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Lebron James is overrated

4K views 36 replies 27 participants last post by  AlternateDemise 
#1 ·
Yes Lebron is a top 10 of all time, but top 5? nope. I could list 5 players who are better than Lebron James. Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Wilt Chamberlain, and Oscar Robertson. Lebron only has 3 rings because he switches teams. Lebron needed a big 3 to win chips, while many others only needed one other player to do so. If Lebron waited a few years this would not be a problem.
 
#2 ·
Top 10, maybe even 6 but def not top 5.

People always over hyper players that they get to see on a regular basis.
Hell most people in this social media era weren't even born when Jordan retired (with the bulls) and they have no fucking clue at what level he played basketball.

He also played in this soft ass, AAU everyone is friends era.
You can't even look at a guy wrong without it being a flagrant foul.

Jordan would have average 90 points a game today.

Wilt, Magic, Bird, Kareem are better than James all day.
 
#3 ·
While I agree with you, listing Oscar might not be the best choice. Oscar wasn't getting a ring until he switched teams to join this freak named Lew Alcindor who was ripping the league a new one. Oscar did average a triple double for a season and nearly did it two other years and is one of the greatest for sure.

LBJ isn't even the greatest at his position, although he plays more a hybrid SF than a traditional Larry Bird SF. Never saw Larry crying into the camera every time a call didn't go his way.

 
#4 ·
Jordan
Kareem
Wilt
Kobe
Magic
Duncan
Shaq

He is somewhere after that list. Top 10. It pains me to say this, but I'd take him over Bird after last year's championship, even though Bird has been highly underrated for years.

I'm almost inclined to list Olajuwon over LeBron. Wilt and Kareem are over Hakeem because of their offensive numbers and dominance back when big men were true giants on the court...but Hakeem is arguably the most complete big man we've ever seen in NBA history.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Not as overrated as Westbrook



Jordan
Kareem
Wilt
Kobe
Magic
Duncan
Shaq
This is pretty much my top guys list ahead of Lebron...

I hate to use that argument, but it's true, Lebron's legacy would be a lot different if he was playing in the west getting eliminated in the west semi-finals. The west would tear each-other apart in the playoffs while Lebron walks in to finals so easily ( don't tell me those Indiana and Boston matches a few years ago? Boston and Indiana would be crushed by the west as well)
 
#5 ·
So many haters that can't accept Lebron is really really great. Lebron is definitely in the conversation for top 5 after the last 2 finals performances that help negate his first 2 finals. (trashed by a vastly superior Spurs and choking against the Mavs) The thing is, Lebron's story is not finished yet. He could still obtain more accomplishments to pad his resume for this discussion.

My top 5 would be Jordan, Kareem, Magic, Lebron and Duncan.
 
#10 ·
Out of all the players that are mentioned here, who really won with a mediocre team?

Jordan was part of a great line-up, Kobe was part of a great line-up. Same thing with Magic and Bird.

What puts Jordan above Lebron is that he was a winner at all times. He never would've lost a finals series like Lebron lost to Dirk's Dallas. Jordan wouldn't allow it.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Yes Lebron is a top 10 of all time, but top 5? nope. I could list 5 players who are better than Lebron James. Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Wilt Chamberlain, and Oscar Robertson. Lebron only has 3 rings because he switches teams. Lebron needed a big 3 to win chips, while many others only needed one other player to do so. If Lebron waited a few years this would not be a problem.
Are any of those others the ones listed in your top five ahead of LeBron? If not then this is a bullshit argument.

Jordan had Pippen and Rodman, and before that he had Pippen and Grant. Jordan was never able to even make it to the finals until Pippen developed into a superstar player (and Pippen and Rodman are much, MUCH more valuable players than Love and Irving).

Kareem was the second best player on his team for four of his championship wins and had James Worthy, who was a finals MVP in one of Kareem's title wins.

Hakeem I'll give you.

Wilt Chamberlin? Seriously? How the hell is him, Baylor and West not a big three?

Oscar Robertson is not better than LeBron and shouldn't even be in this discussion. He couldn't even win a championship until he went to a team that had a young Kareem who was a league MVP the year they won the title.

And how many championships someone wins shouldn't even be the be all end all regarding someone's greatness. LeBron's most certainly a top five all time great and he's done enough to earn that kind of praise.
 
#17 · (Edited)
It is VERY HARD to taint anyone's legacy based on Finals losses, first it is still a team sport and second he was a big factor if not THE factor in getting the 07 cavs, 11 12 13 14 heat to the finals, and the Cavs to the 15 and 16 finals and the 12 13 heat to nba title and 16 cavs to an nba title. No he is not Jorden or a lot of those greats, but he is a first ballot hall of famer in my eyes.

Also really the last thing that should taint anyone's legacy is losing the finals, really to me Melo's legacy is FAR more tainted than lebrons ever will be, Carmello has not been to hot this year I hear, that is tainted. This is EPICALLY the case when it comes to teams., really hard to rate player just based on rings alone to be honest, remember the icon Adam Morrison has more rings than Karl Malone.
 
