Is LeBron going to be willing to take a backseat to Kyrie as he ages...?

[LEFT4DEAD]

Yes, in terms of being the first scoring option out there. But Lebron doesnt need his scoring to dominate the game. He can dominate the game with his passing and being a point forward.
I can see him averaging about 22ppg along with 8 apg for 5-6 more years.
He is the type of a player who, no matter where he plays he will be the MVP of that team because he dominates the game in so many ways.
As RBA said, they are a great combo, and I think they will be even better with Irving being the primarly scorer and Lebron dishing out assists to him.

[Papaya Petee]

I'm relatively confident that there will come a day when Kyrie is the best scorer in the league. His talent and skill level is just otherworldly considering his age.

That said, he and LeBron fit together really well. I thought they were going to mesh, but even I didn't expect they'd be this good together this soon. Kyrie is playing the best, most consistent basketball of his career right now and it is on the same floor at the same time as LeBron doing all the things that he does.

People underestimate how difficult it can be to play with a dominant player. It's not always easy. Wade struggled with it. Bosh struggled with it at times and Love is struggling with it at times.

With Kyrie, they were in lockstep almost immediately. LeBron and Kyrie pairing up was pretty much the best thing that could have happened for either of them, in my humble opinion. It's a great match.

I don't see how that will change as LeBron eventually dips out of his prime and Kyrie eventually reaches his prime. It's almost too perfect.

How did Wade struggle with it? They were an incredible duo as 4 Finals and 2 titles show for it.

A healthy Wade with Lebron was at 26/6/5/2/1 50% in 2011 and after that year he struggled with injuried not defering to Lebron. He had no problem playing next to Lebron

[plowking]

Lebron will be better than him until he retires. At no point in Kyrie's career will he be considered a better player than Bron.

[RedBlackAttack]

How did Wade struggle with it? They were an incredible duo as 4 Finals and 2 titles show for it.

A healthy Wade with Lebron was at 26/6/5/2/1 50% in 2011 and after that year he struggled with injuried not defering to Lebron. He had no problem playing next to Lebron

I think it was pretty clear to just about everyone that Wade couldn't be at his absolute best offensively at the same time and on the same floor as LeBron. Their games just overlapped. That doesn't mean they weren't great together (they were). It just means that they couldn't totally max out their offensive games on the floor together.

Great players who fit well together actually elevate one another, though. Wade's best individual moments playing with LeBron came when he was dominating the 2011 Finals. James spent much of that series standing and watching, trying to contribute where he could, but clearly not the player we became accustomed to seeing. LeBron's best moments came later when Wade had accepted the fact that LeBron was going to run the show and he'd have to pick his spots.

Now, if you are talking about defensively, they worked really well together. And, those Heat teams always relied on an overwhelming defense when the going got tough.

[navy]

I think it was pretty clear to just about everyone that Wade couldn't be at his absolute best offensively at the same time and on the same floor as LeBron. Their games just overlapped. That doesn't mean they weren't great together (they were). It just means that they couldn't totally max out their offensive games on the floor together.

Great players who fit well together actually elevate one another, though. Wade's best individual moments playing with LeBron came when he was dominating the 2011 Finals. James spent much of that series standing and watching, trying to contribute where he could, but clearly not the player we became accustomed to seeing. LeBron's best moments came later when Wade had accepted the fact that LeBron was going to run the show and he'd have to pick his spots.

Now, if you are talking about defensively, they worked really well together. And, those Heat teams always relied on an overwhelming defense when the going got tough.

2011 Finals wasnt even his best series that year.

The only series Wade and Lebron struggled together as a result of the other was the 2013 Finals. Spacing was all bad and Wade and Lebron were not hitting their shots. They had ups and downs, great series and mediocre series as does any duo, but I the pair was fine. I wouldnt blame Wade for Lebron's 2011 meltdown.

[GrapeApe]

Lebron will be better than him until he retires. At no point in Kyrie's career will he be considered a better player than Bron.

Irving is only 22 years old. Unless LeBron retires quite young, Irving will most definitely surpass him as a player at some point. The age gap is too great. That being said, Lebron has the potential to be very good well into his 30's. I'll be interested to see how he adapts his game.

[nba_55]

Is this the 2nd or 3rd poster you have accused me of being?

You are a former Kobe stan 100%.

