Nitro

Sure they can. Hakeem taught Kobe virtually all the knowledge he had about playing in the post. What determines how good you can be after receiving that knowledge is consistent practice, which Kobe can do without Hakeem.

That's ridiculous. Shooting has NOTHING to do with genetics (unless that person has issues with depth perception and whatnot). It is all muscle memory built through practicing with correct form. LeBron hasn't scratched the surface of being a truly great jumpshooter because his form sucks. Even if he practiced more than Kobe, the likelihood of his current jumper being more effective is slim because of the form. Same idea as lifting; if you lift with improper form, you won't gain as much strength or muscle as someone using correct form, even if you're lifting for longer than that person. 1) I don't understand how age is more important than minute's played. I think the first post demonstrated that, where guys like Nash/Jamison/Pierce are in their mid-30's, but have logged less than 40K minutes. As a result, their game's haven't suffered much. Same with Jordan, who was in his mid-30's when he retired with the Bulls, but had played less minutes than Kobe has thus far. Minutes played is essentially how you determine a player's wear and tear, and it's what is most directly correlated with losses in athleticism (also makes you more prone to injury). 2) Once again, the point of the post wasn't necessarily to agree or disagree with the guy's arguement. It was simply to bring the point about LeBron's minutes to light.

I posted the entire post for context and because he did the work. His arguement is opinion, take it or leave it. The main point is a fact, which is the enormous amount of minutes LeBron has played since he came into the league. The fact that he came straight from HS hurts him in regards to his NBA longetivity when comparing him to players his age. If he played in college for 2 years he would have played in about 100 less games. Also factor in that college games are only 40min long. To compare, LeBron has had 4 seasons where he's averaged over 40MPG. Another comparison is D-Wade, who in 2 college seasons accumulated 2000 minutes...Wade has had 4 seasons of over 2700 minutes played, not including post-season. FIBA/Olympics? LeBron, Bosh and Melo I believe were the only players that played in the 2006 WC's, 2007 FIBA America's, and 2008 Olympics. Again, not helping his case. Listen, of course there are many, many variables to consider, and LeBron could certainly be an exception to the trend. However, it is definitely something to look at consider as he progress forward. With his game being so predicated on power and athleticism, I wouldn't be so quick to assume his game will age as well as Kobe's, who is a shell of his former self athletically.

LoL...so this is about the most underrated track from 2010 and half you people are listing EMINEM songs?!? Dude's album was #1 on the charts for how many weeks? 7-8? Anyway, one of these two songs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJNpycJNUYo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2r8kBnGtAU

Took this from Dr Mufasa at RealGM, found it interesting...

Where the hell do you buy video games?!? $99 for a game? [expletive] that, I'd rather chill at Best Buy all day playing it on the display systems.

Unless she's my gf the [expletive] is out of my bed once I've nutted and she's cleaned herself off. And yes, I am shallow, but not when it comes to actually forming a relationship. I refuse to be with a girl that doesn't interest me on an emotional and intellectual level. I need a girl that can overload my neurological nerves.

WOW that's really unexpected. He was extremely funny and usually the best comedian at the Comedy Central roasts. Yet another comedian dead from overdose/suicide (though they said it was an accidental OD). R.I.P

I'm really hoping they get CP3 too. I think out of all the potential duo's/trio's that'd easily be the most deadly. Definitely would give Miami a helluva run for their money. I also doubt OKC could ever snag Howard. Howard's a big-time personality and OKC is too small for it. Even though Orlando isn't really a big city outside of Disney/Universal, it is still beautiful and gets exposure.

He gave up after they were down double digits and he already put up a monster triple double and shutdown Paul Pierce. You also fail to mention what his teammates, who you always glorify did. His 2nd option, Antawn Jamison? 5 points (2-10 shooting), 5 rebounds, 0 assists. Letting a broken down KG go off for 22/13/3 (on 11-19 shooting). Delonte West? 3 points (0-2 shooting), 0 assists, 3 turnovers. Big Z? 2 points and 0 rebounds in 14 minutes. Besides LeBron, Mo was the only one to show up for that game, and even he was outplayed by his counterpart (Rondo) and disappeared in the 2nd half. LeBron's Game 6 outplayed Kobe's Game 7 in the Finals in virtually every facet, but the difference was Kobe had the teammates to pick up the slack for once. That is what makes a championship team, and it is how you can beat a team like the Celtics. LeBron didn't have that last year, didn't have it in 2009 against the Magic, 2008 against the Celtics or 2007 against the Spurs. That's pretty common. 1 game in a 7 year career. His accumulative play for his career in both the regular and post-season, overall and in clutch situations, VASTLY outweighs one game. Both my eyes and the stats verify that. Back around 2005-2006 I was one of LBJ's biggest haters just because he never showed up in the clutch (and he couldn't shoot or defend well). He has become arguably the best clutch player in the entire league, and easily one of the most dependable post-season performers. Cleveland competed with Orlando because LeBron averaged 38/8/8 for the series, and Cleveland almost beat Boston in 2008 because LeBron went nuts after the first 2 games in Boston...both were top 5 defenses. Expecting LeBron to be superman EVERY SINGLE GAME is unrealistic as its something neither a guy like Jordan or Kobe could do. At some point against elite teams you need your teammates to pick you up.

