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>>So yeah that sounds nice, but how can he say I'd take a guy >I >>never saw play? > >You think MJ doesn't know of Russell's greatness? Better yet, >how abt Kareem or Shaq or Moses? He definitely saw and played >against the latter two...and he said he'd take Hakeem over any >center that ever played because of his unique skill set >
But he still didn't see him play. You and I are also aware of his greatness, but neither of us saw him play. Therefore how could I say I take him. Same with Wilt. Again...Mike was in his 20's in the 80's. Cap was past his prime at that point. Hakeem, Moses and Shaq are always bunched together. So yeah that's his opinion.
>> >>He was a teenager when Cap was in his prime in the 70's. So >>did he really see him in his prime either, especially given >>how infrequently the NBA was on TV in the 70's. > >Dude, Jordan older than me and I'm well aware of Kareem's >greatness - I'm sure Jordan is very well versed in the history >and legends of the game. C'mon...I seriously doubt that's why >he said he'd take Hakeem over any other center >>
Being aware of someone's greatness is different than seeing them play and being able to say that person is definitively better than someone else. I never saw Big O play, so while I am aware of his greatness, I can't make a legit argument that he is better than Jordan, Kobe or Magic because it would just be based on stats and not his actual talent.
>>Plus, are we really trusting Jordan as a talent evaluator? >>This is the same guy who took Kwame Brown as the #1 Pick. > >He has his opinion like anyone else > > >>I'm not saying Russell is the best ever simply because he >has >>more rings though. He is in the discussion based on his >>stats, leadership and rings though. He dominated his era. >He >>routinely beat the other guys who were the best of the best >in >>that era while putting up crazy numbers and being the Alpha >>Dog on his team. > >WTF? Lebron's stats are already better than 90% of the >all-time greats - he has more MVPs than >Magic/Bird/Shaq/Kobe/Duncan and has been on the 1st team >All-defense several times...won 2 gold medals...2x champ...2x >finals MVP...on pace to finish in the top 3 scorers and >assists of all time (no one has ever done that)...all-time >leader in assists for SFs...he resume is stellar...
We can split hairs with this. Jordan has more MVPs. Kobe has more All-Defenses. Magic has more Assists. Shaq has more points. Duncan has more rebounds. But all of them have more rings than him. When Lebron is done, that may be a different story. But right today it is what it is. > >He's lost 2x to an all-time great team and arguably the GOAT >PF and a top 3 HC in Popovich...he lost this year w/an >undermanned team to the best team in the league that featured >the MVP...he also beat Duncan and he beat the 2nd best player >in the league in the finals in a rare head-to-head battle >4-1... >
Yeah he beat Duncan when he was well past his prime. A 36 year old Duncan. And then got beat by the worse margin ever the next year by an even older Duncan. And Durant is even less accomplished than Lebron.
Look Magic, Bird, hell Isaiah, Russell and them went thru HOF. And at what point in their careers they did it. Lebron is going thru a weak east every year to get to the Finals. He hasn't beat an All-Time Great in his prime yet. Durant is a stretch, Jordan kept dudes like Barkley, Ewing, Malone and Stockton from being greats. He beat then in years where they were the League MVP. Magic beat Bird and the Celts, and Dr. J and the Sixers and Isiah and the Bad Boy Pistons in the Finals. Kobe and Shaq went thru prime Duncan three times just to get to the finals. Kobe went thru Prime Duncan again with Gasol and also beat The KG, Pierce, Allen Celts in the Finals. And I haven't even mentioned the Portland and Sacramento or Minnesota teams he beat.
I'm not trying to take away from Lebron. He's great. I'm not a hater. But he's not in the same space at the greatest of the greats yet.
>He's the 1st player that I have seen that has had to go at it >alone in the finals more than once... >>
And that's commendable. He played a hell of series and kept it way closer than I thought he would. At the end of the day, he didn't win though. And 5 years from now, that's what everyone will remember. No one talks about the year Jerry West got the Finals MVP after a hard fought 7 game losing series to the Celtics. It didn't come up until this week. What people remembers is that he was 1-8 in the Finals. That's how we measure the greats bro. Doesn't mean they aren't great. Just means Lebron isn't an All-Time Great yet.
>>Download my new mixtape featuring Lecrae, Andy Mineo, >Christon >>Gray and more. Positive Hip Hop: >>http://www.noisetrade.com/wadeoradio >
Download my new mixtape featuring Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Christon Gray and more. Positive Hip Hop: http://www.noisetrade.com/wadeoradio
Download my new mixtape featuring Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Christon Gray and more. Positive Hip Hop: http://www.noisetrade.com/wadeoradio
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