Lebron James might be the "king" but he is certainly not his "airness".
He is the youngest to ten thousand points. He helped lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA finals berth in the weakest conference in the history of sports. He’s ESPN’s puppet master, exaggerating his success and downplaying his failure. He is corporate sponsorships and the proud alum of the University of…nowhere. He is LeBron James.
I am so tired of hearing the comparison of “king” James to that of his "airness" Michael Jordan.
“But Ryan, he is the quickest to ten thousand points in NBA history AND he led his team to the NBA Finals a lot faster than MJ did,” the collective Le-HYPE fan nation yells back at me.
Of course he’s the quickest to ten thousand! For those of you who don’t remember, he forfeited any sort of college career to turn pro. Three years earlier than MJ. He got a head start, in a completely different type of league than that of when Jordan first came on the scene.
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For people to say that LeBron is even on the same level as Jordan is a disgrace to the game. I could puke up meaningless stats and awards, but there’s only one stat that truly stood out to me.
In Jordan’s ROOKIE year he scored more points than all but one of LeBron’s seasons so far. Plus, the one year that LeBron did outscore Jordan, it was only by about 100 points.
Another intangible that LeBron just simply doesn’t have: toughness.
LeBron has yet to play in all 82 of his team’s games. With the exception of his injury plagued second season which limited MJ to only 18 games, Jordan played in all 82 of his team’s games in six of his first seven seasons. LeBron has a very long way to go before he can even hold a candle to the greatest.
Forget about the greatest for a minute, Le-HYPE isn’t even the best the league TODAY. That title belongs to Kobe Bryant, who in my opinion, is head and shoulders above LeBron right now. Come back to me when you have a ring (or three) LeBron.
Now all those facts aside, I’m not saying LeBron is TERRIBLE.
He is a very important part of the direction that the NBA is headed in. If he can get people interested in the game like Jordan did, I’m all for it.
However, for Lebron to lead the league out of the shadow of the NFL or MLB, he first needs to get out of Cleveland and into a major market.
I’m just not going to buy in to all the “King James” hype. No, instead I’m going to hope and pray for another Michael Jordan comeback in Chicago. Only this time behind the bench….
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2 months ago
Whatever loser! You are just mad he is not in your city! Get a life! Jordan is a different player than Lebron the league is different now.....when Jordan himself says he is great and will go down in NBA history then what else do you want!
Get a life loser!
2 months ago
wow everyone is entitled to their opinion but sorry guy LBJ is already hitting oscar robertson numbers and at 23 he already is becoming one of the greats and he has not even hit his prime, and it should not matter if he is on the cavs to be one of the greats, what were the bulls before MJ just like the cavs. so really i think this is a horrible article and you should seriously consider never writing again. I will agree with you on one thing kobe at this point is better but he also has a team with a better roster and i seriously doubt that kobe could carry his team the way LBJ did with all of the contract holdouts and injuries. you have proven that you do not really know what you are talking about
2 months ago
Great article, Ryan. I agree completely. These two can not be compared yet, but maybe soon.
2 months ago
lebron is young. he doesnt need to be in ny his star is already the biggest in cleveland. in time he will develop mentally into the toughest player in the nba. he has already made huge mental strides in the past few years
2 months ago
i love it when people debate imaginary people.
2 months ago
bob im not saying he's not talented. im saying that he can't be compared with Jordan, which is what most people do. Of course hes talented and one of the stars of the league, but he's obviously not the greatest in the game today. And of course he's hitting those type of numbers at 23. Remember he didn't go to college. A 3 year head start makes a huge difference.
2 months ago
your argument is solid. but there is no need to bash lebron in the article by calling him "le Hype" ect. all he has done is live up to the hype which is a rarity in sports today.
from 2 months ago
well you can't tell me that he's not over-hyped just a little bit
2 months ago
and also bob, if you read the article you would notice that i didnt say he needed to leave cleveland to be great. I said if he is going to put bring back the glory days of the nba, he's going to need to be playing in a larger market. Boston, NY, Chicago, LA, etc. Playing in Cleveland won't stop him from being successful.
2 months ago
Lebron has no life at all. i like how the cavs won 5 less games then last year and he even got his way with getting Ben Wallace and Wally. so yeah good job lebron way to loose five less games then last year. also i thought he is so post to improve every year yeah this is as good as he is going to get he will not be better.
