Does Lebron need another established player?

[Ghazi]

Bynum/Artest 2nd best player on Cleveland? That's debatable

Varejao > Glassnum

Gasol/Odom though... yea I'd say so. but Odom is not exactly lighting it up in the playoffs thus far

[rmt]

i don't know what you're arguing. you're just saying stuff to say stuff.

in 2007 Kobe Bryant did not win an NBA championship. he didn't in in 2008, either, when Gasol was a top-10 player. finally, in 2009, he won and by that time Gasol had established himself as a top-10 player, and probably top 8-7 for that matter.

don't even get into an argument about whether Jameson has Pau's potential (if that's what your trying to do), or could be made into a second option on a championship team. anybody who has any basektball sense can tell you that. Pau is a legit. second option that led his team to a fifty win season one year and then i believe a 48 win season the following year. that destroys your argument that Pau never won anything before LA. And Kobe has done little to improve Pau's game. has he benefited from it? Sure. But Kobe has benefited from Pau as well. that's just naturally what happens when you put two great players together whose game's fit. Pau is actually much the same player offensively as he was in Memphis. defensively is where he's made strides, and Kobe has nothing to do with that.

i don't know why you mentioned '07, really. if you're trying to say that Kobe made Gasol into what he is, that's just plain ridiculous. Gasol has always been better than Jameson. way better, in fact.

, it's actually a fact that, when healthy, Andrew Bynum is better than Jameson. i'm pretty sure most people think Bynum > Jameson. a good percentage of people would say Odom > Jameson as well.

I agree. Kobe has a great post player in his prime - something the vast majority of past NBA champions had. The exceptions being Jordan's Bulls and the Pistons. Switch Kobe and Lebron and I would put all of my money on the Cavs not getting the record they had this year and on the Lakers winning the championship. Kobe can just throw the ball near the rim and any one of those 3 seven-footers (2 of which are post players) will put it in. Which team in the league can boast 2 - much less 3 front line players of that quality? Most teams don't even have 1 quality post player and all of them are under 30.

Why do you think Kobe and Phil Jackson keep Fisher around even when he's such a defensive liability? Because they know he can hit the clutch 3 in big playoff moments. They don't care about the regular season. I'd certainly put my money on Fisher instead of any of those 3pt shooters on the Cavs who've never done anything in any important playoff moment.

Can I just mention how crazy Artest is? Every other sane player of his quality in the prime of his career would never take the MLE just to go play for the Lakers. Why didn't he look out for his family? Does he even have a wife and why didn't she set him straight? I guess she must be crazy too - to have married him.

Kobe is sooooooo lucky - Shaq, Fisher, Horry, Gasol, Bynum, Odom, Artest and the 2 most important of all - Phil Jackson (6 time championship coach) and Jerry Buss (owner who will spend). Wish Duncan were so lucky. I'll give you Robinson but Popovich, Parker and Ginobili all had to be developed and Peter Holt - so stingy he'd trade away Scola to get rid of Jackie Butler's contract :-(

Lebron has already taken a team (much worse than the current one) to the NBA finals. Great for us Spurs fans that he didn't even have a jump shot back then. This current Lebron back in 07 and the Spurs wouldn't have swept. I wouldn't trust any of Lebron's current teammates except Shaq and he's sooooo old.

[mingus]

Can I just mention how crazy Artest is? Every other sane player of his quality in the prime of his career would never take the MLE just to go play for the Lakers. Why didn't he look out for his family? Does he even have a wife and why didn't she set him straight? I guess she must be crazy too - to have married him.

wasn't he charged with domestic abuse a couple years ago? yeah, i doubt he gives a about his wife.

it always baffled me as to why he signed there. could've made 9-10 mil somewhere else. i guess it's a respectable thing to do. on the other side of the spectrum you've got Joe Johnson's and Carlos Boozers who couldn't care less about winning and just want the money.

