Re: the official Dwayne Wade >>> you thread

[Le Samourai]

How do you defend someone who's 5 inches taller than you, has about 20 pounds on you , and is faster and stronger....

And is relatively complete

[The Franchise]

Who we talking about here?

[Le Samourai]

Me,I have a game tommorow lol.

[dmize]

Meh, whats wrong with Kobe modelling certain aspects of his game on the greatest player to ever play it?

Jordan did the same with Dr. J, so who cares? You learn from those before you and improve yourself and be the best version of what you can be.

Kobe vs Jordan debate annoys me, because Kobe isnt as good but people good so over the top to protect the golden goose of Basketball they take shits on Kobe unfairly.

2 rings as "the man"? How about when Shaq fouled out against the Blazers and Kobe had to step in and save their asses? Who was the man then?

It was a duo plain and simple.....

Shaq at his peak was the most dominate player I have ever seen...if Jordan was on his team, the same would of happened...Shaq would of dominated and demanded the ball.

Kobe has 5 rings..plain and simple...without him, the Lakers wouldnt of won them, period.

It's not just certain aspects of his game, for the most part all of his game is modeled after Jordan.

And 1 game for me doesn't change if you were the man or not. Robert Horry saved plenty of asses, didn't make him the man on his finals teams.

And the Shaq/Jordan thing. I don't agree, Jordan could've had Wilt on his team an he woulda got his 30-35 a night and made it his team. Maybe if it was a young Jordan it would've been a similar situation but even then I'm not sure.

[The Franchise]

Le sam, why the heck you guarding someone 5 inches taller?

[Le Samourai]

Coach is stupid.

His rationalization is that it's better for me to guard him since no one on the team is quick enough.

Had to guard the same guy last year, fouled out in the 2nd quarter.

[The Franchise]

Meh, whats wrong with Kobe modelling certain aspects of his game on the greatest player to ever play it?

Jordan did the same with Dr. J, so who cares? You learn from those before you and improve yourself and be the best version of what you can be.

Kobe vs Jordan debate annoys me, because Kobe isnt as good but people good so over the top to protect the golden goose of Basketball they take shits on Kobe unfairly.

2 rings as "the man"? How about when Shaq fouled out against the Blazers and Kobe had to step in and save their asses? Who was the man then?

It was a duo plain and simple.....

Shaq at his peak was the most dominate player I have ever seen...if Jordan was on his team, the same would of happened...Shaq would of dominated and demanded the ball.

Kobe has 5 rings..plain and simple...without him, the Lakers wouldnt of won them, period.

It's not just certain aspects of his game, for the most part all of his game is modeled after Jordan.

And 1 game for me doesn't change if you were the man or not. Robert Horry saved plenty of asses, didn't make him the man on his finals teams.

And the Shaq/Jordan thing. I don't agree, Jordan could've had Wilt on his team an he woulda got his 30-35 a night and made it his team. Maybe if it was a young Jordan it would've been a similar situation but even then I'm not sure.

Well what does Kobe do thats so unique to Jordan? Fadeaway from the post? What else?

Kobe uses more footwork and pump fakes and shoots WAY more 3's and Jordan drove the ball more...im not seeing a complete copy at all.

And yes, it was just 1 game..but Kobe averaged 30ppg in the entire playoffs and 26 in another...what kind of sidekick does that? Nah, it was 1a and 1b.

Only in their 1st title year was Kobe a "sidekick".


2001 Playoffs

Shaq: 30.4 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.4 bpg, 56% FG, 53% FT

Kobe: 29.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 6.1 apg, 1.6 spg, 47% FG, 82% FT


Series vs the Spurs, which of course was harder than the "final" vs the 76'ers.

Shaq: 27 ppg, 13 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.3 bpg, 54% FG, 52% FT

Kobe: 33.3 ppg, 7 rpg, 7 apg, 1.5 spg, 51% FG, 77% FT


2001-2002 season

Regular Season:

Shaq: 27.2 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.0 bpg, 58% FG, 56% FT

Kobe: 25.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 47% FG, 83% FT

Playoffs:

Shaq: 28.5 ppg, 12.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.5 bpg, 53% FG, 65% FT

Kobe: 26.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 43% FG, 38% 3FG, 76% FT



02-03 Reg Season

Shaq: 27.5 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.4 bpg, 57% FG, 62% FT

Kobe: 30.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 5.9 apg, 2.2 spg, 45% FG, 38% 3FG, 84% FT




Come on now...this sidekick thing needs to stop, really.


If Shaq was with Jordan, it wouldnt be the same as in Jordan would score as much as Kobe or whatever...thats impossible to say. But what I would say is, Shaq was as dominant as it gets and if he isnt getting his 30 a game then the team (Jordan included) are doing something wrong because 30ppg on 60% is better than 35 on 50%.

