Carmelo Anthony...MVP

[MyMeloMyMan]

Lebron can shoot for sure. But my point of contention is that his game isn't as "pretty" as the other guys I listed. I know that has no bearing on whether or not he is a good player; it's just a matter of personal preference. If given the choice between watching a player who plays like Melo or a player who plays like Lebron, I would choose the Melo-esque guy every time. Dunks from 2 feet above the rim are cool and uncontested 3-pointers (because you have to give him a lot of space for the drive) fill up a stat sheet, but they just don't really do 'it' for me. Watching Melo make split second decisions from the triple threat position is fascinating to me. You never know what is coming next and he finds really creative ways to finish. Lebron, for the most part, jab steps and shoots or drives through guys who don't have the size to stay in front of him. I would also choose a Kobe-esque player over Lebron for similar reasons.

On a side note; I hate Lebron as a person. He comes off as very fake and disingenuous, and his attitude on the court is childish at times. Carmelo is a whiner, everybody knows that, but Lebron takes it to another level. I'll never forget the time he acted like his neck was broken when Chandler set a LEGAL pick. And of course Chandler was called for the foul.

You like volume shooters... there is nothing wrong with that. It's what the NBA is built on...

 

[44cuse]

The NBA is night and day better than college basketball right now. The only thing that is great about college this year is all the upsets, but the basketball itself is not very good. The top 10 teams in the NBA are a very good watch and the next ten are a pretty good watch.

Totally right. Which is why I always laugh when the NBA playoffs come around and we get the people here who don't watch a single NBA game a year and have ZERO idea how much better the NBA has become over the last 5 years. It's ridiculous how good the NBA is right now.

44cuse

 

[Knicks411]

Lebron can shoot for sure. But my point of contention is that his game isn't as "pretty" as the other guys I listed. I know that has no bearing on whether or not he is a good player; it's just a matter of personal preference. If given the choice between watching a player who plays like Melo or a player who plays like Lebron, I would choose the Melo-esque guy every time. Dunks from 2 feet above the rim are cool and uncontested 3-pointers (because you have to give him a lot of space for the drive) fill up a stat sheet, but they just don't really do 'it' for me. Watching Melo make split second decisions from the triple threat position is fascinating to me. You never know what is coming next and he finds really creative ways to finish. Lebron, for the most part, jab steps and shoots or drives through guys who don't have the size to stay in front of him. I would also choose a Kobe-esque player over Lebron for similar reasons.

I hear what you are saying, from an aesthetic POV. I mentioned last year to a buddy of mine that I kinda like watching Wade more than Lebron sometimes, because he does some more acrobatic stuff.

The one thing I will say in Lebron's favor is that I really don't think you can forget how big the dude is. Karl Malone was name dropped above; Lebron is basically Karl Malone's size. Can you imagine Malone doing some of the stuff Lebron does?

I also think the point you mentioned is why a lot of people thought Kobe was better than Lebron before. (I assume no one thinsk that now?) Kobe had so much degree of difficulty with some of his shots that look really hard to pull off that I feel like it makes him look better than he is

 

[Gabjon]

Totally right. Which is why I always laugh when the NBA playoffs come around and we get the people here who don't watch a single NBA game a year and have ZERO idea how much better the NBA has become over the last 5 years. It's ridiculous how good the NBA is right now.

44cuse

The rule change which allows zone defenses have made a huge difference! One of the negatives to the rule change is it has hurt post play a bit, but the ball movement and the need for guys who are shooter and not just athletes has more than made up for it.

 

[HakAttack]

I know this is off topic, but did anyone catch Bill Simmon's (the sports guy) recent piece of steroids?

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8904906/daring-ask-ped-question

Really amazing stuff. He went all "Jerry Maguire" on us. In that article, he mentions how LAX the NBA drug testing policy is.

Anyone else at least a little suspicious about LeBron? Dude was practically skinny when he came into the league and now he's built like Ray Lewis in his prime. I doubt all of that is 100% muscle.

 

[Knicks411]

I wouldn't be surprised, since I wouldn't be surprised about anyone, but Lebron was 18 years old when he came into the NBA and hadn't even been to a college weight room. He should be a lot bigger than he was as an 18 year old

 

[Gabjon]

I have three friends who played basketball at a very high level how are convinced that Lebron is on something, to the point where there to no arguing with them. One of them has Kobe on that list too, but he thinks they are on different stuff.

