steelevt
All-Star
He should use some of that new money and buy KD a new pair of oversized shoes.Good for him. Dude got fired at least 3 times every series this past playoffs.
[NBA] Comments that don't warrant a thread (TDOS)
- Thread starter Tetsujin
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Wait, back up: Brooklyn gave up four picks, and a still-somewhat adequate roleplayer to get Jahlil Okafor?
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
AND they gave 5.78 million dollars in the deal.
It's all about the luxury tax savings.
Telemachus
Starter
I just logged on to share this. That kid will have bragging rights with his friends for awhile.
macadocious
Starter
No kidding.
A 22 year-old LeBron, not nearly as big/strong as he would become, dropped 48 on the Pistons in Game 5 of the ECF while carrying an otherwise extremely average bunch of players to the finals in 2007.
I think Bron would have done *just fine* whatever the era.
steelevt
All-Star
I have my doubts about him in the 80s with Detroit “bad boys”, Celtics with mchale and bird, and Lakers etc. I think he’s great but I don’t know how much he could have taken against them if he’s writhing in pain on the floor after getting bumped by draymond. Who knows, maybe lebron is just adjusting to how the game is played today but man watching what wasn’t even considered a flagrant 1 back in those days…
I honestly don't understand the doubt. Yeah, I'm *pretty sure* he's taking advantage of the rules of the era he actually plays in.
Bron is clearly AT LEAST as big/strong/skilled as any guard or "wing" player of the Bad Boys era. Scottie Pippen was a badass, but LeBron - superior is most every way - couldn't/wouldn't have been? Pippen was tougher than Bron?
I don't buy it.
steelevt
All-Star
I think lebron is one of the best players I’ve ever seen. But basically having a different set of rules in different eras makes it hard to gauge. That’s the only reason that gives me doubt. I’m not saying he would suck. He’d still be top tier. I just don’t know if he would be MJ/bird/magic or would he be closer to pippen/clyde/Dominique. Same goes with steph, one of the best pg in the game, he has all the skills to be elite in today’s game. But with hand checking, defenders actually able to defend, and basically refs looking the other way when you get clobbered driving to the basket, I have no idea how great he would be in that era.
Edit: I just reread your post that I quoted where you said he would be just fine in any era. I agree with that. My doubt was him being elite, top 3, in the argument for GOAT etc. in that era I mentioned. Now late 90s-present? Yes, he would still dominate and be in that GOAT argument in my opinion.
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How good would LeBron’s defense be if he were allowed to hand-check? I think he would be Magic Johnson that was a first team all defense. Pretty dominant.
steelevt
All-Star
I never thought of the defensive side. Good point
Magic was awesome; absolutely no disrespect to him.
But LeBron in his place at the helm of the Showtime- era Lakers?
Jordan played with Pippen and Rodman/Grant for many years.
Magic played with Kareem and Worthy for many years.
Bird played with McHale and Parrish for many years.
The success of those teams has a lot to do with how those individual players are regarded.
LeBron played his first six years in Cleveland. I can't think of a single all-star he played with (and, no, a broken-down Shaq doesn't count).
In his last 11 seasons he's has Wade and Bosh in Miami (4 years), Kyrie and Love in Cleveland (4 years), and Davis in LA (2 years). His teams have made dang near every Finals and won 4 times. I guess that's not enough.
Padrino
All-Star
As ever, context is king. There would have been no use flopping or selling contact in the 80's because it would not have created much of a competitive advantage. The refs wouldn't have started to blow the whistle more frequently just because players started flopping left and right, so guys like Lebron and Chris Paul likely wouldn't have bothered with the theatrics at all. Nor would James Harden initiate contact as often as he does with the express purpose of drawing a foul. The refs wouldn't have blown the whistle in his favor with any great frequency in the 80's. But because Lebron and Paul and Harden can create a competitive advantage in today's game by (over)working the refs, they do so.
I don't like it or admire it, but I also don't blame them. The NBA created a "legislative" environment where the referees have far too much to watch on the floor and far too much to manage within the absurdly-paced speed of the game. There are simply too many "calls" for them to make, and the human eye can only process a limited amount of information in real time. So the appearance of contact is often enough to earn the whistle. If the NBA truly wanted to cut down on flopping/selling contact, they would give the referees less to do, not more. They would eliminate the hand check rule and allow the defender greater latitude with respect to incidental contact. Lebron stops writhing on the floor if it no longer serves his interest to do so.
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