[cwnotorious]

Why leave it alone? Sbr has alot of degenerates but not enough true fans of the game. Im guessing u played organized ball on some level to comprehend what is real talent and what isn't in the nba? Difficult to have a good debate on the nba when most of the people throw praise or hate on players based on spreads being covered or not.

Kobe and his airness defintely had more help than lebron ever had his 1st go around in Cleveland. Bird did as well, probably more so.

All lebron had was a washed up zydrunas and delonte desperado west. And that would have solidified him as one of the best ever if he stayed and won.

Remember how every fan base dreaded Michael but always cheered for him despite their team losing? That's the kind of universal, unified and undeniable response lebron would've gotten if he didn't bitch over to miami. Instead it's fractured and splintered in terms of being the best the nba has to offer. He's closer to kobe than he is to Michael

You are correct Shady - ball and also baseball were my best sports, I was lucky enough to be able to play both at a pretty high level and got to travel all over canada and down in the states a bit.
Jordan really was the perfect storm and he came along at just the right time where globally he actually transended the game. He set an unfair bar for anyone after him to follow and we will probably not see a player reach those heights ever again, he made such an impact on an entire generation that will be felt for years to come. Lebron has tried to carry that torch and i think he has also changed the game and shown this young generation that you can win without being a dominant scorer. Passing, rebounding, defending - making the smart decision instead of always forcing. Has he set a good example when it comes to the offcourt stuff? Mabe not but the whole new generation of nba players dont care about earning things on their own and now they are forced to employ this stratedgy to keep up with this whole superteam trend. Sports as a whole has gotten so much younger this last decade and i think some of the decision making reflects that. I am a little more old school and would like to see things go back the way they used to be when their wasnt all this flopping and tic-tac fouling going on but thats not what the kids want to see these days. What i have always liked about lebron's game is that i think he is one of a handfull of guys that could bang with all those teams from back in the day. Kobe is obviously another guy that could have dominated in jordan's era, garnett/cp3 ect. It will be really sad when that is completely removed from the nba. I am rambling over here lol but i just enjoy talking hoops

[shadymcgrady]

You are correct Shady - ball and also baseball were my best sports, I was lucky enough to be able to play both at a pretty high level and got to travel all over canada and down in the states a bit.
Jordan really was the perfect storm and he came along at just the right time where globally he actually transended the game. He set an unfair bar for anyone after him to follow and we will probably not see a player reach those heights ever again, he made such an impact on an entire generation that will be felt for years to come. Lebron has tried to carry that torch and i think he has also changed the game and shown this young generation that you can win without being a dominant scorer. Passing, rebounding, defending - making the smart decision instead of always forcing. Has he set a good example when it comes to the offcourt stuff? Mabe not but the whole new generation of nba players dont care about earning things on their own and now they are forced to employ this stratedgy to keep up with this whole superteam trend. Sports as a whole has gotten so much younger this last decade and i think some of the decision making reflects that. I am a little more old school and would like to see things go back the way they used to be when their wasnt all this flopping and tic-tac fouling going on but thats not what the kids want to see these days. What i have always liked about lebron's game is that i think he is one of a handfull of guys that could bang with all those teams from back in the day. Kobe is obviously another guy that could have dominated in jordan's era, garnett/cp3 ect. It will be really sad when that is completely removed from the nba. I am rambling over here lol but i just enjoy talking hoops

I guess different eras produce different personas. I was rly trying to upset a dumb sportsfan that loves lebron all riled up, didn't expect a good bball back and forth.

As far as off the court lebron has far exceeded jordan or anyone for that matter. I don't rly care ab it since all I see is what a player does on thr court but to call it as it is no other player has ever handled the hype since the age of 16 with such success. His only blemish was "the decision" which pales in comparison to say a rape case with kobe. Lebron always had a great PR staff so maybe it's on them as well as himself for upholding such a clean image who knows but he's been a great star role model compared to bums like melo etc

Jordan was my era but I'm not biased to how he was especially in retrospect after the childhood glamor wears off. Aside from the documented gambling he was banging porn stars and treating the media like a well groomed mob boss in silencing certain stories and making/breaking reporting careers for his benefit.

As encompassing as jordan was for the nba his shadow that was cast in his absence also set the nba back in terms of team chemistry and quality. Suddenly it was okay to be a ball hog at ur teams expense and 1 dimensional shooting guards were considered a blueprint to build a team around. Guys like iverson, vince carter, Michael Finley, Jerry stackhouse and Tracy mcgrady were being rewarded for playing like Mike despite not winning like mike. And David stern and the nba hitched all their money marketing hooks into them and pushed.

Gonna be awhile before the nba gets back to old school ball if ever. The game is different now, all about offense and more offense. Look at the recent mvps, curry is one of the worst defenders in thr league. Harden is another one and he's a frontrunner this yr. Titles were won behind guys like dirk who is a stretch 4 with putrid defense. Even lebron who makes highlight dunks coming off weak side help isn't the greatest defender until recently. True defense is boring for the casual fan, doesn't promote marketing. It's why guys like kawhi leonard will only get respect from former players and coaches and not some 13 yr old overweight goofy white kid in thr midwest

[cwnotorious]

Couldnt of said it better myself, a great post and some really good jordan tidbits. It kills me to watch curry who was the unanimous regular season mvp just last year get dunked on and taken advantage of on pick n rolls all day. That is ur mvp? This trend can only continue with guys like isiah thomas jr coming to the forefront of the league. Of course they have to drain 6-8 3's a game to make up for the fact they r getting run over on the defensive side of the ball. Leanard is a beast, nice to see a young player like that doing his thing without all the showboating that goes along with it.
And u know what u have swayed me a bit about the whole "decision" issue. He should be held to a higher standard, even for his fans its frustrating becuase we have witnessed just how dominating he has been at times.
For example this year when he called out for more help in terms of players, you just had 1 of the all-time top performences in the finals vs one of the best regular season teams of all time and u need more help? Gtfo

[t-wizzle]

So they aren't stiffs?

They are.