2 months ago
good article.. i agree with the title, and with most of your points. Kobe is the superior player, and a lot of Lebron's accolades are somewhat overrated. The dude didn't deserve to be the sole rookie of the year in 03. But I do think Lebron is tough. I think he proved to be so against Washington in the playoffs. What I dislike most about Lebron however, is that he always blames his teammates. He'll say something like "we definitely need to make some changes... or we definitely should trade for Jason Kidd" and I just think it sends the wrong message to your team.
2 months ago
is he wrong Jeffrey. Michael Jordan would have said the same thing. Kobe has been saying that for 5 years, including just months ago! LeBron wants to win just as bad as anyone else in the league including Kobe. Nevertheless he does a great job of getting his current teammates (who are decent at best) good looks and he gives them confidence.
from 2 months ago
Did you say that he said "WE"... or did you say that he blames his teamates? Which one? You seem a little confused.
2 months ago
like i said, he won't get any better until he gets out of the Cleveland organization
from 2 months ago
Does getting out of Cleveland come with super powers or something... what have you heard?
2 months ago
well clevelands got 2 years to get him his allstar sidekick ala gasol or kg. otherwise he is probobly gone
from 2 months ago
What if Daniel Gibson and/or Delonte West become All-Stars?
2 months ago
I think it is far passed the time everyone stopped comparing players to MJ - LeBron isn't close yet (but I do think it is fair to give LeBron his full career to see where he can go). Kobe is closer but even he isn't close. Kobe's best season was just another average year for Jordan. Sometimes with the passage of time, we tend to either inflate or deflate our memories of players - the consistency of Jordan's greatness seems to be forgotten when I hear many people having these conversations of is X player as good as Jordan.
from 2 months ago
Truly the wisest comment I have read thus far.
2 months ago
how many guys are going to come out of this draft NBA ready,or at least be an impact player, therefore would it not be harder coming straight out from high school with these expectations and actually delivering. LBJ has more playoff experience than bostons big three combined. does this not indicate some sort of special dynamic, not to mention the fact that he could walk right out on the NBA and right in to the NFL. This is the birth of a new era in basketball and it does not matter what market you are in if the level of play is off the charts then people will watch and be amazed. the level of talent in the NBA right now truly exceptional. Lebron is at the top of the list and many of the greats already know and say this, it is only the beginning
2 months ago
well clevelands got 2 years to get him his allstar sidekick ala gasol or kg. otherwise he is probobly gone
2 months ago
2003-04 79 Games played
2004-05 80 Games played
2005-06 79 Games played
2006-07 78 Games played
2007-08 75 Games played
Wow he sure has missed a lot of games better write into the commissioner I don't think this is a good player at all.
Come on Ryan!! He has missed a handful of games and still has put up record numbers but it is people like you Ryan (Lebron haters) that always will bash LeBron and Cleveland because you do not have him in your city.
Best overall Statistical year of Career for Michael Jordan:
1989, his fifth NBA season. He averaged 40 minutes per game, he shot 53% from the field had 8 rebounds and 8 assist per game to go along with 32.5 points a game. He also had 2.89 steals and nearly a block per game.
Best overall statistical year to date for LeBron James:
-2005-2006 seasons, his third year in the NBA. He averaged 42 minutes per game, he shot 47.2% from the field, grabbed 7.0 rebounds a game, dished out 6.6 assists, and averaged 31.4 point per game. To go along with those numbers he had 1.8 steals and nearly a block per game. LeBron compiled some pretty comparable statistics to Jordan's best year ever... And he only had three years to choose from!
L. James First 300 Games---M. Jordan's First 300 games:
Total Points: 8,008---------Total Points: 9,800
Rebounds: 1,994-------------Rebounds: 1,765
Assists: 1,927------------------Assists: 1,684
Steals: 529---------------------Steals: 832
Blocks: 220---------------------Blocks: 375
Turnovers: 995--------------Turnovers: 989
Look how close they are and it would not matter that LeBron got an early start if anything it would have made Lebron a more rounded player and these numbers would be more one sided in LeBron's favor!
So check this out Ryan if he is so horrible and won't get better until he leaves Cleveland (which I have no idea where you got that from) why does he say he loves Cleveland and he comes from this area and he built this huge mansion and his family is here. Where did Michael play? One Team! Larry Bird? One Team! Kobe Bryant? One Team! Great players stay with one team with the good and the bad. So stop being a basher just because he is not in your city and get a life!!!!
from 2 months ago
im just going to go ahead and point out that MJ had about 1800 points than lebron through his first 300 games, had over 300 more steals, and over 150 more blocks. And you say they are close? MJ was obviously a better defender and overall player. ANNNND you just prove my point about playing in a big market. Look where all those players you mentioned played - Bird -Boston, MJ - Chicago, Kobe- LA. All big market teams willing to spend money and build a team around their star. Also, just to note, a 72% free throw percentage for Lebron compared to an 84% for Micheal.
