How many years left for Lebron

[byennie]

As much as it pains me, I think only injuries will slow down LeBron between now and his late 30s. If his body holds up, his passing, size, and even respectable shooting these days will still make him a good player as his athleticism wanes.

Dude has his (character?) flaws, but he's far more than just an athletic wing and could lose a lot of things while still being an above average NBA player.

[celticsclay]

I could see him reinventing his game as parts of his athleticism/explosiveness leaves... He's still an elite player in several under-utilized ways.

Do you really see him possessing the mental toughness to re-invent himself? 

Absolutely.  Don't buy into the nonsensical hate spewed by the the blatantly jealous crabbypants crowd... Bron clearly has mental toughness. He's an all around elite player. I could see him using his size to become a post player... He's got elite size and stength... Essentially Karl Malones body. Or perhaps he will play a Scottie pippen trailblazers point forward role... He's and elite passer.  He can evolve in a multitude of ways as he ages.  If he stays healthy, he will be an effective impact player well into his late 30s.

He was supposed to be the second coming of magic johnson due to his elite passing ability, but his unreal stength/athleticism/scoring prowess evolved him into a 30 pt scorer.  Don't be shocked if 41 year old Lebron is averaging 15 points and 11 assists

If people that call him mentally weak are haters (which I don't think I have said anything about in this thread) Saying he could average 15 and 11 as a 41 year old is what? Extreme hyperbole? This doesn't really even merit a response, but I will give you one.

By the time Lebron is 41 he would be playing in his 24th season which would be two more than anyone else in the history of the league. In fact, as of 2013 only 21 players that had appeared in a game in their 40's. Of this list it could probably be said that only Malone, Stockton, Jordan and jabbar were moderately effective. Even Jordan despite saving his body from 5 years of wear and tear through retirements, could only manage 20 and 6 in the season turned 40 at the end of. Lebron has also never averaged more than 8.5 assists in his career.

http://www.basketballlists.com/2013/03/over-hill-21-nba-players-who-stayed.html

[MBunge]

I could see him using his size to become a post player... He's got elite size and stength... Essentially Karl Malones body. Or perhaps he will play a Scottie pippen trailblazers point forward role... He's and elite passer.

Except for a few flashes, LeBron has spent his career NOT posting up against players smaller than him.  I have some doubt he wants to spend a lot of time going forward banging with guys just as big as he is.  And LeBron is great at drawing the defense and kicking it to an open man.  Beyond that, his other point guard skills really aren't that special.

Mike

[MBunge]

LeBron to finish his career above 40,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists.

If LeBron maintains his exact same level of production for 5 more years, he'll be over 5,000 short of that mark in points, a couple thousand short in rebound and around a thousand short in assists.  And I suspect at least one of those categories is going to fall off.

Mike

[Celtics18]

My guess is that he'll retire after the 2013-2014 season and go traveling around the world to find his inner peace.

But that's just a guess.