Why LeBron is the best player in the NBA 1.0

[poochiecollins]

This thread's in response to those who think Kobe Bryant's the best player in the league or that Dwayne Wade's better than LeBron James. This was originally intended to be long and detailed, but I can't find some discussion with others that I was going to draw information from, I might have forgotten some points, and I've lost some motivation to research and write elaborately on the subject. I want to use responses to the points below in helping to make a more detailed thread later:

• LBJ has better stats in most areas compared to the other two. A couple of those areas are those that are typically brought down for one playing a bad team.
• No one thinks Adam Morrison is better than LBJ, despite having two championship rings. Why? Because LBJ contributes much more to his team than AM to his. This is less obvious in comparing LBJ and KB, but on-the-court skill doesn't change because one has been blessed with appreciably better teammates than the other up to this point.
• "Clutch" shooting stats show KB to be less than stellar on the low end and poor on the high end, particularly when compared to the game's best players.
• There's little wiggle room, as far as I see, for arguing that if LBJ and KB reversed ages and situations, that the Lakers would have had fewer titles or that the Cavs would have more, or similarly switching KB and DW.
• The past few years, if you removed Kobe and LBJ from their respective teams without replacing them, few people would argue that the Cavaliers would finish behind the Lakers in season wins each season. With both players in, the opposite has occurred. At the very least, this proves that LBJ has provided more value to the Cavaliers than Kobe to the Lakers and strongly hints that LBJ is probably the better player outright.

Please shade away from subjective arguments, generally. Thank you.

Edit: seriously, please no posts/arguments that a typical 12 year old could either make or rebut.

[$Burm$]

who cares, he's got the most talented and gifted athletic body in the league. he's still not a leader and hasn't proved anything yet when it matters except that he quits when the going gets tough

[DiggityDaggityDo]

lol Kobe haters are funny.

[makemerich]

totally agree w diggitydaggitydo lols. u aint shit wo a ring.

[Bradyd]

Of course Lebron is the best player in the league right now. Just like Wade is number 2 right now.... And if being a leader means winning a championship, than the many great player are not leaders... Which is beyond insanity...

[pronk]

This thread's in response to those who think Kobe Bryant's the best player in the league or that Dwayne Wade's better than LeBron James. This was originally intended to be long and detailed, but I can't find some discussion with others that I was going to draw information from, I might have forgotten some points, and I've lost some motivation to research and write elaborately on the subject. I want to use responses to the points below in helping to make a more detailed thread later:

• LBJ has better stats in most areas compared to the other two. A couple of those areas are those that are typically brought down for one playing a bad team.
• No one thinks Adam Morrison is better than LBJ, despite having two championship rings. Why? Because LBJ contributes much more to his team than AM to his. This is less obvious in comparing LBJ and KB, but on-the-court skill doesn't change because one has been blessed with appreciably better teammates than the other up to this point.
• "Clutch" shooting stats show KB to be less than stellar on the low end and poor on the high end, particularly when compared to the game's best players.
• There's little wiggle room, as far as I see, for arguing that if LBJ and KB reversed ages and situations, that the Lakers would have had fewer titles or that the Cavs would have more, or similarly switching KB and DW.
• The past few years, if you removed Kobe and LBJ from their respective teams without replacing them, few people would argue that the Cavaliers would finish behind the Lakers in season wins each season. With both players in, the opposite has occurred. At the very least, this proves that LBJ has provided more value to the Cavaliers than Kobe to the Lakers and strongly hints that LBJ is probably the better player outright.

Please shade away from subjective arguments, generally. Thank you.

Edit: seriously, please no posts/arguments that a typical 12 year old could either make or rebut.

You forgot Leprick's most important "talent"- no one in the entire nba can quit like this clown. And I mean it, when the shit hits the fan- this rat simply quits when the real man like Ewing, Barkley, Malone, Durant and many others face the fire and fight to the end.

[revnecro1273]

dude is still a douche

[jollyoscars]

lebron is overrated. true talent is measured when the game is on the line and he never delivers

[TheThreeKings]

lebron is overrated. true talent is measured when the game is on the line and he never delivers

Lebron led the league in the clutch last year. I hate when people try to generalize like this without actually knowing the true numbers.

[Bradyd]

Wow. Lebron never delivers when the game is on the line?? Where in the world did you get that one???

[pronk]

Wow. Lebron never delivers when the game is on the line?? Where in the world did you get that one???

Are you blind or do you suffer from a memory loss? Try Boston series this year or Orlando series last year.

[Goat Milk]

ESPN stats show Lou WIlliams as the 4th clutchest guy in the league with less than a minute left in the game

don't embarrass yourself with this argument. you will get rocked quickly

[TheThreeKings]

ESPN stats show Lou WIlliams as the 4th clutchest guy in the league with less than a minute left in the game

don't embarrass yourself with this argument. you will get rocked quickly

http://www.82games.com/0910/CSORT11.HTM

Not a single unexpected in the top 15 there. Lebron is clutch, no matter how people try to frame it.