[rmt]

wasn't he charged with domestic abuse a couple years ago? yeah, i doubt he gives a about his wife.

it always baffled me as to why he signed there. could've made 9-10 mil somewhere else. i guess it's a respectable thing to do. on the other side of the spectrum you've got Joe Johnson's and Carlos Boozers who couldn't care less about winning and just want the money.

Taking much less for a ring is something sane basketball players do at the end of their careers - not when you're under 30. Basketball has a limited earning window. Anything (like career-ending injury) can happen. One doesn't take half of what one can earn. I don't think that's a respectable thing to do - that's just plain stupid/dumb. But we all know he's crazy. Have you seen him on the bench staring off into space (during the playoffs) - not even watching the game?

[redzero]

This quote from yahoo says it best:
"Yet make no mistake: James has enough around him. This team isn’t perfect, isn’t assured of beating the Los Angeles Lakers, but it has no business losing in the conference semifinals – never mind failing to even compete. And, yes, as much as ever, this is on James."

Which completely discredits the Celtics.

[TheMACHINE]

Yes. Lebron needs at least a legitimate second option. Im talking about a guy who can clearly score when Lebron is off. Kobe has one. Pierce had one. Wade had one. Bosh would be good.


Problem with Cleveland is they are a team full of followers and washed up superstars and the only player who has the audacity to take shots away from bron is a no good chucker named MO. I mean, Shaq, Z and Jamison are past father time by NBA standards.


Oh and also change the damn freaking coach. jordan didnt win with doug collins, so i dont expect lebron to carry mr. potato head into a championship.

Wait...i thought with Jamison...it would be "UNFAIR" to the league?!?!?!

[ChrisRichards]

Mike Brown has'nt utilized Antawn Jamison's strengths out there and the lack of a true second option is hurting the Cavs. To me, the bottom line is that Lebron does'nt have a Pau Gasol and a Phil Jackson.

[BUMP]

People need to stop giving this guy a crutch. He has a deep, talented team around him. If he can't get it done with this group it's on him- especially considering how horrendously he's playing. Other guys have won more with less. I don't think Tim Duncan's supporting cast in 2003 was much, if any, better than LeBron's this year.

Some guys have what it takes and some guys don't. It appears LeBron is in the second category.

Crucify 'em Tate, nail that backstabbing frontrunner to the tree of woe!!

[BUMP]

, Tait*

how'd i screw that one up?

[TheMACHINE]

damn...whoever wrote this thread is a ing genius!

i was actually wrong..Lebron needs two stars by his side.

[Supergirl]

Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith: “I was surprised that (Lebron James) went to Miami. I thought he was, I guess, more of a compe or. The great ones do and usually stay in one location."

[himat]

Funny as !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-LPVHDIFSs

[mingus]

o, man. next couple of months is going to be inundated with Lakers' showing their insecurity.

Lebron didn't need anything. he was willing to sabatoge his playoffs last season by giving up and trying to turn it into an excuse to leave. now he's on a team that has a chance to win the next five championships. it's no surprised u mad.

[TheMACHINE]

o, man. next couple of months is going to be inundated with Lakers' showing their insecurity.

Lebron didn't need anything. he was willing to sabatoge his playoffs last season by giving up and trying to turn it into an excuse to leave. now he's on a team that has a chance to win the next five championships. it's no surprised u mad.

uh yah..check the date in the first post.

He's in the east...no need to be insecure. We've heard Lebron vs Kobe in the Finals for 3 years now and Kobe held his part of the bargain while we watch Lebron fail time and time again. Insecure my ass.

[mingus]

uh yah..check the date in the first post.

He's in the east...no need to be insecure. We've heard Lebron vs Kobe in the Finals for 3 years now and Kobe held his part of the bargain while we watch Lebron fail time and time again. Insecure my ass.

Lebron probably won't be failing again anytime soon.

[TheMACHINE]

Lebron probably won't be failing again anytime soon.

ahhh so u predict championship this year based on a 4 player roster. okkk