How Great is Lebron?

[dunkman]

Better than Kobe since his second season. The difference now is just ridiculous tbh.

[Arcadian]

LeBron has been the best player in the game since probably 06-07. Is there anyone besides Jordan and Abdul-Jabbar you could ever say was the best player in the league for 6 straight seasons? It went

Kareem: 71-80
Malone: 81-83
Bird/Magic: 84-87 (coin flip)
Jordan: 88-93
Olajuwon: 94-95
Jordan: 96-98
Duncan: 99
O'Neal: 00-01
Duncan: 02-03
Garnett: 04
Duncan: 05
Bryant: 06
LeBron: 07-12

Maybe the Duncan 05 is a homer pick, but not sure who else would deserve it. Maybe Shaq?

Here's what I have for the last two decades:

1990 - Magic Johnson
1991 - Michael Jordan
1992 - Michael Jordan
1993 - Charles Barkley
1994 - David Robinson
1995 - Hakeem Olajuwon
1996 - Michael Jordan
1997 - Karl Malone
1998 - Michael Jordan
1999 - Tim Duncan


2000 - Shaquille O’Neal
2001 - Shaquille O’Neal
2002 - Tim Duncan
2003 - Tim Duncan
2004 - Kevin Garnett
2005 - Steve Nash
2006 - Kobe Bryant
2007 - Dirk Nowitzki
2008 - LeBron James
2009 - Dwyane Wade

I'm definitely putting emphasis on the full season, not just playoffs.

[Ace]

Koolaid has gone full blown re . Since the Heat won he's spamming Kobe like anyone gives a about that past his prime garbage. Kobe is irrelevant. It's LeBron's league now...

[racm]

Tbh LeBron can't be compared to Kobe and MJ because he's not a pure scorer. Doesn't even have a real position.

[PublicOption]

a great as the NBA let him be.

[HeatChamps]

Tbh LeBron can't be compared to Kobe and MJ because he's not a pure scorer. Doesn't even have a real position.

Dumbest post in this thread tbh.

[m>s]

Tbh LeBron can't be compared to Kobe and MJ because he's not a pure scorer. Doesn't even have a real position.

if pure scorer refers only to them guys who only focus on scoring while givin zero attention to D, then bron is NOT at all a pure score, nor was Magic

bron is the best versatile player in the league now imho, capable of playing from 1 to 4 at roughly the same elite level, as opposed to LO who's also versatile but sucks at every position he plays

[racm]

if pure scorer refers only to them guys who only focus on scoring while givin zero attention to D, then bron is NOT at all a pure score, nor was Magic

bron is the best versatile player in the league now imho, capable of playing from 1 to 4 at roughly the same elite level, as opposed to LO who's also versatile but sucks at every position he plays

Pretty much. not only can he play all positions (he played Center against Camby in Portland btw) he can also defend all but the quickest guards.

Miami beats Chicago by stoppering up D Rose by putting Bron on him

[HeatChamps]

I see what you are talking about. Lebron is a different type of player compared to Kobe and Michael. They can still can be compared in greatness. Greatness doesn't have to be pure scorer.

[baseline bum]

Here's what I have for the last two decades:

1990 - Magic Johnson
1991 - Michael Jordan
1992 - Michael Jordan
1993 - Charles Barkley
1994 - David Robinson
1995 - Hakeem Olajuwon
1996 - Michael Jordan
1997 - Karl Malone
1998 - Michael Jordan
1999 - Tim Duncan


2000 - Shaquille O’Neal
2001 - Shaquille O’Neal
2002 - Tim Duncan
2003 - Tim Duncan
2004 - Kevin Garnett
2005 - Steve Nash
2006 - Kobe Bryant
2007 - Dirk Nowitzki
2008 - LeBron James
2009 - Dwyane Wade

I'm definitely putting emphasis on the full season, not just playoffs.