[plowking]

Irving is only 22 years old. Unless LeBron retires quite young, Irving will most definitely surpass him as a player at some point. The age gap is too great. That being said, Lebron has the potential to be very good well into his 30's. I'll be interested to see how he adapts his game.

Bron will be a top 5 player the whole time he is in the league, even if he retires at like 36 or 37.

[RedBlackAttack]

2011 Finals wasnt even his best series that year.

The only series Wade and Lebron struggled together was the 2013 Finals. Spacing was all bad and Wade and Lebron were not hitting their shots.

Wade's efficiency and numbers dropped sharply in the playoffs from his years starting in 2004-11 to his runs with LeBron running the show (2012-14).

The reason is pretty obvious, no?

LeBron is best served when he has an open lane and is surrounded by shooters who can space the floor. Wade has always been at his best as a big guard who can run the offense.

They were great enough individually to overcome the stylistic overlaps, but I don't understand pretending like those overlaps didn't exist.

[navy]

Wade's efficiency and numbers dropped sharply in the playoffs from his years starting in 2004-11 to his runs with LeBron running the show (2012-14).

The reason is pretty obvious, no?

LeBron is best served when he has an open lane and is surrounded by shooters who can space the floor. Wade has always been at his best as a big guard who can run the offense.

They were great enough individually to overcome the stylistic overlaps, but I don't understand pretending like those overlaps didn't exist.

Well yeah, he's not even putting up those numbers now with Lebron gone. That's a prime Dwayne Wade. Obviously cant stay healthy enough to go back to that.

[eeeeeebro]

Lebron is the perfect athlete ive met one person like this in my life he was in 5th grade and could do like 50 pull ups its a Mans child that grew up into a mans man there has never been anybody in the NBA like lebron NOR NFL he is a natural beast and he could probably play basketball till 50 years old at a high lvl NOBODY KNOWS... they say he is the king wait till his body gives out to make conclusions.

[Fire Colangelo]

Wade's efficiency and numbers dropped sharply in the playoffs from his years starting in 2004-11 to his runs with LeBron running the show (2012-14).

The reason is pretty obvious, no?

LeBron is best served when he has an open lane and is surrounded by shooters who can space the floor. Wade has always been at his best as a big guard who can run the offense.

They were great enough individually to overcome the stylistic overlaps, but I don't understand pretending like those overlaps didn't exist.

Do you think LeBron and Kyrie will be a better duo than LeBron and Wade?

[plowking]

Wade's efficiency and numbers dropped sharply in the playoffs from his years starting in 2004-11 to his runs with LeBron running the show (2012-14).

The reason is pretty obvious, no?

LeBron is best served when he has an open lane and is surrounded by shooters who can space the floor. Wade has always been at his best as a big guard who can run the offense.

They were great enough individually to overcome the stylistic overlaps, but I don't understand pretending like those overlaps didn't exist.

The reason is injury with Wade. There is no other reason.

I never understood people who said they didn't fit together perfectly. In my opinion, they were a perfect fit. Two great defensive wings, who run on transition, cause havoc with their wingspan, and overpower teams with their physicality.

From 1-4 that Miami team was amazing. The huge drop off at 5 is what stopped them from becoming one of the greatest teams ever, although they certainly are a top 10 team of all time. A DeAndre Jordan type; much like Hassan Whiteside now, would have made us unstoppable.

Your Cleveland team right now is far more balanced with Mozgov at the 5, and has a higher chance of becoming a better and more consistent team IMO. The one lacking thing is firepower from the wings like Bron and Wade had, some of it due to Bron not being quite as good as he was as well, but mainly due to Kyrie not being the defensive juggernaut and transition player Wade is.

[RedBlackAttack]

Do you think LeBron and Kyrie will be a better duo than LeBron and Wade?

Certainly not yet. They haven't played a single playoff game together yet. We won't be able to even compare them fairly until a few years down the line.

And, Kyrie may or may not become as good an individual player as Wade was in those 2011-13 years before his game really started to decline. I personally think he will get there, but we'll see.

What I am saying is that their offensive games appear better suited stylistically and that they play better when they're both on the floor together. Kyrie is having far and away his best individual season this year.

[dubeta]

LOL, if Heat won 2 rings cause Wade took a backseat, then wont it make sense for Kyrie to take a backseat for the Cavs to win? Don't understand OP's logic

Theres so much wrong with this thread