Could You Imagine If Lebron Actually Did Play In MJs Era Vol. Illegal Defense

Originally Posted by Cyber Smoke

Most overrated defender of all time . $#@! is ridiculous now. I've seen this dude get lit up way too many times to continue with this "ultimate defender" title you guys give him.
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c/s.  I used to think it was bad how badly people overrated Kobe's defense but LeBron is at a whole other level.  This guy gets torched too often, he wasn't even close to being able to contain Melo the other day, let alone make life difficult for him.  Like many players nowadays his on-ball defense is basically ignored.
That's what we get in this era, a few chase down blocks and jumping the passing lanes and the someone is a first team All-Defense lock.  And the Rose thing last year is ridiculous, the Bulls had no shooters to spread the floor, Miami employed the Rondo Defense and had LeBron sag way off and at 6'8 he was still able to challenge Rose's jumpers while giving him enough space to keep himself in front of Rose on a drive.  It was the absolute perfect match up for LeBron to shine.
 
Originally Posted by ehh

Originally Posted by Cyber Smoke

Most overrated defender of all time . $#@! is ridiculous now. I've seen this dude get lit up way too many times to continue with this "ultimate defender" title you guys give him.
Click to expand...
c/s.  I used to think it was bad how badly people overrated Kobe's defense but LeBron is at a whole other level.  This guy gets torched too often, he wasn't even close to being able to contain Melo the other day, let alone make life difficult for him.  Like many players nowadays his on-ball defense is basically ignored.
That's what we get in this era, a few chase down blocks and jumping the passing lanes and the someone is a first team All-Defense lock.  And the Rose thing last year is ridiculous, the Bulls had no shooters to spread the floor, Miami employed the Rondo Defense and had LeBron sag way off and at 6'8 he was still able to challenge Rose's jumpers while giving him enough space to keep himself in front of Rose on a drive.  It was the absolute perfect match up for LeBron to shine.
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I think you're exaggerating just a bit...if it was as easy as you're making it sound then the Bulls wouldn't have even made it that. He wasn't doing the Kobe on Rondo defense for sure. 
 
I think he'd be about the same level of player.

Defensively, he would be a better on the ball defender because he could hand check but he wouldnt be able to guard 4 positions like he can now because they'd let the offensive post player actually jostle for position something they dont really let you do now( example Gasol vs Lebron) and eventually taller and skilled posts would be able to work him.

Offensively, I think he'd actually be limited in terms of driving to the lane a bit because guys could actually hand check him and foul him hard, so he wouldnt get so many and 1s. So I'd think he would counter with a better post game.
 
Originally Posted by gangsta207therevolution

Originally Posted by Al3xis

Originally Posted by gangsta207therevolution

I think that Defense has come a long way since MJ's era.
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It is worth considering. The numbers are practically the same now vs then  (& schematically - I really have no doubt that it has advanced). But the nostalgia factor and the era of 'hard nosed basketball' will not allow people in our age group to even consider it. 
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But this era of guys are more skilled than the 90's. I mean stop and think about it, a guy with JR Smith's tools would be a legit #2 scoring option ill regardless of his other issues.
As of now he is a bench spark plug.

Schematically on both ends the game has advanced.

The Nostalgia the players and media portray doesn't help matters. To me the other thing is the way Midrange shots are defended. I dont think Mike gets single coverage on the post as often as he did. I think while he would be able to move better his athletic ability wouldn't be as stunning. I think he would find himself being guided to particular spots more often than he thinks, not with physicality but simply with presence.
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I don't agree with this. More talented, sure...Not more skilled.
 
Originally Posted by dreClark

I understand the cool thing to do is to rag on Bron but y'all take it to the extreme. Past ragging and coming up on idiocy.
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Lebron would be good in MJ's era if he totally let himself be a PG. He would be everything Penny was supposed to be. If he was a sg/sf in those days he would get destroyed every night. Back then almost every sg/sf had skill sets similar to Kobe/melo. Prob not as good but they possessed them. Seeing as how lebron doesn't guard guys like melo very well he would get torched even more. However being a pg would be good for him. He can hand check faster smaller guys to stay in front. And on offensive he would pretty much be the same as he is now cuz of his strength.
 
90 percent of the nba can't hit a midrange jumper. What is this more skilled nonsense? More skilled at what? Jumping high? They damn sure aren't more skilled at fundamentals. I watched a Washington vs new York game from the early 70's and was amazed at how well the ball moved and how well even the non athletic players were at shooting.
 
Lebron couldn't live with this...

Dude would need to glue that headband on permanent cause that joint would be getting dislodged every single play.
 
I don't think Lebron has the mental toughness to endure that type of defense for an entire series. He's played his whole career as one of the strongest players on the court who still gets a foul called in his favor every time someones breathes at him. If you watch the way he reacts the few times he actually gets hit... The guy is soft. Very big and strong, but still soft.
 
A lot of Bron apologists in here, normal. I'll say this.....dating back to high school Bron has always played more timid against very physical teams. I'm not going to call him soft but he does not like physical players at all. I don't think he has the mental to handle that type (90's) of defense. The physical tools and skill level translate but not the mental....I don't know why you guys refuse to acknowledge that.
 
