Lebron Upset He was 2nd in DPOY

[jgod213]

For me, it's not about whether he deserved to win, but elaborately complaining about why you didn't win. Let your coach or your teammates argue the case for you.

That's like when PP didn't get picked to be an All-Star. Rondo and KG made the case for why he should've been picked. You didn't hear PP give a long laundry list of reasons he should have made it.

He was asked a direct question.  Did you want him to just ignore it or be honest about it and move on?

LeBron wants to be the best defensive player in the NBA and wants to be recognized as such, too.

It's amazing how often you hear people talk about how they'd love it if athletes were more honest and less wishy-washy with their retorts, but then when a player answers a question frankly he takes heat for not side-stepping it.

[nostar]

At some point, you have to figure that maybe, just maybe, he's not some caricature of a coddled media-manufactured golden boy, and is in fact really, really, really good at basketball - on both ends.  Doesn't mean we've gotta like him, though.

Yeah and I'm struggling to remember a time where I was on the same side as Lebron James, but in this case I think he has a pretty reasonable complaint. Kevin Garnett and Tyson Chandler won the award in large part because of the culture they brought and the "team defense" they anchored. Dwight won it on pure stats. I'm not sure which category Marc Gasol belongs in but Lebron is as good as Gasol in every statistical category and better in most. The best team defense in the NBA was the Pacers and Roy Hibbert had almost identical stats to Marc Gasol. I'm struggling to see the justification for Gasol except that he's an amazing center on a great defensive team. Roy Hibbert is a good center on the best defensive team.

To be clear I don't think Hibbert should be in consideration for DPOY. I just think that Lebron should have won it. God I hate when he wins things =)

[Roy H.]

Humble, for sure.  He basically described himself as the most versatile defender in NBA history.

I mean, he is?

No way.  Rodman would defend circles around Lebron, inside (when he competed against *legitimate* big men) and out.

[Chris]

Humble, for sure.  He basically described himself as the most versatile defender in NBA history.

I mean, he is?

No way.  Rodman would defend circles around Lebron, inside (when he competed against *legitimate* big men) and out.

While I think Rodman had an advantage playing his prime years in a league where there weren't nearly as many athletes, so his freakish abilities defensively stood out even more, you are probably right. 

[Fafnir]

Humble, for sure.  He basically described himself as the most versatile defender in NBA history.

I mean, he is?

No way.  Rodman would defend circles around Lebron, inside (when he competed against *legitimate* big men) and out.

I think its a very hard comparison to make, Rodman never played when you weren't allowed to consistently hand check or armbar perimeter players.

Just a different brand of defense now-a-days.

[Moranis]

Waiting for the thread for these statements from KD.

“I’ve been second my whole life, I was the second-best player in high school. I was the second pick in the draft. I’ve been second in the MVP voting three times. I came in second in the Finals. I’m tired of being second. I’m not going to settle for that. I’m done with it.”

[Moranis]

Oh and lets be clear. 

Answer 1 on question about finishing 2nd

“It sucks,” “It just sucks.”  “It definitely sucks, finishing second,” “Who wants to finish second?”

Question 2 - is this your best season as a defender?

Answer 2 - James said “probably” and then presented his case.

“I guard everybody on the floor,” James said. “I don’t [know of] one player in NBA history who guards one through five. So … it’s over with now, but that’s OK.”


So he described why he thought it was his best season as a defender, yet his statement is being presented like he just described all of that to why it sucks being 2nd. 

Context is everything.

[BballTim]

Humble, for sure.  He basically described himself as the most versatile defender in NBA history.

I mean, he is?

No way.  Rodman would defend circles around Lebron, inside (when he competed against *legitimate* big men) and out.

While I think Rodman had an advantage playing his prime years in a league where there weren't nearly as many athletes, so his freakish abilities defensively stood out even more, you are probably right.

  Have you seen any videos of basketball back then? Were they in black and white?

[Chris]

Humble, for sure.  He basically described himself as the most versatile defender in NBA history.

I mean, he is?

No way.  Rodman would defend circles around Lebron, inside (when he competed against *legitimate* big men) and out.

