Nitro

I actually played against Caracter in a basketball camp. It was the camp of his high school coach, Kevin Boyle, and he came in and played in a few scrimmages. A few years older than me, but it was pretty fun. He had a bunch of character (no pun intended) problems throughout both HS and college with Pitino. Very curious to see if he can make it in the NBA.

I disagree with this. I think if he did end up joining the Heat, he would take it as a challenge just like he did when he first left LA. Different circumstances, and unlike that scenario he'll have essentially the same role, but it would be a huge stroke to Fisher's ego if he could play a major part in a different franchise winning a championship. But I highly, highly doubt he'll leave LA.

There's been a championship monopoly over the last 30 years between a few teams. Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, Spurs, Pistons and Rockets have taken 29 of the last 31 championships. I wouldn't mind it. It would hurt the lower-middle tier teams, but the rich would get richer and make the Conference Finals and Finals more interesting.

"Run the point night! One lucky fan gets to run the point every night for the Heat that's under the salary cap! The lucky fan gets to keep the jersey!" Hahaha that was all hilarious. He's an idiot on PTI but he's damn funny.

Lot to digest here, so I'll try to just quote the key points. BTW, I wasn't necessarily saying Kobe or LeBron is better than the other. I was exploiting magicballa's horrible logic. Yes, the LAKERS offense allows that. LeBron has never been in a read and react system where other players have to be able to initiate and run the offense. He simply never had players with that kind of talent in Cleveland. It's a lot harder to have the game come to you and have other players run the offense when you ARE the only set offense. I know it's a very small sample size, but watch how he played on Team USA. He let the game come to him and played near flawless all-around basketball. That's what he is naturally. Kobe also played naturally; the same way he does on the Lakers, because they can give him that oppertunity. As I mention later in my post, look at what Kobe did when he was out of the triangle/comfort zone and how it translated. Kobe is not an efficient ballhandler/playmaker, not on the level of LeBron. In the one year Kobe played out of the triangle he coughed up 4+ TO's per game. Last year he averaged the same amount of TO's as Bron while averaging over 3 less assists and 3 less points. You can say Kobe makes better on-point passes and reads of the defense, but in the end that is counter-balanced by him forcing things that aren't there (like his crossovers to split defenses). LeBron also has much better court vision, can make more difficult passes with greater consistency, and most importantly is more willing to get his teammates involved on a nightly basis. Kobe that's been a struggle his entire career. And Kobe may not force feed players the same as LeBron, but LeBron doesn't try and force feed the basket with the ball as much as Kobe, either. Kobe had 47 games last year where he took 20+ FGA, and 18 of those he shot below 45% from the field. In comparison, LeBron had only 43 games of taking 20+ FGA, and only 6 of those games did he shoot below 45%. That's a very substantial difference, regardless of skill. First off, what do you define as a great team? If we are talking defensively, then you just mentioned LeBron dominating two of the best defenses of the last decade (who Kobe himself has struggled against) Secondly, are we talking playoff series or individual games? Kobe has never had as dominant of a series as LeBron did against the Magic. Ever. And IMO Kobe's never had as dominant of a playoff performance as LeBron's 48pt game against Detroit. And that's with Kobe playing in over 120 more post-season games. For his career, Kobe's never had a post-season where he shot 48%. Averaged over 6.5 boards only twice. Over 6APG only once. LeBron has shot over 50% each of the last two post-seasons, grabbed over 7.5RPG each post-season, and besides his rookie campaign never averaged below 7.3APG. That's consistent dominance and efficiency where all the teams are on a good to great level. LeBron has NEVER had as horrible of a series as a few of Kobe's duds. ****Kobe is IMO the most skilled player of all-time. I do not deny that. He's also tough as nails and generally a very intelligent player. However, his over-confidence in those skills is why he'll never the GOAT (IMO). He has a poor shot selection, and if he's having an off-night scoring the ball he's not making a big positive impact offensively. LeBron, by the nature of his game, is a more efficient scorer. That's important because there will be less nights that he will be a volume scorer who shoots an inefficient percentage. And if he isn't scoring the ball well, he has the vision, ability, IQ and willingness to play similar to an elite passing PG. He will also crash the boards more often than Kobe and be a major contributor there as well. He has more ways to kill a team than Kobe does, and that goes a very long way IMO.

