The Next Magic Johnson

[VinceCarter15]

Magic was a very unique player standing slightly over 6'7" but he became the best point guard ever. We always here a player called the next Jordan but who do you think is the next Magic? Steve Smith and Penny Hardaway were both called the next Magic because of their size, skills and position but neither came close. Penny appeared on his way to becoming a hall of fame point guard before injuries ruined his career and Steve Smith just wasn't even close despite being a very good player. Scottie Pippen and Grant Hill were similar in some ways being 6'7" point forwards but overall very different players. Lamar Odom was also called the next Magic Johnson but despite being an NBA all star never reached that level and he is a very different player. Boris Diaw can remind me of a dirt poor man's Magic because he can play any position and he is a point forward but he is nowhere close to good enough to be in the dicussion. Now for the players who have the potential.

Lebron James A natural pass first player who plays his best when he runs the offense. I think he is similar to Magic in a few ways...he is 6'8", an excellent and flashy passer, a triple double threat, an unselfish player and a natural leader. If he chose to play in that style he might be the next Magic. He played as a point forward in the playoffs and averaged 25 ppg, 8 rpg and 8 apg.

Shaun Livingston A 6'6" point guard who can do anything. We will have to see if he can come back from that terrible injury but he has shown incredible potential.



What do you think?

[BBallfanJ]

I thought Magic is 6'9". Anyways, Lebron is very much like Magic. When Magic played, he had Kareem, Worthy, Michael Cooper and other great supporting players, so he didn't have to carry the offensive load as much.

[VinceCarter15]

I thought Magic is 6'9". Anyways, Lebron is very much like Magic. When Magic played, he had Kareem, Worthy, Michael Cooper and other great supporting players, so he didn't have to carry the offensive load as much.

Magic wasn't really close to 6'9". He was measured 6'7 1/4" barefoot

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/ins.../20/hoop_life/

If they aren't smoked out at the pre-draft camp, padded heights get exposed at USA Basketball team trials. It was in the run-up to the 1992 Olympics that the world finally learned what the cognoscenti had long suspected -- that Charles Barkley was more like 6-4 5/8 than 6-6, and Magic Johnson closer to 6-7 than 6-9. Likewise, it was a measurement in 1988 before the Games (citius, altius -- but not unduly altius) that exposed Danny Manning, who had been a 6-11 freshman at Kansas, as a 6-9 NBA draftee-to-be.





As you can see 6'9" Larry Bird is about 2 inches taller

Anyway I think Lebron could average 9-10 assists if he was on a team with some other legit 18-20 ppg scorers. Michael Redd almost became a Cav a few years ago. Lebron played his basketball in the playoffs this year when he played as a point forward. If Gibson can become a high scoring combo guard than Lebron could get his assists up like he did in the playoffs. I think I remember Lebron starting at point guard in his rookie season. Lebron is easily one of the best passers in the league.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Hsri9jy8Wg0

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ia1iMkyf0f8

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2OAcfzJkyBA

http://youtube.com/watch?v=J3sIeEZQc58

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BrVKY1OfWSs

[rensquared]

Magic Johnson??? IDOL!!!! In terms of skill, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash are the only players that come close to his... Other than that... None... Too Bad, only if these 2 playyers are about 6'7 - 6'9 in height then they will be the NExt Magic Johnson... Lebron?? Hmmm.. Maybe.. We'll see.. Haven't seen him Pass the ball like Magic yet..

[VinceCarter15]

Magic Johnson??? IDOL!!!! In terms of skill, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash are the only players that come close to his... Other than that... None... Too Bad, only if these 2 playyers are about 6'7 - 6'9 in height then they will be the NExt Magic Johnson... Lebron?? Hmmm.. Maybe.. We'll see.. Haven't seen him Pass the ball like Magic yet..

Kidd is far similar because while he isn't a great shooter like Nash he is an amazing rebounder.

[Lebron23]

LeBron still hard at work to improve


By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sports columnist

Published on Wednesday, Sep 05, 2007



Sometimes this job calls for courageous positions.

So let's take a leap and recognize that LeBron James has his act together.

Yes, we already knew that fact as related to the NBA and his team and reaching the Finals and creating a night to remember against the Detroit Pistons and all that stuff.

But after playing all those games well into June, the easy thing for James would have been to take the summer off.

Much was made, after all, of the fact that James played too much basketball before last season.

Instead, James lived up to his commitment to USA Basketball and helped the U.S. team win the FIBA tournament and ensure that the red, white and blue will have a chance to regain the gold medal in China next year.

Yes, James has a clause in his Nike deal that makes appearing in China beneficial, but those who know James and who have been around him this summer know that his commitment to country is not about money.

''The easy thing for him to do would have been to stay home,'' Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry said.

For James, the pursuit of the gold medal means something.

To that end, a collection of stars spent three weeks trying to merge into a team.

The best part of the experience?

''How the guys oversee their egos and individual achievements to become a team,'' James said. ''We all know that a player like Kobe Bryant leads the league with scoring points every year, and he threw that out the window and deferred to Carmelo Anthony.

''I think that a lot of guys on our team threw their egos out the window.''

This is no small feat. And it matters. The days of the USA rolling out stars and rolling over opponents are over. The team's bronze-medal experience in Greece proved that. That team had stars but wasn't a team.

