Lebron James - next season?

[Silas]

LeBron, especially next season, will have the tools around him.

Zydrunas Ilgauskus is one of the best Centers in the game, they just dont utalize him.

Next season, assuming Larry Hughes is healthy, he's a fantastic shooting guard and has
put up very good all star like numbers in the past, and hes yet to pass his prime.

Drew Gooden and Anderson Varejaou have potential to be very good low post players.

LeBron has the tools to succeed in the future, they just need to learn how to use them. I think the biggest problem is that Z doesnt fit into the type of style that LeBron plays, which is too bad because he is so good.

Obviously LeBron doesnt have nearly as good of a supporting cast as Wade, or Kobe for that matter, but I think he has the tools to succeed, assuming they turn out and are used the right way.

[scrub]

Lebron needs to win at least 3 rings before he becomes better then Kobe.

I Don't believe that is true because without shaq i dont think kobe would have any rings, maybe 1. Kobe is a great player, in his 9th? (correct me if im wrong) year, but lebron is just going into his 4th year and the numbers, and the roles of the players to each of their respective teams, are relatively parallel. Lebron will be better then kobe, i would assume in the next 2-3 years, but Lebron will not be the next MJ. MJ was a one of a kind talent that makes a head coach touch himself at night, and although Lebron will be a hall of fame player, as will kobe, he will not be Michael. Lebron will have a great career, and im sure the comparisons between him and jordan will never cease, remember kobe was and sometimes still is compared to michael, but lebron will never be what michael was....
thus ends my novel about MJ and Lebron and kobe

I agree because the great players win championships and taking Kobe out of the question if LeBron wants to be in the same bracket as guys like Jordan, Bird and Magic he must win rings. Regardless of whether Shaq was with Kobe or not Kobe still has three rings. Shaq couldn't have won a championship without Kobe, got to the Finals without Penny and won his fourth without Wade. So its not like Kobe didn;t play a part. LeBron will effectively lead his team to a championship because he is such a dominant player which should make him a better player than Kobe.

[unorthadux]

better then kobe, true, but people are comparing him to MJ which is, at this point in his career, slanderous to Jordan

[OuT KasT]

I wouldn't say LBJ is better then Kobe I mean who has the three rings?

Lebron will have to wait a while before he is better then Kobe.

Lebron has the skills but not the experience to be as good as Kobe.

[nets4life]

Lebron is a little bit worse than Kobe, im guessing he will pass him this year tho. Hopefully hes in NJ next year (Y)(Y)

[Nick]

I'm interested to see what his role next year will be.

It will probably end up being the same as last year. But i think at one point in his career he'll be asked to run the point. That's when his stats will change, he might change into a 25ppg, 10 apg, 7 rpg player. I think he could even dominate as a full-time starter in the post at power forward.

Imagine he played pf next season, he would probably get 30ppg, 10 rpg, 4 or 5 apg, 2 bpg and 1 or 2 spg. Then it would be safe to say, with those stats, that LeBron could do basically everything. He would be the first to cover every single stat like that. But yeah, that's just a tangent thought. But still, he's exceeded everybody's expectations this much, who's to say he can't do it further?

I think he will have pretty similar stats to 30, 7 and 7 most of his career. Except that each year he will just improve efficiency. I.e. less turnovers, higher FG%.

[beau_boy04]

I agreed with Nick's statement. At one point in his career he will be asked to play the point and that's when he'll average 10+ apg not that he can't do it in the swing position but definitely it is easier to accomplish such feat in the PG position.

Also, I'm foreshadowing the future at some point in his career say in some Finals appearance somebody in his team will go down due to injuries and he will be asked to play the PF in which he will perform so great that he will be playing full-time PF the following season

These are my assumptions of Lebron James per position:

PG: 27ppg, 12apg, 7rpg, 51%FG, 2.8spg, 2.5tpg
SG/SF: 35ppg, 7apg, 7rpg, 53%FG, 2.7spg
PF: 32ppg, 5apg, 12rpg, 55%FG, 2.5spg, 3.0bpg

What do you think?

[Nick]

3 bpg? I don't know about that. If he attempted that many blocks he'd probably foul out every game and only end up with 15ppg

He'd get more than 2.5 TO's a game at than that at point guard too. He gets 3.3 on the wing. I'd say (taking into account improvement) he'd get somewhere around 3.3 again if he changed to pg in a few years.