2 months ago
If you wanna hate, hate. But I think you'd be writing a different story if Lebron was traded to the Bulls tomorrow.
2 months ago
You just gotta get that DIRT off your shouders. Ryan is just your typical, everyday, run-of-the-mill HATER. Haters will ALWAYS hate and they will always be there hating no matter WHAT YOU SAY. LeBron could surpass ALL of MJ's number in one season and Ryan would still be HATIN'. That's what haters do best. HATE! Ryan's rant is not about Jordan or stats... he's just hating. And he'll probably hate in a NEW way tomorrow just like he did YESTERDAY. You can't do nothing but BRUSH THEM HATERS OFF. Gon'n brush your shoulders off!
2 months ago
you logic about big market in the NBA is rediculous, if LBJ can only get the respect he deserves in a big market team why does Tim Duncan get so much respect and also built a dynasty in san antonio that is not a big market team and if that is the case then i will assume AI and Melo will never have a shot even together in denver cause its not a big market team so i should go ahead and say that LBJ Wade and Melo might as well just join up on one of the big market teams cause otherwise they do not stand a chance of ever "bringing back the glory days" to the NBA. we do not want to bring back the glory days unless magic mj and bird are feeling good enough to go but let me point this out the reason they were the glory days is because of the level of competition in the NBA at that time it was unprecedented. now we are seeing with some of those names I just shot off a new era with ultra competitive players whose skill set is unique and they are all playing at the same time. the reason the NBA dropped in ratings over the past 10 years is because the glory day players retired and gave the NBA over to the likes of shawn kemp and penny hardaway , now thats funny. Furthur more there is only some many times you can watch the really solid but horribly boring fundamentaly sound spurs win a championship cause it is vanilla people want action and that is just what they are going to get
2 months ago
Bob that is a horrible example because wade had the best center of all time to draw double teams and wade is a supestar himself and miami is a fairly large market considering nobody i.e. the magic take away their fans. And yes Melo and A.I will never win a championship because that team is made up of a group of ball hogs and thugs!!
2 months ago
miami is not boston, or chicago , or La so it still supports my point that it does not matter what market you are in and i will bet up if the nuggets learned how do play a little d they might actually have a chance to get past the first round.
2 months ago
No Miami is not Chicago but they still have a lot of influential people in their orginization that know how to market that is why they will be successful in the coming years. The nuggets style is not condusive to winning in today's NBA which is more of a half court style team game rather than the run and gun style that has failed the suns and nuggets so many times. And no i would not want Lebron in chicago because he doesn't play defense unless he is trying to run some one down and pin their shit against the backboard to show off.
2 months ago
Nathan--
That is ridiculous. MJ has been in Charlotte for how long now and where are they? They suck! And Lebrons defense is awesome.
-LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Oscar Robinson were the only three rookies in NBA history to average 20-5-5 in their first NBA season.
-LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant are the only three players to score 35 points or more in nine straight games since 1970.
-LeBron James and Michael Jordan are two of only four players to average at least 30 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds for a season.
-LeBron James and Oscar Robinson are the only two players to average 27-6-6 for three straight years.
-LeBron James is the youngest player to score 40 points in a NBA game, to score 50 points in a NBA game, to win the rookie of the year award, to record a triple double (he did it against my Blazers, I was at the game!), to be selected to the all-star team, to average 30 points for a season.
from 2 months ago
And the youngest player in NBA history to win MVP of the All-Star games... twice!
2 months ago
Sounds Like The Writer Of This Article Dosent Like LeBron Now It Is True He Cannot Be Compared To Mike Yet Michael And Lebron Are My 2 Favorite Players Ever LeBron Is The Best In The NBA Only Reason Kobe Has Three Rings Is.........SHAQ DIESEL....Who Wouldnt Get A Ring With Shaq In His Prime Kobe Is A Overrated Ballhog Lebron Probly Has More Assists Than Kobe and He's Been In The League 2wice as long as Lebron Point Blank
2 months ago
Why even compare? Why can't a talent just come at the game from HIS angle, run HIS game in HIS way and leave HIS mark... in HIS era?
2 months ago
Whats up Ryan can't handle the heat anymore? Don't like it when you are dead wrong! I have some advice. Do some homework before you come out of your hole!
from 2 months ago
the defense played in the NBA today is like highschool compared the teams that Jordan faced.
