Bill Simmons on LeBron

[NAHSTE]

But it's not like Lebron is playing for the Clippers back when they refused to spend a penny more then they had to, look at all the Free Agents the Cavs went after who rejected them in the past summer - Ron Artest felt his better chance at winning was with Kobe, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Phil Jackson coaching, instead of Lebron

Fixed for accuracy.

 

[Vinsane]

But at the same time, does him playing in a time when the league is "watered down" affect his legacy at all when you're comparing him against the greats like Magic, Jordan, Bird, etc....?

Anymore the comparing between eras is a moot point. Would Wilt have been as good today as he was then? Many more 7 footers in today's game then when Wilt played. Would LeBron be as good in the eighties, or Bird and Magic as good if they played in the 00's?

No real way to compare, I would say that LeBron and Kobe based on the type of game they play would do well for themselves. Maybe not to the level they're on in today's game but with LeBron's athletic ability, and Kobe's scoring prowess? There's no doubt in my mind that they could be successful in other Era's, but they wouldn't be the "leaders" they're considered today, due to the fact that teams then were 11 men deep.

Fixed for accuracy.

You could of just said he picked the Lakers, over the Cavaliers. However, I thought Cleveland was more interested in Trevor Ariza at the time, then Ron Artest? The guys that Cleveland went after in the off-season were guys looking to be their own star, not play in the shadow of LeBron James. The guys they wound up with are willing to play the "role player" job.

Aside from money, I really think that's why Boozer skipped town on Cleveland.

 

[NAHSTE]

Anymore the comparing between eras is a moot point. Would Wilt have been as good today as he was then? Many more 7 footers in today's game then when Wilt played. Would LeBron be as good in the eighties, or Bird and Magic as good if they played in the 00's?

No real way to compare, I would say that LeBron and Kobe based on the type of game they play would do well for themselves. Maybe not to the level they're on in today's game but with LeBron's athletic ability, and Kobe's scoring prowess? There's no doubt in my mind that they could be successful in other Era's, but they wouldn't be the "leaders" they're considered today, due to the fact that teams then were 11 men deep.



You could of just said he picked the Lakers, over the Cavaliers. However, I thought Cleveland was more interested in Trevor Ariza at the time, then Ron Artest? The guys that Cleveland went after in the off-season were guys looking to be their own star, not play in the shadow of LeBron James. The guys they wound up with are willing to play the "role player" job.

Aside from money, I really think that's why Boozer skipped town on Cleveland.

That's because at this point in their careers, Ariza probably has more left in the tank than Artest, and is playing better, and is less of a headcase, etc.

As for your first point, LeBron has the same passing ability and court vision that set Bird and Magic apart from his peers, and 10x more athletic ability than either of them. LeBron is like a 6'9 260 lb Dr. J/Pippen/Magic/MJ all rolled into one.

Pretty sure he'd be a dominant player in any era, his bball IQ, passing ability and team oriented approach would work well. Kobe on the other hand, would be a chucker like his dad. Not sure how Bird or Magic would fare in this era, the league is more watered down, they'd be forced to do more night in and night out, and they both had limitations. Magic was a terrible defender, Bird was only a decent athlete and his back went out early.

Since this is all hypothetical though, maybe 00 version of Bird gets better treatment on his back, but what if he has a T-Mac like career in this era, without the stacked teams around him to ease his load?