LeBron James

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
anyone see the game on ESPN2?



I had heard everything about him at school since my school is a NYC basketball powerhouse (2 nationally ranked players this year) but i never saw him play.



watched the 2nd half of the espn2 televised game... this kid looks like the real deal.



wow.



but my god, dick vitale and bill walton are the 2 most annoying commentators I have ever heard. and, yea, the kid is amazing, but do they really have to kiss his ass for 2 straight hours saying the same things over and over?



errr



but yea, he's the real deal
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 29
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Bill Walton is the anti-Christ. Vitale is a parody of himself. I watched it on mute with some mp3s going in the background (hip-hop to match the on-screen action).



    He's is freaking awesome. He's 17 years old.



    Jeez.



    Get this kid to make moves with the ball on the perimeter and make him work on his jump shot mechanics and you've got a monster.



    wow indeed.
  • Reply 2 of 29
    I was very impressed. i went to a tiny little bar here that has ESPN2 with a few friends just to check this out. it felt like a sneak preview... "a backstage pass to the future" one could say.

    The kid was legit. The scariest thing about him is that he isn't even the highest scorer on his team! His passing blew me away... Sure, 6'8" kids should be able to dunk and dunk and dunk, but the fact that LeBron had the ability (AND the unselfishness) to pass, at 17, with all the hype surrounding him was the most impressive part of the whole night.

    Here's hoping the Raptors tank the rest of the season.. draft LeBron and trade Vince Carter for Vinny Del Negro for all I care <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
  • Reply 3 of 29
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Carter is done. His knees are wonky, and we all know that doesn't lead anywhere good, and he just isn't hungry. No reason to be really, he's got the cash, he knows he'll get traded and coast for the rest of his career, not a competitor, but smart, played up the I like Toronto/Canada angle and got the big contract.
  • Reply 4 of 29
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    what are the chancest the Knicks could land this kid in the draft?



    they need someone to rebuild their franchise around desperately
  • Reply 5 of 29
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    [quote]Originally posted by applenut:

    <strong>but my god, dick vitale and bill walton are the 2 most annoying commentators I have ever heard. and, yea, the kid is amazing, but do they really have to kiss his ass for 2 straight hours saying the same things over and over?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    yeah...really... i mean... christ... enough already



    i also thought that number 24 was a very good player as well...



    Kinda funny how they had to cover their tattoos...
  • Reply 6 of 29
    He sucks. Just another Kobe waiting to happen.



    And trust me, I would know a lot more about this cat then any of you.



    Who was SVSM playing anywayz? And what high school do you attend applenut? Probably some private catholic school that recruits players.
  • Reply 7 of 29
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    [quote]Originally posted by TigerWoods99:

    <strong>He sucks. Just another Kobe waiting to happen.



    And trust me, I would know a lot more about this cat then any of you.



    Who was SVSM playing anywayz? And what high school do you attend applenut? Probably some private catholic school that recruits players.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    1. he doesn't suck... saying he does makes u look like an ass

    2. What would you know?

    3. They played Oak Hill Academy... #1 ranked high school team... i believe they have lost 4 games in the last three years before tonight and that's with a national high profile/competition schedule... Lebron faced the best at his level and owned them

    4. I go to Archbishop Molloy located in Queens, NY... Jack Curran coach of baseball/basketball... has been for 45 years... winningest coach in NY State history... etc.... recruiting is prohibited at all CHSAA schools.... in fact our school has been "suffering" since we went coed because well... the average incoming freshman now has like a 94 avg coming out of grammar school and many of the better basketball players can't make the cut now and the school will not make exceptions



    don't talk about shit that you don't know anything about... it makes you look like a bigger ass than you already are
  • Reply 8 of 29
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    I have a feeling ThugLife was being sarcastic. Saying he sucks and he'll "just" be another Kobe is a contradiction in one sentence.



    Kobe isn't the second coming of Jesus Christ but he's a damned good basketball player.
  • Reply 9 of 29
    [quote]Originally posted by TigerWoods99:

    <strong>He sucks. Just another Kobe waiting to happen.



    And trust me, I would know a lot more about this cat then any of you.



    Who was SVSM playing anywayz? And what high school do you attend applenut? Probably some private catholic school that recruits players.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Sorry for doing this, but what the hell did you do in the past 6 months or so? You used to be fairly normal, and suddenly you started trying to pass a load of urban-black culturalisms. Now you seem to exist just to criticize everything that's not your way. Listen, we know you're not from the streets. No-one from the streets plays golf, or even gives a damn about Tiger Woods. Maybe you should think about re-evaluating what "your way" even is.
  • Reply 10 of 29
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    [quote]Originally posted by groverat:

    <strong>I have a feeling ThugLife was being sarcastic. Saying he sucks and he'll "just" be another Kobe is a contradiction in one sentence.



