LeBron or Michael?

Who would you take...LeBron James? Or Michael Jordan?

I'm taking LeBron because of how much of a freak he is. Don't get me wrong, MJ was as well but LeBron is just unstoppable. You can say that MJ has more rings...but LeBron isn't done quite yet!

 

Jordan for right now.

Lebron is a more harrowing physical presence, but Jordan went up against some of the most physical defending you will ever see...which is really just a product of the league being different back then.

I'm not sure how Lebron would deal with getting hacked at night in and night out. While I do think some critics exaggerate how much more physical it was when Jordan played, I do believe more physicality was allowed. Nowadays, they operate under the motto that they want to "protect the players" .. hence you're going to see some soft ass calls.

Not Lebron's fault he's in this generation, but it doesn't really seem like he handles contact all that well (I don't mean physically, I mean emotionally).

 

Pretty much exactly how I feel. Thanks for making it easy on me Matt

 

There were just so many tough players back when Jordan played, and you could get away with so much more on defense. For Jordan to put up the numbers he did is just remarkable.

While Lebron may be quite more physically daunting than Jordan, the only real benefit that would ever give is if it was a straight up 1 versus 1 contest. Then, yeah, maybe you got Lebron with a good chance of winning.

But basketball is not played 1 v 1, and those Jordan teams were on a whole other level than these current Heat teams. Let's not forget that one Jordan team went 72-10 in one season...that is just RIDICULOUS.

 

Looooool The league was different in Jordan's era AKA "the golden age of sports" in simple terms the NBA was harder...

Players could trash talk, get in your head, foul harder, player rougher... Now if you even look at someone and it looks like your taunting them bang technical foul LOOL.

I remember watching the 1995 playoffs New York vs Pacers best series ever in my opinion...

John Starks throwing the basket-ball at the backboard in frustration OMG he could have legit hit a fan hard lool if that happened today $50,000 dollar fine and ejected from the game hahahahaha or even when Michael punched Reggie Miller and Reggie got ejected and he didn't LOL that was the good times.

I obviously pick Jordan he was the best who played the game EVER. >.>

 

Lebron is a better player, but Jordan has a more successful career. Give it time.

 

I'm not so sure about better player. Jordan faced stiffer competition. Would be hard to imagine Lebron with better numbers in the same era. Game is a lot different now, really not as many superstars as there used to be. Lot of overhyped players as well that are supposed to make huge waves when drafted and then are complete busts.

However, I don't factor in rings or anything like that when comparing them, because teams win titles, not any single player, no matter how good they are.

Then again, it's all supposition anyway I suppose. Impossible to really know.

My biggest apprehension about giving Lebron the nod over MJ has to do with the fact that the defense in the NBA is considerably weaker. Gone are the days of having a player who is entirely a defensive specialist. This could be due in large part to the rule changes and the protection of the players...which makes it even more impossible to truly compare MJ vs Lebron.

 

Stiffer competition...?

Teams back then only had about one all star every couple teams. Now almost every team has 2-3 all star caliber players that could keep up.

Yes, back then they had very good quality guys, but now teams have so many guys that are just physically and athletically beyond previous years.

 

You sort of just answered your own question. I couldn't disagree more with every team having 2-3 all star caliber players. You serious? The East was freaking garbage this yr rofl. The 8 seed was 6 goddamn games below .500!!!

The distribution of talent is non-existent in the NBA today. They all team up with each other to try and get titles. Is there anything wrong with that? I guess not..but team loyalty is non-existent in today's game. You used to have to beat teams that had been together for ages --- Like the Mavericks, Spurs, Kings, Lakers, Celtics, Nets, 76ers, Pacers, Jazz I could go on and on. The competition was indeed stiffer back then, there is no doubt.

They may be more physically daunting, which I already conceded, but that doesn't make them necessarily better than their past counterparts.

Fact of the matter is, outside of the Heat, most teams simply are NOT that good. The Pacers are average, and the only other teams that can probably compete with Miami is San Antonio or OKC. So...a 4 team league. Yet you say every team has 2-3 All-Stars? Not a chance dude...not a chance. Most teams are freaking garbage. Obviously they're NBA talent level players and will put up decent numbers..but that's because they play on a garbage team that most nights play other garbage teams because only 4 teams are really elite, if even. I would hardly call Indiana elite either.

You're also falsely, in my opinion, attributing talent alone to be the basis of "stiff competition". That is not the case. Talent alone is not enough. Team chemistry, good coaching, team cohesion, etc. is much better of a metric of judging how good competition is. Look at the Lakers last yr..on paper looked like more talent than the Heat..and they sucked. Why? No chemistry, terrible coaching = terrible competition.