[Laker Socks]

Lebron isn't a cluthc performer? Tell that to Washington

How many times has he hit clutch shots?
How many times has he missed?

as for Washington? as a laker fan, take my word when i say it's nothing special when you score over Caron matador butler in any situation whatsoever.

[BIG GREEN]

The point is...lebron performed in the clutch when it mattered the most...the nba playoffs. Which certainly shows improvement.

I wish people would stop using rings to say who's better than who. Just cause shandon anderson on the bench of miami heat won a ring..does that mean he's better than lebron?

[scrub]

Something like Shandon Anderson winning ring is irrelevant. At the end of the day players are remembered for rings and when you're comparing to players like Kobe and LeBron once both players are retired you will look to see who has managed to go to the end and win a ring.

[BIG GREEN]

How is it irrelevant? Considering it seems to be perceived that a ring makes a player better than one who doesn't. Define what you mean by players "like" kobe and lebron.

[ataman5]

darko has a ring too who cares
and about his turnovers it's normal and it's not that much cause he's using ball so much this year if he gets some solid role players around himself except larry hughes his efficiency will improve as well as his asist stats and maybe his points stats will be around 27-28 but he is gonna get more wins and get that ring...

[air gordon]

Ring count is RELEVANT when comparing one great player with another great player

As long as the rules continue to favor guard-play and the refs don't call traveling/carrying on him, Lebron James should average 30ppg for his career

Jordan probably could have averaged at least 40 if he played in this era

[Laker Socks]

The point is...lebron performed in the clutch when it mattered the most...the nba playoffs. Which certainly shows improvement.

He did hit clutch shots against Washington with Caron Butler defending him. Of course, Butler is a matador so even Damon Jones can blow by the guy with ease.

How was Lebron against Detroit's defense in clutch situations? How well did he shoot in the 2nd half of a very crucial game in the 2nd round?

Darko and shandon anderson? Does anyone consider those 2 players great in any aspect of the game?

[unorthadux]

Ring count is RELEVANT

Dan Marino Never won a superbowl ring, but he's still one of the greatest ever....Peyton Manning has never won a ring, he's still one of the greatest, Malone Never Won a ring, he's still one of the greatest, Barkley Never won a ring, but he's still a great, Barry Sanders, Great..but no ring, Patrick Ewing, Great, No Ring, Elgin Baylor, Great, No Ring, Steve Kerr, decent player, but 5 rings.... are you gunna tell me that steve kerr is better then Malone, Barkley, Ewing Or Baylor? Gunna tell me That Kurt warner is better than Marino or Manning?...Rings aren't everything, rings don't make you great, it's the persuit of the ring that makes you great, it's what your willing to do when the season ISN'T on the line that makes you a great player

[ataman5]

ı definitely agree with you unorthadux and add that if you consider ring is relevant how about allen iverson then??
ring is important offcourse and ı dont wanna argue anybody just this is my opinion... for example if lebron played with shaq he had already three rings you know what ı meann...

[BIG GREEN]

The point is...lebron performed in the clutch when it mattered the most...the nba playoffs. Which certainly shows improvement.

He did hit clutch shots against Washington with Caron Butler defending him. Of course, Butler is a matador so even Damon Jones can blow by the guy with ease.

How was Lebron against Detroit's defense in clutch situations? How well did he shoot in the 2nd half of a very crucial game in the 2nd round?

Darko and shandon anderson? Does anyone consider those 2 players great in any aspect of the game?

Do you even understand the meaning of the word improvement? I didn't say he was the best in the clutch..i'm saying he has improved..and most likely will continue to do so.

[scrub]

How is it irrelevant? Considering it seems to be perceived that a ring makes a player better than one who doesn't. Define what you mean by players "like" kobe and lebron.

I mean players like Kobe, LeBron, Wade, Garnett, Duncan, Iverson because they are all mentioned in the same bracket - NBA superstars, franchise players etc. You cannot compare two players like Steve Kerr and Allen Iverson on rings because Allen Iverson is mentioned in a different bracket as an NBA spuerstar and the leader of his team. When you compare Iverson with another NBA superstar and leader of his team in Magic Johnson however you will consider Magic better because he led the Lakers to five championships. I am not suggesting that rings count for everything when comparing two players in the same class but it plays a big part when comparing two players who are the leaders of their team.

And onorthadox a ring might not make you great but it makes you greater. I'm sure if Michael Jordan hadn't won 6 rings he wouldn't be remembered as arguably the GOAT.