Stop. LeBron has statistically been the top clutch player in the league the last few seasons...by A LOT. His 2009 post-season stats also beat-out Kobe's (2009-2010 isn't available yet). If you look in the Barkley comments thread, I posted how LeBron destroyed Kobe in virtually every statistical category in season-ending games since 2006. As I said before, if LeBron not trying equated to a 27/19/10 Game 6 against the Celtics, then the Heat are in terrific shape.

Umm, Deng shot 2% better from the field, 7.5% better from 3, and 3% better from the FT line last season. And grabbed more boards on a better rebounding team than the Sixers.

LeBron gave the Cavs 4 years notice to build a contender around him. That ultimately translated to 2 years of Mo Williams and 1/2 a year of Jamison. Kobe demanded a trade, and in a few months they had Pau Gasol. Another year later they get former DPOY Ron Artest. Not to mention Fisher resigning, keeping arguably the greatest coach of all-time, and a player in Odom who's a better player than Bron's 2nd option last season (Jamison). But yeah, the Cavs did everything and the Lakers did nothing. LeBron did nothing and Kobe did everything. Right.

This whole free agency has made Wade look like a freaking saint. That's awesome of him to take the biggest paycut, even though it's his team and he's the one with the title.

Let's compare for a second, season-ending games, which you brought up (I'll go back 'till 2006 for each to make it fair, using examples of both being undisputed #1 options)- LeBron 2010 Game 6 vs Celtics: 27pts /19reb/10ast/ 9TO/ 8-21 shooting LeBron 2009 Game 6 vs Magic: 25pts/7reb/7asts/3TO/ 8-20 shooting LeBron 2008 Game 7 vs Celtics: 45pts/5reb/6ast/2TO/ 14-29 shooting LeBron 2007 Game 4 vs Spurs: 24pts/6reb/10ast/6TO/ 10-30 shooting LeBron 2006 Game 7 vs Pistons: 27pts/8reb/2ast/3TO/ 11-24 shooting Average: 29.6PPG, 9.0RPG, 7.0APG, 4.6 TO, 41.0% shooting Kobe 2010 Game 7 vs Celtics: 23pts/15reb/2ast/4TO/ 6-24 shooting Kobe 2009 Game 5 vs Magic: 30pts/6reb/5ast/1TO/ 10-23 shooting Kobe 2008 Game 6 vs Celtics: 22pts/3reb/1ast/4TO/ 7-22 shooting Kobe 2007 Game 5 vs Suns: 34pts/4reb/1ast/6 TO/ 13-33 shooting Kobe 2006 Game 7 vs Suns: 24pts/4reb/1ast/3TO/ 8-16 shooting Average: 26.6PPG, 6.4RPG, 2.0APG, 3.6 TO, 37.0% shooting I now have two questions for you- 1) Why in the WORLD would you use LeBron having a poor stat-line in season-ending games when LeBron statistically murks Kobe in every category but TO's (which means nothing when LeBron is averaging 5 more assists than Kobe in those games)? 2) If that is Kobe trying his hardest and that's LeBron quitting on his team...what does that tell you about the comparison? LeBron forced Cleveland's hand by giving them 4 years notice that he'd be a FA in 2010. Kobe gave the Lakers short notice. Cleveland got Jamison and Williams. LA got Gasol and Artest in half that time. That's why people forget about the Kobe trade demand, because the Lakers pulled through and got him plenty of talent. The Cavaliers did not, and they had a full 4 seasons to do so.

Interesting. If this goes down, won't the Heat be able to resign Haslem to a heftier contract than the minimum? If so, that would be huge for the Heat.

Kobe 2008 Game 6 vs Celtics: 7-22 shooting, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 turnovers. Kobe 2006 Game 7 vs Suns: 24pts, 4 rebonds, 1 assists, 3 turnovers Kobe 2004 Game 5 vs Pistons: 7-21 shooting, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers Kobe 2003 Game 6 vs Spurs: 20pts, 2 rebounds, 7 turnovers Your point?

