Sports Daily: LeBron's Declaration

[ojandpizza]

Quote: Originally Posted by jeebs9

That's basically what I'm waiting for before I really say anything.

Part of me wants him to leave at a younger age like MJ so he can go out on top, part of me wants him to stick around and pile up ridiculous accolades... Either way all waiting around to see him play while he's older isn't going to count for much except for his stats and possible all-NBA awards, or rings.. None of which really matter all that much in my view.. Players at their very best goes way father in my opinion on how they stack up with other players at their best.. Very few players age as nicely as Kareem, Kobe, Malone, and Duncan and most are out of the league before it even gets to that point.. But regardless it doesn't really matter to me who's better at age 35 anyways lol.

[thedream2k13]

"Hey look everyone, it's LeBron James again. He can dunk and he can talk -- about himself even."

EXACTLY

[ehh]

Quote: Originally Posted by ProfessaPackMan

Random but how come Tim Duncan never gets talked about being one of the top 4-5 players to have played the game? Always noticed his name never comes up in that conversation although it pops up when expanding it to Top 10 players of all time.

1) Look at the Finals TV ratings when the Spurs have been in them. They're dreadful. People don't watch him play that often and/or don't like watching him play which obviously has an impact on how they rank him. His "substance over style" game hurts him.

2) Not sure you can make a compelling case for him against Kareem, Wilt or Russell. You can make a case vs Hakeem and Shaq though. Neither of those last two guys ever get into Top 5 arguments (or shouldn't at least) so it makes sense that Timmy doesn't.

3) He has the "Kobe Effect" going against him. For much of his career you can argue he wasn't the best player in the league or even the Top 2 in some years.

4) Something like getting destroyed by Amare that one series can hurt a guy's legacy. Just look at the Hakeem vs the Admiral situation, it's almost the first thing people bring up when discussing Robinson's legacy. Granted that was on a much larger scale than Amare/Duncan (and Duncan easily won the series and played well) it still leaves a lasting impression. Seeing a guy get lit up over an entire series isn't going to give you a "damn, that's Top 5 player" type of feeling inside. It's pretty easy to say Amare was the better PF in that series.

5) His statistics are good but not great. Hasn't averaged over 20.0 ppg since he was 28 years old. He's a bit of a compiler like Karl Malone. Only two MVP's - both of which came at a time when the league's talent level was extremely low.

6) Same thing that I hold against Shaq, the league was void of quality big men when they won titles. I can't help but think how Timmy would have fared if he was born a decade earlier and had to face a league full of good big men. He'd be great but probably wouldn't have won as much.


All in all I think he deserves to be in the Top 10 so he's properly ranked there when most people have these discussions. When he finally retires I'll probably never be able to decide how I'd rank Shaq, Hakeem and Timmy (always said I'd take Hakeem over Shaq though). If the Spurs had managed to beat LeBron last year and get Timmy that 5th title I think it would have done wonders for his legacy.

[The 24th Letter]

Quote: Originally Posted by thedream2k13

"Hey look everyone, it's LeBron James again. He can dunk and he can talk -- about himself even." EXACTLY

.....what?

[ggsimmonds]

You disappoint me OS. LeBron did not declare that he was a top 4 player of all time, he said he is going to be.

There is a difference, and with that difference in mind, I do not have a problem with what he said at all. As a matter of fact, his goal should be to be number one of all time.

[24]

I think he certainly has the potential to be if he keeps up the current pace he's at now. He's approaching the make or break part of his career when it comes to aging however. It will be interesting to see if he's able to adapt to a new style of play as he ages. I have no doubt that He will be able to do it.

[TjJunior]

Confidence and consistent play are key to being a professional athlete in my opinion, so I would say the same thing. Its where he wants to be and maybe saying it aloud for himself and everyone else is motivational. Whatever gets you to your end game, do it. No matter how its recieved by the public.

[Vni]

Next player Lebron teams up with is a point guard. As he gets older he will becomre more of a high post roll man power forward type of player and he will need a great point guard.