2011 CB draft: How does my team look?/division rankings

[mgent]

Walker played great, and put up great numbers but once he got matched up against a good opponent he couldn't do anything to help his team win.

You could say the exact same thing about the best player in the NBA.

I'm not sure if you're making a point in general, or if you're talking about Lebron's ineffectiveness in the clutch.

LeBron has always picked on weaker players/teams/defenses.  That's where he inflates his stats.  That's when the Cavs always blew out teams while they struggled against the contenders/good defenses.

Same thing with the Heat last year.  I'm pretty sure they were the worst team among contenders vs. contenders.  He would've continued to get bounced by Boston's defense in the playoffs if he didn't team up with Wade.

[StartOrien]

LeBron has always picked on weaker players/teams/defenses.  That's where he inflates his stats.  That's when the Cavs always blew out teams while they struggled against the contenders/good defenses.

Same thing with the Heat last year.  I'm pretty sure they were the worst team among contenders vs. contenders.  He would've continued to get bounced by Boston's defense in the playoffs if he didn't team up with Wade.

Sure. And I'd say that's a valid criticism of him.

But there's plenty of superstars who maintain their level of play in the clutch/against great defense.

[StartOrien]

guys guys guys.... Lets all just agree there was no team that was going to beat

Chauncey Billups
Wes Matthews
Lebron
Paul Millsap
Tyson Chandler

in the playoffs.  It just wouldnt happen

This is probably accurate.

[nickagneta]

LeBron has always picked on weaker players/teams/defenses.  That's where he inflates his stats.  That's when the Cavs always blew out teams while they struggled against the contenders/good defenses.

This is completely wrong.
 
During the regular season and during most playoff series Lebron is a monster versus whoever he plays. Check out his splits vs each team. Last year:

vs Boston 28.5/6.5/6.5
vs Chicago 27.5/9/5.5
vs LA 23/9.5/9.5
vs Orlando 30/7.3/5.8
vs Portland 37.5/12/7.5
vs SA 23.5/7/7.5

In previous years its the same thing. His numbers vary from year to year but he plays as big against great teams as he does poor teams. The thing is that on the biggest stage, the NBA Finals, Lebron has sucked the two times he got there. But in just about every other playoff series he has been great to otherworldly and his regular season play over the last 4 years is unquestionably awesome, no matter who he plays.

He's not a stat padder and he doesn't shrink from competition. He's had two horrid series while in the largest stage of the game. I call that choking, not stat padding or taking advantage of the poor competition or shrinking against the best competition because I just don't think there's any proof of that.

[The Walker Wiggle]

As for Lewis at SF, I don't know what to tell people.  He played primarily small forward in Washington, and he outproduced his opponents there.  If others aren't seeing it, there's not much I can say to convince them.

I don't have a problem with Lewis at the 3. But how many games did he play in total last season?  Sixty? That sound you hear is either Hobbs' 2010 championship bubble bursting or Garcia's exercise ball.

[indeedproceed]

LeBron is always going to be weak in the clutch, until he wins a championship. Then, he will 'have needed teammates to bail him out' in order to win, unlike Bird (multiple HOF'ers), Magic (multiple HOF'ers), or Jordan (multiple HOFers).

LeBron sucks cuz we hate him. We don't hate him cuz he sucks.

[nickagneta]

I'll still put my team in 2010 up against any other in hindsight given what the players did last year:

Boxers -2010

Andrew Bynum
Luis Scola
Wilson Chandler
Manu Ginobili
Raymond Felton

Udonis Haslem
Leandro Barbosa
Chase Budinger
Jerryd Bayless
Jodie Meeks
Donte Greene
Ian Mahinmi
Jamal Magliore

And as for 2011

guys guys guys.... Lets all just agree there was no team that was going to beat

Chauncey Billups
Wes Matthews
Lebron
Paul Millsap
Tyson Chandler

in the playoffs.  It just wouldnt happen

My esteemed colleague said it all.

[StartOrien]

LeBron is always going to be weak in the clutch, until he wins a championship. Then, he will 'have needed teammates to bail him out' in order to win, unlike Bird (multiple HOF'ers), Magic (multiple HOF'ers), or Jordan (multiple HOFers).

LeBron sucks cuz we hate him. We don't hate him cuz he sucks.

