Lebron James

I read an SI article about Lebron James recently...

We all know he's 6'8. He was listed @ 240 pounds when he entered the league. Speculation is now that he weighs about 270 pounds. How amazing is it that a 6'8, 270 pound man can do what he does? How cool would it be to coach a guy like that? He can effectively defend all 5 positions on the court. He's quick enough to guard PG's and big enough to hold his own in the post, so he can switch on any screen without putting your defense in a mismatch.

And, he's only 24. He recently had lasik surgery to improve poor eyesight. Consequently, his shooting has improved this season.

He's already the best player on the planet with the potential to be the best ever. I wonder if he'll reach that level.

If LeBron becomes a lock down defender, I think he will be regarded as one of the best.

His on the ball defense still lacks, but he sure does love and is good at being a help defender and throwing the ball in to the 20th row.

He is very effective at it too. I just wish he would concentrate more defensively but I guess with the entire offense being run around and through him it would be a little hard lol

Cleveland and Danny Ferry have surrounded LeBron with a great compliment of players. Not that it has come up yet in this thread, but I am tired of hearing about how he never has a supporting cast. The players around LeBron are just what he needs and they may be the deepest team (along side the Lakers) in the league.

^ Agreed, but it just seems like the supporting cast has really gelled this year. Of course, adding Moe Williams didn't hurt things

If LeBron becomes a lock down defender, I think he will be regarded as one of the best.

 

His on the ball defense still lacks, but he sure does love and is good at being a help defender and throwing the ball in to the 20th row.

He is a strong man-to-man defender. He has significantly upgraded that aspect of his game. Is there still room for improvement? Sure. He's 24. All of his game is going to get better. Is it a weakness? Not anymore.

He is simply amazing.

Much like Jordan, LeBron gets protected. At one time this year, he went 5 straight games without a foul being called on him! He averages under 2 fouls a game. I love watching him play and apparently the officials do as well!

Cleveland and Danny Ferry have surrounded LeBron with a great compliment of players. Not that it has come up yet in this thread, but I am tired of hearing about how he never has a supporting cast. The players around LeBron are just what he needs and they may be the deepest team (along side the Lakers) in the league.

Lebron makes them all better, so they fit well with him and it's a solid roster as long as he's on the court. Take Lebron away and the Cavs are a bad team, IMO. Some of the other teams have talent that would be more competitive without their stars, IMO. Look at Boston...they're still a tough W without KG. The Lakers, without Kobe, could still be competitive with Gasol, Odom and Bynum leading the way.

I think that's why people make the comments they do about Lebron's help. They miss the point that it's a team game, not a collection of individual talent. Lebron is such a great player, you don't need to load up on "names" to complement him. He needed one guy (Mo Williams) who could be counted on to deliver points on a consistent basis, IMO, to set the rest of the roster off. Now he has it...the rest of the guys accept their roles and do their jobs. They've got a strong team. It's not all Lebron, but he's the key that takes the group as a whole to the elite level. The Cavs roster with any other star besides Lebron would be at least 10 games worse, if not more.

I can't wait to see he and Kobe battle it out in the finals. It's gonna be fun.

Much like Jordan, LeBron gets protected. At one time this year, he went 5 straight games without a foul being called on him! He averages under 2 fouls a game. I love watching him play and apparently the officials do as well!

Much like every superstar in the league (since I've been alive for sure)...

Jordan seems to be the poster boy, but they all get the benefit of the doubt from the stripes.

Lebron makes them all better, so they fit well with him and it's a solid roster as long as he's on the court. Take Lebron away and the Cavs are a bad team, IMO. Some of the other teams have talent that would be more competitive without their stars, IMO. Look at Boston...they're still a tough W without KG. The Lakers, without Kobe, could still be competitive with Gasol, Odom and Bynum leading the way.

 

I think that's why people make the comments they do about Lebron's help. They miss the point that it's a team game, not a collection of individual talent. Lebron is such a great player, you don't need to load up on "names" to complement him. He needed one guy (Mo Williams) who could be counted on to deliver points on a consistent basis, IMO, to set the rest of the roster off. Now he has it...the rest of the guys accept their roles and do their jobs. They've got a strong team. It's not all Lebron, but he's the key that takes the group as a whole to the elite level. The Cavs roster with any other star besides Lebron would be at least 10 games worse, if not more.

 

I can't wait to see he and Kobe battle it out in the finals. It's gonna be fun.

LeBron is an absolute beast. There is not one person in NBA history (Jordan, Kobe, etc.) that can compare to him with his ability to get to the rim. He is simply too big or fast for anyone guarding him. Cleveland has an array of shooters he can dish it to and big bodies inside to grab loose balls and to protect the lane.

270 pounds? Are you kidding me?

Seriously, I can't get over that. Imagine trying to guard him...if you're a guard, he's going to overpower you like Shaq used to do opposing centers in the paint. If you're a big man, he's going to take you outside where you almost have to concede an open jump shot. It's freakish.

I also read in the article, talking about how fast he was, most guys can run from baseline-to-baseline in anywhere from 11 to 14 strides...Lebron can cover it in 9 or 10.

I think it said his vertical jump was 42 or 44 inches. They were guessing that with a running start and jumping off of one leg, he could probably get about 10 inches higher. The article said he could jump over your armoire without pulling his legs up...or something like that.

Anyway, just a freakish specimen. It reminds me of an article I read several years ago about Jonathan Ogden when he came out of UCLA to the Ravens. I'll see if I can find that online...

LeBron is an absolute beast. There is not one person in NBA history (Jordan, Kobe, etc.) that can compare to him with his ability to get to the rim. He is simply too big or fast for anyone guarding him. Cleveland has an array of shooters he can dish it to and big bodies inside to grab loose balls and to protect the lane.

:thumb:

The team is constructed very well to complement what they have in James. I think they're the best team in the east and possibly the best in the league.

Lebron has all the tools of being the greatest basketball player ever. There has never been a player who is more suited for NBA basketball han Lebron James. As long as he steers clear of any major injuries then when he hangs up his shoes he will be seen as better than all before him IMO.

^Has there ever been a player more suited for football?

6'8, 270 with athleticism like he's got. Imagine what kind of a safety he'd be...with that kind of size, length and speed...

I'm just sayin'...