lbj's huge ego (calling himself the king, the decision, calling himself the best player last year when he clearly wasn't anymore), the flopping, acting, and the lack of notable improvement in skills over the years. his shitty footwork, tons of non-called insane travels... he is elite i'll agree but i just don't like him. never did, never will.
he simply hasn't grown that much (skill wise) he's the same every year. i don't like his game one bit.
Reallyyyyy not sure why this is being down voted when its factaully quite true. Respect for Lebron for the amazing player he has BUT lets be real here: IF LeBron had MJ or Kobes work ethic we wouldnt be having this conversation or that other one about whot the GOAT. It would be LBJ...hands down. Hes been blessed with a natural athleticism unseen in his sport at his size. But his game HASNT improved except one area. Kobe came back and was better each year at SOMETHING. Same for MJ. They put in work. Lebron? Well, hes said he'll be in the gym over the summer when he has time. Sorry, for a guy with quite a few flaws in his game thats unacceptable to me.
I'll break it down further since im sure someone will ask
The only thing LBJ has gotten better at is knowing WHEN to shoot the 3 which has given people the surface appearance hes become a better shooter. He hasnt. Hes taking less 3s year by year which not only raises his 3pt fg% but has a marked relationship to overall fg%. This is smart because after 13 years in the league his jumper is still unreliable. So: smart that a 6'9 265lb monster shoots more inside, but it is unacceptable he hasnt worked on his j.
Speaking of shooting, his ft% hasnt trended upward at all. By this point he should easily shoot 83-87% and be dead nuts reliable at the stripe late in games. Hes not. Not once have the cavs been up 2 late in the game and LBJ gets fouled and you say "oh its over, hes icing this". He misses too many big ones.
Next, the hasnt improved his handle at all. His left is eh for a guy who claims to be a point forward. Force him left and he wants to shoot a one dribble step back jumper. He has not go to perimeter move. He lowers his shoulder and drops his head, granted as long as his athletic abilities hold this is a viable option but as weve seen over the last 2 years...hes lost a step and some bounce. He cant blow by everyone now.
He has no go to post move. Necessary if he wants to add years to his game. Pretty self explanatory.
His footwork is atrocious. Im not even talking about the blatant non calls on travels to the rim or pivot foot switches. Im speaking of footwork from the triple threat, or on his pull up jumper, or on his crossover/other dribbled moves. His game screams ultra athletic high schooler who never needed to try and develop more because he was head and shoulders better than his peers.
His defense is sub par, notably on ball. Lebron is NOT a defensive 'stopper'. He gets a lot of hype for his D and the only reason I can see why is because Sportscenter loves his chase down blocks. Watch a game and see how exposed he is on perimeter iso's and PnR situations. His defensive fg% and ppp against on those is nowhere near tops at his position. Watch a game and you can see him give up on plays religiously. He gambles on passing lanes as well like Steph does (without the detractors screaming about it) but comes up with a lot less steals. Point...his D is way over hyped.
I could pull up a bunch of numbers and links to people smarter at this than I but...you get the point. Is he great? Yes. But hes nowhere near where he should be and his flaws will become more and more evident as he gets older and loses his natural ability to dominant athletically. He still has time to develop his footwork, handle and jumper but i dont see it happening based on his work ethic historically.
Dont get me started on his ego. Yes, every great has one but good god...I never saw Larry or Kareem or MJ or Kobe or frankly ANYONE great nickname THEMSELVES. You bust your ass, dominate, and let the media and fans hash out a name for you. You certainly dont name yourself the King your first years in the league or call yourself the best player alive when your DOWN in the finals. Yes, you cant think it, youre SUPPOSED to but you never SAY it! Fuck.
Debates now open lol
BTW my call...GSW in 6. Very definitely can go 7. Cavs arent getting enough respect from the media and fans right now.
