When "KING JAMES" retires what will his legacy be?

[the.stig]

Apparently the cavs are now after Camby:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&page=TradeTalk-090218

[the.stig]

Agreed. Well, I disagree with you that he doesn't have talent around him. They've got Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the East's second best center behind Dwight Howard, and Mo Williams, a very good guard. He's also got some decent role-players around him, like Varejao, Wallace, and West. I think Cleveland would be in the Play-Offs even without James.

Yea, don't get me wrong, they are a talented team. But I just don't think his role players (Big-Z, Mo, Varejao and West) have the same big game qualities as role players on other teams. If you look at the championship teams they always have guys like Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, Steve Kerr or someone else who can step up and knock down the biggest shots. The only one I can picture doing that is Mo, but he's not a role player, he's their second option, so he will always be closely marked in playoff games that come down to the wire. But hey, guys like that develope over time, maybe some of them have it in them but haven't shown it yet!

I think Cleveland would be in the Play-Offs even without James.

They would, but in the east that still doesn't mean much;-).

Well, yeah, I kind of agree that they are the "Lebrons" as you say. He dominates their offense and puts that team at the top.

Yea, that's just it. They need that second player that turns them into a truely two headed monster, allowing Mo Williams to lurk around for the big shots! Maybe they can use Walley's contract to get someone. Ideally a PF who can score, rebound and lead. Kwame Brown anyone;-)?

[mvblair]

The only way he can go down as the GOAT is if he wins 7 or 8 championships.

Agreed.

So the main question is, will James ever have an organisation around him that is competent enough to surround him with players that can help him win all that hardware?

Well, I disagree with you that he doesn't have talent around him. They've got Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the East's second best center behind Dwight Howard, and Mo Williams, a very good guard. He's also got some decent role-players around him, like Varejao, Wallace, and West. I think Cleveland would be in the Play-Offs even without James.

The Cavs unfortunately are still known as the Cleveland Lebrons... that will have to change!

Well, yeah, I kind of agree that they are the "Lebrons" as you say. He dominates their offense and puts that team at the top.

[the.stig]

The only way he can go down as the GOAT is if he wins 7 or 8 championships. Naturally this is because of MJ’s 6, but don't worry, I'm not starting an 'is James better than MJ' debate here, because unlike Kobe, James is a completely different animal to MJ. You can't compare them, both are entirely different types of freaks of nature.

So the main question is, will James ever have an organisation around him that is competent enough to surround him with players that can help him win all that hardware?

If he stays in Cleveland I think the answer is unfortunately no. The Cavs have tried, and actually made the best deals possible under the circumstances, but lets face it, even Kevin Durant seems to be surrounded by more long term talent than James. This basically means the Cavs would have to do something radical.

The Cavs need to get at least one fellow star player (Mo Williams doesn't fit that bill, he's good, but not that good) and a veteran who can lead. Leadership is the only component that I think James is missing. To me the truly great players show confidence in their team. Look at Iverson back in Philly when they made that run to the finals. You could tell he believed in every one of his team mates, and they had a sense of unity. The Cavs unfortunately are still known as the Cleveland Lebrons... that will have to change!

[Lebron23]

RUSSELL: KING JAMES CAN 'COME CLOSE' TO MY CROWNS

PHOENIX - Celtic legend Bill Russell thinks LeBron James can "come close" to achieving his 11 championships and believes the hype of him leaving Cleveland is just that - hype.

"He's the only guy whose young enough to come close to some of my championships," Russell said last night at a press conference to announce the NBA Finals MVP Award will be named after him. "He'll have a long-enough career he can come close. [He] won't make it. But he'll come close."

Asked if he would like to see King James stay put in Cleveland like Russell did in Boston for all his career, Russell said, "I would never ever give advice to these guys. In order to be a great player you have to be smart. You can't be dumb to be a great player. To get to where LeBron is, he got there without my help.

"Whatever he thinks is important, but I have the feeling the idea of him leaving, he did not generate that idea. And so someone said he's probably going to leave and it went from there."

James, in his strongest statement yet he may stay in 2010 and not join the Knicks, said Friday, "I don't know. I'm very happy with my team right now. We're playing great basketball. So I have not reason to even think about leaving right now."

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02152009/sports/moresports/russell__king_james_can_come_close_to_my_155188.htm

What do you think? I think King James will win at least 6 NBA Championships as the Number One Option of his team, and He's destine to be the Greatest Small Forward of all time, if he remains healthy and motivated.

[pepman]

One of the top 10 of all time?

[Yojanda]

if he continues to play well, 1st ballot hof for sure.

[Charbel Sakr]

Maybe one of the richest players on NBA history....

Or

NBA's Top 100 players when the NBA commemorates its 100th year. If my memory serves me right, 1996 is when the NBA at 50 when they named the 50 Greatest players. 1996 + 50 which means 2046!

i know what u mean but u can already call him one of the top 50 ever !

[Khalid80]

Maybe one of the richest players on NBA history....

Or

NBA's Top 100 players when the NBA commemorates its 100th year. If my memory serves me right, 1996 is when the NBA at 50 when they named the 50 Greatest players. 1996 + 50 which means 2046!

I hope we'll all still be alive by then

[LordOfLeyte]

Maybe one of the richest players on NBA history....

Or

NBA's Top 100 players when the NBA commemorates its 100th year. If my memory serves me right, 1996 is when the NBA at 50 when they named the 50 Greatest players. 1996 + 50 which means 2046!

[Khalid80]

For James to be the greatest ever he has to accomplish more than the greatest player ever who, imo, is MJ.
I do believe that King James will win at least a few championships by the time he retires but to win more than 6 Championships like MJ did is no easy feat.
That's why I also predict that he will one of the Top 10 greatest players(Even though I would love to see him become the greatest player ever ).

And as Rik said it's still quite early to tell. He just turned 24 and has at least 10 more years of great basketball that he can offer. MJ won his first championship when he was 28.

(Unless Kobe wins the Championship with the Lakers for like 5 consecutive years )

[Charbel Sakr]

i voted 1 of the top 10 players ever

i think its fair to predict that unless he faces the same destiny as grant hill and penny hardaway, i hope not although im not a fan but he is so fun to watch!

[rikhardur]

Too early to tell imo. He doesn't even have the legend status like others still playing and who can tell if he'll be good in two years time? Players and people change. I say wait and see.

[Saskibaloia]

When "KING JAMES" retires what will his legacy be?

Greatest Player EVER?

One of the top 10 of all time?

A Hall of Fame?

A lot of talent but no titles?