I will say this it is very hard to imagine someone doing the amount of running that it take to play NBA basketball and maintain the bulk that Lebron has. Football players can't do it and they lift 10times more than NBA players and run a 1/3 as much and most of those guys aren't clean.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

I pretty much assume everyone is on something in sports. It's to the point where it doesn't really concern me much.

I mean, even my cousin who played DII baseball said everyone was taking illegal creams and steroids to get back from injuries.

 

[Melancer46]

I guess I don't really get why it's such a bad thing if someone takes steroids. It's really their choice IMO. I'm sure it's been going on forever. At what point does tommy John surgery start to be considered a performance enhancing surgery and players are no longer allowed to have that done? Just seems like a pointless battle to me. If guys want to do that stuff to become better players, that's their decision and I'll happily watch players play better.

Edit: why isn't 5 hour energy considered a performance enhancer? I know people that used to chug those before games so that they'd be more active in the game and stuff.

This will probably come off as an ignorant post, but I'm curious why exactly performance enhancer have such a negative connotation. I don't really see it as cheating personally. (And no, I never considered taking anything like that in high school or now in college...I don't even drink coffee because of what it does to your body lol)

 

[44cuse]

The rule change which allows zone defenses have made a huge difference! One of the negatives to the rule change is it has hurt post play a bit, but the ball movement and the need for guys who are shooter and not just athletes has more than made up for it.

Totally 100% dead on right. It's funny...you watch, well laugh about this post during the NBA playoffs when all the people here who only watch college basketball (and only watch Cuse at that) start saying the NBA sucks during the playoffs.

When you watch an NBA team move the ball against a zone...it's ridiculous how fast that ball moves.

44cuse

 

[44cuse]

This whole damn thread is too logical for this board. I feel like I'm in a parallel universe.

44cuse

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

This whole damn thread is too logical for this board. I feel like I'm in a parallel universe.

44cuse

No worries, once the playoffs start, the people who don't watch the NBA will come in to say, "Lebron sucks" and such...

 

[Knicks411]

No worries, once the playoffs start, the people who don't watch the NBA will come in to say, "Lebron sucks" and such...

I believe the phrase you're looking for is "Lebron James is a coward"

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

I believe the phrase you're looking for is "Lebron James is a coward"

"He's just not clutch... I mean...he is scared of the big moment. 45/15/6 in game 6 in Boston is OK...but...Todd Burgan would have probably done better if given a shot at the NBA..."

 

[44cuse]

"He's just not clutch... I mean...he is scared of the big moment. 45/15/6 in game 6 in Boston is OK...but...Todd Burgan would have probably done better if given a shot at the NBA..."

That's pretty funny. So true.

And you guys forgot: "I would take Dirk over LeBron right now."

Remember that one? Wow.

44cuse

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

That's pretty funny. So true.

And you guys forgot: "I would take Dirk over LeBron right now."

Remember that one? Wow.

44cuse

Dirk, Dwight Howard, Melo, Kobe, D Wade... a laundry list of wrong ;-)

 

[Knicks411]

Getting back to the 11 finals, it really is amazing what happened to Lebron that series. He wasn't bad by any means, but you see what he did before that, and especially what he's done after, and you really wonder why he didn't have the ball in his hands that much during those last few games.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

Getting back to the 11 finals, it really is amazing what happened to Lebron that series. He wasn't bad by any means, but you see what he did before that, and especially what he's done after, and you really wonder why he didn't have the ball in his hands that much during those last few games.

Spoelstra takes some of the blame for that...putting Lebron in a "box" as he called it. I would also say the switching defenses that Dallas threw on Miami really seemed to confuse them. I think the pressure of the Decision and everything just came to a head and got the best of Lebron in that series. He mentally couldn't handle it...being public enemy #1. He really flipped a switch the next season, dominating every crunch time moment all season and playoffs long.

Also...Jason Terry and Dirk were just on fire...hitting crazy shots and 30 foot threes at the end of the shot clock. Dallas just seemed like a team of destiny that year.

 

[jec1521]

Lebron is the best player in the world, and probably the most athletically gifted player ever. But, I'm still waiting for "The shot."

other than that half court heave at the buzzer, I don't think I remember any buzzer beating daggers from Lebron. If you want to be compared to Jordan, you have to have those shots. That's the only thing that Kobe, and even guys like Melo and Durant, have over him.

That being said, dude is a monster.