I have some serious disagreements with that list. How can Karl Malone be over Jordan when MJ led the Bulls to 69 wins and the le while Malone had 64 and a loss in the Finals? And how is anyone beating LeBron in 09? There was no other player who could have led a team starting Mo Williams, Delonte West, Anderson Varejao, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas to 66 wins. I mean Varejao was the only teammate he had who would be considered even an average starter in the league then, and James carries them to one of the greatest regular seasons in the history of the league. That team also had no bench whatsoever. Furthermore, Wade only won 43 games with a similar cast that season.

[resistanze]

I still can't believe LeBron averaged over 35/9/7 in the 2009 postseason, and still lost badly to the Magic.

[baseline bum]

I still can't believe LeBron averaged over 35/9/7 in the 2009 postseason, and still lost badly to the Magic.

Go to basketballreference and look at his roster. I honestly think there isn't another player in the history of the league who would have won 66 games with that roster. Not 1988 Jordan, not 1995 Olajuwon, not 2000 Shaq, etc.

[HeatChamps]

Lebron is a beast. What can I say?

[Agloco]

This guy is amazing. You couldn't ask for a more perfect size, power, and speed. This guy is just the perfect athlete. There will never be a better athlete in basketball again.

Yes yes....until the next one comes along.

[DPG21920]

How great is Lebron? His genetics are top notch for the task at hand, however his greatness was bestowed upon him and he's since been in a carrot-stick chasing fiasco trying to meet expectations.

Disagree here somewhat. He is one of the rare guys IMO that had a ridiculous hype and actually lived up to it. He is every bit as special as he was billed to be.

[Xevious]

I still can't believe LeBron averaged over 35/9/7 in the 2009 postseason, and still lost badly to the Magic.

Mo Williams was their second best player...

[Calispursfan11]

I rank Lebron somewhere below Jordan, Magic, Bird, Wilt, Russell, Kobe, Wade, Duncan and Hakeem when those players were in their prime.

[mavs>spurs]

I rank Lebron somewhere below Jordan, Magic, Bird, Wilt, Russell, Kobe, Wade, Duncan and Hakeem when those players were in their prime.

Russell? cmon dude, have you ever even seen him play? I've watched a few old game tapes and to be perfectly honest he reminds me of a glorified ben wallace playing in a jv league. I don't even think it's fair to rank those guys amongst modern players.

And I'd take Lebron over a prime Kobe or Wade anyday, probably even a prime Duncan. Lebron has carried every team he's ever been on on his back. Never seen anyone who could be the sole driving force of his teams like that, Lebron is the MVP of all MVP's. Dude averaged 30.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.9 steals off 50% shooting throughout the entire playoffs and it's become so routine that you guys are spoiled and don't even appreciate it. When was the last time someone has put up playoff averages like those? Jordan did it damn near every year, Magic and Bird did it a few times, Duncan put up some comparable numbers early in his career, Hakeem and Kareem did it, and after that you're going to have to go back decades and pull up some old inflated wilt chamberlain stats.

[Calispursfan11]

Russell? cmon dude, have you ever even seen him play? I've watched a few old game tapes and to be perfectly honest he reminds me of a glorified ben wallace playing in a jv league. I don't even think it's fair to rank those guys amongst modern players.

And I'd take Lebron over a prime Kobe or Wade anyday, probably even a prime Duncan. Lebron has carried every team he's ever been on on his back. Never seen anyone who could be the sole driving force of his teams like that, Lebron is the MVP of all MVP's. Dude averaged 30.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.9 steals off 50% shooting throughout the entire playoffs and it's become so routine that you guys are spoiled and don't even appreciate it. When was the last time someone has put up playoff averages like those? Jordan did it damn near every year, Magic and Bird did it a few times, Duncan put up some comparable numbers early in his career, Hakeem and Kareem did it, and after that you're going to have to go back decades and pull up some old inflated wilt chamberlain stats.

I rank Lebron below Dirk as well.