[The Franchise]

Coach is stupid.

His rationalization is that it's better for me to guard him since no one on the team is quick enough.

Had to guard the same guy last year, fouled out in the 2nd quarter.

Is the guy a PG?

How does he play you? Jump shooter, driver, post up?

[Le Samourai]

Coach is stupid.

His rationalization is that it's better for me to guard him since no one on the team is quick enough.

Had to guard the same guy last year, fouled out in the 2nd quarter.

Is the guy a PG?

How does he play you? Jump shooter, driver, post up?

Shooting Guard.

All that, I'm not gonna bother posting up though,I'll switch immediately,he'll shoot when I back of when I back off which I sometimes do because I don't wanna let him get past me since that'll be an automatic foul on someone else / basket.

Have to find a way to keep him in front .

When he gets past me I just take the reach in,which is always called.I try to take charges but the ref's always call me for a blocking instead.

[dmize]

Lets be real, Kobes 7th ring will mean just as much as an 8th ring would simply because he would pass Jordan. It's a well known fact Kobe stanned Jordan and emulated him, I remember he used to stick out his tongue in the late 90's. Is that not unique to MJ? Kobe also used to deny that he was an MJ stan for a while, tried to say he was more of a Magic fan in the 90's lol. But in the FoxSports Behind the Glory, Kobe's childhood friend would say Kobe would always be Jordan when playing ball growing up.

Forget his on court play for a second, or even lets just say he doesn't try to be Jordan on the court. Why does/did he blatantly copy many of MJ's mannerisms?

[Le Samourai]

I mean.....he copies his mannerisms when he's a kid.It means just as much that he deliberately avoided them later in his career IMO.

Calling him a Stan is way over the top......I mean, he didn't freak out in awe when he saw Jordan, he played him harder than anyone, that says something.

[dmize]

I mean.....he copies his mannerisms when he's a kid.It means just as much that he deliberately avoided them later in his career IMO.

Calling him a Stan is way over the top......I mean, he didn't freak out in awe when he saw Jordan, he played him harder than anyone, that says something.

It's actually the opposite, he used to act like he didn't stan MJ early on. But eventually he switched it up and stopped hiding it.

There's no denying Kobe's on the court play, and he's easily top 5 all time. And yes, all players emulate the great ones that came before them, and they should. In that respect, Kobe did. But the MJ mannerisms, talking like him, while denying the fact that he was a fan, was a bit much to me.

edit:

[dmize]

Reggie Miller got into the Hall of Fame today. I thought he should've gotten in eventually, but someone like Mitch Richmond deserved to get in before Reggie imo.

[Le Samourai]

Only saw him for a little while as a Laker, but than guy had a exquisite jumper.

[dmize]

Only saw him for a little while as a Laker, but than guy had a exquisite jumper.

I loved watching Mitch Richmond play. Was too young to see him on Golden State, but he was a monster on the Kings. He put up 22ppg for his first 10 seasons. Him, Glen Rice, and Tim Hardaway were 3 of my favorite shooters of the 90's.

[The Franchise]

In that video, the dunks, moves and body positions are nothing..tons of players do those things.

The toungue, the celebration..yeah, they are very MJ-ish..but its hardly something that I personally think about for any length of time.

Why does he do it? Probably something along the lines of what Jax said in the video.

[The Franchise]

[LeSwagg James]

[Guest]

If your going to emulate someone, might as well emulate the best I say.....

He is one of the best ballers to ever play the game, so he has done something right lmao

[Le Samourai]

Thing about it is people are trying to act like Kobe's the only one in the history of Bball to imitate Jordan.

You know you did it too :p

If you ever get a chance to look at the Spike lee documentary you'll see that Jordan was hardly the only person who influenced Kobe.

[Le Samourai]

Anyone know anything about Pargo?

The guy is strong man, he just pushed Durant out of the post like nothing....

[LeSwagg James]

Anyone know anything about Pargo?

The guy is strong man, he just pushed Durant out of the post like nothing....

When I first saw heard his name called in a Grizzlies game I thought it was Janero Pargo lol.. But nah I don't know much about him, only watched him like twice and he seemed like a good player

[LeSwagg James]

Thing about it is people are trying to act like Kobe's the only one in the history of Bball to imitate Jordan.

You know you did it too :p

If you ever get a chance to look at the Spike lee documentary you'll see that Jordan was hardly the only person who influenced Kobe.

Yeah for fun as a kid you do things MJ did.. As a kid not a grown ass man lol.. It's ok for example to see someone do a 'Euro Step' and want to add that to your game, but taking parts of someone's game AND mimicing their on court gestures is too much

[Le Samourai]

Memphis once again proving they can beat OKC....Without CONNELY.

Dunno what's up with Mayo but I like him more than Harden lol.