We have no idea what role each player on the team will have, and how the responsibilities will be distributed. Really dumb to make those assumptions now. I personally believe Wade is not the kind of guy that will needlessly ball-hog, and LeBron would probably rather do everything but take over the game scoring-wise. In the end, I'd rather have two guys that can take over than just one. Ride the hot hand.

I don't see the point for the Bulls, honestly. Too much to give up for Iggy and his contract. I'd rather wait and see how this current team pans out, and if there is an oppertunity to make a deal at the trade deadline, then pull the trigger.

Eh...I respect them a ton for saying and doing that, but at the same time it's hard to cause yourself to lose out on a 25 year old back-to-back MVP. But definitely respect Chicago a lot for that.

He was what, 21 when he said that? Before the Cavs screwed themselves by having no developing young pieces besides Hickson, unproven post-season veterans, and no cap flexibility. Now he's 25, and even though that's young, you never know when an injury or other unexpected things can happen to ruin your career.

He choked against the Magic? He averaged 39/8/8 that series, hit the GW 3 in Game 2 and took over Game 5 in the 4th quarter. That's a ridiculous statement. He gave up against Boston...but him giving up still translated to a 27/19/10 triple double in a loss. And Kobe had that same stigma when they lost Game 7 in 2006 to the Suns, and wanted to be traded a year later. The difference? Time. Once the Boston thing is erased from people's minds with a few typical dominant LeBron playoff series' and maybe a ring, it'll mean nothing. People have very short-term memories.

Not happening. He won't get a better offer than the Lakers will put on the table, and if he gets low-balled by both he'll take the team where he's been the majority of his career and is a proven commodity. Honestly, it would be a pretty decent move for the Heat if he took the minimum, but for what he wants it's not worth it.

Here's my problem, though- why does he HAVE to be the undisputed #1 guy if it means he has the best chance to win multiple rings? Because Jordan did it? LeBron isn't Jordan, and he's not even a similar player. The only thing keeping him from being top 10 all-time is championships. That's it. He proved he can bring a crappy team to the Finals. He proved he can put up legendary stats. He proved he can win multiple MVP"s. He proved he can be on All-NBA First Teams and All-NBA Defensive First Teams. Hell, even if he doesn't win ONE more MVP he'd end up with more than Shaq, Hakeem, Robinson, Stockton, Walton, West, Baylor, Barkley, Dr. J (though he did win 2 in the ABA) and Garnett, and possibly even Kobe. And he's already tied with Duncan, Karl Malone, etc... And he's only 25! My point is by the age of 25 he's proved he's one of the best individual players to ever play the game. Now it's time to win championships, which is where he doesn't have ground on most of those guys I mentioned. That's where the legacy comes from. And he'll still play at an MVP-level with the Heat, just not with such inflated numbers. He'll be the same damn player. It's all semantics about who's the leader and whatnot.

Great signing, exactly what they needed. The Bulls are going to be a very, very dangerous team next season.

When T-Mac was 25, he was a back-to-back scoring champ who put up LeBron-like numbers with 32/6.5/5.5. By 28, he was a slightly better Joe Johnson. Now he's a veteran's minimum player at 30, still a second-round virgin. KG said it best...loyalty is great and all, but you can NEVER get back your youth. And you can NEVER predict how a player's career will pan out. LeBron has the MVP's and put up legendary stats already, now it's time to win. Instead of praying that the Cavs could do something that they were unable to do in 7 years, which is build a championship-level team with a bright future, he went to a team that has a chance to win multiple championships for years to come. And I stand by the fact that in a few years and few championships later, no one will really care about this. No one looks down on Shaq for bolting to LA from a Finals team in the Magic at a similar point in his career that LeBron is at. And he did it for far more selfish reasons. If LeBron wins a few rings and plays at the same MVP level (maybe not 30/8/8 stats, but still MVP caliber), he'll be remembered in a more favorable light than if he didn't win in Cleveland, even if he does have Wade and Bosh.

If they push that CP3 trade to the max and fail to get it, Felton isn't a bad option B at all. Not the 3pt shooter or speedster that D'Antoni would probably prefer, but he should fit in nicely.

