Cleveland Rocks
LeBron James has reportedly accepted a five year contract extension for about $16 million a year to stay in Cleveland and play for the Cavs. This is probably the biggest thing that has happened in the history of sports in Cleveland. First off, it virtually guarantees that at least one NBA championship will come to Cleveland within the next few years. Probably more than one. Secondly, it gives the city of Cleveland a legitimate sports star, something they haven't had since Bernie Kosar. (Travis Hafner doesn't count. Neither does Jim Thome, who flew the coup. Kellen Winslow Jr. DEFINITELY does not count). And, with all due respect to the sidearm slinger, Kosar is no LeBron.
LeBron James will dominate the NBA the way that MJ used to, and the way that Shaq did up until a few years ago. He's the next big thing, no doubt about it. There are a few other big time young players in the NBA, but none of them come anywhere close to LeBron. Sure, there's big talk about Dwayne Wade now...but once Shaq is gone, the Heat will look a lot like last year's Lakers. Dwayne Wade alone is not enough. LeBron James alone probably is. Carmelo, Bosh, Dwight Howard, Andrea Bargnani, Yao Ming, Andrew Bogut...all great young players to build a team around, but none are good enough to carry a team on their back to a championship. All need some help. Wade can carry a good team, but LeBron could carry a bad team. He's that good.
LeBron's presence will also attract big name free agents who want a championship and who otherwise would not be willing to play in such a small market. It is up to the Cavs organization to use this opportunity to build something around LeBron. Though he is probably capable of doing it alone, it would be nice to get him some help other than a good but aging Lithuanian center. Larry Hughes is a good start, but if the Cavs want LeBron to retire in Cleveland, they'll need to do better.
I envision the major rivalry of the Eastern Conference in the near future as Cleveland and Chicago. The Bulls have built a tremendous young team around some terriffic drafts. Ben Gordon may be the league's most underrated young player, Kirk Heinrich is one of the league's best shooters, Luol Deng has always been solid, and with the addition of a legit star in Ben Wallace and another young phenom in Tyrus Thomas, Chicago will be LeBron's primary nemisis. If I were the Bulls organization, I would start focusing on putting together a team that can be kryptonite to LeBron's Superman skills right away. The high powered offenses of the Mavs and Kings were basically a failed attempt to beat Shaquille O'Neal by outrunning him. I'm not sure what weakness LeBron has to exploit, but if I'm the Bulls, I'm in the film room 24/7 trying to find it, and then hitting the phones to get the personnel capable of exploiting it.
Enjoy that title, Dwayne. It's a matter of time before this becomes LeBron's world.
LeBron James will dominate the NBA the way that MJ used to, and the way that Shaq did up until a few years ago. He's the next big thing, no doubt about it. There are a few other big time young players in the NBA, but none of them come anywhere close to LeBron. Sure, there's big talk about Dwayne Wade now...but once Shaq is gone, the Heat will look a lot like last year's Lakers. Dwayne Wade alone is not enough. LeBron James alone probably is. Carmelo, Bosh, Dwight Howard, Andrea Bargnani, Yao Ming, Andrew Bogut...all great young players to build a team around, but none are good enough to carry a team on their back to a championship. All need some help. Wade can carry a good team, but LeBron could carry a bad team. He's that good.
LeBron's presence will also attract big name free agents who want a championship and who otherwise would not be willing to play in such a small market. It is up to the Cavs organization to use this opportunity to build something around LeBron. Though he is probably capable of doing it alone, it would be nice to get him some help other than a good but aging Lithuanian center. Larry Hughes is a good start, but if the Cavs want LeBron to retire in Cleveland, they'll need to do better.
