NBA Finals 2013: LeBron James as the evolutionary Larry Bird

[The Rondo Show]

Lebron James is Lebron James

[Moranis]

James has 1/10 the IQ of Bird .....or MJ or Magic J for that ....smarter than Wade

I don't get this at all.  Lebron James is probably the "smartest" player in the league right now.  His BBIQ is off the chain.  He has had some issues with aggressiveness or killer instinct, but James' decision making is almost always correct, almost to a fault (like passing to lesser teammates when they are open rather than shooting himself). 

[ACF]

So, which kind of bird is LeBron? They've already got a cuckoo and a dinosaur.
Correction, two dinosaurs, if we include W.R. Allen.

[2short]

James has 1/10 the IQ of Bird .....or MJ or Magic J for that ....smarter than Wade

I don't get this at all.  Lebron James is probably the "smartest" player in the league right now.  His BBIQ is off the chain.  He has had some issues with aggressiveness or killer instinct, but James' decision making is almost always correct, almost to a fault (like passing to lesser teammates when they are open rather than shooting himself).

Smartest player in the league, rondo

[Fan from VT]

James has 1/10 the IQ of Bird .....or MJ or Magic J for that ....smarter than Wade

I don't get this at all.  Lebron James is probably the "smartest" player in the league right now.  His BBIQ is off the chain.  He has had some issues with aggressiveness or killer instinct, but James' decision making is almost always correct, almost to a fault (like passing to lesser teammates when they are open rather than shooting himself).

Smartest player in the league, rondo

I didn't know this, but Pau Gasol:

He enrolled in medical school at the University of Barcelona,[79] but left as his basketball career at FC Barcelona advanced.

Gasol also has a broad range of intellectual and cultural interests. He has taught himself Italian and French[79] to go along with his childhood languages of Catalan and Spanish plus English.

Battier:

Battier, who graduated from Detroit Country Day School with a 3.96 grade point average and was named the school's outstanding student in his senior year

Battier was a two-time Academic All-American and Academic All-American of the year in 2001.

Bonner:

Florida, business, 3.96

Okafor:

3.8 in college (UConn), graduated in 3 years and a 4.3 in high school.

Thaddeus Young:

Outstanding student who compiled a 4.3 GPA in high school, was a member of the National Honor Society

and apparently was referenced as having 'great grades' at Georgia tech, but can't confirm.

[BballTim]

James has 1/10 the IQ of Bird .....or MJ or Magic J for that ....smarter than Wade

I don't get this at all.  Lebron James is probably the "smartest" player in the league right now.  His BBIQ is off the chain.  He has had some issues with aggressiveness or killer instinct, but James' decision making is almost always correct, almost to a fault (like passing to lesser teammates when they are open rather than shooting himself).

  Those lesser teammates are a) probably better shooters than him and b) wide open. As someone mentioned, in basketball terms, Rondo's probably tops in the league, which Doc notes on a regular basis. He makes passes where the opportunity to make the pass would be gone before LeBron ever saw the play.

[BballTim]

James has 1/10 the IQ of Bird .....or MJ or Magic J for that ....smarter than Wade

I don't get this at all.  Lebron James is probably the "smartest" player in the league right now.  His BBIQ is off the chain.  He has had some issues with aggressiveness or killer instinct, but James' decision making is almost always correct, almost to a fault (like passing to lesser teammates when they are open rather than shooting himself).

Smartest player in the league, rondo

I didn't know this, but Pau Gasol:

He enrolled in medical school at the University of Barcelona,[79] but left as his basketball career at FC Barcelona advanced.

Gasol also has a broad range of intellectual and cultural interests. He has taught himself Italian and French[79] to go along with his childhood languages of Catalan and Spanish plus English.

Battier:

Battier, who graduated from Detroit Country Day School with a 3.96 grade point average and was named the school's outstanding student in his senior year

Battier was a two-time Academic All-American and Academic All-American of the year in 2001.

Bonner:

Florida, business, 3.96

Okafor:

3.8 in college (UConn), graduated in 3 years and a 4.3 in high school.

Thaddeus Young:

Outstanding student who compiled a 4.3 GPA in high school, was a member of the National Honor Society

and apparently was referenced as having 'great grades' at Georgia tech, but can't confirm.

  Thaddeus Young? Who knew?

[Snakehead]

Lebron James is Lebron James

Exactly.  Trying to compare everyone is tiring.

