[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

I don't watch the Cavs every night like Morty does, so I can only speak as someone whose team has played LeBron 12 times in the last year. He's possibly the scariest physical specimen to ever step on the court. He doesn't scare me all that much as a player though, and that should be pretty alarming, since Kobe and Chris Paul and even guys like Chauncey Billups always make me nervous.

Not only does Brick James suck from the FT line, he still has yet to develop a consistent jumper, which is absolutely necessary for a wing of course. How can he be the best player in the league (as many claim) when I shout at the TV "give him space, make him shoot it!" every time he's on the perimeter in a clutch situation? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one saying that..

Honestly, he's as strong as an ox, so part of me thinks he would actually be better playing mainly in the post, but that's beside the point.

I also think that if there were no foul limit, he'd be more effective, as he could drive to the basket more often, where he's unstoppable once he gets some steam.

Maybe I'm influenced by how inept he was in the EC Semis, but I agree with Mort here.

Of course you would think the best way to play him is to give him space. That's no different than Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan. I'm not saying he's as good a shooter as those two but you've got to try to take something away and that's got to be his driving. Why on earth would anyone want to play up on him and take away the jumper and allow him the driving lanes?

I'm actually surprised by the amount of criticism he gets. He easily scores 30 a night and if he wasn't so unselfish, could probably be up around 35-40. He single-handedly beat Detroit in the East Finals a couple of years ago and led his team to the championship series. Of all the teams to face the Celtics in the playoffs last year, his team played them the tightest and anyone that disagrees that that happened because of LeBron just doesn't know basketball. He's the reason guys like Gibson and Sczerbiak get the open shots they do. When he's going to the basket, he's getting the attention of every single defender. That's what enables their big guys to get offensive rebounds. I remember the same thing used to be true of Dominique Wilkins. His coaches would say that sometimes, a bad shot by Dominique was a good shot for the team because it led to offensive rebounds and easier shots. When guys are open, he finds them. He's the best passer in the league, including point guards. No doubt that he has weaknesses in his game. His defense could use some work. His jumper could use some work. He needs to shoot better from the line. But the Cavs would probably not finish in the upper half of the ACC without him.