LABron James Discussion: The Final Year?

It was a “nit” I said. Not now clarified what you actually were referring to with the refreshing aspect. The statement that caught my eye, again, was “But LeBron, who has had even greater teammates”. None of them at their peaks were better than prime Shaq and early prime Kobe.

 

This post is so unserious: he won with all those guys except Doncic.
Even including Doncic traded mid way thru the season as a 40 years somehow impacts Lebron's legacy is a reach

In his first 7 years he had by far the worst supporting cast and since then when paired with good players he's won or made the finals.

Magic played with not just Kareem but Worthy, scott, cooper. those teams were as loaded as you can get. At one time the Showtime Lakers had count them 4 #1 overall picks in the rotation.

Jordan not only had Pippen his team, he also had the greatest coach of all time and then guys like Rodman, Grant, etc. How no one seems to mention that Jordan's team won 55 games and was one shot away from the ECF without him and somehow claim he didn't have great teammates is beyond me. What Lebron team has come close to winning that before or after he arrived?

Kobe's team sucked post-shaq till check notes he got pau gasol and a loaded squad with Odom, Bynum, Artest, and the greatest coach of all time.
Interestingly Shaq also only won post Kobe with Dwayne Wade and while Wade was the star of Miami when Shaq was there, it was Lebron who was clearly the best player for the Heat

The reason other guys don't have as long of a list vs just looking at pure talent is Lebron has been able to extend his prime far longer than anyone else.
In fact, I would say his resume of being able to win with so many different types of second stars is a positive for his legacy: both in terms of how long he's been good and his verstality. If you look at his prime combined with actual talent from age 26-36 - he went to the Finals a remarkable 9 times, winning 4 of them. What it is shows is remarkable ability to win with many different types of other star players and types of teams. The fact that he was able to get to the Finals once with Larry Hughes as his second-best player and win 66 games another season with Mo Williams as his second best player and that isn't even mentioned is what is actually unhinged

 

Let's call it what it is man. LeBron is one of the best players of all time, 2nd to MJ imo. But his tenure as a Laker has been fairly unsuccessful.

"But he won in 2020!"

Sure, but we have yet to even crack the finals since 2020, and we've been in the play-in more than we've been a top seeded team since having LeBron (in fact, we've missed the playoffs just as many times as we've been a top seeded team). We won in 2020 and everyone had the same conditions, but let's not act like 2020 is equal to titles in non-COVID years...it just isn't. And LeBron has not been able to replicate what happened in 2020 yet...and his best chance of replicating that was actually this year as a 3 seed with LUKA DONCIC as his sidekick...and they got gentlemen swept.

I love LeBron, but I'm tired of the antics man. It's time for him to either hang it up, or ask to get traded. I don't want to go through a farewell tour with this guy...and waste Luka's prime years. I'm praying that LeBron asks for a trade to the Cavs, and praying that the Cavs get wiped in 5 games and exit the Eastern Conference palyuoffs way earlier than expected...so that we can make a trade with the Cavs where both parties can win. We trade LeBron and Bronny back home, and Cavs send us Allen/Hunter/Okoro and get to keep their best 3 players (Mobley/Garland/Donovan) and slide LeBron into that lineupe for one last shot at a title in his hometown. Isn't that a storybook ending?

Allen/Hunter/Okoro are all players that can fit around Luka, and we can begin our rebuilding around Luka.

Like I said...love Lebron, but it's time for him to move on and go back home. I think his time as a Laker is numbered but he does hold the NTC so idk...

 

because it's better? i love how people are like, but no crowd and everyone was healthy!! you mean that who was actually best at basketball won instead of who got lucky with injuries or got the favorable hometown whistle due to cowed referees (that team, ironically, would have been us anyway!!).

i'm not sure what antics you're referring to here, either. if it's the non-stop "gotta upgrade the team" stuff, i agree. but note he was quieter this year, even prior to the luka trade. i think he knows his salary is holding us back, and he's accepted that our level of contention is partly his choice at this point.

anyway, if he asks out, i'd send him wherever he wants--he's earned the right, imo. if he wants to stay, i pay him what he wants, too, despite his declining production, simply because this is our brand, and it has worked for us for a long time.

 

It's been fairly unsuccessful compared to other Laker eras but not the present salary cap era.

Lakers had a title and a WCF final run. No team other than Boston has made the Finals twice since the bubble title. The Nuggets have made one more WCF.

Shame that the injuries derailed the title defense and that triggered the Brick trade. Lakers had a chance to beat the cap but the NBA is becoming harder

 

It also completely ignores how awesome the Lakers were playing before Covid hit. They beat both the Bucks and the Clips in back to backs were Lebron locked up both Kawhii and George.

It's also bizarre considering the Nuggets era since that the Bubble isn't there coming out party. It really looks like insane coping rather then they got their butts handed to him by a new superpower

 

This is the first playoffs that I can confidently say LeBron is getting old.

He played amazing for his age but man, he's been so great for so long that you just expect perfection from him every playoffs.

 

Lebron avg 25pts 9 reb 6 assist 2 steals and 2 blks per game this postseason. Playing 40 min a game. That's still a top 10 player, and he's being paid accordingly with his value.

We need to make some better decisions with these other roster spots, before claiming that Lebron's salary, is some kind of problem. The Lakers will be drifting more towards 9th or 10th in salary next season, not towards the top.

 

He's 40.

 

I bet if he’d been healthy at 40 instead of managing a groin injury in these playoffs you would “not” confidently be saying that. S*** happens with injuries. Ask Jayson Tatum.

 

Now that the Cavs got embarrassed in the 2nd round after being HEAVILY favored...I'm hoping that they make a run at LeBron and make him think about retiring in Cleveland instead and making one last run with his hometown team.

We should def consider an offer from Cleveland because it'd likely involve guys like Allen, Hunter, and Okoro.

 

Good. Good. Let the jinx flow through you

 

Anything is possible I guess, Cleveland's payroll is going to be around 218M next season.

 

i think the issue is that he's 40, and that he's getting these groin and hamstring soft-tissue stuff a bunch. it happens. i know, i'm 40+, too.

he's actually been "old" for a while now in terms of movement (particularly laterally on defense, where he's as slow as doncic, imo). is what it is. he's still quite effective when healthy.

but we have to keep him that way. and that means limiting regular season minutes and changing his role on offense.

 

time for John Stockton minutes

 

It's hard to find a trade that makes sense with them. The first one I thought of was Allen/Hunter, but Allen is pretty soft and Hunter is kinda meh. There's a reason he was available at the deadline despite being the exact archetype every team is trying to find. He's a little Rui-ish in that you see the physical tools and think this guy has to be awesome...but when he actually plays you're left a bit underwhelmed.

 

It's not like we can use the money we'll "save" with him gone for major upgrades, you know that, right?
I'd rather limit his minutes, get Luka a true C, find a 3 and D guy and let them cook in the PO next year.

 

this is the way. it's simple, and i think it's possible.

 

The hell is your problem?

He's 40.

Deal with reality and stop trying to put this on me for saying he looked old.

28 year old LeBron wasn't missing a lot of games due to injuries. Most of his groin injuries have come the last few years.

You're defending a losing point here. LeBron is getting old and it's noticeable.

 

I'm saying the nagging groin is what made him look like you could confidently say that in this playoff performance. Everyone gets injuries no matter how old. We all know he's 40 LOL ..... congratulations Captain Obvious. You could have said the same thing 2-3-4 years ago. With "luck" this year just like everyone else has to hope for it with health ..... he'd still have had all star numbers on the biggest stage. No need to get all hot and bothered over my initial remark.