a Wing player. They can't split the MLE for Charlie V. and a solid wing player. Maybe Grant Hill could be had for the BAE or Vet Min? Not sure if he'd be up for such a low salary.

I'm actually very keen to resigning AV to a reasonable contract, then adding Barnes with some of the MLE, and Cleveland now has some true versatility.

i dont think they mean he'll start so Pau he wont have to worry about pau. i think they're talking him playing pf in a small lineup like against orlando

Linas Kleiza would be great fit for Cavaliers

Dwight actually scored on Lebron quite easily when they were matched 1 on 1 on the post. Not gonna work.

this is a stupid idea. he's going to lose his explosiveness as a result of constantly being banged up in the post.

[QUOTE=kumquat]Dwight actually scored on Lebron quite easily when they were matched 1 on 1 on the post. Not gonna work.[/QUOTE]

I didn't know Dwight was a PF.

[QUOTE=Melissa]this is a stupid idea. he's going to lose his explosiveness as a result of constantly being banged up in the post.[/QUOTE]

Nice avatar :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

[QUOTE=Mikaiel]I didn't know Dwight was a PF.[/QUOTE]

Technically when he was drafted he was a power forward. :D

This will be interesting. Lebron is as big as a lot of power forwards at 6'8" and 260 and he could take them outside and cause matchup problems.

I also found it funny that people mentioned Lebron having to guard Tim Duncan. Are you people actually dumb enough that you think Duncan plays power forward alongside Matt Bonner? :oldlol: The sooner everyone gets it through their head that Duncan is a center, the better.

If Lebron develops a post game, I'm all for this.

dunno about this one. definitely has the size and strength to play PF in todays game. But dunno if he has any experience playing any 4. Can he guard the post? Can he post up?

Oh well, it worked with Orlando having a softer rashard at the 4, I guess it can work to with cleveland if they can find their "Hedo"

[QUOTE=trig]But dunno if he has any experience playing any 4[/QUOTE]

Yeah he does have some experience. He played a few minutes at the 4 spot last year. And he was a 4 when he played for Team USA.

LeBron has plenty of experience playing the 4. Hell, he played the 5 pretty well against NO last season, and he played the 4 alot in the orlando series.

You guys, it's not like he's going to be our starting power forward, they're just saying in case we wanna run a small lineup, who are we gonna have at the 3?

[QUOTE=1~Gibson~1]LeBron has plenty of experience playing the 4. Hell, he played the 5 pretty well against NO last season, and he played the 4 alot in the orlando series.

You guys, it's not like he's going to be our starting power forward, they're just saying in case we wanna run a small lineup, [B]who are we gonna have at the 3?[/B][/QUOTE]

I imagine whoever we sign if we get him, namely Matt Barnes. Just speculation though.

Gasol would take him straight to the post.

[QUOTE=HaNdLe ThE RoCk]Gasol would take him straight to the post.[/QUOTE]

That's like saying Shaq would be taking Gasol straight to the post. Obviously they would have Bynum on Shaq. LeBron would not be on Gasol.

I think they're just saying they'll move LeBron to the 4 month if he presents a matchup problem for the other team.

[QUOTE=amfirst]Bad idea, LB is not skilled enough in the post and will be undersize. He needs to stay on the periameter and drive the ball.[/QUOTE]


Because if you're a 4 you HAVE to play in the post on offense.

[QUOTE=Pharcyde]Because if you're a 4 you HAVE to play in the post on offense.[/QUOTE]

Obviously no you don't have to play in the post. If you're PF is playing on the perimeter while you're C and say SF are near the post, it hurts your offensive rebounding since you lose size usually instead of have two big-men in the paint or at least near it.

One of the things that the Cavs did well at least last year was offensive rebounding. Big Z and Varejao pesking for those rebounds were annoying for other teams.

Last year playing SF, LeBron would setup at the 3 point line, pound the ball for most of the clock, and then run toward the basket, hoping for a bailout call.
I am really looking forward to watching him, as a PF, setup at the 3 point line, pound the ball for most of the clock, and then run toward the basket, hoping for a bailout call. It should be completely different.

[QUOTE=Meticode]That's like saying Shaq would be taking Gasol straight to the post. Obviously they would have Bynum on Shaq. LeBron would not be on Gasol.

I think they're just saying they'll move LeBron to the 4 month if he presents a matchup problem for the other team.[/QUOTE]

So Bron would guard Bynum?

[QUOTE=Meticode]Obviously no you don't have to play in the post. If you're PF is playing on the perimeter while you're C and say SF are near the post, it hurts your offensive rebounding since you lose size usually instead of have two big-men in the paint or at least near it.

One of the things that the Cavs did well at least last year was offensive rebounding. Big Z and Varejao pesking for those rebounds were annoying for other teams.[/QUOTE]


I was being sarcastic...

