Lebron will turn 30 in December, Peak/Prime Lebron James likely already happened

[pauk]

If you look at all the greats, like the guys hovering in/around top 10, at 30 they were all at their absolute best, 99.9% of them had their best seasons right there... and they didnt start to regress in their domination & success afterwards until they turned 35 or got hit by injuries or so... for example:

Kobe at 30 won his 1st championship as theman/fmvp (did the same next year and would have still been as great afterwards i believe rings or no rings if injuries didnt get to him)
Jordan at 30 won his 3rd championship/3rd FMVP/mvp (if he didnt retire he would won his 4th/5th, totally 7th & 8th championship/fmvp and probably 7th/8th mvp aswell)
Kareem at 30 just chilling & dominating winning his 5th MVP
Russell at 30 won his 7th championship & 4th MVP
Wilt at 30 won his 1st championship & 3rd MVP still putting up monster stats.
Bird at 30 won his 3rd championship & 2nd fmvp & 3rd MVP, putting up his best stats the following year of his career at the age of 31.
Hakeem at 30 or screw that lets go 31 & 32 actually, won his 1st & 2nd Championship/FMVP, had his most productive seasons statistically aswell and oh also won DPOY... oh MVP also... right...
and so on....

Looking at how it fared of them, 30 is actually the best year, 30 is just relatively half way there in the peak/prime department, at the very top....

He i believe is even more physically gifted/prepared than any of those top 10 guys to play well in to his 30s, he is also obviously a gymrat who works viciously hard on his skills aswell, i think he will adapt.... So what makes you think Lebron will regress? Especially now as he is looking & striving to be in the best shape of his career, more motivated than ever. I think he might get his 5th MVP this season and a championship will be when his team/cast is ready.....

Damn CavsFTW, you should be more optimistic as a Cavs fan. :P

[Soundwave]

If you look at all the greats, like the guys hovering in/around top 10, at 30 they were all at their absolute best, 99.9% of them had their best seasons right there... and they didnt start to regress in their domination & success afterwards until they turned 35 or got hit by injuries or so... for example:

Kobe at 30 won his 1st championship as theman/fmvp (did the same next year and would have still been as great afterwards i believe rings or no rings if injuries didnt get to him)
Jordan at 30 won his 3rd championship/3rd FMVP/mvp (if he didnt retire he would won his 4th/5th, totally 7th & 8th championship/fmvp and probably 7th/8th mvp aswell)
Kareem at 30 just chilling & dominating winning his 5th MVP
Russell at 30 won his 7th championship & 4th MVP
Wilt at 30 won his 1st championship & 3rd MVP still putting up monster stats.
Bird at 30 won his 3rd championship & 2nd fmvp & 3rd MVP, putting up his best stats the following year of his career at the age of 31.
Hakeem at 30 or screw that lets go 31 & 32 actually, won his 1st & 2nd Championship/FMVP, had his most productive seasons statistically aswell and oh also won DPOY... oh MVP also... right...
and so on....

Looking at how it fared of them, 30 is actually the best year, 30 is just relatively half way there in the peak/prime department, at the very top....

He i believe is even more physically gifted/prepared than any of those top 10 guys to play well in to his 30s, he is also obviously a gymrat who works viciously hard on his skills aswell, i think he will adapt.... So what makes you think Lebron will regress? Especially now as he is looking & striving to be in the best shape of his career, more motivated than ever. I think he might get his 5th MVP this season and a championship will be when his team/cast is ready.....

He better win a title in the next year or two. I don't care who you're talking about, even Jordan had lost a noticable step by age 32.

The age of 30 is the beginning of the decline, it becomes more obvious by 32, by 33/34 most players, even elite ones are done with the big hardware (unless they have someone else to carry them, ala Kareem did with Magic).

[pauk]

He better win a title in the next year or two. I don't care who you're talking about, even Jordan had lost a noticable step by age 32.

Yea but Lebron will not retire next season not touching a basketball for 2 years

[Soundwave]

Yea but Lebron will not retire next season not touching a basketball for 2 years

That doesn't really help your case, retiring from basketball probably kept MJ's legs a little fresher than they would have been otherwise as baseball is easy on the knees.

LeBron has a ton of mileage on his legs. The next 2 years are critical to his career, if he can't get it done in that time period, he'll likely have exited his prime with only 2 titles to show for it (thank goodness for Ray Allen).

Wing players have it harder than bigs too IMO, there's more running/chasing as a wing player, fewer easy baskets.

[pauk]

That doesn't really help your case, retiring from basketball probably kept MJ's legs a little fresher than they would have been otherwise as baseball is easy on the knees.

LeBron has a ton of mileage on his legs. The next 2 years are critical to his career, if he can't get it done in that time period, he'll likely have exited his prime with only 2 titles to show for it (thank goodness for Ray Allen).

Come on man, 30 is nothing... i believe that working out/playing basketball helps & increases/maintains your mileage/peak/prime at especially that age (30 or early 30s), thats what keeps your legs fresh.... the only/real wear & tear is injuries and the mental aspect/motivation... if you have a strict & consistent workout/diet/routine etc. and been lucky enough to stay away from injuries then 30-31-32 is just another double digit number to your body, nothing else.... its not old whatsoever, you can be doing anything you ever could, its only up to you to work for it.... doing that then you wont notice things starting to gradually inevitable work against you until you are in your mid to late 30s....

