NBA Playoffs

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

A lot of smaller guys that are athletic give Nowitzki problems because he's not physically dominant. If you are athletic with long arms, you can give Dirk problems. McGrady should never be considered a good defensive player and that's sad because he could have been. Guys like James, Bryant, Wade, and McGrady could all be great defenders because they have the physical abilities. But it takes the mental desire to want to be. Jordan had it. Bryant used to have it. James has it now.

You are going to mention Lebron james as an on the ball perimeter defender in the same breathe as Kobe and MJ in their respective primes?

Surely you jest.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

You are going to mention Lebron james as an on the ball perimeter defender in the same breathe as Kobe and MJ in their respective primes?

Surely you jest.

I don't know where you read that. Let's take it further. Not only did I not put LeBron at their level but I don't put Kobe at MJ's level. That is not what I said. I said they all share one thing in common and that is a desire to want to be the best defender. That is not the same as saying they have the same ability when they play their best.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

I don't know where you read that. Let's take it further. Not only did I not put LeBron at their level but I don't put Kobe at MJ's level. That is not what I said. I said they all share one thing in common and that is a desire to want to be the best defender. That is not the same as saying they have the same ability when they play their best.

Okay...sorry. I disagree about Kobe not being at Jordan's level. In some ways, i think Kobe was better. He didnt play passing lanes like MJ and he wasnt as physical but in my opinion he was more versatile. Kobe could defend an allen iverson one day and a tracy mcgrady the next.

The Olympics made it very clear Kobe can
defend. When he wants to. He can be totally
disruptive on PG's all the way to 3's. But
on the Lakers in the playoffs, he does not have the luxury of
sitting out major parts of the game. The Laker guards
absolutely stink so far. The have no point. Kobe is
in a bind.

Lebron has Mo Williams and West. That helps a hell of a lot.
Two guys that can handle the ball and score.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by pgardn

The Olympics made it very clear Kobe can
defend. When he wants to. He can be totally
disruptive on PG's all the way to 3's. But
on the Lakers in the playoffs, he does not have the luxury of
sitting out major parts of the game. The Laker guards
absolutely stink so far. The have no point. Kobe is
in a bind.

Lebron has Mo Williams and West. That helps a hell of a lot.
Two guys that can handle the ball and score.

True all the way aroud. the laker guards have played horribly and faster guards are going to give them problems.

But...things change fast in the nba and matchups make teams look better or worse.

Originally Posted by dalakhani

True all the way aroud. the laker guards have played horribly and faster guards are going to give them problems.

But...things change fast in the nba and matchups make teams look better or worse.

True.
Houston has some very fast PGs.
Denver does not
have this speed.
And truthfully I had no idea Artest could
hold it together this well. Especially after the
Kobe elbow. I thought his mind would explode.

Artest has really surprised me with his ability to
stay somewhat focused. I really judged Artest incorrectly.
He has sort of grown up in my eyes.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by pgardn

True.
Houston has some very fast PGs.
Denver does not
have this speed.
And truthfully I had no idea Artest could
hold it together this well. Especially after the
Kobe elbow. I thought his mind would explode.

Artest has really surprised me with his ability to
stay somewhat focused. I really judged Artest incorrectly.
He has sort of grown up in my eyes.

The power of antidepressants!

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

You are going to mention Lebron james as an on the ball perimeter defender in the same breathe as Kobe and MJ in their respective primes?

Surely you jest.

James can guard all 5 positions on the court, Jordan and Kobe certainly couldnt. Since James decided that defense was important and Kobe didnt the comparisons between the two became academic since James is a better passer and rebounder than Kobe. By the way the Kobe/Spike Lee piece of pr trash last night could have been very good had they not told Kobe which game they were going to film so he could have shown the real side of himself instead of that phony bs persona that he is just one of the guys...

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

James can guard all 5 positions on the court, Jordan and Kobe certainly couldnt. Since James decided that defense was important and Kobe didnt the comparisons between the two became academic since James is a better passer and rebounder than Kobe. By the way the Kobe/Spike Lee piece of pr trash last night could have been very good had they not told Kobe which game they were going to film so he could have shown the real side of himself instead of that phony bs persona that he is just one of the guys...

Lebron seems like a joyous leader. He revels in
the success of others on his team. No real chip
on the shoulder. Kobe seems to be more like Jordan.
He will beat his teammates down.

I wonder which approach works best.

Lebron would have a tough time against the good power forwards
or posts. He could play them, but he would get into foul trouble
and I think the pushing would wear on his legs which is obviously
why they would never play him there consistently.

On the offensive end, he can play any position just like Magic.
Although I will take Magic at point. Lebron not having to handle
the ball as much is a big burden off him. Kobe just does not have
that luxury. If the Laker sdont get the finals I expect Kobe will
whine about teammates again. Maybe he can go to the Knicks.
NY would like it. And so would I.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by pgardn

Lebron seems like a joyous leader. He revels in
the success of others on his team. No real chip
on the shoulder. Kobe seems to be more like Jordan.
He will beat his teammates down.

I wonder which approach works best.

Lebron would have a tough time against the good power forwards
or posts. He could play them, but he would get into foul trouble
and I think the pushing would wear on his legs which is obviously
why they would never play him there consistently.

On the offensive end, he can play any position just like Magic.
Although I will take Magic at point. Lebron not having to handle
the ball as much is a big burden off him. Kobe just does not have
that luxury. If the Laker sdont get the finals I expect Kobe will
whine about teammates again. Maybe he can go to the Knicks.
NY would like it. And so would I.

