LeBron James

[Guest Sandman9000]

I watched LeBron James tonight play against the #1 HS team in the nation, Oak Hill. I honestly thought that James would have a good game and that Oak Hill would win by double figures. I was right on one account.

 

James was solid in the first half, but exploded in the second. Oak Hill didn't have an answer at all. I haven't been impressed by that in a long time.

 

To put things in perspective, back in Maine, we had a player by the name of Nik Caner-Medley, whom everyone (but me) were busting their loads to. (Medley now plays at Maryland) I've seen Medley in person, and just watching James on TV, he blows Medley away by a mile. Bill Walton and Dick Vitale were mentioning how he should go to college, but everyone knows there is no way in hell he isn't going pro.

 

Anyone else watch him tonight (or at all)?

[Guest Rabbi_wilson13]

I watched the first quarter and a half. I couldn't take Dickie V oozing all over him, though he appeared to see the floor well. For his height he showed an amazing lack of desire for going to the board. He also didn't seem to have much of a shot.

 

If he turned it on in the second half, though, I missed the show. He should go to college just so he's not Kwame his first year, but just not Duke, because Dickie V wouldn't have enough time to talk about how great he and Duke are in one game.

[Guest Redhawk]

I saw the entire second half. I think he'd be an awesome college player, but in the NBA next year he might be sitting a lot of bench until he learns more. I noticed he makes a lot of one-handed cross court passes in the halfcourt set, which will get intercepted like mad in the NBA.

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

Hey, I was impressed that he passed at all. With the cameras rolling, I though the only thing he'd make double digits in was turnovers and missed shots.

[Guest razazteca]

couldn't take Dickie V oozing all over him

Did Dick Vital call James a protential Diaper Dandy Dukie?

[Guest Vern Gagne]

I see alot of Magic Johnson in James. He's a good passer, involves the rest of the team, can rebound and will take the big shot. I'd love to see him develop into another a 6-8 PG.

[Guest Choken One]

It's been said if James does go College, He'll walk a few miles south to Ohio St. just to stay home and play a year.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

I never heard of him before yesterday and then he's all ESPN would talk about all day.

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

From ESPN.com Page 2:

 

Editor's Note: Page 2 asked Charley Rosen, a longtime coach and scout in professional basketball, to watch LeBron James on Thursday night and give us a scouting report on the 17-year-old phenom. He filed the following report.

 

I don't know which aggravates me more: our crass, soulless, sporting-life culture, or the airhead kids who are at the same time its beneficiaries and its victims? Like LeBron James, the 17-year-old schoolboy phenom whom so many NBA pundits have already crowned as the Air Apparent.

 

OK, so James is going to be the NBA top draft pick come June, but he already refers to himself in the royal-third-person ("LeBron stays humble by just being LeBron"). And he also refers to himself as a "superhero" and as "Basketball Man." And even worse, after he dunks over an opponent, he's liable to shout "King James!" or "You sorry!"

 

Here comes another narcissistic young man who has been conditioned to believe that celebrity equals money equals power. Admire his talent, but pity his lost youth and forfeited innocence.

 

OK, his St. Vincent-St. Mary team "upset" the No. 1-ranked high school team in the country, Oak Hill Academy. And James's numbers were impressive -- 31 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. While he certainly showed an abundance of sheer talent, he also demonstrated that he still has much to learn.

 

At 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, he can have his way among his peers along the baseline and in the pivot, but in the NBA, James will need to be an effective shooter. The problem here is that his release is a tad too low. Also that he fades slightly when he shoots his jumper. The result is that he holds onto the ball too long and will have some trouble shooting in tight quarters.

 

And what about his poor shooting percentage (40 percent)? He didn't make a jumper until later in the third quarter and then celebrated by banging his fist into his chest. He repeated this foolish routine when he connected on his only other jumper early in the fourth quarter. (The chest beating is supposed to demonstrate how much heart he has.) However, I didn't see any celebration when he arrogantly waved his teammates out of his way and launched an airball.