[Goat Milk]

http://www.82games.com/0910/CSORT11.HTM Not a single unexpected in the top 15 there. Lebron is clutch, no matter how people try to frame it.

points at the end of the game means you are clutch? I've been watching both guys play since they were in high school. You can make the argument that currently Lebron james is a better overall player than Bryant.

If Anyone goes as far to say that Lebron is a more clutch player than Bryant than they just make themselves look ridiculous.

[nbarlotta3]

Kobe's so much better than LBJ it's not even an argument.

[TheThreeKings]

points at the end of the game means you are clutch? I've been watching both guys play since they were in high school. You can make the argument that currently Lebron james is a better overall player than Bryant.

If Anyone goes as far to say that Lebron is a more clutch player than Bryant than they just make themselves look ridiculous.

In the last 5 minutes of games that have neither team ahead more than five points Lebron beats Kobe in the following categories:
- +/-
- FG %
- Rebounds
- Assists
- Blocks
- Steals
- Points

I'd say that makes a pretty damn strong case for Lebron being a better clutch player. Kobe outpaced Lebron in game-winning shots last year, but in the prior 6 years Lebron was ahead. Lebron closes out games better than any player in the NBA.

[Goat Milk]

When 191 NBA players were asked in a recent poll (about a year ago), if they had 1 person in the league on their team that you would want to take the last shot of a game

Over 75% of 191 CURRENT nba players voted for Kobe Bryant
3% voted for Lebron James

This is a documented article. Nothing more needs to be said. I will let you guys continue your conversation in here.

[sweetjones55]

Kobe didn't look too clutch in these last playoffs to me. The Lakers had only two real tests in these playoffs against OKC and Boston. He averaged 23 ppg against OKC and only shot 40% in the series. He also missed the game winning shot in game 6 which would have been a HUGE deal if LeBron missed but he had Pao come through and get the tip in. He was also pretty bad vs the Celtics shooting 40% for the series and had one of his worst shooting nights ever in the biggest game of the year going 6-24 in game 7.

Kobe doesn't have the same ability he used to have to get separation on these big shots. He also used to be able to force the issue and finish easily in the lane but he's lost a ton of his explosion and doesn't try this as much anymore.

[Bradyd]

Are you blind or do you suffer from a memory loss? Try Boston series this year or Orlando series last year.

No, I suffer from actually watching both series. Just because they lost, you don't think lebron got his?? What planet are you on??? There is no stopping lebron, you can only slow him down. You clearly have no knowledge of what went on during the Boston and Orlando series.

[Bradyd]

Kobe's so much better than LBJ it's not even an argument.

You must be confusing "Kobe's career" with "Kobe the player". Because even in Kobe's prime, you can't make a statement like that vs. Lebron. Sure you can make a really good argument that in his prime, Kobe was better than Lebron (as of now). But to say that Kobe is so much better that it's not even an argument is ridiculous..

[k22t]

You must be confusing "Kobe's career" with "Kobe the player". Because even in Kobe's prime, you can't make a statement like that vs. Lebron. Sure you can make a really good argument that in his prime, Kobe was better than Lebron (as of now). But to say that Kobe is so much better that it's not even an argument is ridiculous..

I have to agree. Kobe's career over a period of time has been better than Lebron's. If your talking about this point in time, its hard not to say Lebron is the best player in the world. He is a super freak. He is by far the best passer in the NBA and with his frame is able to go up and get a ton of rebounds. Not to mention he is the race for Defensive Player of the Year every year. You can not lay it up soft on this guy, you better dunk it or he's sending it into the 10th row. Lebron wins 5-6 championships with the Heat and we never talk about this again.

[pronk]

Only 5 or 6? Didn't Lequit made a promise to win 10 in 7 years?

[kobefanatic]

lebron has a great team right now, he has wade who is another top 3 player, bosh who is a top 15/20 player in the league, good sixth man in mike miller, other good shooters in james jones, eddie house, veteran big man who has their fair share of playoff battles juwan howard, big Z, magloire, now since you're all claiming he has a shitty team last few years that's why he didn't win a single championship, he better win it this year because this is a great team that he has now, please no more excuses when he doesn't win it again

[TheThreeKings]

When 191 NBA players were asked in a recent poll (about a year ago), if they had 1 person in the league on their team that you would want to take the last shot of a game

Over 75% of 191 CURRENT nba players voted for Kobe Bryant
3% voted for Lebron James

This is a documented article. Nothing more needs to be said. I will let you guys continue your conversation in here.

Taking a last shot is only a small part of being "clutch". Lebron's performance at the end of close games last year was incredible.

[PlatinumBerg]

LeBron is a douche^10, as in he is a douche to the tenth power! that is 10 zeroes man!!!