Really good power forwards like...?

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Really good power forwards like...?

Tim Duncan.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

James can guard all 5 positions on the court, Jordan and Kobe certainly couldnt. Since James decided that defense was important and Kobe didnt the comparisons between the two became academic since James is a better passer and rebounder than Kobe. By the way the Kobe/Spike Lee piece of pr trash last night could have been very good had they not told Kobe which game they were going to film so he could have shown the real side of himself instead of that phony bs persona that he is just one of the guys...

you watch a different game than i watch because there is no way in God's green earth Lebron can cover a decent NBA point guard or even the quicker two guards. He can't cover legit NBA centers. You undermine your point when you make statements that are so far from reality.

I love Lebron and I have pretty much thrown up the white flag when it comes to who is a better player between him and kobe. I like watching kobe a lot more but Lebron is better. But a better man to man defender? And can cover 5 positions? You have to get real.

Originally Posted by dalakhani

you watch a different game than i watch because there is no way in God's green earth Lebron can cover a decent NBA point guard or even the quicker two guards. He can't cover legit NBA centers. You undermine your point when you make statements that are so far from reality.

I love Lebron and I have pretty much thrown up the white flag when it comes to who is a better player between him and kobe. I like watching kobe a lot more but Lebron is better. But a better man to man defender? And can cover 5 positions? You have to get real.

I think he could cover some PGuards for one main reason:
He might get beat to the basket, but he can block them
so easy from behind he could get away with forcing them to the basket.
Obviously this would wear him down just like covering a big guy leaning
on his legs, so it is clearly not desirable. Just like it would not be desirable
for the Lakers to have Kobe covering Tony Parker the whole game,
just in spots.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by pgardn

I think he could cover some PGuards for one main reason:
He might get beat to the basket, but he can block them
so easy from behind he could get away with forcing them to the basket.
Obviously this would wear him down just like covering a big guy leaning
on his legs, so it is clearly not desirable. Just like it would not be desirable
for the Lakers to have Kobe covering Tony Parker the whole game,
just in spots.

Okay, he can cover extremely slow NBA point guards...once in a while. He can cover derek fisher or jason kidd who are both ancient. Can he cover derek rose? devin harris? Gilbert Arenas? Tony Parker? Chauncey Billups? These arent even the best.

Lebron is 6 8 250. He doesnt have nearly enough lateral mobility to cover an NBA point guard. He doesnt have enough lateral mobility to cover the quicker NBA two guards. He doesnt have the size to cover Legit NBA centers.

This is such an incredibly dumb argument i cant believe i am entertaining it.

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Okay, he can cover extremely slow NBA point guards...once in a while. He can cover derek fisher or jason kidd who are both ancient. Can he cover derek rose? devin harris? Gilbert Arenas? Tony Parker? Chauncey Billups? These arent even the best.

Lebron is 6 8 250. He doesnt have nearly enough lateral mobility to cover an NBA point guard. He doesnt have enough lateral mobility to cover the quicker NBA two guards. He doesnt have the size to cover Legit NBA centers.

This is such an incredibly dumb argument i cant believe i am entertaining it.

I think the original intention was to pick one guy who would be the best
at covering all positions defensively. I dont think the original intention
was to say he would be good at it.

If you can think of another guy that could do better at covering
any position, put the name out. This is how I took the original
argument anyway.

Its all in good fun.
I think.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by pgardn

I think the original intention was to pick one guy who would be the best
at covering all positions defensively. I dont think the original intention
was to say he would be good at it.

If you can think of another guy that could do better at covering
any position, put the name out. This is how I took the original
argument anyway.

Its all in good fun.
I think.

It is. I knew that would come out wrong.

Lebron, as great as he is, cant cover five positions. He can cover 2 well and beyond that it comes down to situation.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Okay, he can cover extremely slow NBA point guards...once in a while. He can cover derek fisher or jason kidd who are both ancient. Can he cover derek rose? devin harris? Gilbert Arenas? Tony Parker? Chauncey Billups? These arent even the best.

Lebron is 6 8 250. He doesnt have nearly enough lateral mobility to cover an NBA point guard. He doesnt have enough lateral mobility to cover the quicker NBA two guards. He doesnt have the size to cover Legit NBA centers.

This is such an incredibly dumb argument i cant believe i am entertaining it.

He doesnt have the size to cover centers? With the possible exception of Yao who exactly would he be overmatched with size wise? He absolutely could cover those guards. And he is closer to 280. Watch the games...

I enjoyed the smack talk between Ewing and Rivers. Rivers got knocked down a few notches by disrespecting his former teammate. Doc really should've said no comment instead of being a hater and trying to downplay Ewing's career as a player by pointing out his failures. I mean if Ewing was bad as a player what does that make Rivers? Kurt Rambis with downs?

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

you watch a different game than i watch because there is no way in God's green earth Lebron can cover a decent NBA point guard or even the quicker two guards. He can't cover legit NBA centers. You undermine your point when you make statements that are so far from reality.

I love Lebron and I have pretty much thrown up the white flag when it comes to who is a better player between him and kobe. I like watching kobe a lot more but Lebron is better. But a better man to man defender? And can cover 5 positions? You have to get real.

Exactly what current Center in the NBA couldnt he guard? Apparently you dont watch many games because he can and does certainly cover guards.

[docicu3]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Exactly what current Center in the NBA couldnt he guard? Apparently you dont watch many games because he can and does certainly cover guards.

Kareem might be tough for Lebron to hang with.....The Celts were spared a public flogging if they had gone on.....Clev may sweep Orlando.