Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

[JBH3]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

OK these lines of thought also make me laugh. People swear like LBJ has no handle, ignore his passing/vision/IQ/instincts and an improved jump shot.

Just because LBJ is a freak people hold that against him. I've read this line of thought all over the internet and it's sad.

People don't think LBJ is improving his fundamentals/skills? What are you guys thinking?

Take away both of their "athletic gifts" and still give me LBJ.

LOL...I don't think anyone is holding anything against LBJ.

He has begun, at least looking at his last year, to began improving his fundamentals. He shot a career 78% from the line...FTs are a fundamental aspect of the game.

His 3 pt hit for 34% this year after leveling off at 31% the last two.

I just have concerns over his offensive game given the ferocity of his scoring...that has to eventually take a toll. I mean look at Gil...who's offensive game was predicated on slashing to the rim 60% of the time.

What LBJ will eventually have to do is what Kobe has done. Become an assassin from the perimeter w/ still the threat of driving, but not looking for contact and a slash to the hole on most of your scoring opportunities.

When has Durant ever showed he can make things easier for teammates to anywhere near the level LBJ can?

So LBJ is just going to level off eh. His skills won't improve all that much? How do people figure that.

Knowing how much LBJ cares about his legacy do people think he's just chillin at home? I would venture to say his work ethic is as high as anyone else in the league. He knows exactly what his shortcomings are. You can learn a jumper, just ask Kobe.

In Durant's defense...who has his teammates been?

Has he had a big man like Z? Or anything else to speak of for that matter?

You could also say given the drought of scorers that Durant HAS to have the ball to score rather than run a point-forward like Lebron because there isn't any consistent scorers on OKC.

[TMagic]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

I was just messin' Pack. But c'mon man...

I don't know why everyone thinks LeBron is so good.

LeBron's only moves are run and jump.

If I had a nickel for every time LeBron traveled, I'd purchase the Cavaliers and trade LeBron's sorry ***.

LeBron better than Kobe?

That's what he gets.

LeBron should have just stuck with football. Basketball ain't his game.

Will people stop calling LeBron the "King". More like the "Servant".

What? LeBron missed a jumpshot? That's a surprise

What? LeBron missed a free throw? That's a surprise

What? LeBron passed the ball on the last play of the game because he's scared to take the jumper because he knows he'll probably miss and he doesn't want to go to the basket and be fouled either because he knows that he'll miss the free throws too? That's a surprise

I don't even really agree with this picture. Wonder woman is too good for him. He's more like Robin's gay ***.

[KG]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

Take LeBron, I'll take Durant and at least still have a player that can function as a reliable second option.

Umm what?

I just have concerns over his offensive game given the ferocity of his scoring...that has to eventually take a toll. I mean look at Gil...who's offensive game was predicated on slashing to the rim 60% of the time.

What LBJ will eventually have to do is what Kobe has done. Become an assassin from the perimeter w/ still the threat of driving, but not looking for contact and a slash to the hole on most of your scoring opportunities.

Gil was different though. He got hurt on a freak accident by Gerald Wallace so it wasn't like he kept getting beat down. You're right about LBJ's future game but I don't know if he's capable of that. It might just be me though as I find it hard to imagine LBJ without his athleticism because he relies so much on it.

Oh, and T-Magic coming strong at you Pack in the AM.

[ehh]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

Damn I didn't know Pack's hate for LBJ was that strong.

[AlexBrady]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

Durant can fill up the bucket on any given night and posesses a very smooth stroke but his game needs alot of work. His passes need to be more precise and on time. He gets pushed around alot in the post by stronger players and is rather useless on the boards. Most importantly though, Durant can't defend his lunch.

[GSW]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

Damn Pack.

Pack Bayless.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

I ain't NEVER said ANY of that stuff that T-Magic posted

I am being falsely accused of statements that have NEVER come from me LMAO.

I mean how hard is it for someone to type some words and copy/paste a quote box with MY name in it? LOL

[JBH3]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

^ Links TMagic?

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

LOL Yea if he has links for those quotes then I'll take back what I said but I know for sure I definitely don't remember saying ANY of those things.

[ehh]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

I was gonna say, I can't imagine most of us woulda missed hate that strong lol.

[jmood88]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

Lmao I was bout to say, is Pack the new Kash

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

OK these lines of thought also make me laugh. People swear like LBJ has no handle, ignore his passing/vision/IQ/instincts and an improved jump shot.

Just because LBJ is a freak people hold that against him. I've read this line of thought all over the internet and it's sad.

I don't know anyone on these messageboards ignoring LBJ's passing and IQ. The acknowledgement of his jumper is so much so that some people on this site think he'll be nearly as good as Reggie Miller one day. Unanimously, people all compliment him for his improved defense and some people around here think that Lebron has Allen Iverson level handles.

