I-77 NORTH
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Slowly but surely people, slowly but surely..
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LeBron James
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AZCavs
Sixth Man
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Did you watch LeBron the past few years in Miami? He has worked on his game with his back to the basket, using his strength to body up defenders and using the turn-around jumper to get buckets. MJ did this more as his career progressed. So did Kobe.
I want him to do that more. As he gets more comfortable with his teammates, he can use that move to draw double-teams and get others involved. He can also back down weaker players (virtually every player in the NBA) to get closer to the basket and take higher-percentage shots.
Sure, playing within the flow of the offense is ideal, but I'd like for the offense to find LeBron in the post so he can back down the defender more often. When that part of his game is on, it will open up the floor for everyone else.
Adam
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You and i are talking about slightly different things. I'm talking about getting the ball outside the 3 then dribbling into the post as the whole defense tilts towards him and the weakside is left open. the shooting it anyway. I have higher expectations of lebron, i expect melo and kobe to shoot it. If lebron could be aggressive on defense but not try to get his always on offense that would be perfect.
I know people will quote his amazing passing and assist numbers but its well known that he holds the ball for an assist instead of letting the ball swing from strong to weak. His next step as a leader of this team is to embrace the 'hockey assist' once more
Bandwagoner305
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Ditto. I've been saying this since the season started. Not only would LeBron be better off playing closer to the post and shooting around 55% or above from the field as he did with the Heat, but the team would benefit from that with its FG% increasing as well. The best way for a team to be an efficient scoring team is when its top scorers are shooting efficiently well from the field.
If the Cavs can put LeBron in spots to shoot at above 50% from the field while leading the team in scoring and putting Love in spots to pick his shots better and finally have a season where he can shoot at 50% from the field, then that's what it will take for the Cavs to reach the type of efficient/effective level they have to reach in order to play like a real championship contender on the offensive end.
Zen
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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...is-return-to-the-cavs-history-says-its-likely
Has LeBron James Lost a Step in His Return to the Cavs? History Says It's Likely
Not that I think it matters just an interesting read.
Has LeBron James Lost a Step in His Return to the Cavs? History Says It's Likely
Not that I think it matters just an interesting read.
Oh no -- it matters, a lot. That's a great article. Because Lebron has been so indestructible for so long people don't get how old he is in playing years. He *cannot* be Superman any more, it's just not possible. If he has to play with intensity on both the offensive and defensive ends for 40 minutes a game during the regular season, he just won't have what it takes to put this team over the top in the playoffs. I think he understands that quite well and it's part of his frustration.
But the Orlando game is a good model --if Lebron playing right for a couple of quarters sparks the rest of the team in the right way, then maybe he can get some good rest.
But Blatt cannot 'lean' on Lebron in the way so many past coaches have...
Green Lantern
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Thats not what I meant.He needs someone to be that leader type or voice that he respects, like Wade was.
AZCavs
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I read the article. Not sure what Bucher means by "lost a step". Losing steps is something that gradually happens over time, not in a 4 month summer. And if he means he lost a step in terms of explosion, he may be right, but what does that really mean anyway? A LeBron who is a step slower is still the best player in the NBA.
There are so many other contributing factors to LeBron's performance thus far. Everyone is grasping on this explosion thing or, like Bucher questions, the idea of him losing a step. There may be a little truth to it, but we've seen what kind of game he can have when he brings the effort. I think you can attribute his play to all of the other factors we've discussed ad nauseum (New coach, frustration with teammates, getting used to a new team, zero basketball this summer, pacing and, at times, effort) more so than you can point to him losing a step or not having the same explosion.
With each game that passes, he seems to get a little quicker, a little more comfortable with his body, a little more explosive. He's just not nearly hitting his head on the rim when he dunks. Big deal. It seems to me that he's not trying to jump out of the gym on open dunks. It's not that he can't, he just appears to be taking it easy in those instances.
Keep in mind, this is a guy who played at full energy, 40 minutes a game, throughout the entire season. He also played alongside Dwyane Wade, who is crumbling in his early 30's because of how much of a beating he took. He took that beating because of his style. I strongly dislike Dwyane Wade, but one thing I'll never take away from him as that he left it out on the court, every single night. But that also led to his decline and inability to stay healthy.
LeBron really carried the Heat the last two years. It wasn't just last season. He really started putting that team on his back when he publicly admitted that he had to go back to his "Cleveland days" to pull out a victory for Miami. Last season, he had to keep playing while Dwyane Wade was on a maintenance plan and resting.
While people -- even some on this board -- mocked the leg cramp issues, you can bet that's been in the back of his mind since the finals. Hence the discussion of reduced minutes, the talk about his teammates buying in and accepting a role to help the team, and the talk of the "process". He felt the brunt of what happens if you have to carry a team once you've been in the league for 10+ years. He also saw what his buddy has to deal with as his body deteriorates with age due to his style of play.
He has insinuated multiple times early this season and prior to the start of the season, that this will be a process. That means for him too. He realizes it's not a sprint, it's a marathon, so he's not going to approach games in November as he will later in the season.