2 months ago
I live in Ohio and there a very few people who say LeBron is better then Jordan and even those people are seen as ignorant. I don't know who your talking to saying LeBron is better, LeBron knows he is not even the best player in the league yet and he has said several times Kobe is better. I don't know why the hell you hate on a player because he "can't fly with Jordan" dude your a dumbass, no player can compare to Jordan and you single out LeBron because your a ignorant dumbass who wants to hate on a good player.
2 months ago
I hate people like you who think we need to "restore the glory days of the nba" by recreateing damn dynastys.... Why not watch new dynastys instead of trying to drive players to the top teams of the 80's and 90's so we can see the old matchups. Who the hell cares about the old matchups I find it more interesting when a player goes to a team and starts his own dynasty.
2 months ago
Your analysis is terribly flawed. You have discounted factors like age, MJ played for a great college program (won a national title I believe), found consistent role players on his team and had a superstar who emerged with him. There was the same type of discussion back then about MJ needing help. Not to mention MJ had a few people who could hit outside shots if you recall. Kobe, is the son of a professional player, came to a world class organization with championship credentials, and had the most dominate player in the league on his team (and role players. hint ,hint, hint) and great coach. Lebron is his own player, a mixed between MJ and Magic. His game and stats speaks for themselves. He took the CAVS to the finals with a loterry team and a coach who is young and not a great offensive mind. Kobe for all his greatness was on the verge of a meltdown last year. He has finally developed a sense of maturity and leadership that Lebron has displayed from almost the start. All three players are great and part of a tradition that has evolved. We have been blessed to have some of the most exciting players emerge in succession from Dr. J, Bryd and Magic, MJ, and now Lebron. The need to compare is natural, but for most sport writers who have never worn a jock strap they are doing more entertaining than serious analysis. You are still young so perhaps there is hope. You can rest assured that there are about 29 other teams hoping Lebron doesn't find the role players and another superstar to play with him. Good luck with your career.
2 months ago
Hey Mark what did I say about MJ in charlotte? What does his post playing days have to do with how much of a better ambassador for the game that he was? Those numbers lebron is putting up is with no real teammates so i will give him the props there but he on the other hand that means he can take a shot anythime he wants down the court. I am done arguining this point because d wade, CP3 and kobe are fun to watch in comparision to Mister James.
2 months ago
I've never had a conversation with anyone who compared Lebron with Michael. The media created this comparison when Lebron was in high school. As they did with Kobe, Vince, T-Mac, and Grant Hill. The same with the little known Gerald Wallace and Harold Miner. It wasn't until Lebron and D-Wade showed up that it came to an end.
The fact of the matter is they cannot be compared. 2 different eras, 2 different players, and they wore different shorts.
2 months ago
I've never had a conversation with anyone who compared Lebron with Michael. The media created this comparison when Lebron was in high school. As they did with Kobe, Vince, T-Mac, and Grant Hill. The same with the little known Gerald Wallace and Harold Miner. It wasn't until Lebron and D-Wade showed up that it came to an end.
The fact of the matter is they cannot be compared. 2 different eras, 2 different players, and they wore different shorts.
2 months ago
You really can't compare LeBron to Jordan, and people who do are idiots. LeBron may go down as one of the 15 or 20 greatest players of all-time. He may even be good enough to compare to the likes of Magic Johnson or Oscar Robertson, but Michael Jordan is the GREATEST player, figure, and icon in the history of the National Basketball Association, and arguably in all of sports. To compare anyone to him, whether it be LeBron, Kobe, or ANYONE, is ridiculous. Well put, Ryan.
2 months ago
See, Collin gets what i'm trying to say. Most of you seemed to miss the point of my article, which is that they can't be compared.
2 months ago
Well Ryan if that was the main point of your article you didn't have to throw LeBron and Cleveland under the bus like that to prove it. If you talked to LeBron himself I gurantee you he wouldn't even think about trying to say he is better than Jordan.
2 months ago
All im saying is that LeBron won't win a championship in Cleveland, at least not with the way the organization has proved that it is unable to get a good supporting cast around him.
2 months ago
Since Ferry has came in he has always been in a bad situation from previous management. He had one chance to get a big time free agent and you can't blame him for Larry Hughes being terrible. Ferry has suffered from bad cap situations and limited draft picks because the GM before him. Wally Szerbiack has a 12+ mil expiring contract going into next season, after this off season or mid season Cleveland will be a team to watch out for. The year after that you have a 14million Ben Wallace expiring contract and a 11+ million expiring in Zydrunas Ilgauskas. You can't really blame the current management over what is going on right now but if nothing happens in the next two years with all this trade material then you can start calling the management bad.
