Lebron's Impact: A Different Observation
I guarantee that the Bulls lost to the Heat last year in, what was it, 5? 6 this year? No 7? The fact is, people expect LeBron to be better than any player ever to play the game. If he is not, than he gets $hit. Even after LeBron wins one ring, he will have an uphill climb in the eyes of many.
Need to leave that guy alone. We can point out many flaws that he has, but there is no doubt that he has clearly been the best player for some time now. The guys impact on any team is clearly shown. He now shares the ball with another super star, and an all star. And he still makes everyone better around. But don't take my word for it.
Kobe Bryant was asked a few days ago which active player in the NBA would he rather play with on 710 ESPN. He said Lebron James because he is a facilitator. I believe he'll win atleast 2 rings. Even if he doesn't win a single one, he is one of the most dominant players we've seen these past few years.
I personally think people act like LeBron not winning one ring will change a lot of things about him. But, it does change players reputations. Will say, it was not smart for him to say "5, no 6, no 7", I know he said that. Nonetheless, he wins one this year, that is a big deal. Plus, I would not put it past him to win multiple rings. If he gets to 5, 6 or 7, what will people say than? "Well, LeBron, you were a d!ck for saying it".
People used to think Kobe never would win close to as many rings as Mike after Shaq left, that happened. I just think people make it seem like he guaranteed it rather than stated what he hoped to do. Most players would want the same thing. You are a little hard on the dude who did a very good job against your boys last year. You can talk about him, but I can bring things up he has done as well. He is 27 years old and he has done a lot in his career. Stranger things have happened than great players winning championships, even if people do not necessarily like them.
I just think they while it does affirm greatness, too much emphasis is placed on championships in team sports. Too many variables. McGrady definitely gets negative marks for not winning a series, but without Shaq or Pau, Kobe didnt win any more series than McGrady did. I said in another post that had Ewing won a ring he wouldve likely been overrated after that, but being that he didnt, I think he is somewhat underrated.
Lebron has been a true franchise player, he has made a difference, since his 2nd year he has been a winner, regardless of who was on his team. He has done things few others can claim. In this era, really only Shaq has made an immediate turn around on a team and even he had more help. Shaq had Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott, two guys who avg 20ppg the year before he arrived. Magic walked into a situation where he had Kareem and Silk Wilkes. Bird joined a team that had Cowens, Maxwell, and Archibald. The Spurs turnaround is misleading because Robinson was injured and the team bombed, allowing a team that was already a title threat to get the #1 pick in the draft. Duncan essentially joined a title contender that had won 59 games the year before their HOF center went down.
I am trying to think of anyone in recent memory who has come into a situation with so little talent around him, nearly single handedly turn the organization around and then when he leaves, they go from best team to worst in one season.
Let us also not forget that MJ, Shaq, Bird, Magic, Duncan, etc...all played at least 2 years in college.
Lebron is the best player in the NBA, he has proven that, but no matter what happens if he doesn't win a ring that's the thing people will always hold against him.
The rings will just put the icing on the cake, it will cement his legacy to the point where if one day he is labeled as the "Greatest" it's a fair statement, because his individual numbers and accolades are outstanding, right up there with the elitest of the elite.
Rings. Thats the obvious trump card when all else fails in an argument concerning NBA greats. To me, overstated and definitely the only leg to stand on for those who are little more than casual fans.
The bottom line is, players are overrated due to number of rings or underrated for lack of, when in all fairness, this is a team sport and rings are not easy to come by.
There is a large contingent of Lebron haters. The main reasons they site is that for all of his talent he has no rings and when he has come close, he has failed to "carpe diem".
After chiming in on a recent Kobe thread I decided to offer this observation. Since we say its all about winning.
Previously I mentioned that Post-Shaq-Pre Gasol Kobe did not win a playoff series. Yeah, I know, the Suns were pretty good at the time but just going with the facts, he did not win. I also mentioned that MJ's Bulls did not have a winning record until Pippen and Grant joined the team. I know that Pippen and Grant were not major impact players their first year in the league but the Bulls now had the makings of a team that could at least get them over the .500 mark.
You dont get the credit if you dont win it all but for that reason, LBJ's impact has been understated. He has only played on one team that had a losing record....his rookie season. 2 years later, LBJ lead the Cavs to the playoffs and in his 1st appearance wins his first playoff series. The very next year....his 4th year (correct me if I am wrong) he takes the Cavs to the NBA finals, knocking off a very good Pistons team in route. That may not seem like a big deal but what was astonishing about it was, he did it without another star in sight in Cleveland. They had Hughes, Ilgauskas, and Drew Gooden as their next best players. Then a supporting cast of Sasha Pavlovic, Donyell Marshall, Damon Jones, Anderson Varejao, Boobie Gibson, Shannon Brown, etc....none of who avg in double figures. After that I believe the Cavs went on to win 4 more series.
When the subject of rings comes up, its almost like nothing else that happened before the rings counts. I am doubtful that Lebron will win 6 titles, or 5 even as Kobe has done. In the end, is that all that matters? To the casual fan it does, but I think Lebron's impact must be evaluated closer. He was able to make a difference with minimal talent by his side.
I dont believe he should be measured to the standard that he has to have 5 rings or more to be considered a top 5 all time great. When he hangs em up, I believe his total contributions as an impact player should be noted. The impact he has had on winning, in Cleveland and Miami have to count for something.