LABron James Discussion: The Final Year?

I think Kerr is great in a similar way that Phil was in that he's connected with his team. Sometimes just being the emotional ballast is what a team this talented is in need of and Kerr performs that job well.

Lue is absolutely dreadful though.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ts-not-a-realistic-option-for-cavs-star-in-fa

Same guy who threw Toronto out there and said we're "not as hot as we were". So.

 

I’ll say it again. You should be writing this stuff for a living. There is more substance in your shorter posts than in this “article”.

 

This Cavs team sucks. I'm not sure what's so hard to grasp about that. The eyeball test is enough to show it. But here's some stuff about the heavy lifting Lebron is having to do - NY Times this morning. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/06/08/sports/basketball/lebron-nba-finals.html. Damn, my cut and paste butchered the graphics. Go to the site if you'd like to view.




By ADAM PEARCE and JOE WARD JUNE 8, 2018

LeBron James’s role as the Cavaliers’ leading man is no surprise. But never before in the playoffs has a player’s supporting cast depended so much on its star to carry them. During this season’s playoffs, James has accounted for nearly a third of his team’s box-score statistics: points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots. These five statistics have been kept consistently since 1974, and no player since has contributed a higher share of his team’s playoff output.
























Over all, James has contributed 32 percent of the Cavaliers’ stats. In contrast, Golden State’s roster is filled with many more All-Stars who can share the burden. The Warriors’ stats leader is Kevin Durant, at only 22 percent.

The players’ share, game by game
v. SASv. NOPv. HOUv. CLEDurantGreenThompsonCurryIguodalaLivingstonLooneyWestMcGeeCookBellYoungPachuliaMcCawJonesGolden State
100%80%60%40%20%0%v. INDv. TORv. BOSv. GSWJamesLoveSmithGreenHillKorverThompsonNance Jr.ClarksonHoodCalderonOsmanZizicPerkinsCleveland
No one has come close to this share of
a team’s production for over 40 years
Of the teams in the finals each season, here are the players who had the largest percentage of their team’s stats throughout the playoffs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the only other player to have had more than 30 percent of his team’s stats.

The players who led their team to the finals
19751980198519901995200020052010201515%20%25%30%HavlicekAbdul-JabbarBarryHayesCowensAdamsErvingWaltonWebsterHayesWilliamsHayesAbdul-JabbarErvingBirdMaloneJohnsonErvingAbdul-JabbarMaloneBirdJohnsonBirdJohnsonBirdOlajuwonBirdJohnsonThomasJohnsonThomasWorthyThomasDrexlerJordanJohnsonJordanDrexlerJordanBarkleyOlajuwonEwingOlajuwonO'NealJordanPaytonJordanMaloneJordanMaloneSprewellDuncanRoseO'NealO'NealIversonO'NealKiddKiddDuncanHamiltonO'NealBillupsDuncanNowitzkiWadeJamesDuncanGarnettBryantBryantHowardRondoBryantNowitzkiJamesJamesDurantJamesDuncanJamesDuncanJamesCurryJamesGreenJamesCurryJamesDurantpercent of team’sbox-score statistics
Six players have led their
teams five or more times
LeBron James is playing in his ninth final. In each of those playoff runs, he contributed the most to his team’s combined statistics. In 2016, he led in all five categories. No other player in this chart can claim that. In six of the other eight years he led in four of the five. Only Tim Duncan (once) and Larry Bird (once) led in four categories.

2007 Cleveland
PTS50128%
REB16119%
AST15945%
STL3424%
BLK1014%
2011 Miami
PTS49726%
REB17620%
AST12336%
STL3523%
BLK2520%
2012 Miami
PTS69731%
REB22424%
AST12932%
STL4326%
BLK1614%
2013 Miami
PTS59627%
REB19322%
AST15232%
STL4121%
BLK1814%
2014 Miami
PTS54828%
REB14121%
AST9526%
STL3624%
BLK1114%
2015 Cleveland
PTS60130%
REB22624%
AST16947%
STL3326%
BLK2117%
2016 Cleveland
PTS55225%
REB20022%
AST16036%
STL4930%
BLK2730%
2017 Cleveland
PTS59128%
REB16422%
AST14136%
STL3526%
BLK2327%
2018 Cleveland
PTS72534%
REB19322%
AST19047%
STL3024%
BLK2224%
Tim Duncan consistently led his team in rebounds and blocked shots. In 2003, he led the Spurs in all categories but steals. Despite being 38 in 2014, he led a balanced Spurs team to a championship.