-_- Serious knee injuries cause 2 major problems; 1) Players pretty much never regain full strengh and mobility in it again, and 2) They are, more often than not, reoccuring. Many times I've heard players and coaches say a player is back to full strength after a serious injury...it never happens. I heard people say it about Amare, and even though he made a miraculous comeback, he has never been the same as he was before microfracture (which he will need again in the next few years). I heard people say it about T-Mac with his back, and then later on with his knee. That DEFINITELY did not happen. To expect Arenas to be as explosive as he was before 2007 is unrealistic. Now, looking at the prospect of him needing additional surgeries or having other problems with it in the next few seasons, if he is healthy and playing well it could potentially be the only chance they will have to get great value in return for him. Of course he could turn out to play all 82 games every season for the rest of his contract, but then you run a big risk. Get prime value in return for him now if he plays well this season, or wait and risk that his surgically repaired knee can hold up. Looking past health, you have to look at his contract. He's going to be making max money for another 4 seasons. Considering the Wizards are in rebuilding mode and the new CBA may restrict the cap and different exceptions, is Arenas worth it? No. Why pay a guy max money when the team's ceiling is mediocrity for at least the next 2 years (half of Arenas' contract)? Why not let your annoited franchise player take the reigns, give the team major cap flexibility, and maybe get a few good players and draft picks in return? Lastly, both Wall and Arenas are ball-dominant guards. Neither play well off-ball, and Arenas is a high-volume, low efficieny player (who jacked up 19+ FGA when he made an effort to be passive). Both are undersized at SG without the defensive ability to make up for the size. Because of how Arenas plays, Wall will never get the proper chance to realize his potential as long as GA on the roster.

READ my 1st and 2nd posts, very carefully. Specifically the 3rd paragraph in my 2nd post. I explain it very, very thoroughly.

Never said LeBron was a better clutch player. Said he had better clutch stats, and he can certainly be argued as a better clutch player. At the very least he is in the same discussion. And I'm sorry, but LeBron doubling and tripling Kobe in many of those categories in the clutch is a BIG difference, regardless of what they produce in the regular season.

The chances are slim enough that with all other things considered, which I talked about in rich detail earlier in this thread, it isn't even worth giving a chance past this season. The only real positive I see from the Wizards having a healthy Arenas this season, besides ticket sales, is getting his trade value up.

That explains points, +/- and potentially assists. Doesn't explain FG% (LeBron with the 4% advantage), rebounds (15.9 to 7.3, advantage LeBron), blocks/assists (3.2/3.2 to 0.0/1.8, advantage LeBron), etc... And for the record, LeBron had a 15pt advantage over Kobe, 4.7ast advantage over Kobe, and a whopping 30pt advantage in +/- over Kobe. Despite how much we argue, we do think alike

1) Dumars took 13FGA and Isiah took 15FGA their first championship run. Each took 1 more FGA the 2nd run. Neither EVER took more than 19.0FGA in their careers, and they played in a faster-paced league. Arenas has taken more than 19.0FGA multiple times, including last season where he made it a point to be more passive. 2) You're talking about two of the top 50 players of all-time with different playing styles than Wall/Arenas (not to mention all the other stuff involved with Wall/Arenas, which is just as, if not more relevant to the discussion than if they will gel). And Dumars worked so well at 6'3'' because he was one of the top perimeter defenders of all-time. Arenas is far from that.

To the stat keeper, not always, but I know where you're coming from. Has nothing to do with the clutch stats, though, and even if the stats aren't perfect LeBron exceeds what his peers do in those situations by such a margin that it really isn't even an arguement. Nope lol. Brought up Kobe because he was just an example of a SG essentially playing PG on offense and on rare occasion defense.

They are two ball-dominant guards in PG bodies, yet neither of them are particularly great playmakers. Last season, a "passive" Arenas still took nearly 20FGA's in 36MPG. Do the math. It may work out this season as Wall is a rookie, but if he is to develop into the franchise player, he is going to have to have the ball in his hands more than Arenas will allow. Neither of them are effective off-ball players. Something has to give. It's much like the LeBron/Slick Ricky situation in 2003, where the two did work together pretty well in the time they spent and LeBron did defer...but Cleveland knew it was best to get Ricky out of there and let LeBron develop into that franchise player. The Arenas/Wall situation is different in many regards from that, but I see some stark similarities as well. His contract, his track record (both on and off the court), his injury history and the franchise's direction are all much bigger factors IMO.