[slamtheking]

Really think the best comparison is Dr. J., but that's just me.

really?  I think of Dr J as more graceful and skilled whereas Lebron is more physical and overpowering.

plus, even though he was a Sixer, I don't continue to despise Dr J now that he's no longer a Sixer.  I'll always despise Lebron.

[Moranis]

James has 1/10 the IQ of Bird .....or MJ or Magic J for that ....smarter than Wade

I don't get this at all.  Lebron James is probably the "smartest" player in the league right now.  His BBIQ is off the chain.  He has had some issues with aggressiveness or killer instinct, but James' decision making is almost always correct, almost to a fault (like passing to lesser teammates when they are open rather than shooting himself).

  Those lesser teammates are a) probably better shooters than him and b) wide open. As someone mentioned, in basketball terms, Rondo's probably tops in the league, which Doc notes on a regular basis. He makes passes where the opportunity to make the pass would be gone before LeBron ever saw the play.

I remember a big stink a few years ago when Lebron passed to a wide open Haslem who missed the shot.  Lebron got killed for not taking the shot, but the pass was the correct basketball move.  There have been other examples, but that one stands out.  I mean he makes the correct decision, and just got crushed for it.

Rondo is a very smart player, but his BBIQ is not on the same level as Lebron's (Rondo far too often forces the issue and does not take the open shot nearly enough).  Duncan is one of the few players in the league on Lebron's level in that regard. 

[BballTim]

James has 1/10 the IQ of Bird .....or MJ or Magic J for that ....smarter than Wade

I don't get this at all.  Lebron James is probably the "smartest" player in the league right now.  His BBIQ is off the chain.  He has had some issues with aggressiveness or killer instinct, but James' decision making is almost always correct, almost to a fault (like passing to lesser teammates when they are open rather than shooting himself).

  Those lesser teammates are a) probably better shooters than him and b) wide open. As someone mentioned, in basketball terms, Rondo's probably tops in the league, which Doc notes on a regular basis. He makes passes where the opportunity to make the pass would be gone before LeBron ever saw the play.

I remember a big stink a few years ago when Lebron passed to a wide open Haslem who missed the shot.  Lebron got killed for not taking the shot, but the pass was the correct basketball move.  There have been other examples, but that one stands out.  I mean he makes the correct decision, and just got crushed for it.

Rondo is a very smart player, but his BBIQ is not on the same level as Lebron's (Rondo far too often forces the issue and does not take the open shot nearly enough).  Duncan is one of the few players in the league on Lebron's level in that regard.

  Your assessment of LeBron vs Rondo is ridiculous. Rondo "forces the issue" because he doesn't draw defenders like LeBron. If people covered Rondo like they cover LeBron he'd have no problem crushng the single season assist record, if people covered LeBron like Rondo LeBron would struggle to get 3 assists a game. Look at the way they approach the offenses, Rondo directs his teammates and maneuvers defenses to get teammates open shots in spite of the way they back off of him and makes pinpoint passes in tight windows at precise times, LeBron generally dribbles/drives until the other defenders leave players open and hits the open man. He's great at what he does for a forward but his passing would be less exceptional when compared to point guards.

[kingtutts]

When Lebron James puts up just one season of 28/10/7 shooting 50/40/90 from the floor, then we might be able to have this conversation. Bird put up similar numbers multiple times. 

Bird also made the players around him better, wasn't afraid to shoot the ball, and could score at any time from beyond the arc, inside the arc, and with his back to the basket, or even in the paint, from any area of the court.

Lebron is a fantastic basketball player, but he is a product of the ESPN hype machine.  He cannot score from anywhere on the court, and he doesn't have that killer instinct that Bird and Jordan had, or Kobe and Pierce, for that matter.

Lebron is unstoppable at what he does best.  But that doesn't make him remotely comparable than a Bird or Jordan. 

[nickagneta]

Really think the best comparison is Dr. J., but that's just me.

really?  I think of Dr J as more graceful and skilled whereas Lebron is more physical and overpowering.

plus, even though he was a Sixer, I don't continue to despise Dr J now that he's no longer a Sixer.  I'll always despise Lebron.

Its their games. They like to take it to the hole and exploit their unreal athleticism. Both were not the best outside shooters ton start but got better. Both were/are great rebounders and excellent passers.

Now regarding the gracefulness of J versus the overpowering of Lebron, you have to understand, J could overpower people to. But if he tried the stuff Lebron does

1. He would get into foul trouble because they called fouls against stars back then

2. The opposing team would send out a goon to level J and teach him you can't just run over people without paying the physical price.