    Kobe isn't the second coming of Jesus Christ but he's a damned good basketball player.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    i didn't think he was intelligent enough to be sarcastic and if he was then as often is the case i overreacted, but based on his last paragraph and the overall lack of intelligence he has shown over the months, i don't think he was
  • Reply 11 of 29
    Bill Walton is a great announcer.
  • Reply 12 of 29
    [quote]Originally posted by applenut:

    <strong>what are the chancest the Knicks could land this kid in the draft?



    they need someone to rebuild their franchise around desperately</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Well, if you believe that Elvis shot Kennedy while faking moon landing pictures in Graceland and eating a jelly donut, then yes, the Knicks will get Lebron. He'll be dropped of a MSG in a black helicopter.



    Technically, Cleveland, Knicks, Nuggets, and any teams without a player named "Shaq" are all trying to get him. Some are just tanking better than others.
  • Reply 13 of 29
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    [quote]Originally posted by Simple Ranger:

    <strong>Bill Walton is a great announcer.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> Now that's sarcasm! <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
  • Reply 14 of 29
    jeffyboyjeffyboy Posts: 1,055member
    I like Walton. His voice may be annoying, and he's opinionated, but he knows (and loves) basketball, and has a wry sense of humor. Sometimes he makes outrageous statements just to get a rise out of the other announcers, especially Snapper Jones on NBC.



    It's kind of cool he overcame stuttering to become an announcer, too.



    It's a shame he had so many injuries during his playing days. When he was healthy he was the most skilled center ever.



    Jeff



    Edit, I suppose "most skilled center ever" is a matter of opinion, but I don't know many people who know basketball and saw him play in the 70's or early 80's that would disagree.



    [ 12-14-2002: Message edited by: jeffyboy ]</p>
  • Reply 15 of 29
    jeffyboyjeffyboy Posts: 1,055member
    [quote]I have a feeling ThugLife was being sarcastic. <hr></blockquote>



    Never underestimate Tiger's ability to let his personal grudges cloud his rational intelligence.



    Jeff
  • Reply 16 of 29
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Can anyone build a winner around a back court game? How much is Lebron worth without a Shaq-like center (at least on the defensive side of the court?)



    Kobe? Great, but expendable. Shaq? Indespensible in a modern game that basically doen't understand team play any more. He rules the middle and will for at least as long as his health lets him.



    People get caught up in the superstar cult, but the examples are few. Arguably, only the bulls have ever mounted a successful back-court game (and even that, when you look at it carefully, was more of an all court game)



    The Celtics and the Lakers of Bird v. Johnson fame also had an all-court team games.



    A very teling example comes for Pippin's brief protest against the Bulls. When Jordan retired the first time, the Bulls sucked because Jordan was the only truly indespensible player in the league. But when Pippin sat out, the Bulls were just a mediocre team again, even with Jordan. Go back, look at their record during that time: average, and they looked beatable during every single game of that stint. People like to forget that stint of mediocrity in the Bulls dynasty, but Pippin proved his point. Maybe he wasn't as 'good' as Jordan (Who was?) but he was just as indispensible. You need a front court and a back-court, and Pippin wasn't even a center but he understands conditioning and positional play, something lost on the new generation of NBA "stars".



    So Lebron is perhaps more in the mould of Magic Johnson than Jordan, big guard with a great outside touch (projected, scouts still say he's weak on jumpers off he dribble) and a good eye. But can you build a team around him?



    In Toronto we see that you can't build a team around Carter, healthy or not. Toronto was actually better without him at the end of last season.



    Any team that gets Lebron likely won't have the front court game to make him count, they'll look good, they'll win games after a season or two, but they won't beat Shaq+Lakers. Not unless they find a workman-like center AND a couple of very strong forwards.



    [ 12-14-2002: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>
  • Reply 17 of 29
    [quote]Originally posted by Matsu:

    <strong>Can anyone build a winner around a back court game? How much is Lebron worth without a Shaq-like center (at least on the defensive side of the court?)

    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    Isiah Thomas (+ Joe Dumars) and the Detroit Pistons. Two Championships. A lot of fun years watching. Last team to whoop Jordan and the Jordanettes.
  • Reply 18 of 29
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Don't forget Rodman pulling down a lot of rebounds. Big centers are a lot less effective when they don't get to touch the ball.



    edit: and again, that was perhaps the last generation of stars that listened to coaches on occassion. Team game, and yes they were fun to watch!



    I keep secretly wishing that Philedephia coud win it just once, ah well...



    [ 12-14-2002: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>
  • Reply 19 of 29
    jeffyboyjeffyboy Posts: 1,055member
    On those Detroit teams it was Mahorn and Laimbeer pulling down a lot of rebounds. Rodman was a defensive stopper at that point and worth more to a team than he was in his rebound-obsessed days.



    They won titles because all 12 guys were committed to playing D like their lives depended on it.



    Fun to watch? If you were a Pistons fan-I hated seeing them take the Eastern crown from Boston!



    Definite respect for the work ethic, though.



    Jeff
  • Reply 20 of 29
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    And Laimbeer was a good tough (and dirty) guy to have in the center. I dunno though, Rodman did pull down over 1000 boards the second time the Pistons won it. All the more evidence that you must have a front court. Between Mahorn and Laibeer and Rodman there was always someone to help control the glass, and yes, they had the best bench.
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