The thing is though, Magic was able to do it without the defensive ability, length or athleticism LeBron has, or the legalization of zone defense. As I said before, LeBron AND Wade are going to have to adjust their defensive games up a bit to make it work on that end of the floor. LeBron will have to take a page out of Kobe's playbook and learn how to play off the quicker PG's, but his length will bother jumpshots even if he has to play off them a bit. To me, the Heat will figure things out defensively regardless. Since Wade came into the league the Heat have been a top 10 defensive team virtually every year, regardless of supporting cast. System and coaching is so impactful on that end, and they have such a talented core that Spoelstra and/or Riley will make it work to the point where they won't have a glaring defensive weakness. The bigger issue is offensively and on the boards, and I don't think there is any doubt that playing LeBron at PG would vastly improve each area. It just makes too much sense from those aspects IMO.

So, I've been seeing this idea tossed around since LeBron joined the Heat, and supposedly Riley sold James on playing a similar role to Magic Johnson, so I think it's worth the discussion. Personally, it's very intriguing to me. For almost any other forward in NBA history, I would disagree with the decision. The issue would normally be defensively. Most forwards just don't have the speed and athletic ability to keep up with quicker PG's, and against quick PG's that can actually shoot the ball, it's very difficult to simply play off them like Kobe did with Rondo and Westbrook. Also without a natural PG, the fastbreak game will also be greatly diminished. Sacrificing speed for height isn't always the greatest decision. However, on this Heat team, I feel it could be the best decision. Five reasons why it could be a great move- 1) He has the passing ability, court vision and IQ to do it. Most players who fans think could play that PG role in a forward's body are very good passers, but just not on the level of LeBron, and not as savy. He is very efficient passing the ball, averaging 8.3APG last year to only 3.4 TO's, which is made even more impressive considering he also dropped 30PPG. In other words, he had the ball in his hands ALL THE TIME and managed less than 3.5 TO's. That tells me that while his point production will dip, his assists will either rise and TO's will stay constant, or his assists will stay constant and TO's dip. 2) For now, he has the athletic ability and length to defend quicker PG's without having to give them wide open looks. In a few years that may change and it may be wise to switch him back to SF, but for now his versatility is key. What also is key is Wade's versatility at SG, who can be switched onto PG's (and his opponent counterpart stats at PG were fantastic last season, even though it's not a huge sample). Both players will have to adjust their games defensively a bit to make it work really well, but the beauty of it is they have the versatility, willingness and IQ to get it done. 3) Playing LeBron at PG minimizes the impact of signing a average to below average Center. When Kareem started to decline and was grabbing less than 5 boards a game, the Lakers were still outrebounding teams by a huge margin with only AC Green grabbing more rebounds than Magic at 9 per game. The reason was because Magic's rebounding ability wasso far ahead of any other PG in the league. LeBron can have this same impact, and is arguably a better rebounder than Magic was. Rebounding is going to be wildly important against the Celtics, Magic and Lakers, and putting LeBron at PG will make having an average Center much easier on them. 4) Putting LeBron at PG can give this team an identity. Right now, if he plays SF, there will be a huge question of who gets set plays called for them, who gets iso's, etc... Giving LeBron the reigns at PG allows them to play Wade off-ball (who does so much better than LeBron, and will minimize Wade's TO's), and will help give them a foundation to play team-ball, which won't be easy early on. 5) It's a lot easier to find a great 3pt shooter at the SF position than it will be at the PG position, and a great 3pt shooter in that starting lineup will be absolutely necessary for them to beat a team like the Lakers. They'll need floor spacing to allow Wade, James and Bosh to operation near the basket, where each is most effective. If the Mike Miller rumors are true, that's an absolutely perfect signing. An assassin from deep that is a willing passer and a pretty good defender. Anyway, thoughts?

As I said, you guys might not have much of a choice, but I don't think at anytime that both Wade and LeBron will be off the court for more than 2-3min of gametime. The entire big 3 will still probably be averaging at least 35MPG. You guys need players that can feed off them, not vice versa (which is the way T-Mac works, which is why Adelman hated him).