Originally Posted by dreClark

....yet we have footage of him giving buckets to teams who were very physical with him.

Makes sense.
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When you can travel with impunity and get foul shots simply by asking, yeah you'll get buckets.
 
Originally Posted by 10027

Originally Posted by dreClark

....yet we have footage of him giving buckets to teams who were very physical with him.

Makes sense.
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When you can travel with impunity and get foul shots simply by asking, yeah you'll get buckets.
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Bron gets more calls than MJ did?
 
Originally Posted by Smedroc

Dude would need to glue that headband on permanent cause that joint would be getting dislodged every single play.
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Originally Posted by dreClark

....yet we have footage of him giving buckets to teams who were very physical with him.

Makes sense.
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Over the course of an entire game? No. He can play against physical teams but he does not like it, which is what I said in the first place, and he is not consistent. At all. As long as ive known and watched him play he has never ever liked being physical. Ever.
 
Detroit, OKC, Chicago, Boston have all put him on his %!% multiple times over the years and he has lit them all up. He has fried Bruce Bowen. He has fried Ron Artest. He has fried Loul Deng. He has fried Shawn Marion. He has fried Tony Allen. All of whom would be 90's-#%* defenders. He has BEASTED all of them at points. He is killing people with fadeaways at times now.

But now all of a sudden he wouldn't be able to kill in the 90's. What the hell are y'all even talking about man?
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Originally Posted by dreClark

Detroit, OKC, Chicago, Boston have all put him on his %!% multiple times over the years and he has lit them all up. He has fried Bruce Bowen. He has fried Ron Artest. He has fried Loul Deng. He has fried Shawn Marion. He has fried Tony Allen. All of whom would be 90's-#%* defenders. He has BEASTED all of them at points. He is killing people with fadeaways at times now.

But now all of a sudden he wouldn't be able to kill in the 90's. What the hell are y'all even talking about man?
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QFT
 
Originally Posted by dreClark

Originally Posted by 10027

Originally Posted by dreClark

....yet we have footage of him giving buckets to teams who were very physical with him.

Makes sense.
Click to expand...
When you can travel with impunity and get foul shots simply by asking, yeah you'll get buckets.
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Bron gets more calls than MJ did?
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...Did you watch that video in the other thread?
Today is a whole different ballpark of superstar calls.  Lebron set the record for most free throws taken in a postseason when he was on Cleveland (not sure if he still has it).  You know who he beat?  SHAQ.  Yes, that Shaq, who was being intentionally fouled for entire quarters of games.  
 
Never disagreed that he wouldn't be good in the 90's. I just don't think he would be as effective...or efficient for that matter. No one is saying he can't play
 
Originally Posted by ehh

Originally Posted by Cyber Smoke

Most overrated defender of all time . $#@! is ridiculous now. I've seen this dude get lit up way too many times to continue with this "ultimate defender" title you guys give him.
Click to expand...
c/s.  I used to think it was bad how badly people overrated Kobe's defense but LeBron is at a whole other level.  This guy gets torched too often, he wasn't even close to being able to contain Melo the other day, let alone make life difficult for him.  Like many players nowadays his on-ball defense is basically ignored.
That's what we get in this era, a few chase down blocks and jumping the passing lanes and the someone is a first team All-Defense lock.  And the Rose thing last year is ridiculous, the Bulls had no shooters to spread the floor, Miami employed the Rondo Defense and had LeBron sag way off and at 6'8 he was still able to challenge Rose's jumpers while giving him enough space to keep himself in front of Rose on a drive.  It was the absolute perfect match up for LeBron to shine.
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Agree 100%.  Lebron is an average on ball defender at best, he doesn't have the best lateral movement required to do so.  He's a very good weakside/gamble defender but that's it.  A player with very good handle/quickness is a nightmare to him without team defense, he is indeed the most overrated defender in the league by far IMO.  Side note, 1 of the most underrated defenders of all time is Adrian Griffin(now an assistant coach with the bulls) he was a great on ball defender, 1 of the best perimeter defenders I've ever seen. IMO
 
Originally Posted by 10027

Originally Posted by dreClark

Originally Posted by 10027

When you can travel with impunity and get foul shots simply by asking, yeah you'll get buckets.
Click to expand...
Bron gets more calls than MJ did?
Click to expand...
...Did you watch that video in the other thread?
Today is a whole different ballpark of superstar calls.  Lebron set the record for most free throws taken in a postseason when he was on Cleveland (not sure if he still has it).  You know who he beat?  SHAQ.  Yes, that Shaq, who was being intentionally fouled for entire quarters of games.  
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Was probably around the time when he was going to the rim more ham he ever had at any other point in his career. Guess that makes no sense tho. Look at the FT numbers Mike was getting early I'm his career when he was consistently attacking, attacking, attacking the rim. But no, let's just attribute it to something else. I'm pretty sure Wade has that FT record
 
They're not banging down low like they were in that video nowadays.

But I do think this thread is dumb. Lebron is insanely talented physically, and as a self proclaimed Lebron hater, I will still admit he would still be one of the best players in any generation.
 
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