That's not to say he isn't putting forth the effort, but he's most likely doing whatever he can to limit as much wear and tear as possible. If that means gliding to a rim-grazing dunk as opposed to jumping over the Ben McLemore's of the world, so be it.
I understand that those minutes will wear on him. He obviously does too. So while some folks are overly concerned about him being in decline, please understand that he is 29 years old, not 35. When Kobe was 29, it was the 2007/08 season and he had endured more injuries than LeBron has at this point. He did just fine for a few years after and he had supposedly "lost a step" too. And this is Kobe, a player who does not have the court-vision or passing ability that LeBron has. I'm thinking LeBron hasn't "lost a step", but he's adjusting his game, which will have some growing pains along the way.
There are so many other contributing factors to LeBron's performance thus far. Everyone is grasping on this explosion thing or, like Bucher questions, the idea of him losing a step. There may be a little truth to it, but we've seen what kind of game he can have when he brings the effort. I think you can attribute his play to all of the other factors we've discussed ad nauseum (New coach, frustration with teammates, getting used to a new team, zero basketball this summer, pacing and, at times, effort) more so than you can point to him losing a step or not having the same explosion.
With each game that passes, he seems to get a little quicker, a little more comfortable with his body, a little more explosive. He's just not nearly hitting his head on the rim when he dunks. Big deal. It seems to me that he's not trying to jump out of the gym on open dunks. It's not that he can't, he just appears to be taking it easy in those instances.
Keep in mind, this is a guy who played at full energy, 40 minutes a game, throughout the entire season. He also played alongside Dwyane Wade, who is crumbling in his early 30's because of how much of a beating he took. He took that beating because of his style. I strongly dislike Dwyane Wade, but one thing I'll never take away from him as that he left it out on the court, every single night. But that also led to his decline and inability to stay healthy.
LeBron really carried the Heat the last two years. It wasn't just last season. He really started putting that team on his back when he publicly admitted that he had to go back to his "Cleveland days" to pull out a victory for Miami. Last season, he had to keep playing while Dwyane Wade was on a maintenance plan and resting.
While people -- even some on this board -- mocked the leg cramp issues, you can bet that's been in the back of his mind since the finals. Hence the discussion of reduced minutes, the talk about his teammates buying in and accepting a role to help the team, and the talk of the "process". He felt the brunt of what happens if you have to carry a team once you've been in the league for 10+ years. He also saw what his buddy has to deal with as his body deteriorates with age due to his style of play.
He has insinuated multiple times early this season and prior to the start of the season, that this will be a process. That means for him too. He realizes it's not a sprint, it's a marathon, so he's not going to approach games in November as he will later in the season.
That's not to say he isn't putting forth the effort, but he's most likely doing whatever he can to limit as much wear and tear as possible. If that means gliding to a rim-grazing dunk as opposed to jumping over the Ben McLemore's of the world, so be it.
I understand that those minutes will wear on him. He obviously does too. So while some folks are overly concerned about him being in decline, please understand that he is 29 years old, not 35. When Kobe was 29, it was the 2007/08 season and he had endured more injuries than LeBron has at this point. He did just fine for a few years after and he had supposedly "lost a step" too. And this is Kobe, a player who does not have the court-vision or passing ability that LeBron has. I'm thinking LeBron hasn't "lost a step", but he's adjusting his game, which will have some growing pains along the way.
KI4MVP
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I have noticed less elevation this year (especially earlier in the season), but not less explosiveness otherwise. Lately he's gotten as high as he needs to do on plays, but no higher.
It's hard to tell if that's a real limitation or a purposeful decision. It certainly takes more energy and exposes him to more injury risk to jump as high as he used to.
I'll be interesting to see if LeBron has a jump out of the gym play at some point tonight following the article just to show he can still do that. I find it hard to believe he's lost about a foot in vertical jump in an offseason as just last year he had plays where his head was at or near the rim.
It's hard to tell if that's a real limitation or a purposeful decision. It certainly takes more energy and exposes him to more injury risk to jump as high as he used to.
I'll be interesting to see if LeBron has a jump out of the gym play at some point tonight following the article just to show he can still do that. I find it hard to believe he's lost about a foot in vertical jump in an offseason as just last year he had plays where his head was at or near the rim.
Mdog1
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Remember Kyrie saying he didn't like to dunk because it took more energy than a layup?
Maybe LeBron is starting to feel the same. He dropped 20 pounds, i see no reason to assume he lost quickness, or jumping ability, unless we give real credence to the HGH theory.
He has started talking about trying to prolong his career, playing below the rim is as good a way to do that as any.
Maybe LeBron is starting to feel the same. He dropped 20 pounds, i see no reason to assume he lost quickness, or jumping ability, unless we give real credence to the HGH theory.
He has started talking about trying to prolong his career, playing below the rim is as good a way to do that as any.
Walter White
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Side note, I think LeBron has figured it out. I think he has found the perfect balance of attacking and passing.