I envision the major rivalry of the Eastern Conference in the near future as Cleveland and Chicago. The Bulls have built a tremendous young team around some terriffic drafts. Ben Gordon may be the league's most underrated young player, Kirk Heinrich is one of the league's best shooters, Luol Deng has always been solid, and with the addition of a legit star in Ben Wallace and another young phenom in Tyrus Thomas, Chicago will be LeBron's primary nemisis. If I were the Bulls organization, I would start focusing on putting together a team that can be kryptonite to LeBron's Superman skills right away. The high powered offenses of the Mavs and Kings were basically a failed attempt to beat Shaquille O'Neal by outrunning him. I'm not sure what weakness LeBron has to exploit, but if I'm the Bulls, I'm in the film room 24/7 trying to find it, and then hitting the phones to get the personnel capable of exploiting it.
Enjoy that title, Dwayne. It's a matter of time before this becomes LeBron's world.
posted by AdmiralLando at 3:36 PM
3 Comments:
MJ didn't quite do it alone, but he probably could have. His supporting cast was not that strong. Scottie Pippen was a good but not great player, and the rest of MJ's Bulls were role players. Would the Bulls have won those championships without Scottie Pippen? I think the answer is probably yes, though there's no way to know that. Can LeBron win a title when his best teammate is an aging Lithuanian center? I think the answer is probably yes...but only time will tell.
Equally hyped? Nobody has been as hyped as LeBron, and rightfully so. McGrady has been hyped and definitely has the talent, but not the desire. LeBron has it all. This guy will win a championship, regardless of who you put him with.
MJ before Pippen was not the same MJ...he was still learning. And PLEASE don't imply that it had something to do with Phil. Phil is the luckiest bastard in the history of coaching professional athletes. I could have won championships as head coach of MJ's Bulls and Shaq's Lakers.
BTW, I just read that it was a 3 year deal, not 5. Smart move by LeBron. He's putting the pressure on the Cavs to put a championship caliber team around him within a few years, or he'll bolt to the Bulls, Knicks or Lakers. Then he can truly be this generation's MJ...a guy who possibly could have done it himself, but won't have to.
LeBron is still learning, which is a scary thing considering how good he already is.
It is difficult to compare Jordan and LeBron because they are a different sort of player. Kobe/MJ comparisons are easier because their style and skill set are similar. MJ is clearly better than Kobe at Kobe's own game. Comparing MJ to LeBron is not as easy, because LeBron's game is tougher, grittier, and more versatile than MJ's, but I'll give it a shot. This is LeBron now vs. MJ in his prime:
Shooting/scoring: MJ has the edge here, although not a huge edge. LeBron will probably never be quite the scorer MJ was, but he'll be more than good enough.
Rebounding: LeBron. Duh.
Passing: Again, clearly LeBron, who is more than capable of playing PG effectively.
Creating mismatches: LeBron, but not by much. MJ didn't create mismatches as much as he was just very difficult (at times impossible) to defend. LeBron is tough to defend because he is a big, strong player who can do things that big, strong players shouldn't be able to do. Anyone against LeBron James is a mismatch, but the same was true of MJ, although, I think, for different reasons.
Drawing double teams: Tie. They both should be doubled at all times. Maybe tripled. However, MJ was more adept at splitting those doubles (maybe the best of all time at it), while LeBron is more capable of creating opportunities for teammates out of the double with his superior passing skills. Again, tough to compare.
Defense: Probably a toss-up at this point. Both are very good but not outrageously great defenders. LeBron will improve and this will be another category where he gets the edge.
Leadership: MJ by a mile. LeBron has great potential here, and it will come with time. LeBron may never have MJ's charisma, but he can at least come close.
The way I see it, LeBron is probably slightly less valuable now than Jordan was in his prime, but due to the type of player LeBron is, his potential value is much greater than that of MJ in his prime.
LeBron is not Tracy McGrady. LeBron has the same sort of competitive fire that MJ had. He wants to be considered among the greatest ever, and he wants the rings to prove it. He's going to get them, too.
LeBron shouldn't be crowned "the next Jordan" because he's a very different player. However, he is definitely the heir to Jordan's throne as the dominant force of NBA basketball. (Jordan wasn't the last person to occupy that throne...Shaq was). That throne is currently empty, but the crown is being polished for LeBron as we speak.
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