#21 ·
It's interesting this. I'd say Lebron has possibly the greatest physical attributes of any player in NBA history period (with Wilt right behind him.) Name one other player as fast, strong, agile and diverse enough skill-set wise that he could probably be top 10 at any position in the league? What prevents him from being the number one guy is his mental side of his game isn't close to on par with players like Jordan or Kobe (though he's arguably more naturally talented than at least Kobe if not both.) I personally rank him pretty highly, I'd say my list would be something like

Jordan

Wilt, Kobe, Shaq, Kareem

Olajuwon, Lebron, Bird, Magic, Duncan

I don't think I could do a 1-10 top to bottom in all honesty. My favourite player of all time is Dream and I personally consider him the best center to ever have played the game, though not the most dominant (hard to take that from Wilt, and Shaq was definitely more dominant around the same era at the 5.) I think Lebron has the potential to move up that list too, he's towards the latter half of his prime but then, who knows how long a prime lasts when you're a genetic freak like that in all honesty? I think the biggest hole in Lebron's game is his leadership/mentality when you compare him to guys like Jordan, but he's literally a contender for the foreseeable future for more rings. Do I think "The Decision" tarnished his legacy a little? Hell yeah, but not for the big 3, the taint for me was both the execution and the leaving of his hometown team the way he did. I personally consider what Durant did this season far worse. Lebron and Bosh joined a non-contender Heat team for a run with Wade and became a dominant force. Durant joined the most dominant team in the league with an already stacked roster and to me that's a far cheaper move to make. I Think the Cavs championship for Lebron is an awesome achievement, though I do think it would've been so much sweeter if he'd got his first ring with Cleveland as a culmination of his story. Still, the man is undeniably incredible, would I have preferred him to have been a hometown hero or a guy who stayed with one team for the majority of his career and then moved around in his twilight like the players who made me love the game in the first place? Yes, but the game has changed, those guys are rare in the modern game, which is something the game's lost. But I can't pin that all on Lebron when so many other players have been doing it for years now. He's not overrated, definitely hated on a lot since the Decision happened though.
 
#27 ·
McGrady was a 25+/5+/5+ guy with decent defense. What in the hell are you talking about he did nothing but score? :lmao


And Stevenson and fucking Jason Terry gave Lebron problems on defense in the finals, his performance was inexcuseable and he's rightfully slammed for it.


Celtics in 2011-2012 were washed, I'm sure @Notorious can confirm they were past their contending point by then and yet they still managed to take the Heat to 7. Pacers were another team that was propped up and did better due to being in such a shit conference. Hibbert excelled against the Heat because they lacked a proper center, but he was pretty much trash outside of facing them. Bulls were good in 2010-2011, but it was their first year as an actual contender with Thibs as a rookie coach.

And :lmao @ Dallas avoiding the best team. They went through the Blazers(who were good and many thought would actually beat them)/the back to back champions Lakers/and the Thunder who. Spurs weren't the best team if that's who you're referring to just because they had the best regular season record.


Lebron is easily a top 10 player and will probably retire as a top 5 player, but there's no need try to hype up the eastern conference to prop him up. It has been far weaker than the West for a long time and never had the type of top teams that the West has had.
 
#33 ·
Breh regular season doesn't dictate what happens in the playoffs and that's been a "know your shit" thing forever now. Celtics would take regular season series from the Heat and I think the Bulls did a few times too. It means literally nothing.


Also the Hawks finished with the best record in the East a few years ago, but were not the best team in the East. Best regular season record does not make you the better team, otherwise we wouldn't even bother with the playoffs.

Yes 5+ boards and 5+ assists is elite level for wings.
 
#37 ·
Breh regular season doesn't dictate what happens in the playoffs and that's been a "know your shit" thing forever now. Celtics would take regular season series from the Heat and I think the Bulls did a few times too. It means literally nothing.
I'm well aware that regular season typically doesn't mean shit. I watched my Celtics have a below standard season in 2010 and then went on to beat LeBron's 60 win Cavs and took the defending champs to seven games in the finals.

There's a difference however between taking regular season series against developing teams or teams going through injuries and taking a regular season series against a team that is coming at you with full force. When it comes to determining how two teams would do against each other in a playoff series, the regular season was usually a telling sign of how it would turn out.

Also the Hawks finished with the best record in the East a few years ago, but were not the best team in the East. Best regular season record does not make you the better team, otherwise we wouldn't even bother with the playoffs.
How is this comparable with what was going on in the West? The Spurs were a proven elite team. The Hawks were not. And not to mention no one ever once thought they were a better team than the Cavaliers.
 
#34 ·
I don't get the whole knocking of this era on toughness. Being able to be overly rough doesn't make you a better ball player.

Not to mention the notion that LeBron couldn't handle the more aggressive play of the past if silly. If the NBA players could wack each other like they did back in the day I'm sure they would. They milk fouls because there's clear rules against that type of play, if there wasn't I doubt you'd see as much whining. Plus if you know Bron for being soft you have to knock Jordan for being soft, seeing as the Jordan rules started this slippery slope

Sent from my Z981 using Tapatalk
 
#36 ·
I don't get the whole knocking of this era on toughness. Being able to be overly rough doesn't make you a better ball player.

Not to mention the notion that LeBron couldn't handle the more aggressive play of the past if silly. If the NBA players could wack each other like they did back in the day I'm sure they would. They milk fouls because there's clear rules against that type of play, if there wasn't I doubt you'd see as much whining. Plus if you know Bron for being soft you have to knock Jordan for being soft, seeing as the Jordan rules started this slippery slope

Sent from my Z981 using Tapatalk
So true, I fucking hate this argument every time I see it. Yeah the NBA became a lot softer, less physical. But the way the players improved in terms of things ACTUALLY and DIRECTLY related to winning games such as shooting, defense, off-ball movement and ball-handling as well as increased athleticism and durable are things to appreciate.
 
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