Arena The NBA Thread

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9415256/los-angeles-clippers-agree-principle-doc-rivers-deal-sources{/URL}]For[/url] 3 years, $21 million most likely


I don't like this at all, and for this reason: this increases (in my humble opinion, obviously) the chance that Howard teams up with Chris Paul/the Clippers. Yikes... Howard could go anywhere else, Houston, hell, even Miami, and it wouldn't be as frustrating or annoying for me to deal with as seeing him with the insufferable Lob City brigade.

 

you can look at it this way, he's probably on his way downhill tunes.

 

He's still a valuable asset to have, though, especially since Kobe is likely to miss at least 30-50% of this upcoming season (and possibly more than that)... the Lakers need someone who isn't too old/way, way past his prime (Nash), or too schizo in his play (Gasol) to build the team around. Yeah, Dwight as that centerpiece will present a lot of problems, but I'd rather see the team deal/struggle with that than to spend the immediate short term (ie: the next 2-3 seasons) struggling to find an identity, finding themselves in situations that are normally reserved in this city for the Clippers.

 

The only way Lebron could come close to Jordan's legend is if he wins a ring with Cleavland but don't see that in the near future.

 

nah, i have no idea if he'll "come close to jordan's legend" and i honestly don't think it's that likely. but if he does, it will be by having year after year after year like these last two, not by meeting all the conditions people seem to have for him.

 

that's just a silly statement. period. the cavs gave him no help. he was never going to win anything there until the management changed. they had statistically one of the worst finals team ever, and they got there purely on lebron's talent and will. they lost to the spurs, a team that was put together well. it was the jordan vs the celtics thing all over again when jordan scored 60 some odd points, but lost because he was playing against a better team. until management changed that was going to pretty much always be the case.

 

The other thing with Jordan is that he could have quite easily had 2 more championships if he didn't retire in his bloody prime.

 

Legends are not just about heroic accomplishments, narrative is also an important part of it.

 

and if he puts together five more seasons like the last two it will make for a legendary narrative, even if you arbitrarily decide that it doesn't.

 

The Heat has to do better in the finals in that case. This was really close.

 

Putting together 5 more seasons like the last 2 is a hell of an ask tho. This entire discussion is still way too premature tbh

 

I don't see a need to compare LeBron to Jordan. Two different eras, two different legacies.

 

i don't think that hurts his legend at all. having to rise to the occasion and put the team on his back has only made his star shine brighter and helped him shed a reputation for not being clutch. and their win against the thunder wasn't close at all so you have a little bit of both. also jordan's bulls teams only won the finals in less than six games once.

edit: epic, i don't disagree at all. i said i think it's unlikely.

 

It's inevitable, though. Particularly given LeBron is destined to be at least on tier 2 of the greats

 

i'd say he might make simmon's pantheon at this point.

 

well yeah, there are three players in history with 4 regular season mvps and 2 finals mvps. kareem, jordan and lebron. of course that list would include russell too if the finals mvp award existed when he played.

 

I was having a crappy day. This thread (mostly the gif of Lebron's game 7) cheered me up. Thanks, all!

As for my contribution to this discussion, I'd agree it's early to be comparing Lebron to Jordan. Alas, that's been going on since he joined the league and will likely continue until after his post-retirement special on ESPN in the next decade. The comparisons will certainly be apt then but much less so now. I think it was always unfair to this generation of players to compare them to Jordan. Jordan had 3 yrs of college ball at UNC under Dean Smith where he learned how to play not just on the court, but how to behave off it. He developed his squeaky clean persona there and it worked wonders for him. Lebron, on the other hand (like Kobe), was 18 yrs old when he joined the league. Lots of talent, but still a kid. In his 7 yrs with the Cavs, he had no basketball fundamentals and excellent mentorship to fall back on when the front office was failing him at every turn. The Bulls organization was mostly moving in the right direction the whole time Jordan was there. Lebron never had that. So he left. And sure, he left in a stupid, immature way. Because he was 25! What were most of us doing when we were 25? Probably something dumb.

The fact that Lebron has accomplished all that he has despite his poor early development as a professional is a testament to his remarkable talent. I think he already has more talent than Jordan did. But Jordan didn't become a the legend that he is because of his raw talent. It was because of what he did with it. Lebron is maturing every year. I think The Decision was a big part of that. Will he continue to progress or will he plateau? Who knows? But it's gonna be fun to watch!

 

It never even crossed his mind to talk to some PR people or ask older players who were in similar situations how to handle it?

 

I'm sure it crossed his mind. I'm also sure he, like 90% of 25 yr olds I know, thought he knew what he was doing. Sometimes you need a solid kick in the teeth to grow up.

 

and how many other veteran players have ever been in his position exactly? i bet you could count that particular list on one hand.

 

Kevin Durant signs with newly minted sports agent Jay - Z.

 

Did he know how long they will drag the Decision? After the first 10 minutes i would had said where i am going in a respectful fashion.

 

Who knows what he knew? He's been roundly and justly tarnished for his behavior. But let's not pretend this is a guy who was running a secret dog-fighting club in his backyard. Hell, it's not like he has been accumulating mountains of gambling debt or been cheating on his wife. He's just a super-talented kid who made the unfortunate mistake of knowing that what he decided to do with his life mattered a lot to people and got wrapped up in himself and that moment.

 

yea. for what noundy just brought up, i've always thought the situation with the decision was completely overblown. especially when compared to athletes that have done criminal or morally reprehensible things. where's the massive amounts of outrage over that stuff? and people STILL hold him making a choice that was completely his to make against him like he's a baby killer or something? i mean, come on. get a life people.

 

I mean, giving it context is nice, but that's also just an eloquent way of saying he was an *** hole about it.