1999 San Antonio
PTS39526%
REB19529%
AST4813%
STL1310%
BLK4545%
2003 San Antonio
PTS59326%
REB36934%
AST12726%
STL158%
BLK7948%
2005 San Antonio
PTS54224%
REB28630%
AST6315%
STL86%
BLK5239%
2007 San Antonio
PTS44423%
REB22928%
AST6516%
STL139%
BLK6256%
2013 San Antonio
PTS38118%
REB21424%
AST409%
STL1811%
BLK3432%
2014 San Antonio
PTS37415%
REB21122%
AST459%
STL74%
BLK2936%
Shaquille O’Neal averaged 48 blocked shots per playoff over these five runs to the finals.

1995 Orlando
PTS53925%
REB25030%
AST7014%
STL1812%
BLK4036%
2000 Los Angeles
PTS70731%
REB35536%
AST7114%
STL139%
BLK5539%
2001 Los Angeles
PTS48729%
REB24732%
AST5114%
STL75%
BLK3841%
2002 Los Angeles
PTS54129%
REB23928%
AST5414%
STL108%
BLK4844%
2004 Los Angeles
PTS47324%
REB29133%
AST5511%
STL74%
BLK6166%
Michael Jordan had 35 percent of the Bulls’ points in the 1998 playoffs, surpassing James’s 34 percent from this season. But James has nearly half of his team’s assists in these playoffs compared to Jordan’s 17 percent in 1998.

1991 Chicago
PTS52930%
REB10816%
AST14233%
STL4025%
BLK2330%
1992 Chicago
PTS75934%
REB13716%
AST12724%
STL4426%
BLK1613%
1993 Chicago
PTS66634%
REB12817%
AST11425%
STL3924%
BLK1720%
1996 Chicago
PTS55231%
REB8911%
AST7418%
STL3319%
BLK69%
1997 Chicago
PTS59034%
REB15018%
AST9123%
STL3019%
BLK1718%
1998 Chicago
PTS68035%
REB10712%
AST7417%
STL3217%
BLK1213%
Magic Johnson had 55 percent of his team’s playoff assists in 1995 — the most of anyone on the chart above. The closest to come to this mark is James, who has 47 percent this season and had 47 percent in 2015.

1982 Los Angeles
PTS24315%
REB15824%
AST13030%
STL4029%
BLK33%
1984 Los Angeles
PTS38216%
REB13915%
AST28445%
STL4224%
BLK2014%
1985 Los Angeles
PTS33314%
REB13415%
AST28945%
STL3218%
BLK43%
1987 Los Angeles
PTS39218%
REB13917%
AST21943%
STL3122%
BLK76%
1988 Los Angeles
PTS47719%
REB13013%
AST30349%
STL3420%
BLK44%
1991 Los Angeles
PTS41421%
REB15421%
AST24055%
STL2317%
BLK00%
Larry Bird carried much of the postseason burden for the C Bags, especially in the championship season of 1984.

1981 Boston
PTS37321%
REB23832%
AST10327%
STL3931%
BLK1715%
1984 Boston
PTS63225%
REB25225%
AST13626%
STL5427%
BLK2722%
1985 Boston
PTS52022%
REB18220%
AST11520%
STL3420%
BLK1917%
1986 Boston
PTS46623%
REB16821%
AST14829%
STL3723%
BLK1110%
1987 Boston
PTS62224%
REB23124%
AST16526%
STL2722%
BLK1916%

 

What's the difference between sucking and underperforming? Just sounds like a euphemism.

