Originally Posted by
WiseOne
LeBron James is a talented basketball player once a generation kind of player. And that right there is the start and end of debating how great LeBron James really is.
LeBron is playing in a generation that favors his style. It's very hard to immediately put LJ in a class of MJ, Magic, Kobe, BR, Bird when we have never seen James do what those players did.
To automatically claim James right now the greatest shows how little of the sport you truly know. Right now LeBron is somewhere in the 12-16 range. If he stopped playing today there is no way you can put him in the top 10. There are too many legends ahead of him.
But that does not mean James will not end up being in the top 10, 5, or hold #1 spot. But he has lots to do.
The first thing to come in mind when you think of Magic, MJ, Bird - is magical, legendary moments. Lebron has not given the basketball world any of that.
You have seen already from games 1 and 2 that he has failed to deliver that magical clutch moment. We will never remember LeBrom James for a specific moment, talent, or game. Not yet at least.
And to be the greatest you have to perform at that level and deliver the unexpected historical moment to be #1 of all time.
Kobe Bryant seems to be more clutch than LeBron (who i have ahead of him and to say he is not top 5 of all time is silly. Kobe is right now top 5 of all time)
The other issue is that LeBron James has failed to deliver at high level of competition. This is a generation of sloppy less talented basketball players who refuse to go to college and develop on/off the court. In the real world sort of speak. They aren't the brightest bunch. They think because they are in the NBA they belong. Not quite fellas.
And LeBron James of all the top 10 greatest players have had the easiest time reaching the finals. If the Cavs were in the western conference they would have been out most likely in the opening round this year. Heat would have lost the 2nd rnd last year. Maybe the conference finals if they got lucky in a series.
You must understand the difference of talent and that goes unmentioned as most people have never seen those legendary players perform. Or refuse to care thinking this era is the only one that has existed.
MJ/Bird took the NBA off tape delay. The players today are almost puting it back on tape delay.
So yes MJ alone is better than LJ and probably will remain #1 for quite some time until someone can actually deliver what we witnessed with MJ. Jordan played vs the legends. LeBron hasn't even given us the moment yet.
He has lots of work to do. First I want to see him do what Kobe did and take a team to the promise land. The way he had to through the western conference finals in a time of elite rivals in the 2000's. MJ with the Pistons/Celtics/Lakers.
So you can not even put LeBron in the class of the legends as he hasn't done anything to support the nomination.
Not yet at least.