Leaderboard

SVG is a great coach and like Poe stated he's a much much better coach than Mike Brown who can't get his team to defend a pick and roll if their lives depended on it.

SVG is a good coach, easily much better than Mike Brown, and I don't personally see any kind of problem with him simply speaking out his opinion. It shouldn't be a crime to say what's on your mind.

Funny you say "assumption" when you spent your entire time in that "Lebron and Kobe commercial" thread saying how Lebron will NEVER win a ring and NEVER be considered CLOSE to Kobe's level... The man has a lot of years ahead of him in the league. And don't be pointing someone out for being a supposed "Laker hater" when all of your posts consist of "Lebron hating". Instead of saying why Lebron WON'T be the player of the next decade, why not argue why Durant will besides saying "Durant is more skilled". Your posts continue to highlight your clear lack of knowledge for the game. You hold a grudge on a player you don't like and attempt to use that in every argument you make.

Oh my god man... now you are just making yourself look ridiculous. You have about 30 posts that do nothing but shut down Lebron. I feel like he has personally offended you to make you go on this Lebron hate train. Make some real quality posts or leave man, no one wants to hear you cry about how Lebron apparently sucks.

Haha...so what Shaq did was acceptable and in good taste, but LeBron does isn't? It's because Shaq was a Laker. How about asking Kings fans if it was in good taste? Ask asian Houston fans if they were happy with what he said about Yao Ming. Simply put, if LeBron was a Laker, it would be "in good taste" in your opinion, just as it was when Ronny Turiaf was dancing around and acting like a complete idiot on the bench when he was with us. I'm done with the topic.

So all this is about, really, is LeBron's attitude? Well, Jordan was one of the most hateful players on the court. He didn't dance around and showboat, but he mouthed off to everyone, including teammates and opponents. As far as Magic being on Jordan's level, that's inaccurate. Only his five rings puts him there...and to be honest, even LeBron would eventually have championships running with Kareem, Worthy, Scott, Cooper, Green and Pat Riley. LeBron out of the league in 6-7 years because of his attitude? Well, that's 14 seasons. Jordan played 15. Larry Bird played 13 seasons. David Robinson played 14 seasons. Those guys should've watched their attitudes, I guess.

He took less of a role so he has more opportunities to show off his skills. I don't know if that makes sense, but as the primary option in Memphis, he was who the opposing defenses focused on the most. Here in LA, playing with Kobe, he has less to worry about because defenses will focus their attention elsewhere. Thus making him more effective as a second option, he has the ability to do more because there is less attention focused on him. Pau Gasol is a better player now then he was in Memphis simply because he is a better player. The Pau Gasol from last year was a different Pau Gasol from two years ago, when he was first traded to the Lakers. After getting punked and rocked in the Finals, he finally decided to hit the weights and gained muscle in the offseason. Playing with Kobe every single day and feeding off his intensity and work ethic just made him a better player. Plain and simple. Just ask any Laker fan out there and they'd tell you that Pau has grown as a player ever since he was traded here. I don't recall too many people saying Pau is one of the top players in the league after the 2007-2008 season. But he got more acclaim and praise after the 2008-2009 season simply because he got better. Simply because he grew a pair of balls and held his ground against the best center in the league and made major contributions throughout the postseason and Finals. As for the Shannon Brown example, I can say the same for Trevor Ariza. Sometimes, the situation just needs to be right for a player to blossom. Trevor was just an after thought in New York and Orlando. Orlando traded him for scraps. He came to LA as just another "athletic swing man who can dunk" (like Shannon Brown). But he fit the system, worked hard, and as a result became one of the biggest reasons why we won the title last year. Same with Shannon. Shannon didn't have a position in the league, he's a cross between a 1 and a 2. In Cleveland, they preferred Daniel Gibson and Shannon never got the minutes. He got traded to Chicago, nothing. To Charlotte, nothing much. Then he comes to LA and his combo guard type game fits the system perfectly. As a result, he got the minutes and the vote of confidence to play his game and succeed. That could've happened in Cleveland, Chicago, or Charlotte, if they used him a certain way and gave him minutes. More minutes and playing time = more dunks and highlights, which is why he is more known. Him being auditioned in the dunk contest doesn't mean much. If he was making those dunks back with Cleveland, Chicago, or Charlotte he would be in the discussion as well, but he never had the opportunity. I certainly think the market of the team plays into how much attention a certain player will get, but it doesn't determine how great a player is. Like I said before, was Kevin Garnett any less of a player than he is today just because he spent so many years in Minnesota? He was always highly regarded. Is Tim Duncan underrated because he plays for San Antonio? I hear people argue he is the player of the decade, the best PF to ever play the game, so obviously not. Is Lebron underrated just because he plays for Cleveland? Considering so many people think he's the greatest player since Jordan, absolutely not. Chauncey Billups played in four different cities before coming to Detroit and becoming one of the most dangerous PGs in the game. Is it because Detroit is a big market? Not really, it's because his game improved and he finally found a team to fit him (just like Trevor and Shannon). In Bosh and Gasol's cases, neither are true franchise players. And like you said, Chris Bosh should be a 2nd option, not a 1st. Maybe if he played for New York he would get more attention than he's currently getting in Toronto. But would that make him a better player? I doubt it. The market doesn't determine how good you are, if you are a great player, you will be known as a great player. Vince Carter played in Toronto as well and was a franchise player (in his prime and when he tried), and he was one of the most popular players in the league a couple of years ago, playing in the same city as Chris Bosh. Anyways, just my personal opinion. Market doesn't determine how great of a player you are, there are plenty of examples of great players from small markets, who are appreciated for their skill.