 

Let's review some of his buckets that roused the fans (and the TV announcers) into a frenzy:

 

Midway into the first quarter, James doesn't bother to get back on defense, and when a teammate makes a nifty steal and a pass downcourt, our hero finds himself ahead of the field and executes an dramatic dunk. How about another slam that resulted from an offensive rebound falling into his hands without a defender within reach? Or the layup off a perfect lob pass when he was fronted down low by a much smaller defender?

 

Big deal!

 

Yes, James has good hands, quick feet, extraordinary hops, and a lively body. Yes, he's also an outstanding passer. But his defense is atrocious.

 

His basic defensive stance is much too upright.

 

When defending a perimeter player, his hands are in his pockets.

 

When his team tried a full-court press, one of Oak Hill's guards absolutely left him in the dust.

 

He always looks for the easy way out, making perfunctory swipes at the ball, and gambling on every entry pass.

 

His transition from offense to defense is shameful. Instead of hustling downcourt, he lingers near the ball, hoping for a steal.

 

His post-up defense offers less resistance than a soft summer's breeze.

 

In short, LeBron James can't guard his own shadow.

 

What other shortcomings did the young hoopling reveal?

 

A barely adequate left hand.

 

A shaky behind-the-back dribble going left to right.

 

What's the one talent he possesses that will survive his entry into the NBA? His court vision and his ability to pass the ball.

 

In high school, LeBron James might be a man among boys -- but in the NBA, he'll be a boy among men. Skilled, experienced, powerful, and above all, ruthless men.

 

After the media hysteria dies down, after his arrogance is reduced to real humility, he might very well develop into a franchise player. But let's not reserve a wing in the Hall of Fame for LeBron James just yet.

 

Charley Rosen, a former coach in the Continental Basketball Association, has been intimately involved with basketball for the better part of five decades -- as a writer, a player, a coach and a passionate fan. Rosen's books include "More Than a Game," "The Cockroach Basketball League," "The Wizard of Odds: How Jack Molinas Almost Destroyed the Game of Basketball," "Scandals of '51: How the Gamblers Almost Killed College Basketball" and "The House of Moses All-Stars: A Novel."

 

(note: I did not see the game)

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

Well, Rosen tends to be right about everything, so I'll agree.

[Guest The Man in Blak]

From watching the game (and pushing the collective orgasm that the ESPN commentators had out of my mind), I can tells you this:

 

LeBron James has some phenomenal offensive skills, some of which have definitely earned him the hype.

 

But his attitude, frankly, sucks. Unless LeBron tunes up LeBron's humility a bit, LeBron's going to find himself having a large negative on his scouting report: "Selfish Player."

[Guest alkeiper]

Let's face it. 17 year olds tend not to be the most mature people on the planet.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

I really wish the NCAA put up a rule that made it where you couldn't go to the NBA until your junior year (or the graduation of your senior class)

 

Come on.. this is a 17 year old kid, he's not gonna do jack in the NBA. Make him go to college so that can be proven correct.

[Guest bravesfan]

I really wish the NCAA put up a rule that made it where you couldn't go to the NBA until your junior year (or the graduation of your senior class)

 

Are you talking about college? If so, every athlete, agent, fan and professional franchise employee would line up to laugh at that rule. The only sport that should consider doing that is football, set only to prevent undersized and physically limited players from entering, no matter their talent.

 

Come on.. this is a 17 year old kid, he's not gonna do jack in the NBA. Make him go to college so that can be proven correct.

 

 

So colleges and television stations can line up and make truckloads of money marketing this guy? While he's working his ass off, being scrutinized by the media for every play, while not even earning a penny for the trouble? Unless the NCAA decides to pay a small amount of money to each athlete, I advocate these athletes to jump straight to the NBA.