2 months ago
Shut up Luke Skywalker.
2 months ago
You know i'm right Collin.
2 months ago
Or we can just give everyone a pat on the back and say good job on the courts today.
they're all great players. that's why they're in the biz.
I did stop watching the NBA after Jordan quit though. Wasn't fun anymore. It's all about the money now. I'll stick to watching college ball
2 months ago
KG is the only player i can actually watch today and say, "He wants to win more than a paycheck."
2 months ago
Why did you even right this it is stupid....
from 2 months ago
haven't read any of the articles you've written yet. Oh that's right, because you haven't written any. And its WRITE.
2 months ago
I should write a article on how all wannabee dumbass sports writers bash Cleveland because they don't know what the city is all about. I could also write a article about dumbass bandwagon sportswriters who only cheer for big market teams with the best chance to win. I could also write a article about dumbass wannabee writers who contradict the very article they just wrote to make points.
from 2 months ago
Do it. Don't sit at your computer and bitch about what other people write. Write it down. And bandwagon my ass. I'm a die-hard Bulls fan so don't talk to me about jumping on the bandwagon, because i was rooting for them during the whole Jalen Rose phase. And I stand by LeBron never winning a championship in Cleveland, just like KG couldn't in Minnesota.
from 2 months ago
And it is "aN article," not "a article." Sorry, bad grammar drives me nuts.
2 months ago
You trash Cleveland's management but you are a fan of the Bulls and you condone LeBron going to New York! My goodness because the New York Knicks are such a powerhouse because of their great management. Cleveland made the finals last year, the Bulls eliminated in the second round, Cleveland takes Boston to 7 games in the second round this year, the Bulls are a lotterey team. I guess basketball in Chicago right now is so shit you would like it to be shit for everyone else.
from 2 months ago
No I'm saying that Cleveland WILL NOT be able to build a good enough supporting cast to win a title. and he would be ok going to the Knicks because they are willing to spend money to build a team around him. And still being a fan of the Bulls kinda proves i don't jump on the bandwagon.
2 months ago
I am not sure you understand. Just because the knicks have a large fan base and are in a big market doesn't mean they can just spend money. There is a cap for all teams, when Ferry came in he has been plagued by lack of draft picks and terrible contracts. Over the next 2 years is when you will see what Clevelands management can really do with the contracts they have comeing off the books they can really build a contender. I don't see where you get your logic they wont be able to build a contender. Your a bulls fan tell me how many years did it take for the Bulls to build a team for Jordan to win a championship. It takes time to build a championship team and no teams really have room to talk about bad teams because no team but the Lakers and Spurs has been able to build a consistent contender since the 90's.
2 months ago
And when we do win a title here will you come back and apologize.
NO! Dumbass! Climb back under the rock you came from underneath LOSER! Chicago sucks! And so do you!
2 months ago
Please read my article on why this comparison is unfair to LeBron James.
We need to stop trying to replace Michael Jordan and appreciate the game's great athletes as themselves. Jordan is the greatest winner this generation has seen but he was far from perfect.
Jordan was not so good that we should use him as a litmus test for every young NBA star. You should not have to be as good as or better than his airness to be a valid superstar in today's league.
Why can't we just say LeBron James is great and leave it at that. Kobe Bryant is great and leave it at that.
Why must we compare them to an athlete that our minds tell us is not beatable? Why does James have to fly with his airness?
If he never does, does that mean James had a failed career? Will we stop admitting players into the hall of fame because Michael Jordan is better than them?
2 months ago
And furthermore Ryan. Stop telling people to write when you cannot do so yourself
from 2 months ago
Right, because you're so much better. And hey, at least the Bulls have won a championship or six before.
2 months ago
"Of course he’s the quickest to ten thousand! For those of you who don’t remember, he forfeited any sort of college career to turn pro."
"Forget about the greatest for a minute, Le-HYPE isn’t even the best the league TODAY. That title belongs to Kobe Bryant, who in my opinion, is head and shoulders above LeBron right now. Come back to me when you have a ring (or three) LeBron."
Well he did get to ten thousand faster than Kobe and Kobe skipped college too so you know..
Kobe wasn't even the best player on the teams when he won the championship who was the finals mvp of those three?
It seems to me that when people argue the best player in the world right know it automatically goes to Kobe. The media will tell you everyday Kobe is no doubt the best player. Well watching both Kobe and LeBron alot this season I wouldn't say it is so clear cut.
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