So the Doctor found ways to get around players when go to the hoop rather than run over them.

[Moranis]

James has 1/10 the IQ of Bird .....or MJ or Magic J for that ....smarter than Wade

I don't get this at all.  Lebron James is probably the "smartest" player in the league right now.  His BBIQ is off the chain.  He has had some issues with aggressiveness or killer instinct, but James' decision making is almost always correct, almost to a fault (like passing to lesser teammates when they are open rather than shooting himself).

  Those lesser teammates are a) probably better shooters than him and b) wide open. As someone mentioned, in basketball terms, Rondo's probably tops in the league, which Doc notes on a regular basis. He makes passes where the opportunity to make the pass would be gone before LeBron ever saw the play.

I remember a big stink a few years ago when Lebron passed to a wide open Haslem who missed the shot.  Lebron got killed for not taking the shot, but the pass was the correct basketball move.  There have been other examples, but that one stands out.  I mean he makes the correct decision, and just got crushed for it.

Rondo is a very smart player, but his BBIQ is not on the same level as Lebron's (Rondo far too often forces the issue and does not take the open shot nearly enough).  Duncan is one of the few players in the league on Lebron's level in that regard.

  Your assessment of LeBron vs Rondo is ridiculous. Rondo "forces the issue" because he doesn't draw defenders like LeBron. If people covered Rondo like they cover LeBron he'd have no problem crushng the single season assist record, if people covered LeBron like Rondo LeBron would struggle to get 3 assists a game. Look at the way they approach the offenses, Rondo directs his teammates and maneuvers defenses to get teammates open shots in spite of the way they back off of him and makes pinpoint passes in tight windows at precise times, LeBron generally dribbles/drives until the other defenders leave players open and hits the open man. He's great at what he does for a forward but his passing would be less exceptional when compared to point guards.

BBIQ and passing are not the same thing.  Of course Rondo is a better passer than James, he is a PG, but that doesn't mean he is a smarter player than James.  He is not.

[BballTim]

James has 1/10 the IQ of Bird .....or MJ or Magic J for that ....smarter than Wade

I don't get this at all.  Lebron James is probably the "smartest" player in the league right now.  His BBIQ is off the chain.  He has had some issues with aggressiveness or killer instinct, but James' decision making is almost always correct, almost to a fault (like passing to lesser teammates when they are open rather than shooting himself).

  Those lesser teammates are a) probably better shooters than him and b) wide open. As someone mentioned, in basketball terms, Rondo's probably tops in the league, which Doc notes on a regular basis. He makes passes where the opportunity to make the pass would be gone before LeBron ever saw the play.

I remember a big stink a few years ago when Lebron passed to a wide open Haslem who missed the shot.  Lebron got killed for not taking the shot, but the pass was the correct basketball move.  There have been other examples, but that one stands out.  I mean he makes the correct decision, and just got crushed for it.

Rondo is a very smart player, but his BBIQ is not on the same level as Lebron's (Rondo far too often forces the issue and does not take the open shot nearly enough).  Duncan is one of the few players in the league on Lebron's level in that regard.

  Your assessment of LeBron vs Rondo is ridiculous. Rondo "forces the issue" because he doesn't draw defenders like LeBron. If people covered Rondo like they cover LeBron he'd have no problem crushng the single season assist record, if people covered LeBron like Rondo LeBron would struggle to get 3 assists a game. Look at the way they approach the offenses, Rondo directs his teammates and maneuvers defenses to get teammates open shots in spite of the way they back off of him and makes pinpoint passes in tight windows at precise times, LeBron generally dribbles/drives until the other defenders leave players open and hits the open man. He's great at what he does for a forward but his passing would be less exceptional when compared to point guards.

BBIQ and passing are not the same thing.  Of course Rondo is a better passer than James, he is a PG, but that doesn't mean he is a smarter player than James.  He is not.

  I know BBIQ and passing aren't the same thing, what you're missing is that BBIQ and passing the ball to an open player when 3 guys are cheating towards you aren't the same thing either. James generally makes plays where his passing targets are stationary and dribble penetration by him or Wade draw defenders and make them open.

  Rondo directs the entire offense with multiple moving pieces and threads passes to players that aren't open yet but will be when the player meets the ball. It's easily a level of complexity beyond what you generally see from James and he thinks/reacts faster than James. Again, he makes plays that James either wouldn't recognize or wouldn't be able to react to if he did.