Memphis is a complete team man, I hope OKC get them in the first round, they're a great matchup for us, of all the relative contenders, them and Chicago ae the teams I'd feel comfortable playing.

[pUsHa]

So people now think that its bad to copy someones moves ? How in the hell would the sport then evolve ... oh lets not do that because Jordan did ... oh yes mighty Jordan ... I shouldnt copy any of his moves . First of all it's not even easy to take someones moves and emulate them best ... Kobe does that .... and he has his signature moves as well . Sticking his tong out was definetily because Jordan did it ... but I was sticking my tong out playing football and I didnt even know who the hell Jordan was

[Le Samourai]

LeBron James Is Wasting His Talents in South Beach


It’s 2007. The Cavs have just gone up 3-2 against the Detroit Pistons. LeBron James has just carried his team to the brink of the NBA Finals. The dude just scored the last 25 points for his team. He had 48 for the game, a franchise playoff record.

At this point LeBron has cemented himself as the next big thing. Many think he’s the Michael Jordan of his generation. If this guy continues to work at it, he’ll be unstoppable.

A few days later, the Cavs are in the NBA Finals. LeBron has done the unthinkable. He has carried a team starting Daniel Gibson, Drew Gooden and Sasha Pavlovic to the finals. He’s taken the worst collection of overall team talent to the finals since Allen Iverson.

A couple weeks later the Cavs are swept by a far superior and more experienced San Antonio team. No one faulted LeBron for the loss. They were completely outmatched.

The next season LeBron was dominant. He worked his tail off. Once again he was carrying an inferior team. In the playoffs, James got his team to Game 7 against the Celtics. He scored 45 points. Despite his valiant effort, the better team won.

Losing to the eventual champs again could be seen as a tough pill to swallow. But the great ones strap it up and come back harder. It appeared LeBron was one of the greats.

It turns out this series was the turning point of LeBron’s career.

The relentless attacker, the never say never player everyone loved...suddenly disappeared facing adversity.

The next year the Cavs had their greatest season ever. They were the top seed in the East, and it was all set up for LeBron to avenge the last couple of years and return to the Finals.

In the conference finals, LeBron and the Cavs disintegrated against the Orlando Magic. LeBron made the first of what would be a trilogy of failures at the end of games in Game 4. The Cavs were dismissed a game later.

After the game, LeBron abandoned his teammates and left the court instead of taking his medicine and shaking hands with the victors.

It was the first overtly obvious sign of a different person, a different attitude—a sign of someone who thought he was above it all. Suddenly the king was acting like a petulant child.

The next season the Cavs once again cruised through the regular season. Then in the second round, LeBron had a chance to avenge that Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics.

What happened next stunned the basketball world.

Instead of rising to the occasion and having the willpower to run through a wall for his team like he showed earlier in his postseason career, LeBron mentally checked out.


Elsa/Getty Images
The once beloved James was booed off his home court after an embarrassing 120-88 loss in Game 5. His team was finished off a game later.

LeBron then ratcheted up the heat to another level: He took his talents to South Beach.

The whole Decision conference just felt wrong.

Not the fact that he left Cleveland. I would have done that, especially if I grew up in nearby Akron and felt like Clevelanders always looked down on people from my neighborhood.

But superstars, wanting to make their own mark on the league, just don’t run into the arms of another accomplished superstar.

People said he, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were close friends and wanted to play together and be the force of the league for the foreseeable future. Others felt LeBron was tired of carrying a bunch of bums. In retrospect, neither was the case.

In reality, LeBron’s decision was made after that great Game 7 against the Celtics in 2008. The guy who gave everything to his team and didn’t win the ring evaluated his situation, and he decided:

I don’t want to work this hard. Why bother?


This is why he went to Miami. He figured if he joined Wade and Bosh, he’d get the glory without the guts.

The victory parade the Heat threw before playing a game put this attitude on a pedestal.

Fast-forward to now. The most talented player in the NBA, being guarded at times by 38-year-old Jason Kidd, averaged three points a game in the fourth quarter of the Finals. The same guy who once scored 25 straight points in crunch time didn’t score 25 for the series when it mattered.

LeBron James vanished. Just like he vanished from his teammates after the Magic series. Just like he vanished in Game 5 against the Celtics.

The player who was once beloved for playing every game like it was now or never now just tweets it.

Instead of ascending to legendary status, LeBron could end up as that once a generation talent whose mentality stifles his potential for greatness.

In the '90s, there was another player who looked unstoppable. A player who started on a track to superstardom but lost the fire shortly after making the Finals. A player who lost his work ethic and wasted talent most players in the league wish they had.

That player was Shawn Kemp.

The self-anointed king better get his mind right before history repeats itself.

It's an interesting , article, it's not a hate article but it offers an interesting perspective.

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