I think he will become a very special player in the NBA. Although people argue that he is playing against smaller and weaker high schoolers, it is generally accepted that he is the one of the greatest, if not the greatest, high school player ever. BTW, the Raptors TV special "Search for LeBron James" will be airing tonight!
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LeBron James, real or hype?
- Thread starter Cosine
- Start date
He's for real. He already has enough size to play in the NBA. The difference between him and any other high school superstar is that he has basketball sense to go along with superior athletic ability.
I don't really think he is as big as he is now once he hits the NBA. I mean people like Kemp, KG, Kobe, and McGrady ... they are all high schoolers that never played in college. Its very hard to be bigger then these guys.
Plus, you have really good high schoolers and college players who were really good in their days. But once they hit the NBA, they were never more then bench players.
Robert Traylor was a stud at Michigan but he sucks now.
Jay Williams was a stud at Duke but he's not as good as people expected him to be.
Christian Laettner was still not very good in his prime.
Rafer Alston was a playground legend, but yet, he's not yet starter material.
And of course the list goes on ...
BTW, although Yao Ming is efficient, he still has not lived up to the hype. But him and Amare Stoudamire and probably Caron Butler would be my rookie of the year candidates.
PS - I hope LA won't win this year !!! I freaking hate Shaq and Kobe. I want the Pacers or the Pistons to win. Bring the pride back to the East coast !!!
Dave
Plus, you have really good high schoolers and college players who were really good in their days. But once they hit the NBA, they were never more then bench players.
Robert Traylor was a stud at Michigan but he sucks now.
Jay Williams was a stud at Duke but he's not as good as people expected him to be.
Christian Laettner was still not very good in his prime.
Rafer Alston was a playground legend, but yet, he's not yet starter material.
And of course the list goes on ...
BTW, although Yao Ming is efficient, he still has not lived up to the hype. But him and Amare Stoudamire and probably Caron Butler would be my rookie of the year candidates.
PS - I hope LA won't win this year !!! I freaking hate Shaq and Kobe. I want the Pacers or the Pistons to win. Bring the pride back to the East coast !!!
Dave
He's already bigger than McGrady sizewise.
I don't think you can compare LeBron James to Traylor, Williams, Laettner and especially not Alston. He's already way more talented than any of the above will ever be.
Lebron James can do everything well except maybe play NBA level defense.
I don't think you can compare LeBron James to Traylor, Williams, Laettner and especially not Alston. He's already way more talented than any of the above will ever be.
Lebron James can do everything well except maybe play NBA level defense.
How many other "team sports" are there where 1 player can make the difference between being a championship team or a non-playoff team. All you need is 1 dominant player. Gretzky couldn't win by himself, or Babe Ruth or John Elway. They had to have quality depth up and down the roster to win. In basketball Wilt could win by himself as did Jabbar. All they needed was 1 or 2 others to pass them the ball.
Yao Ming
Yao Ming is in a bad situation with Houston. He hardly gets any touches because Francis/Mobley/etc never pass him the ball in the post!
Yao Ming is in a bad situation with Houston. He hardly gets any touches because Francis/Mobley/etc never pass him the ball in the post!
gramage said:a 6-8 240 pound kid who can play point guard? he's for real.
That has some truth to it gramage ... Penny Hardaway was the shit before he got injured.
Re: Yao Ming
That's true. He does have a nice shot and follow through though for a guy his size. But Pau Gasol has a similar situation in Memphis, yet records 20 and 10 nightly.
But then again Memphis is a shitty team now, just for now. They could be the team of the future with those talented young guys.
Cosine said:Yao Ming is in a bad situation with Houston. He hardly gets any touches because Francis/Mobley/etc never pass him the ball in the post!
That's true. He does have a nice shot and follow through though for a guy his size. But Pau Gasol has a similar situation in Memphis, yet records 20 and 10 nightly.
But then again Memphis is a shitty team now, just for now. They could be the team of the future with those talented young guys.
B
BigGuy26
LeBron James
Lebron James definitely has the talent and skill, but once he steps onto an NBA court he will have to prove himself. The NBA is a different game from College (let alone high school). The current NBA'ers will be taking it to him to see what he has.
What is the biggest knock on a player who comes into the NBA from College? He can't play defence. This will probably equal many long nights for Lebron in the early going. Sure he's a great highschool player, but most of the highschoolers suck compared to him.
Hopefully the pressure doesn't ruin him, or he will be a great player.
