Jim Boeheim: LeBron James could challenge Michael Jordan for 'best ever' title

[eliteballer]

It seems as if the litmus test for greatness for basketball personalities (i.e. coaches and former players) is often different from that of fans. While as fans we go back and look at career accomplishments (i.e. how many MVPs, championships, "was he 'the man' for those championships", all star selections, stats titles, etc.), basketball personalities tend to look at the greats and judge by perceived talent and performance. The fact that legend X has 1 more MVP and 2 more rings than legend Y doesn't mean as much to them in the debate.

Think about any rec league you've played in and how players are percieved and you'll understand where they are coming from.

[tmacattack33]

It seems as if the litmus test for greatness for basketball personalities (i.e. coaches and former players) is often different from that of fans. While as fans we go back and look at career accomplishments (i.e. how many MVPs, championships, "was he 'the man' for those championships", all star selections, stats titles, etc.), basketball personalities tend to look at the greats and judge by perceived talent and performance. The fact that legend X has 1 more MVP and 2 more rings than legend Y doesn't mean as much to them in the debate.

Good. That sounds like me then.

[talkingconch]

He'll never challenge him

[OldSchoolBBall]

As good as Lebron is, he doesn't and will never pass the eye test that shows him to be better than Jordan. Watch any Jordan game from '90-'93 and you'll see an infinitely more refined, skilled, and intelligent player with comparable athleticism. Honestly, it's not that close imo.

[andgar923]

As good as Lebron is, he doesn't and will never pass the eye test that shows him to be better than Jordan. Watch any Jordan game from '90-'93 and you'll see an infinitely more refined, skilled, and intelligent player with comparable athleticism. Honestly, it's not that close imo.

Like some of us have mentioned in the past

[Deuce Bigalow]

Wait, isn't this the player that was outscored by a bench player and a dinosaur in last years Finals?

[DatAsh]

Wait, isn't this the player that was outscored by a bench player and a dinosaur in last years Finals?

You guys crack me up on here

[scotty00007]

I hope people remember that when you go back and watch tapes of old school c ballers like Jordan, the majority of the games you can watch are only their best games which gives a false idea of them never playing like rubbish. Just like in twenty years and look at bron and Kobe. It will look like they never had a bad game

[DatAsh]

I hope people remember that when you go back and watch tapes of old school c ballers like Jordan, the majority of the games you can watch are only their best games which gives a false idea of them never playing like rubbish. Just like in twenty years and look at bron and Kobe. It will look like they never had a bad game

Most of the full Jordan games out there are finals games, which just so happened to be the games he played best in.

[Jacks3]

Watch any LeBron game from 09 and he looks like the GOAT.

[KOBE143]

I hope people remember that when you go back and watch tapes of old school c ballers like Jordan, the majority of the games you can watch are only their best games which gives a false idea of them never playing like rubbish. Just like in twenty years and look at bron and Kobe. It will look like they never had a bad game

Nope Lebrick has 2011 finals that will never be forgotten, MJ dont..

[LakersReign]

9 seasons in, Jordan had 3 rings/3 MVP's/3 Finals MVP's. LeBron has matched him in MVP's, but he only has 1 ring, 1 Finals MVP, and lost in the Finals on 2 other occasions. A good question is, could LeBron return to the NBA at 40 and put up 20 a night?

That right there killed the comparison for jump. As for him returning to play at 40, good luck with that. Lebron depends way too much on his youth and athleticism right now. And if he doesn't start working on learning other ways to score, he'll end up being useless.

[LongLiveTheKing]

Magic, Bird, Charles Barkley, Jim Boeheim all think LeBron can challenge Jordan as the greatest to ever play. What does that tell you?

[BoutPractice]

Jordan's level of play may be difficult to equal, but the notion that Jordan's resume cannot be surpassed is wrong imo.
I'm not saying it'll be by LeBron, because I personally don't believe it, but...

There are holes in Jordan's career.
For instance, he didn't play that many meaningful years (not counting post-2001), giving players in the future more opportunity to rack up rings and achievements provided they play 15+ seasons.
Some accused LeBron of quitting series, but let's not forget Jordan actually quit the whole game of basketball for two years (I realize he came back in the middle of the second one, but it wasn't a real season for him). Those two missing years can be the difference, in two years you can win two FMVPS...

Also, while LeBron may not be the GOAT, I believe he is the blueprint for the future real GOAT - a positionless player who dominates the whole game (ball distribution, scoring, rebounding, defense...) with his blend of physicality and all-around skills. He's the precursor to the next Jordan.
To be the undisputed GOAT, the next prodigy will have to combine LeBron's style of play with Jordan's mentality and be lucky enough to get a Russell like resume (8 rings or more).

[Hands of Iron]

It's just a lazy way of saying Jordan seemed to always come through on the biggest stage or when the stakes were the highest. "6 for 6" is a nice, clean way to illustrate something more complicated. It's perfect for message boards.

As good as Lebron is, he doesn't and will never pass the eye test that shows him to be better than Jordan. Watch any Jordan game from '90-'93 and you'll see an infinitely more refined, skilled, and intelligent player with comparable athleticism. Honestly, it's not that close imo.

Let's be real here, as I'm obviously not his biggest fan either. Jordan could've been the GOAT if he'd stayed retired and never came back after 1993. He was that great, folks. I often see people talk about his refinement, increased skill set and intelligence from 1996-98 and I really wonder what the **** they're on about. There wasnt anything to refine or any intelligence to gain. He'd already mastered the game, top to bottom, inside and out. The only difference is that he was 27-29 years old and still in his athletic prime. The mid-range shot was already deadly, the post game was there and the greatest first step explosion ever seen was in full effect. Those teams were also not nearly as complete as the 2nd threepeat so he got the opportunity to carry them to titles and that's what he did. The numbers and performances don't lie. They needed all of it.

In hindsight, I wish he'd have gone out like Jim Brown, Barry Sanders or Sandy Koufax. At the absolute (or very close to it) pinnacle of his career and leaving everybody wondering why (yeah I know Koufax had injuries) and not giving detractors the opportunity to know another reality. Of course, nobody is going to turn down 3 more titles (and Finals MVPs) and another 2 MVPs (shouldve been 3) to really push things out of reach, but it's clear as day he was past it for all of that. Saying anything else would be a disservice to his Real prime, real peak.