[mavs>spurs]

^no way dude, dirk was better than lebron 1 year, MAYBE 2 out of a whole career. i'm a mav fan and can't even agree with that.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Here's what I have for the last two decades:

1990 - Magic Johnson
1991 - Michael Jordan
1992 - Michael Jordan
1993 - Charles Barkley
1994 - David Robinson
1995 - Hakeem Olajuwon
1996 - Michael Jordan
1997 - Karl Malone
1998 - Michael Jordan
1999 - Tim Duncan


2000 - Shaquille O’Neal
2001 - Shaquille O’Neal
2002 - Tim Duncan
2003 - Tim Duncan
2004 - Kevin Garnett
2005 - Steve Nash
2006 - Kobe Bryant
2007 - Dirk Nowitzki
2008 - LeBron James
2009 - Dwyane Wade

I'm definitely putting emphasis on the full season, not just playoffs.

having David Robinson as the league's best player the year Dream won MVP, Finals MVP, and DPOY

[Bill_Brasky]

I rank Lebron below Dirk as well.

Oh wow.

When it's all said and done I can see LeBron passing Duncan. Dirk? Awesome in player, but LeBron is already way ahead of him.

[HarlemHeat37]

1990 - Jordan
1991- Jordan
1992- Jordan
1993- Jordan
1994- Olajuwon
1995- Olajuwon
1996- Jordan
1997- Jordan
1998- Jordan
1999- Duncan
2000- O'Neal
2001- O'Neal
2002- O'Neal
2003- Duncan
2004- Garnett
2005- Duncan
2006- Bryant
2007- Bryant
2008- Lebron
2009- Lebron
2010- Lebron
2011- Lebron
2012- Lebron

[Calispursfan11]

^no way dude, dirk was better than lebron 1 year, MAYBE 2 out of a whole career. i'm a mav fan and can't even agree with that.

I'll admit Lebron was very good this year. He has been good every year, but he has been a choker also until now. He has been Robin to Wade's Batman until now, and now everyone is lining up to slob his nob?

Let's be real. OKC had the tools to win, but faded and choked after losing at home. They hit their slump at the exact wrong time and lost their confidence just like the Spurs and got back door swept by a good but not great team (Heat) like pansies. Any of the western conference playoff teams, including the down-graded Mavs (why would they get rid of Barrea, Chandler, and Stevenson?) had a shot at giving Miami a run tbh and even beating them this year.

Thunder just ate it at the wrong time. The Heat were not the best team in the NBA this season. No way. They got lucky. The Mavs have been consistently good for years and always in contention for the le, while Lebron's teams have never been really serious le contenders until he got dirty and joined with the other two to create a superteam.

This leads to Dirk being overall greater than Lebron for his career. Who has Dirk ever had as a wing man? JET? Lol. JET is great in his own right but give Dirk, Bosh and Wade and you've got a perennial power that would make other teams quake in their sneakers. The Heat will be lucky to get one more ring with their current crew because Lebron is not greater than Dirk. Period.

Come on, agree with me bro. Dirk is legend because he fought off the superteam solo and won. That in itself will go down in history as one of the greatest playoff runs ever. When you are expected to win like Lebron always has and then finally win, that's just doing your job. Nothing special.

[mavs>spurs]

Come on, agree with me bro. Dirk is legend because he fought off the superteam solo and won. That in itself will go down in history as one of the greatest playoff runs ever. When you are expected to win like Lebron always has and then finally win, that's just doing your job. Nothing special.

I actually do agree with this. Dirk's 2011 playoff run was absolutely legendary. Let's not forget how awful that team was during the 7 game or so stretch where he went down. they went like 2-5, losing to the likes of toronto and other garbage teams. Dirk forever earned my respect that year and it was one of the best clutch performances of all time, enough to move him into the top 15 on the all time list in my book.

But where me and you disagree is in the fact that it was just one year. Dirk was better than lebron in 2011, and maybe 2007. 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012 all go to Lebron, and his career is nowhere near done yet.