Hey Shack, one dominant player is great to have, but in the NBA it won't win a championship today. Shaq couldn't do it in Orlando without Kobe. And you mentioned all you need is 1 or 2 others to pass them the ball, well that makes 2 or 3 then.
Lebron James definitely has the talent and skill, but once he steps onto an NBA court he will have to prove himself. The NBA is a different game from College (let alone high school). The current NBA'ers will be taking it to him to see what he has.
What is the biggest knock on a player who comes into the NBA from College? He can't play defence. This will probably equal many long nights for Lebron in the early going. Sure he's a great highschool player, but most of the highschoolers suck compared to him.
Hopefully the pressure doesn't ruin him, or he will be a great player.
Hey Shack, one dominant player is great to have, but in the NBA it won't win a championship today. Shaq couldn't do it in Orlando without Kobe. And you mentioned all you need is 1 or 2 others to pass them the ball, well that makes 2 or 3 then.
submissivedave said:That has some truth to it gramage ... Penny Hardaway was the shit before he got injured.
very true, and LeBron is a lot more powerfully built.
Re: LeBron James
There are very few situations nowadays where 1 player can do it all by himself, however Wilt and Kareem are 2 perfect examples of how it is possible for it to happen in basketball. Milwaukee was atrocious, but once they had Alcindor on their team they were an instant contender even though he was only a rookie.
I don't know of any other sport where a rookie could turn a last place team into a contender in 1 season. I can't think of any other examples where this has ever happened. The closest may have been Bobby Orr, but the Bruins were still a bad team until a few years later when they added Espo, Hodge and Johnny Mackenzie and had some good draft picks like Turk Sanderson, Fred Stanfield,Dallas Smith and Cheevers improved. Orr, though was definitely the catalyst, but he still didn't turn them around overnight like Jabbar did.
Even though it's more difficult now, basketball is still the only team sport where it is even remotely possible.
BigGuy26 said:
Hey Shack, one dominant player is great to have, but in the NBA it won't win a championship today. Shaq couldn't do it in Orlando without Kobe. And you mentioned all you need is 1 or 2 others to pass them the ball, well that makes 2 or 3 then.
There are very few situations nowadays where 1 player can do it all by himself, however Wilt and Kareem are 2 perfect examples of how it is possible for it to happen in basketball. Milwaukee was atrocious, but once they had Alcindor on their team they were an instant contender even though he was only a rookie.
I don't know of any other sport where a rookie could turn a last place team into a contender in 1 season. I can't think of any other examples where this has ever happened. The closest may have been Bobby Orr, but the Bruins were still a bad team until a few years later when they added Espo, Hodge and Johnny Mackenzie and had some good draft picks like Turk Sanderson, Fred Stanfield,Dallas Smith and Cheevers improved. Orr, though was definitely the catalyst, but he still didn't turn them around overnight like Jabbar did.
Even though it's more difficult now, basketball is still the only team sport where it is even remotely possible.
Big Papa Smurf
aka:The Original Dr. Funk
However, they didn't win a championship until they added Oscar Robertson.Milwaukee was atrocious, but once they had Alcindor on their team they were an instant contender even though he was only a rookie.
Lebron James right now is all hype. He's dominating guys who are 5'10". He has to really work on his game, because most scouts agree is that he can't shoot. What makes him special in the eyes of scouts is his 'feel for the game' which is at a pro level. I also disagree that he will play PG. Playing PG in highschool is vastly different from playing in the pros. There are many guys who played PG in college, but couldn't handle the transition in the pros (ie: Penny Hardaway, Allen Iverson, Antonio Daniels, Walt Williams, Alvin Williams).
Ross said:I don't think too many people (esp NBA scouts) question whether lebron will be a star in the league. The questions are: 1) when will be become that star and 2) are we willing to wait that long?
High schoolers are obviously further away from reaching their prime - see how long it took for Kobe and McGrady to really hit the big time... there were always flashes of brilliance, but it still took time for it to all come together.
So do you take a kid who you'll have to groom and be patient with, or do you take a kid out of college who'll be *almost* as good in the long run but will help you sooner....
Good post Ross! This is a problem especially for the small market teams (of which Toronto is one, in NBA terms). You draft a kid (literally) with a high pick and you've gotta pay him big bucks while he spends three or four years learning the game. Then, when he's about to blossom, he's eligible for free agency and kisses the small time goodbye, ala Shaq going to the Lakers.
The only thing keeping people with their teams is the fact they can get paid more to stay, but really, what's the difference between 80 and 100 million, if you want to see the bright lights?