So this summer a group of NBA stars (James, Jason Kidd, Bryant, Anthony, Amare Stoudamire and Michael Redd) tried to form the foundation of a team by working and being together for three weeks. It's basketball, yes, so it's not like laying bricks in the desert. But it's important.

And the USA will benefit.

But so will the Cavs, because James used the time not just to help his country (wave flag now) but also to help his game.

One of the more intriguing facts about the great players in the NBA is they do not settle for being great. They want to get better.

Consider Magic Johnson, as good a passer as the NBA has ever seen. Late in his career, he led the league in free-throw shooting.

Same with James, who is not settling on entering this season as the same player he was a year ago. He worked on his shooting and finished the FIBA tournament with some hellacious games.

Final tournament shooting percentages: 76 percent from the floor, 62 percent from 3-point range. That included an 11-for-11 game against Uruguay on Wednesday and an 11-for-15 game (8-for-11 on 3s) in the finals against Argentina.

The guy who continually amazes set a U.S. record for points in a game in Olympic qualifying play with 31, set a record for 3s and tied the record for field goals made.

Oh, his 15 steals in the tournament were second highest on the team.

Kidd, who spent many extra hours shooting with James, marveled at his desire to improve.

''He wants to work,'' Kidd said.

Key word there is ''wants.''

There is so much to like when a great player wants to be greater and wants be on the national team and wants to win a gold medal.

You hear all the time about what a great worker a player is. First one in the weight room, last one to leave the facility, blah blah blah.

With James, there is no blah. He cares about his team and his game.

Kidd summarized things well when he discussed James and the other young players on the U.S. team.

''The game is in good hands,'' Kidd said.


Sometimes this job calls for courageous positions.

So let's take a leap and recognize that LeBron James has his act together.

Yes, we already knew that fact as related to the NBA and his team and reaching the Finals and creating a night to remember against the Detroit Pistons and all that stuff.

But after playing all those games well into June, the easy thing for James would have been to take the summer off.

Much was made, after all, of the fact that James played too much basketball before last season.

Instead, James lived up to his commitment to USA Basketball and helped the U.S. team win the FIBA tournament and ensure that the red, white and blue will have a chance to regain the gold medal in China next year.

Yes, James has a clause in his Nike deal that makes appearing in China beneficial, but those who know James and who have been around him this summer know that his commitment to country is not about money.

''The easy thing for him to do would have been to stay home,'' Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry said.

For James, the pursuit of the gold medal means something.

To that end, a collection of stars spent three weeks trying to merge into a team.

The best part of the experience?

''How the guys oversee their egos and individual achievements to become a team,'' James said. ''We all know that a player like Kobe Bryant leads the league with scoring points every year, and he threw that out the window and deferred to Carmelo Anthony.

''I think that a lot of guys on our team threw their egos out the window.''

This is no small feat. And it matters. The days of the USA rolling out stars and rolling over opponents are over. The team's bronze-medal experience in Greece proved that. That team had stars but wasn't a team.
summer a group of NBA stars (James, Jason Kidd, Bryant, Anthony, Amare Stoudamire and Michael Redd) tried to form the foundation of a team by working and being together for three weeks. It's basketball, yes, so it's not like laying bricks in the desert. But it's important.

And the USA will benefit.

But so will the Cavs, because James used the time not just to help his country (wave flag now) but also to help his game.

One of the more intriguing facts about the great players in the NBA is they do not settle for being great. They want to get better.

Consider Magic Johnson, as good a passer as the NBA has ever seen. Late in his career, he led the league in free-throw shooting.

Same with James, who is not settling on entering this season as the same player he was a year ago. He worked on his shooting and finished the FIBA tournament with some hellacious games.

Final tournament shooting percentages: 76 percent from the floor, 62 percent from 3-point range. That included an 11-for-11 game against Uruguay on Wednesday and an 11-for-15 game (8-for-11 on 3s) in the finals against Argentina.

The guy who continually amazes set a U.S. record for points in a game in Olympic qualifying play with 31, set a record for 3s and tied the record for field goals made.

Oh, his 15 steals in the tournament were second highest on the team.

Kidd, who spent many extra hours shooting with James, marveled at his desire to improve.

''He wants to work,'' Kidd said.

Key word there is ''wants.''

There is so much to like when a great player wants to be greater and wants be on the national team and wants to win a gold medal.

You hear all the time about what a great worker a player is. First one in the weight room, last one to leave the facility, blah blah blah.

With James, there is no blah. He cares about his team and his game.

Kidd summarized things well when he discussed James and the other young players on the U.S. team.

''The game is in good hands,'' Kidd said.

[sbandda]

LeBron is a very talented and skilled player, playing with limited talent around him.
Nonetheless, his performance last year statistically left much to be desired in terms of improvement (do I hear FT%???) and taking control over games. True - he had his moments and games, but all in all, his leadership is still miles away than Magic's.

I've had the honor of seeing Magic in live action both in the NBA and playing against Maccabi Tel Aviv 18 years ago (give or take), and he was controlling every aspect of the game - scoring, assists, rebounds and overall leadership. All that in a team full of very talented and ego-loaded players.

I have not seen a player to even get close to Magic's ability to play all 5 positions or to his mold of skills an talents.