(People) hate ballaz these days...

[indeedproceed]

I'll still put my team in 2010 up against any other in hindsight given what the players did last year:

Boxers -2010

Andrew Bynum
Luis Scola
Wilson Chandler
Manu Ginobili
Raymond Felton

Udonis Haslem
Leandro Barbosa
Chase Budinger
Jerryd Bayless
Jodie Meeks
Donte Greene
Ian Mahinmi
Jamal Magliore

Magliore is holding that team back.

[Roy H.]

LeBron is always going to be weak in the clutch, until he wins a championship. Then, he will 'have needed teammates to bail him out' in order to win, unlike Bird (multiple HOF'ers), Magic (multiple HOF'ers), or Jordan (multiple HOFers).

LeBron sucks cuz we hate him. We don't hate him cuz he sucks.

Our opinion of Lebron is definitely fueled by our hatred.

At the same time, the dude deserves most of the criticism he gets.  He has truly carried some teams on his back... until the spotlight shines the hottest.  Then, he shrinks under the weight of expectations.

I have never seen a "great" player play as passively as Lebron did in last year's finals.  It knocked him down a historical notch or two in my book.  As much as I hate Kobe, he was never scared of failure.  He might not always come up big in the clutch, but he's not afraid to keep shooting.

[nickagneta]

LeBron is always going to be weak in the clutch, until he wins a championship. Then, he will 'have needed teammates to bail him out' in order to win, unlike Bird (multiple HOF'ers), Magic (multiple HOF'ers), or Jordan (multiple HOFers).

LeBron sucks cuz we hate him. We don't hate him cuz he sucks.

I will never draft Lebron in a CB Draft ever again because unless you surround him with Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzski and Dwyane Wade, you just don't stand a chance of winning the arbitrary vote.

[Roy H.]

I'll still put my team in 2010 up against any other in hindsight given what the players did last year:

Boxers -2010

Andrew Bynum
Luis Scola
Wilson Chandler
Manu Ginobili
Raymond Felton

Udonis Haslem
Leandro Barbosa
Chase Budinger
Jerryd Bayless
Jodie Meeks
Donte Greene
Ian Mahinmi
Jamal Magliore

If this team was healthy going into the playoffs, it would have been very, very good.

[indeedproceed]

LeBron is always going to be weak in the clutch, until he wins a championship. Then, he will 'have needed teammates to bail him out' in order to win, unlike Bird (multiple HOF'ers), Magic (multiple HOF'ers), or Jordan (multiple HOFers).

LeBron sucks cuz we hate him. We don't hate him cuz he sucks.

People hate ballaz these days...

TP awarded. Wassup celticsblog where my trophy at?

[nickagneta]

LeBron is always going to be weak in the clutch, until he wins a championship. Then, he will 'have needed teammates to bail him out' in order to win, unlike Bird (multiple HOF'ers), Magic (multiple HOF'ers), or Jordan (multiple HOFers).

LeBron sucks cuz we hate him. We don't hate him cuz he sucks.

Our opinion of Lebron is definitely fueled by our hatred.

At the same time, the dude deserves most of the criticism he gets.  He has truly carried some teams on his back... until the spotlight shines the hottest.  Then, he shrinks under the weight of expectations.

I have never seen a "great" player play as passively as Lebron did in last year's finals.  It knocked him down a historical notch or two in my book.  As much as I hate Kobe, he was never scared of failure.  He might not always come up big in the clutch, but he's not afraid to keep shooting.

I agree about last year. And also his reluctance to go to the hole against Boston in the playoffs the year before. Just looked afraid to fail.

That said, other than that very large last stage, the man is a beast and it doesn't matter who he's playing.

[StartOrien]

LeBron is always going to be weak in the clutch, until he wins a championship. Then, he will 'have needed teammates to bail him out' in order to win, unlike Bird (multiple HOF'ers), Magic (multiple HOF'ers), or Jordan (multiple HOFers).

LeBron sucks cuz we hate him. We don't hate him cuz he sucks.

I will never draft Lebron in a CB Draft ever again because unless you surround him with Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzski and Dwyane Wade, you just don't stand a chance of winning the arbitrary vote.

I don't "agree" with it from a real basketball stand point, but as far as winning this draft I think you may be right.

That being said, he guarantees to bring you so far.