[QUOTE=HaNdLe ThE RoCk]So Bron would guard Bynum?[/QUOTE]The Cavs wouldnt even have lebron at the 4 if bynum AND pau were both in the game. maybe if odom was in they'd put lebron at the 4, but not when la has both of their bigs in. people use common sense.

Do the doubters remember that last year, even though he has bad footwork and no post moves, every time he posted up on the low blocks he scored easily or got his teammate a wideopen shot? Why is their so much doubt about this lol

LeBron is not 6'9. He's 6'8 in shoes.

Mike Brown isn't creative enough to make it work. You really need a guy like D'Antoni, Nelson, SVG, or Adelman.

[QUOTE=wang4three]Mike Brown isn't creative enough to make it work. You really need a guy like D'Antoni, Nelson, SVG, or Adelman.[/QUOTE]

How many championships do these guys have ?

Mike Brown >>> D'Antoni
Mike Brown >>> Nelson

[QUOTE=Mikaiel]How many championships do these guys have ?

Mike Brown >>> D'Antoni
Mike Brown >>> Nelson[/QUOTE]
Winning championships as an assistant doesnt count:hammerhead: :hammerhead: :hammerhead:

[QUOTE=Lebron23]That's a very bad Angle. Check the Pictures above.

:cheers:[/QUOTE]

You mean this one?

[IMG]http://www.onemanfastbreak.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/usa_basketball_team.jpg[/IMG]

They're looking at Rashard Lewis in Orlando and thinking they can duplicate that in some way I think.

[QUOTE=sergiorodriguez]Winning championships as an assistant doesnt count:hammerhead: :hammerhead: :hammerhead:[/QUOTE]

I didn't even realize when I typed that that Brown had a ring :hammerhead:

What I meant is that those guys never won anything, so why say we need one of those guys to make it work ? I'm sure Mike Brown can fail just as miserably as they did.

[QUOTE=Mikaiel]How many championships do these guys have ?

Mike Brown >>> D'Antoni
Mike Brown >>> Nelson[/QUOTE]

He may be, but his coaching style is too structured to have a talented all around 4. He's too conventional; that's my point. Besides, Nelson has 5 championships.

[QUOTE=Lebron23][IMG]http://www.realgm.com/images/nba/4.2/profiles/photos/2006/James_LeBron_cle.jpg[/IMG]

[URL="http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/60225/20090630/cavs_looking_for_big_wings_to_allow_lbj_to_play_power_forward/"][/URL][/QUOTE]

If your gonna do that at least get a Legit Wing like Artest or Marion.but Marion on Cavs could play the 4 position. Cavs would be better off getting a real PF as that is there missing piece to a championship.

[QUOTE=Mikaiel]How many championships do these guys have ?

Mike Brown >>> D'Antoni
Mike Brown >>> Nelson[/QUOTE]

Why is he a better coach than either of those guys? Because what? He has Lebron? Both of those guys could take teams with less talent and make something of them. If you take Lebron off the Cavs, what are they?

WOW, we are really reaching with Brown. I mean style wise if you want to kill D'Antoni fine, but Nelson? We are calling Nelson a bad coach? Do you mean like last year or career wise?

What has Brown done that doesn't involve the word LEBRON in it?

[QUOTE=niko]Why is he a better coach than either of those guys? Because what? He has Lebron? Both of those guys could take teams with less talent and make something of them. If you take Lebron off the Cavs, what are they?

WOW, we are really reaching with Brown. I mean style wise if you want to kill D'Antoni fine, but Nelson? We are calling Nelson a bad coach? Do you mean like last year or career wise?

What has Brown done that doesn't involve the word LEBRON in it?[/QUOTE]We lost by one point to a playoff team without LeBron. Not only without him, but we didnt have Mo, Joe Smith, Z, or Ben, and Varejao only played 10 minutes.

That means that we nearly beat a playoff team without our starting SF, PG, PF, C, backup C, and backup PF.

Now im not going to base his entire career on one game, but that's good coaching if you ask me. We basically played with our out-of-rotation guys and the guys that got little PT.

You have to give him SOME credibility as a good coach.

offensively, imo, it doesn't matter which position he plays...he will be a mismatch.

however, defensively, I just don't see him defending KG...or Gasol...etc etc.
he would get posted low every time.

the guy is an all-world SF... leave him there.

[QUOTE=bleedinpurpleTwo]offensively, imo, it doesn't matter which position he plays...he will be a mismatch.

however, defensively, I just don't see him defending KG...or Gasol...etc etc.
he would get posted low every time.

the guy is an all-world SF... leave him there.[/QUOTE]the article is about lebron playing the 4 in a small lineup. Like when the Celtics had Pierce, Posey, Ray, Eddie, and KG when they made that huge comeback in the finals last year.