Official "Will LeBron James be better than Michael Jordan" Thread (and Wilt...)

[The Big Dipper]

Can he? Sure anybody can. Will he? If his career ended right now he would be top 20. If keeps up what he is doing this season for 5 or 6 more than yes he might be.

Will he keep it up? Doubt it. The man relies on physicality and much like his hairline it will be gone soon, still gonna be a top 10 player in the league in 5 or 6 years but he wont keep it up enough to hang with the Jordan's, Wilt's, Magic's and a handful of others at the GOAT TABLE.

[Cajon]

If he continues playing at the level he's at (or above it) 'til his mid-30s with the necessary accomplishments (MVPs, Championships, FMVPs, etc.) then sure, why not? But will the media and "fans" accept it?

[Sir Patchwork]

I think he can, but it will always be a matter of opinion. I don't think he has to win a bunch of championships either, as that is a team accomplishment. He needs to maintain his current level of play give or take a little for another couple of years and still be a superstar a couple of years after that. He has a good chance to challenge Kareem's scoring title, which he would achieve right about the time people are ready to give him the crown. If he does that, he will overtake Jordan in the minds of many.

[Diable]

Anyone who had the Heat heavily favored against the Mavericks was stupid. That wasn't a great team and the Mavericks should have been expected to beat them. Lebron played poorly, but there was a reason. He wasn't able to hit outside shots and no one else on that team could hit open shots to open the paint up for him. Dallas was a far better constructed team and it showed up in the way that they were able to crowd the paint with guys who could execute a well thought out defensive scheme. That was the book on that team that entire year and when it mattered they could not hit jumpers.

[MemphisX]

Jordan was simply the very first ESPN-era superstar. Most of the current sports media personalities grew from an era of basic TV(3-5 channels) to cable programming and finally to instant internet access to everything.

From A to B was a time of wide eye wonderment which made Jordan a god in shorts because people were not used to even seeing highlights. I mean some people never actually saw these old timers play and saw very few live games even through Magic/Bird.

From B to C was the age of cynicism. Everything was questioned. What full access did was turn athletes from gods to mortals. I mean it is hard to criticize and find fault with a god. Every athlete since Jordan has had to withstand viscous attacks of some sort during their career. Nothing like the free pass that guys like Jordan, Barkley, Ewing and others enjoyed.

However, in the end LeBron will have to surpass some of Jordan's accomplishments on the court to even get into that conversation. Advanced stats won't change entrenched minds. If he can get to 6 rings, he will surpass Jordan if he is still a top dog when he gets them.

[XxIrvingxX]

Originally Posted by Diable

Anyone who had the Heat heavily favored against the Mavericks was stupid. That wasn't a great team and the Mavericks should have been expected to beat them. Lebron played poorly, but there was a reason. He wasn't able to hit outside shots and no one else on that team could hit open shots to open the paint up for him. Dallas was a far better constructed team and it showed up in the way that they were able to crowd the paint with guys who could execute a well thought out defensive scheme. That was the book on that team that entire year and when it mattered they could not hit jumpers.

A little off topic (unless I'm missing something here) but you couldn't be more correct with that statement.

[Knick Killer]

If they played one-on-one, LeBron would dominate.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by MemphisX

Jordan was simply the very first ESPN-era superstar. Most of the current sports media personalities grew from an era of basic TV(3-5 channels) to cable programming and finally to instant internet access to everything.

From A to B was a time of wide eye wonderment which made Jordan a god in shorts because people were not used to even seeing highlights. I mean some people never actually saw these old timers play and saw very few live games even through Magic/Bird.

From B to C was the age of cynicism. Everything was questioned. What full access did was turn athletes from gods to mortals. I mean it is hard to criticize and find fault with a god. Every athlete since Jordan has had to withstand viscous attacks of some sort during their career. Nothing like the free pass that guys like Jordan, Barkley, Ewing and others enjoyed.

However, in the end LeBron will have to surpass some of Jordan's accomplishments on the court to even get into that conversation. Advanced stats won't change entrenched minds. If he can get to 6 rings, he will surpass Jordan if he is still a top dog when he gets them.

Great post.

