I heard this comparison today. Lebron James as the modern day Wilt Chamberlain. I think it is a pretty good analogue. Both were blessed with levels of talent that people didn't previously realize existed, but both lack the assassin mentality.
Is Lebron really THAT talented? I mean, he is very, very talented. One of the best. But is he really beyond what was thought possible? I don't think so.
Name another guy that is Lebron's size and can move like that, and is hyper-coordinated to boot. He is an original prototype, and the most advanced of his kind.
I mean, there are lots of examples of guys who are big and can still move. Howard, Stoudemire, Olajuwon come to mind. But none of them were as hand-eye gifted as Lebron. He is essentially a guard with Karl Malone's body. Or a way more athletic version of Magic Johnson.
Is this a question about basketball or, given Chamberlain's fame, comparative sexual prowess? It reads very well if the latter.
but, to KB's point, he's an otherworldly combination of size and athleticism. His downside is that he doesn't have any particular otherworldly basketball skill. All of the greats have had something they do better than everyone else. He doesn't have any single facet of the game in which he's the best there is, or one where he's close. Open court scoring just doesn't count, when playoffs limit it so severely.
It would have been cool to see him stay and win in Cleveland, but I'm still hoping the guy wins. I'm thinking it will only be a matter of time.
I'm not directing the following at KB or anyone in this thread, but I figured I'd throw it out in here: I wondered when the games would start to "count" in this shortened NBA season. Seems like the answer is whenever the Heat lost a couple, judging by the articles out today from Wojnarowski and others.
Thought possible as in all time/ever or thought possible as in when he was coming into the NBA out of high school with all of that hype? Not sure about the former, but I definitely think he has far surpassed the latter.
He'll get the rings because the Heat have put together a great team around him. He's the best all around player in the league, but isn't the dominator on either end that takes over against the best teams and can get it in the hole. He continues to improve his post play as he has done this year, he'll take a giant step that direction. He's never going to be the shooter that he needs to be, but can dominate anyone in the post with enough time and practice there.
Because Wade does have the assassin mentality. This is how the ebate will go. Lebron is great, and he might have won championships without Wade, but this will be an argument that will certainly take place in the future. Guys like Jordan and Bird maxed out their athletic gifts because they were absolutely diabolical. Consumed with winning. Lebron isn't that.
Easy to look "diabolical" when you spend your career surrounded by the Scottie Pippens and Kevin McHales of the world. How "consumed with winning" did Jordan appear to be playing with Quentin Dailey and Orlando Woolridge?
This NBA season is kinda fascinating. It is super-compressed. Teams are playing three nights in a row on the road. The Heat are clearly the best team in the league right now, but they are still going to lose a decent chunk of games when they run up on a fresher team. But, to answer your question: I think that with the shortened schedule each game of the NBA regular season matters a lot more than each game of a normal regular season would. I think the games already "count".
I don't think I'm following your point. So you're asking: How diabolical was Jordan his rookie season playing on a team that wasn't any good when he averaged 28 points a game and got rookie of the year? My response would be: Jordan was diabolical by nature. Hyper-competitive. It has been written that Jordan would have committed multiple murders to win a basketball game. I'm sure you've heard of "The Labradford Smith game". These stories about Jordan are real, and I'm sure there are many that have gone untold. The guy would invent conflict to keep himself at his best. It's the way he is wired. So I'm sure it was quite apparent even when he was playing with Renaldo's dad.
What numbers did you have in mind? At his best, James is playing the game of basketball at a level that it has arguably never been played before. Take Magic Johnson's stat line, add 15 points, and then add in that Lebron has transformed himself into Scottie Pippen 2.0 on the defensive end. These are the types of things that Lebron is capable of doing when he doesn't melt under the pressure.
To preempt a possible retort: no he isn't going to get 13 assists a game like Magic, but he might get 8 or 9. His assist numbers are better compared to Bird in this respect as both played forward and were/are excellent passers.
I guess I just don't know that Lebron has the mentality to be a "greatest ever, more than thought possible" player. He has come across as fragile... But All of you guys know more about this subject than me. It is just the impression I get.