While I think Rodman had an advantage playing his prime years in a league where there weren't nearly as many athletes, so his freakish abilities defensively stood out even more, you are probably right.

  Have you seen any videos of basketball back then? Were they in black and white?

Huh?  Are you saying that the Athletes were the same in the late 80's/early 90's as they are now?

[BballTim]

Waiting for the thread for these statements from KD.

“I’ve been second my whole life, I was the second-best player in high school. I was the second pick in the draft. I’ve been second in the MVP voting three times. I came in second in the Finals. I’m tired of being second. I’m not going to settle for that. I’m done with it.”

  It would be fine if LeBron said "I'm not going to settle for being the second best defender", just like it wouldn't be fine for Durant to talk about why he should have been given the MVP if he doesn't get it, and it wouldn't be close to fine if he claimed to be the most versatile scorer in the history of the nba.

[Yogi]

Individually, Lebron is the best defender hands down.  The combination of his athleticism and IQ on defense has not been seen since KG in his prime.  He might even be more versatile.  However he did not lead his team into having one of the best defenses.  Part of that is his teammates, part of that is coaching but a big part of it is his leadership.  That's why Marc Gasol, Paul George and Joakim Noah had a leg up on him.

[BballTim]

Humble, for sure.  He basically described himself as the most versatile defender in NBA history.

I mean, he is?

No way.  Rodman would defend circles around Lebron, inside (when he competed against *legitimate* big men) and out.

While I think Rodman had an advantage playing his prime years in a league where there weren't nearly as many athletes, so his freakish abilities defensively stood out even more, you are probably right.

  Have you seen any videos of basketball back then? Were they in black and white?

Huh?  Are you saying that the Athletes were the same in the late 80's/early 90's as they are now?

  They were extremely close to the athletes today. The most athletic players in the late 80s would be very close to being the best athletes today. I think there was more of a jump from the 60s to the 70s or the 70s to the 80s.

[Eja117]

Humble, for sure.  He basically described himself as the most versatile defender in NBA history.

I mean, he is?

No way.  Rodman would defend circles around Lebron, inside (when he competed against *legitimate* big men) and out.

While I think Rodman had an advantage playing his prime years in a league where there weren't nearly as many athletes, so his freakish abilities defensively stood out even more, you are probably right.

Rodman played against players that consider Lebron junior varsity on a good day.   I honestly don't think MJ, Magic, or Larry respect Lebron as a player (as a talent maybe, but not a player) and essentially said so after his decision. 

[TripleThreat]

Humble, for sure.  He basically described himself as the most versatile defender in NBA history.

I mean, he is?

No way.  Rodman would defend circles around Lebron, inside (when he competed against *legitimate* big men) and out.

While I think Rodman had an advantage playing his prime years in a league where there weren't nearly as many athletes, so his freakish abilities defensively stood out even more, you are probably right.

Rodman played against players that consider Lebron junior varsity on a good day.   I honestly don't think MJ, Magic, or Larry respect Lebron as a player (as a talent maybe, but not a player) and essentially said so after his decision.

That doesn't even make sense. I understand people don't like Lebron but to say that he's not in the same conversation as some of the greats that Rodman played against is just egregious.

[Eja117]

Humble, for sure.  He basically described himself as the most versatile defender in NBA history.

I mean, he is?

No way.  Rodman would defend circles around Lebron, inside (when he competed against *legitimate* big men) and out.

While I think Rodman had an advantage playing his prime years in a league where there weren't nearly as many athletes, so his freakish abilities defensively stood out even more, you are probably right.

Rodman played against players that consider Lebron junior varsity on a good day.   I honestly don't think MJ, Magic, or Larry respect Lebron as a player (as a talent maybe, but not a player) and essentially said so after his decision.

That doesn't even make sense. I understand people don't like Lebron but to say that he's not in the same conversation as some of the greats that Rodman played against is just egregious.

Those guys led their teams to rings and earned them....against each other.  Bron is Stern's coddled little baby and a quitter that wouldn't know competition if it bit him the mouth.