 

I think what people are getting at is:
- These players aren't inherently bad, they're just not playing well
- Thus, LeBron doesn't do enough to make his teammates better

I argue that if they're not bad players, but are playing this badly, that's 100% on them. LeBron isn't keeping them from knocking down open shots. He's not deflating their overall FG% to some dreadful number. If these players actually are talented enough to win a title (I'm thoroughly unconvinced of that), then they should be performing better and their poor play is even more inexcusable.

If they were just inherently bad, at least they'd be trying their best but apparently they're not.

 

I appreciate the love!

Maybe one day we can get the LB media department going.

 

You yourself said that if you took Lebron off the Cavs they don't even make the eastern conference playoffs. I agreed with that. That's not a good team. My point above was take a look at the article in the NY Times. James is accounting for 32% of the Cavs stats. That's more than anyone has done in 40 plus years of the playoffs. It doesn't matter if the rest of Cavs are inherently bad or playing bad - they are sucking. I'm just saying what you have been and demonstrating we aren't alone in our thinking. Here's an article about it.

 

What does Lamar Odom have to do with the Cavs? Did Lamar suck for most of his career - I don't know? He certainly did at times. And then other times he played great. What's the point?

Jeez, everyone's quite sensitive about my wording right now. Shall I say that this is a fantastic but "underachieving" Cavs team? They are wonderful inherently. But they don't play well.

 

Yeah I was mostly agreeing with you. I don't actually prescribe to this team being solid despite what Kobe is saying. Korver is a non entity. Jeff Green is a non entity. JR Smith has been mostly awful. Kevin Love is the only player that has held his end of the bargain and he's not playing winning basketball, he's just putting up inefficient points and rebounds (the two things he's best at, but where's the defense?).

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/08/sports/lebron-james-free-agency.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytsports

 

I get that LeBron and Chris Paul are amazing friends, I really do. But LeBron is not stupid, he follows the NBA, and he has to know that joining Chris Paul means he won’t have Chris Paul actually playing next to him by May or June, because he’ll be injured. That’s not a risk I take if I’m LeBron, it already happened to him with Kyrie and Love repeatedly, and he watched Wade break down slowly before that. That’s why I imagine he has to go for a younger star partner if his goal is titles still. Nothing is guaranteed when it comes to injuries, anyone can get injured at any time, but why join a guy where the likelyhood is like twice as high?

 

That's my thought process too. The scary part of that article is the idea that we would sign Chris Paul to a max, 4-year deal to team him with Lebron. F--- that.

 

It'd be ironic if we ended up with Chris Paul after all that.

But I don't see that as a legitimate possibility. I understand he and Chris Paul are close, but that's not a good reason to join a team. He and Wade were close too (closer?) and why go through that again? At least this time he'd have Harden I guess to take the load, but boy would Harden be annoying for LeBron to play with and vice versa. Actually just thinking about that makes me laugh. Harden and Chris Paul iso-ball all game long with LeBron standing in the corner? I can't see that, but hey I thought the same about Miami not too long ago.

I still think the Lakers make the most sense by far. The only tidbit I took from that is the narrative about him staying is dying quickly. There's no way LeBron stays for that mess. He's leaving and I think right now it's between LA, Philly, and Houston.

One interesting thing about Houston is: the reason it worked for Chris Paul is Houston had cap space to get LeBron. Houston no longer has that luxury. They HAVE to trade for whatever FA they're wooing. That means the threat of "trade me there or I walk there" is completely empty. There's no chance Houston is able to unload the pieces they'd have to while ALSO waiving their Bird Rights to everyone in order to sign someone outright. That means there's no real sense of Cleveland being trapped here. If LeBron tells the Cavs, "I'm walking to the Lakers if you don't trade me to the Rockets" why does Cleveland help? Just to keep us from getting LeBron? That's dumb. He'd basically be just helping LeBron and why would Gilbert do that either?

 

Leeeeeroy Jenkinsss!