I don't know who you are talking about.




Well that's just insane. Lebron's primary weapon is his athleticism. If you take that away he's just Andre Miller. Durant's primary weapon is fundamental skill. Aside from some quickness, there isn't much athleticism to take away. He's certainly not strong

I'm talking about this guy below, and others across the interweb who share the same line of thought. Look we all know KD is more "fundamental" than James is. The gap? Probably isn't as wide as people make it out to be. These people grind upon the fact that LBJ is a freak of nature as opposed to an exceptionally skilled basketball player himself.

So what if athleticism is his primary weapon. It should be. Does that mean his other skills are weak? His only weakness is his jumpshot, which is improving.

You take athleticism away from KD and I want to know what player he would be?

That argument in itself is stupid, the people who bring that up have nothing else to say LOL.

I like Durant and I like Bron, but this isn't that easy of a decision. Sure Bron has unmatched athleticism and size. He has great passing ability. But outside of those, he really has a lack of skill. Durant is almost his opposite in that matter. Durant could lose all his athleticism right now, but still put up 20ppg ala Paul Pierce. So at 20yrs old, and not yet very strong, Durant has a huge upside. Bron may eventually learn how to shoot and post up and play defense without using his speed and hops to make up for his lack of footwork (something Durant has to work on too). But at 20yrs old, give me Durant any day. Dude is vicious. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o></o>
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In Durant's defense...who has his teammates been?

Has he had a big man like Z? Or anything else to speak of for that matter?

You could also say given the drought of scorers that Durant HAS to have the ball to score rather than run a point-forward like Lebron because there isn't any consistent scorers on OKC.

The guy I quoted above did. And like I said I've read that same sentiment all over message boards.

Do I really have to remind you of LBJ's teammates over his career?

LBJ has no jumpshot.

People also seem to overstate how broken LBJ's jumper is...

[Bornindamecca]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

Ex, you are talking about the very minor exception to the general consensus. If you need 100% agreement about something on the internet, then you'll be on the LBJ Defense Committee with Mike Brown and Hmac forever. Sure, a couple of people on messageboards exaggerate. I'm sure no one is shocked by that. But to sit here and act as if opinion is split on Lebron's skills is just ludicrous.

And Lebron's only weakness is NOT his jumpshot. That is also ridiculous. That's his 2nd biggest weakness.

I never brought up the argument about "if you take away his athleticism". I just answered it. Though now that we're discussing it, it isn't stupid at all. Lebron is 24 now, but he won't be this athletic when he's 34. The skills he develops between now and then will determine whether or not he's still the number 1 option on his team, and that is a factor in any player's legacy.

There sure is a lot of heat in this discussion considering that no one is saying that Kevin Durant is better than Lebron James, or going to be better this season. All of this is because people are saying "I could see him getting to Lebron' level one day". Perish the thought, eh?


Hey Jerry Colangelo, how do you improve a team with Kobe, Lebron, Wade, Melo and Chris Paul?

Kevin Durant: When asked how he would improve the '08 team, Colangelo was succinct: "Kevin Durant." Durant was better than any other player in Las Vegas. His jump shot continues to develop and the U.S. coaches are infatuated with his versatility and ability to score inside and out.

The sky is the limit for his kid. Ya'll need to ease up.

[JBH3]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

Ex, you are talking about the very minor exception to the general consensus. If you need 100% agreement about something on the internet, then you'll be on the LBJ Defense Committee with Mike Brown and Hmac forever. Sure, a couple of people on messageboards exaggerate. I'm sure no one is shocked by that. But to sit here and act as if opinion is split on Lebron's skills is just ludicrous.

And Lebron's only weakness is NOT his jumpshot. That is also ridiculous. That's his 2nd biggest weakness.

I never brought up the argument about "if you take away his athleticism". I just answered it. Though now that we're discussing it, it isn't stupid at all. Lebron is 24 now, but he won't be this athletic when he's 34. The skills he develops between now and then will determine whether or not he's still the number 1 option on his team, and that is a factor in any player's legacy.

There sure is a lot of heat in this discussion considering that no one is saying that Kevin Durant is better than Lebron James, or going to be better this season. All of this is because people are saying "I could see him getting to Lebron' level one day". Perish the thought, eh?

What say you Ex?

[sportyguyfl31]

Re: Durant as good--or better?!?!--than...

Right now, Durant is a Dominique Wilkins type, and that is not an insult.

Durant made a monsterous leap form his rookie year as a teenager, to this seaosn.

He seems to have a decent work ethic, so barring injury, or a lack of a competant front office, he's going to be a "main stream" star fairly soon I think.