Being primary playmaker doesn't necessarily make you a PG, at least on the stat sheet. For example Kobe is the primary playmaker on the Lakers, and T-Mac was on the 05-08 Rockets (to counter the whole "but Kobe plays in the triangle" arguement), but I'm sure neither of them TECHNICALLY played any minutes at PG. Regardless, it don't matter. LeBron obliterated his primary competition (Kobe/Wade) the majority of the last 3 years in clutch stats...as in them not even being close. Kobe probably passed LeBron on the game-winning shot list last year, though. But the point being is that overall LeBron has been arguably the best clutch player in the entire league the last 3 seasons, so Miami fans don't have to worry about Cleveland's Finest's doomsday scenarios. No one takes the last shot every single time, and it will certainly be situational. They'd be stupid to give it to either Wade or LeBron every single time for the last shot.

Eh, but the thing is that goes for all those players on the list...equal ground. But either way it's a moot point. LeBron is a proven clutch performer and has been for years, both in terms of taking over the last few minutes of the 4th quarter and actual game-tying/winning shots. Not to mention his career post-season stats are jaw-dropping and he was the star that led one of the worst teams in NBA Finals history. Point being is that Miami shouldn't have to worry about LeBron when the pressure is on.

Read my post more carefully, and my post before that more carefully. I'm saying right now his value is at an all-time low. If he truly is healthy right now and starts the season out firing (no pun intended), then his value will skyrocket. That will help the Wizards get much closer to equal value in return. Because of how Arenas embarassed the organization, because of how likely it is for him to have complications with the knee in the future, because his style of play will stifle the face of the franchise once Wall starts to truly blossom, because his contract is a cap-killer and will be even a bigger issue once the new CBA comes...because of all that, if he is healthy this season, he should be dealt if they get a decent offer.

http://www.82games.com/0910/CSORT11.HTM (LeBron was #1 in clutch stats last season) http://www.82games.com/0809/CSORT11.HTM (LeBron was 2nd in points in 08-09 but shot nearly 10% better than Kobe and dominated in other areas) http://www.82games.com/CSORT11.HTM (LeBron was #1 in clutch stats in 07-08) http://82games.com/gamewinningshots.htm (from '03-'09 LeBron had the most game-winning shots in the league, and shot a better % on those shots than Kobe, Wade, Dirk, Joe Johnson, etc.)

Arenas has what, about 4 years, $80M left on his contract? In the last 3 seasons he has played a total of 47 games of a possible 246...that is 19%. In that 19% he put up about 20PPG on roughly 40% shooting, low 30% from 3. Nearly 4 TO's per game. Now, the bulk of those missed games were from serious knee injuries. The other missed games, as we know, were for the gun suspension. Before that suspension, Arenas was clearly not the same physicaly and underperforming on the biggest underachiever in the league, and not being the more passive Agent Zero he vowed to be (yes, he averaged less points and 7 assists, but he was taking only 1 less shot in 5 less minutes than he was from 2005-2007). ------------------------------------ Ok...so let me break it down. Arenas is a guy who's not even halfway through his max deal, and with the new CBA that could be a huge pill to swallow. Now, in the last 3 seasons he has played less than once every 5 games, and in those games he not only has statistically not played like a max player, but he has made little to no impact on the team and it's winning percentage. He missed nearly 2 seasons solely due to knee injuries, and only on VERY rare occasions do severely injured knees get to the point where they are as strong and healthy as they once were. The other funny thing about major knee injuries is the likelihood of a player not having problems down the road with that knee is very, very slim. Ok, now let's factor in that he missed over half of last season for a serious felony which, along with his piss-poor/immature reaction to the situation, embarassed the Wizards organization and gave them insanely bad publicity. The final piece to the puzzle is they just drafted an insanely talented, mature kid who the organization plans to be the face of the franchise for hopefully the next decade. Knowing that Arenas, even when he was at his best (a level which he has a very, VERY slim chance of ever getting to again, let alone sustaining), is an inefficient 20+ shot per game chucker who dominates the ball, the likelihood of the two players co-existing very well once Wall starts to really blossom is slim. If Wall was a true, elite playmaking PG like Paul or Nash, it'd be a totally different situation...but he's not. He's more Derrick Rose than Chris Paul, and that doesn't bode well for Wall's development as a franchise player if Arenas sticks around for the rest of his disgusting large contract. Basically what I'm trying to say is that if he's truly healthy (which the chances of him sustaining for the next 4 years are slim), then this season could be the team's only chance to get rid of him and his monstrous contract for some talent, cap relief and maybe some draft picks. You get rid of the guy who embarassed the franchise, give the team major cap flexibility (which I said could be crucial with the new CBA), and give the keys of the franchise over to a guy who will be supressed if Arenas stays in town.

The only positive thing I think will come of this is his trade value will skyrocket after being at an all-time low. I think the Arenas/Wall duo might work well, but much like the Slick Ricky/LeBron situation back in 2003, Arenas will hold up Wall's progress to eventually becoming the face of the franchise. Of course this situation is different because of Arenas' contract and status as being an elite player when healthy, but it is a similar situation. I think Arenas has worn out his stay in Washington and management will dump him the second they get the chance. If Arenas comes out firing, I wouldn't be surprised to see him eventually in a Magic or Knicks (if they don't land Melo) uniform by the end of the season.

Yep, pretty much, because you keep egging (who the [expletive] says that, anyway?) on LeBron every single chance you get with false notions and ridiculous statements.