[Da Grinch]

truthfully he is already there.

mj at his best was during his 1st 3 peat at age 28-30

lebron is everything mj was plus he can facilitate offense for others as a point guard or post up as a power forward plus be the league's best 2 guard or small forward if he chooses to be.

unstoppable scorer ...check.

all league defender....check.

world's best closer ...check.

people are too caught up in resume's when they need to be more concerned with what player's capabilities are and his level of play.

[XxIrvingxX]

Originally Posted by Da Grinch

truthfully he is already there.

mj at his best was during his 1st 3 peat at age 28-30

lebron is everything mj was plus he can facilitate offense for others as a point guard or post up as a power forward plus be the league's best 2 guard or small forward if he chooses to be.

unstoppable scorer ...check.

all league defender....check.

world's best closer ...check.

people are too caught up in resume's when they need to be more concerned with what player's capabilities are and his level of play.

Don't know about that one. I'm not one of the morons who say that he can't close games but I wouldn't say he's the BEST closer per say.

[Dornado]

Amazingly, Michael Jordan has become underrated in this thread.

Lebron is a freak of nature, can guard all 5 positions on the court, has incredible vision and can create for himself in a variety of ways... he's the best player in the world right now and one of the best players ever. MJ was better. Better offensively. Better defensively. Better in the clutch.

Can Lebron get there? Yeah.. he's just entering his prime... but he's already entering the portion of his career where MJ's team accomplishments at a comparable age are nearly impossible to keep pace with. I don't buy that championships don't matter... the point is to win the game, and in basketball more than any other major team sport one guy can have an impact on whether a team wins or loses. What sets Jordan apart, aside from the statistical superiority, is that time and time again he imposed his will when it mattered... I've seen flashes of it with Lebron, with Jordan it was a constant. I guess we'll see.

[BlackNRed]

Of course he can. I love how basketball fans have created this mystique around Jordan that no one can ever touch him.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but Jordan didn't win his first ring til he was 28. Just like Lebron. Zomg, shady wizardry.

[Da Grinch]

Originally Posted by XxIrvingxX

Don't know about that one. I'm not one of the morons who say that he can't close games but I wouldn't say he's the BEST closer per say.

last season i saw him put away the thunder in a way kobe couldn't when he faced them in the playoffs...and he's playing even better now.

[Floods]

Originally Posted by Da Grinch

truthfully he is already there.

mj at his best was during his 1st 3 peat at age 28-30

lebron is everything mj was plus he can facilitate offense for others as a point guard or post up as a power forward plus be the league's best 2 guard or small forward if he chooses to be.

unstoppable scorer ...check.

all league defender....check.

world's best closer ...check.

people are too caught up in resume's when they need to be more concerned with what player's capabilities are and his level of play.

**** off. From 86-87 through 92-93 Jordan was the best offensive player in the league and the best defensive player in the league. Jordan scored well over 30 ppg on well over 50% shooting for five years in a row (in 93 he scored 32 while shooting 49%, in 87 he scored 37 while shooting 48%). Has LeBron done anything like that? No he has not. Last season and this season are the only seasons of LeBron's career even sniffing Jordan level.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Dornado

Amazingly, Michael Jordan has become underrated in this thread.

Lebron is a freak of nature, can guard all 5 positions on the court, has incredible vision and can create for himself in a variety of ways... he's the best player in the world right now and one of the best players ever. MJ was better. Better offensively. Better defensively. Better in the clutch.

Can Lebron get there? Yeah.. he's just entering his prime... but he's already entering the portion of his career where MJ's team accomplishments at a comparable age are nearly impossible to keep pace with. I don't buy that championships don't matter... the point is to win the game, and in basketball more than any other major team sport one guy can have an impact on whether a team wins or loses. What sets Jordan apart, aside from the statistical superiority, is that time and time again he imposed his will when it mattered... I've seen flashes of it with Lebron, with Jordan it was a constant. I guess we'll see.

The better defender thing is your own opinion. Jordan was a better scorer but LeBron is a more well-rounded player with his passing and rebounding to compliment his scoring. He's a better passer than Jordan ever was. I also heard a stat from Tom Haberstroh a few weeks ago how LeBron pulls down around 83% of the rebounds in his area whereas Dwight pulls down 81%, and that is the league leading rebounder and somebody considered an athletic freak. LeBron just destroys everybody 1-5 on the court on both ends and makes it look easy.