LeBron -- great or just very good?

[elementally morale]

To me, LeBron as a great player is a very tough sell. He is a very good player but I fail to see greatness. He is by far the best player I've seen who manages not to be great at the same time.

Based on how good he is, I'd have him in my top 5 players ever. Based on how great he is, nowhere near top 50. I don't know how he does it. He plays great like 90% of the time, but fails to be great most of the time he plays well -- he just plays very well and that's it. And then when it comes to very important games, you just never know what you're gonna get. Sometimes, he comes out with a masterful performance. At other times, very pedestrian. Instead of being the unquestionable leader, in tough situations he is like an X-factor. There is a chance he will play well... there is a chance he will look like someone who doesn't even care.

Karl Malone was similar. Slightly worse as an overall player, but very similar in playing very good while lacking greatness.

[Electric Slide]

Based on how good he is, I'd have him in my top 5 players ever. Based on how great he is, nowhere near top 50.

What the **** is the difference?

[Chicago Ted]

I agree.
His statlines are grat but his game doen't give off the sensation of dominance or that 'everything is possible with this guy', at least not very often.
That's why i have a lot of problems of putting him ahead of Bird in the all time SF list, even if he wins more or with better averages.

[SacJB Shady]

Great in the regular season but can't finish. Even if he does this year, it will take a semi miracle. He doesn't close. When the game gets tough, he has no go2 shot. He will do his thing throughout the game with his size and speed, but when the defense gets too tight at the end, he can't adjust.

[kennethgriffin]

i would say his stats and accomplishments are top 12 all time


and his actual level of play is around top 30-40 all time


hes the biggest overachiver in nba history. never seen a guy succeed so much with so little


for a guy who cant shoot a mid range jumper, cant go left, cant hit clutch shots, cant play big when it counts to have 4 mvps, 1 finals mvp and 1 title is very impressive

[monkeypox]

He may be this generations Wilt Chamberlain.

[toooo]

Great in the regular season but can't finish. Even if he does this year, it will take a semi miracle. He doesn't close. When the game gets tough, he has no go2 shot. He will do his thing throughout the game with his size and speed, but when the defense gets too tight at the end, he can't adjust.

Are you a Spurs fan now?

[elementally morale]

What the **** is the difference?

You are very good if you play very good in 8 out of 10 games. The problem is you just don't know what you will get the other two. You don't even know if you are going to see effort on his part at all.

You are great if you play a lot better when it counts the most. If you step your game up a notch. Reggie Miller is a good example. He was not nearly as good as LeBron but Reggie was great. You could cheer for him in tough situations.

As good as LeBron is, I can't see any signs of greatness. It's just not in him. He is going to play very very good basketball next year, too. The year after that. And so forth. But as for greatness... his greatness is a marketing campaign and not much more.

I have no problem with people having him in their top 10 or even top 5 based on how well he plays 80-85% of the time. But greatness is a different issue.

[jstern]

Many great players don't perform miracles all the time. Sometimes you also have to give the other team credit. The Spurs are very good. I would say he's definitely not Jordan, or Bird, or Magic great in the way they take over. Perhaps that's what you meant. But he's more than just a very good player. Kobe almost always performs below standards in the NBA Finals, is he a very good player or is he a great player?

[Ai2death]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...opping-problem

[elementally morale]

Many great players don't perform miracles all the time. Sometimes you also have to give the other team credit. The Spurs are very good. I would say he's definitely not Jordan, or Bird, or Magic great in the way they take over. Perhaps that's what you meant. But he's more than just a very good player. Kobe almost always performs below standards in the NBA Finals, is he a very good player or is he a great player?

It's not a Finals only thing. On the one hand it is a 'step it up whenever your team needs it' on the other it's a 'leave it all out on the floor' thing. Plus the aura around you that you simply won't let your team lose. LeBron has neither. Sure, some of the time he does step his game up in tough situations... but at other times he looks disinterested.

I don't hate the guy. Sure, I'm not a fan but I have nothing against his game. I find it a bit boring but that's it. I found Shaq's game boring to an extent, too. But I recognized his greatness as it was not to be missed.

[bdreason]

Plenty of great players didn't win a single championship. Was Charles Barkley a great player?

[SacJB Shady]

Are you a Spurs fan now?

for this year

[0000000]

Obviously great. There isn't much difference between Jordan, Magic, Kobe and LeBron as people make it out to be. LeBron is one of the greatest ever.

[LeBird]

Magic lost in the finals 4 times (won 5 of 9). Bird lost twice (won 3 of 5). Would anyone say they aren't 'great' players? This Spurs is a fantastic team run by one of the greatest coaches of all time. They're not going to be pushovers.