[Soundwave]

Come on man, 30 is nothing... i believe that working out/playing basketball helps & increases/maintains your mileage/peak/prime at especially that age (30 or early 30s), thats what keeps your legs fresh.... the only/real wear & tear is injuries and the mental aspect/motivation... if you have a strict & consistent workout/diet/routine etc. and been lucky enough to stay away from injuries then 30-31-32 is just another double digit number to your body, nothing else.... its not old whatsoever, you can be doing anything you ever could, its only up to you to work for it.... doing that then you wont notice things starting to gradually inevitable work against you until you are in your mid to late 30s....

No player gets *better* after 30 really, the great players can hold off decline/maintain from 30/31, but by 32 you can notice decline on virtually any player, I don't care how much time they spend in the gym. Father time is undefeated.

[JtotheIzzo]

Its a good thing Bran is losing the weight because the big bodies breakdown quick.

But with the weight loss comes some unexpected negatives. Bran won't be able to muscle to the rim as easily, he won't be able to bully smaller players as easily and now at his advanced age (in superstar terms) he won't be able to use his lighter body to fly by people because he can no longer fly (in a run fast sense).

He is preparing for NBA middle age, he is being smart about it, but now he will have to use his 'UNPARALLELED BBALL IQ' to make shit happen.

[pauk]

No player gets *better* after 30 really, the great players can hold off decline/maintain from 30/31, but by 32 you can notice decline on virtually any player, I don't care how much time they spend in the gym. Father time is undefeated.

True true, but screw Lebron, im trying to defend myself aswell, im getting there soon afterall....

[Soundwave]

True true, but screw Lebron, im trying to defend myself aswell, im getting there soon afterall....

If you're just a weekend warrior it really doesn't matter.

You can probably play pickup/rec league well into your 30s without a huge drop in ability.

The reason there is decline on NBA players is because they are playing at a much higher level than you (obviously) 82 times a season + playoffs.

It's the 82 games+ that kills your knees. Not the age exactly, but the mileage + age in unison.

[Hoopz2332]

Its a good thing Bran is losing the weight because the big bodies breakdown quick.

But with the weight loss comes some unexpected negatives. Bran won't be able to muscle to the rim as easily, he won't be able to bully smaller players as easily and now at his advanced age (in superstar terms) he won't be able to use his lighter body to fly by people because he can no longer fly (in a run fast sense).

He is preparing for NBA middle age, he is being smart about it, but now he will have to use his 'UNPARALLELED BBALL IQ' to make shit happen.

dog, lebron isn't going to be that much smaller and lighter than he was in in 2009. You realize that lebron even at his skinniest was trucking everyone onthe court?






LOL @ cats thinking lebron is all of a sudden gonna look like a twig and not be able to bull doze all contact

he's basically going to look like 2009 lebron



when he was going stuff like

[3ball]

.
Lebron is a great one-foot leaper but is only an average two-foot leaper.. Two-foot leaping is needed in traffic when there is no room for a run-up and one-legger... There are less than 5 highlights on the webs of Lebron dunking on guys off of two feet.

Here's Lebron off a drop-step (two-foot takeoff), where he gets stuffed on a game winning attempt and the Heat lost... He didn't have good explosion.




Whereas, in the same spot, Jordan drop-steps with a lot more lift and explosion











Here's another one where they are both doing the exact same move that ends up with them jumping off two feet, and Jordan has quite a bit more lift.

Here's Lebron going up weak off two feet after jumpstop.. can't dunk..





Jordan in Exact Same Spot.. Exact Same Move and Jumpstop.. Goes up A Lot Stronger..




Same Spot.. Also Over Dominique and Moses Malone at the Same Time..

[Rodmantheman]

It's 2014 not the 90s or 80s he has plenty of prime years left.

[eliteballer]

.
Lebron is a great one-foot leaper but is only an average two-foot leaper.. Two-foot leaping is needed in traffic when there is no room for a run-up for a one-legger... There are less than 5 highlights on the webs of Lebron dunking on guys off of two feet.

Here's Lebron off a drop-step (two-foot takeoff), where he gets stuffed on a game winning attempt and the Heat lost... He didn't have good explosion.




Whereas, in the same spot, Jordan drop-steps with a lot more lift and explosion











Here's another one where they are both doing the exact same move that ends up with them jumping off two feet, and Jordan has quite a bit more lift.

Lebron going up weak off two feet after jumpstop.. can't dunk..





Jordan in Exact Same Spot, Exact Same Move and Jumpstop, Goes up A Lot Stronger




Same Spot, Also Over Dominique and Moses Malone at the Same Time

LeBron outweighs Jordan by 60 lbs...

[3ball]

LeBron outweighs Jordan by 60 lbs...

The weight advantage helps give Lebron momentum for his run-up one-leggers, but hurts him getting elevation off the more vertical two-foot jump.

Otoh, Jordan's lower weight hurt him on the one-leggers, but he was still goat-level off of one leg nonetheless.















Of course, MJ was goat off two legs too..

[Soundwave]

It's 2014 not the 90s or 80s he has plenty of prime years left.

There's no legal supplement available today that will extend your career any more than there was one in the 80s/90s.

Even PEDs really are not going magically going to turn a 33-year-old set of knees into a 26-year-old pair.

If something like that existed tennis players would be all over it.