After looking at "Lebron Line" Lebron looks really over hyped to me

[cardsunsfan]

It was kind of interesting to look at a lot of the previous rookies of the year and Lebron, to me, doesn't stack up favorably to a lot of them. Yeah he scores a couple points a game more than a lots of them but he has one of the worst fg% which to me is the most important stat. The real greats were around 50% where Lebron barely breaks 40%...just think he's only a couple % away from being in the 30's.....

I guess his age has to be factored in and maybe he has a lot of potential but the media sure hypes him up. I also think the Nike contract he got was way, way, too much and not really fair to some of the greats that went before him just a short while ago.

 

[cardsunsfan]

Boy the board is kind of dead today, don't tell me you guys I have more of a life then me?

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Sorry but Lebron is the real deal. A high school kid averaging 20, 5, and 5???

A kid who hashad to learn 3 positions already.

You can also argue that Lebron is making Boozer a lot better. Lebron draws all the defensive attention already on his team and that allows Boozer to clean up on the offensive glass.

What's really amazing is that Carmello is matching him.

Yeah so James can't shoot...yet. Just imagine when he can. The kid is playing like a top 25 player in the NBA just on pure athletic talent.

 

[Joe Mama]

I'm not a very big fan of Anthony, especially after he cried about not making the All-Star team. However Anthony is shooting over 50% from the field for the last month or so. He has increased a shooting percentage each month so far this season. I don't think either one of them are great defenders, and James is clearly the better ball handler and passer

At this point I don't think either one of these guys are overhyped. Well, I take that back. They are overhyped, but they are both worthy of a lot of praise.

Joe Mama

 

[George O'Brien]

Most of the rookies are shooting badly. Jarvis Hayes was billed as one of the great pure shooters in college basketball, yet he is around 40% from the field.

LeBron is shooting 41.1% but is scoring 20.6, distributing 5.8 assists per game and grabbing 5.7 rpg (not bad for a guard).

Actually there are several big name players who are not shooting that well:Chauncey Billups is shooting only 38.9%. Damon Stoudamire is shooting only 40.6%. Paul Pierce is considered to be an elite player, but he is shooting only 40.2%. Alan Iverson is only shooting 39.2%. Vince Carter is shooting 41%.

No one expected LeBron to be an especially good shooter when he was drafted. However, his overall game has transformed the Cavs into an exciting team.

 

[Joe Mama]

Baron Davis and Jason Kidd are each shooting just under 39% from the field this season.

Joe Mama

 

[cardsunsfan]

I consider shooting % as the most important attribute unless your a pure point guard or because your out there to play defense. I'm saying if you look back at the old elite players who were rookies, there stats looked better. You guys mentioned all of the "elite" players that aren't high field goal % players that's why I don't think they're that great. Maybe kidd but that's because he's more of a pure point guard. Players like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan are the stats of what I call elite players....

Lebron may learn to shoot but he may not. I think that's the most important part of a stars game myself. I've never understood the infatuation with Iverson, his shooting % sucks!!!

 

[Chris_Sanders]

The NBA was a completely different animal back then.

That is because people simply didn't play defense like they do now. Fouls are harder and the paint is a lot more closed due to the zone defense rules.

Also players are a LOT taller now then they were back then. Just look at the Suns. They would be giants just 15 years ago. You see 6'10 small forwards all over the place. That makes it a lot harder to get your shot off when everyone is able to reach so high.

You can never compare eras. It's like how 20 years ago 30 home runs was a monster season. Now it is an after thought.

The game changes. You move on and you appreciate what you have now.

 

[Chaplin]

Then again, shooting is still shooting. And the difference in sizes is proportionate.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Originally posted by Chaplin
Then again, shooting is still shooting. And the difference in sizes is proportionate.

Except the arc on the ball is dramatically different. There is a lot less space inside the 3 point line. That's why Marbury seemed so dominant at times and why JJ looks "smooth" now. It is the ability to move in traffic as much as anything.

I personally believe that the true loss in shooting percentage for the NBA is due to the inferior passing you see now as much as from inferior shooting.

I watch a lot of classic NBA and everyone passes so crisply. No one tries to make the "highlight" pass. People pass the ball and then get an open J.

It isn't sexy...but that is how it worked.

 

[George O'Brien]

I don't think most NBA players work hard enough on learning how to shoot. Prior to the elimination of the illegal defense rules, a player could be effective without a good outside shot. Now they try to compensate by shooting three's which only have to be above 38% to be considered acceptable.

I'm not sure why Paul Pierce's shooting is so bad this season. Certainly the quality of teammates keeps going down and the pressure on him to be the main scorer has increased. However, it is a real surprise.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Hard to shoot through constant double teams and clutching and grabbing.

EVERY fan ******* about officiating. It is the same in hockey. Players clutch, grab, and interfere all the time. It is ugly but it keeps the scores down.

 

[Chaplin]

Originally posted by George O'Brien
I don't think most NBA players work hard enough on learning how to shoot. Prior to the elimination of the illegal defense rules, a player could be effective without a good outside shot. Now they try to compensate by shooting three's which only have to be above 38% to be considered acceptable.

I'm not sure why Paul Pierce's shooting is so bad this season. Certainly the quality of teammates keeps going down and the pressure on him to be the main scorer has increased. However, it is a real surprise.

I think that's the main reason shooting is so bad. Nobody cares to learn how to actually do it. Is it any wonder that Casey is STILL considered a "shooter" yet his percentages are so bad?

 

[George O'Brien]

Originally posted by Chaplin
I think that's the main reason shooting is so bad. Nobody cares to learn how to actually do it. Is it any wonder that Casey is STILL considered a "shooter" yet his percentages are so bad?

Casey has a mediocre overall average of 43% but shoots 42.2% beyond the arc.

 

[Chaplin]

Originally posted by George O'Brien
Casey has a mediocre overall average of 43% but shoots 42.2% beyond the arc.

Well, we keep losing, so either he's not taking enough 3-pointers or well... how else would you explain it?

 

[George O'Brien]

Originally posted by Chaplin
Well, we keep losing, so either he's not taking enough 3-pointers or well... how else would you explain it?

Casey's problem is not his shooting percentage per se, but that he does not score very much for the minutes he plays. He gets 6.1 ppg in 22.2 minutes. This is partially because he cannot make his own shot and partly because he does not seem to be very agressive.

Lack of offense from the Suns bench forces D'Antoni to keep JJ and Shawn on the floor too much which hurts their productivity.

One of the reasons why Vujanic is so interesting is that he could be a major source of instant offense off the bench for the Suns next season.