 

I'd rather be sitting at the end of the bench in the NBA, making 5.0 million a year, then be used by every media outlet in America for the sole purpose of profit, MAKING NOTHING. You can't prevent a kid from wanting to support his family at such a young age....I know I wouldn't.

[Guest El Satanico]

Yes the NBA and NCAA need to get together and work out something that encourages players to go to at least a year or two of college.

 

However it's not nearly as simple as the NCAA making rules that a player has to stay 3 years. It's also not as simple as the NBA making a rule where a player has to have a certian amount of college time.

 

It would take a long time to work out a deal, but a suitable plan is possible. However I doubt that the NBA or NCAA would even bother with it.

 

The ideal solution would involve players getting a college salary and the NBA installing rules concerning salaries where players can only make a certian amount of money until a designated age.

[Guest DrTom]

The only sport that should consider doing that is football, set only to prevent undersized and physically limited players from entering, no matter their talent.

Football already has a rule like this in place. I think it states that a player either has to finish two years of eligibility in college or be 21 years old before declaring for the NFL draft. It makes sense for football, since it's by far the most physically demanding and punishing of all the sports.

 

The other three major sports, though, don't need a system like this. MLB and the NHL have excellent minor-league programs, so they can easily support high schoolers (or major junior players, in the case of hockey) entering the pro ranks. The NBA has a much lesser developmental system in place, but any hyped high schooler is going to stay in the big leagues and ride the pine until he learns the game. Teams have to realize they're making a long-term investment, and probably waiting three years or so until the kid actually has enough game to play in the NBA.

 

If I were a mega-talented high school player, I'd go right to the NBA, too. Especially if I wanted to help support my family. Why turn down the chance to make about $2 million per year while learning the pro game, when the alternative is to not get paid at all?

[Guest Vern Gagne]

My thought has always been either you can go straight from H.S. or you have stay at least 3 years in College. Give some type of allowance for the players, the Coaches make money on shoe contracts and it's the player who make that possible.

[Guest YouDaFoo]

Yeah man, even Stephon Marbury went to college for a year.

[Guest Sandman9000]

I really wish the NCAA put up a rule that made it where you couldn't go to the NBA until your junior year (or the graduation of your senior class)

Used to be a rule like that. Only Seniors were eligible for the draft. Red Auerbach drafted Larry Bird when Bird was a Junior, and had to wait a whole year before Bird joined the Celtics.

 

I'm not 100% sure on the details, but I know that the early eligibility rule was challenged by a college Junior and he won the right to be drafted early. I don't know if it went to the Supreme Court or not.

[Guest Mad Dog]

Bad attitude.............check

Prima Donna..............check

can't play defense.............check

 

 

 

 

Hmmmmm..........sounds like we have the makings of the perfect NBA player.

[Guest Eagan469]

he SUCKS at defense - just stands around and lunges at passes in hope of a steal

[Guest Lethargic]

I'm sick of this kid already. Everybody keeps watching these games and oohing and aahing. Give me a break. He's playing against HIGH SCHOOL kids. Not even college kids. And nowhere near PROs. If he was doing this against a bunch of college seniors or something, that's one thing. But he's doing this against high school kids. Who cares??? He's not gonna do that shit when he's in the NBA. He'll be warming a bench and end up ODing on aspirin.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

Bad attitude.............check

Prima Donna..............check

can't play defense.............check

 

 

 

 

Hmmmmm..........sounds like we have the makings of the perfect NBA player.

Don't forget refering to himself in the third person.

[Guest alkeiper]

Jesus Christ, the kid is 17 years old. So what if he's not mature enough, wearing only a suit and tie and addressing everyone as sir? He's just a normal 17 year old, who happens to be good at basketball. Give him a break.

[Guest Mad Dog]

I don't know many 17 yr. olds that refer to themselves in the 3rd person.

[Guest Bricks]

Everybody in my high school in 1999 when The Rock did it.

[Guest Mad Dog]

That's different though. I meant no one that age seriously refers to themselves in the 3rd person.