 

Michael I don't even think it's close. Now you can't even touch someone without it being a foul the players aren't as good as they used to be ether. If anyone even comes close to Michael in the same talk it would be Kobe. Michael had that leadership and that will to win that Lebron doesn't Lebron is an overpaid Diva and I would take Kobe and Michael right now. Over Lebron.

 

Couldn't agree more with this. I find it insulting to Kobe it's always Lebron vs Jordan...what about Kobe? I always find myself saying.

Also BartonsVodka, to add to what I said before, it doesn't even matter if they're more physically daunting now, because the game is called way differently. If Jordan played in this soft era of free throws for anything, he'd be putting up even bigger numbers than he did when he played.

 

The guys now in the league are so much more explosive and athletic that I'm not sure Michael would be as effective. These guys are all 6' 8' and can jump out of the gym. These guys would enforce their will unto past players. It's simple, these guys are freak specimens and would run all day against them.

 

Speaking of Kobe and Jordan, I really like this video.

 

Jordan because Space Jam. #Truth

 

Watch the below video. He is out jumping all of his opponents and that's where his game came from. Honestly, he wouldn't be able to do a lot of that in todays game.

Don't get me wrong, he is a freakish athlete as well. But too many like him in todays game, if not more athletic.

Up to this point, he's still the best. Couple years, it's LeBron's time to reign. Kobe Bryant will end up being 3rd.

 

They wouldn't force their will onto past players because in this day and age of the NBA the slightest bit of contact is met with a whistle. This is MJ we are talking about, the amount of superstar calls he would get would probably surpass that of even a Kobe or a Lebron.

Maybe if Basketball was allowed to be played the same way today as back then, you'd be onto something.

Athleticism still doesn't cultivate into the end all be all of a player anyway. Many of these players in today's NBA don't have a high basketball IQ. There are so many players in the league that were one and dones in college and simply haven't developed or simply aren't that good. You have so many kids in the league, as Tracy Mcgrady said.

I still think the competition for LBJ is almost non existent. Nobody can honestly name a team outside of OKC, San Antonio, Miami, Indiana, that has a legitimate title shot.

 

Bring up the facts alone. The only person whom even comes close is kobe and that's enough said. Lebron is an over paid diva.

 

LBJ is one of the smartest players to have ever played the game. Just watch him, its obvious. Doesn't mean he does everything right, but 99% of the time he makes the right decisions, basketball team decisions.

 

Do you realize you have contributed nothing to this thread? A diva? Overpaid?

He is the most underpaid athlete for the skills he has. He's on his way for a 3 peat...How is he over paid? And to your 'diva' comment, not too sure if any NBA star is a diva except for Kris Humphries.

He would get the same amount of calls that superstars get now a days.

I do agree that it's more ticky tacky but there is still very physical play. People are getting thrown to the ground and everything still with no calls.

Where do you get the opinions of high basketball IQ? Most high caliber players are the ones with the high IQ. LeBron, Kobe, KD, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, John Wall, etc. Those guys are all crazy IQ levels. Also, why are you bringing the one and dones into this? Where did I ever state that one and dones were good for the league and were successful? The comments you made are invalid to this discussion.

The reason teams outside of those you named don't have a shot at the title is because the superstars of this league and their teams take advantage and shut them down. I would say every playoff team has a legitimate shot because they are all there for a reason. They may have a shitty record but that's because of different factors such as injuries, strength of schedule, etc.

All in all, the league has much more developed players now than they did back then. There were 3-4 teams that were good back then but now you've got a 10 high quality teams that can play with just about anyone. What teams you ask?

1. Heat
2. OKC
3. Spurs
4. Indiana
5. LA Clippers
6. Golden State Warriors
7. New York Knicks
8. Dallas Mavericks
9. Portland Trailblazers
10. Chicago Bulls
11. Washington Wizards
12. LA Lakers (they were trash this year but normally very good playoff team)
13. Houston Rockets
14. Phoenix Suns

Some of those teams you could argue but all those teams are legit playoff teams that have high quality players. Each of those teams have at least one guy that could stick up with past 'legends' and may not be worth too much at this day and age.

 

I agree partly, I think if the Heat win this year and Lebron continues to play like he is playing, it will be hard to pick Jordan over Lebron when the number say otherwise. Only thing about Jordan is that he never lost in the finals, where Lebron and Kobe both have.

Also Kobe is my favorite player but he isn't top 3 all time, people always forget the great centers that played, I have Kareem and Bill Russell above Kobe.