Michael Jordan or Lebron James?

[SuperChargers]

If I had to not know anything about post-draft LBJ or MJ... LBJ #1 pick and all kinds of hype, MJ #3

So LBJ

Knowledge now? MJ

[Dayman]

[ehh]

If some magical potion let us forget all of their accomplishments, or lack thereof, I'm pretty sure everyone would take an 18 year old LeBron fresh out of HS over a 21 year old MJ fresh out of UNC.

Hell, MJ wasn't even the #1 pick. LeBron was the most hyped HS player in a long time. Everyone is laughing at this thread but probably in the wrong direction, I think the consensus would be LeBron. So yeah, we'd all make a gigantic ****ing mistake together.

[ImTellinTim]

I'm not sure the point of this discussion because obviously you would take LeBron based on pure athletic ability and upside. It's a no-brainier. But the history of all sports is littered with great talents that never transcended to GOAT status. This is an irrelevant discussion IMO.

EDIT: To add to ehh's post, MJ wasn't the first pick in his draft - this guy named Akeem Olajuwon was. At that point it was probably the right pick, and it turned out to be a great pick. So even in his draft year, you had this same question.

[AlexBrady]

Quote: Originally Posted by poopydude

Hypothetically speaking of course and disregarding all NBA achievements If you had the option to take either Michael or Lebron in their Rookie year and build a franchise around them who would you take and why?

Michael Jordan already had that incredible reverse dribble, an adequate jumper and was a buzz saw on defense. His apprenticeship under Dean Smith gave him some idea of how to play within the team concept.

LeBron already had incredible court vision and passing skills, but thats it. His jumper was brickish, his defensive stance was totally upright and he was always looking for steals. His fundamentals were atrocious. Oh yeah, and he was already referring to himself in the third-person.

The pick here would be Michael Jordan.

[ImTellinTim]

I really don't think it's that simple to assert that MJ is the "only acceptable answer", AB. I don't follow the NBA anymore because it isn't a good representation of the sport to me, but regularly read everything posted around here. LeBron had more raw skills and potential than Jordan coming into the League and I don't think it's that close.

[24]

I just want to throw this out there, I in no way shape or form think that Lebron is better than Jordan. I just thought that it would be an interesting question to pose because both Michael and Lebron were Fantastic talents when they first came into the league. Yet some people take the question out of context.

[BlastX21]

[jfsolo]

Quote: Originally Posted by ehh

If some magical potion let us forget all of their accomplishments, or lack thereof, I'm pretty sure everyone would take an 18 year old LeBron fresh out of HS over a 21 year old MJ fresh out of UNC. Hell, MJ wasn't even the #1 pick. LeBron was the most hyped HS player in a long time. Everyone is laughing at this thread but probably in the wrong direction, I think the consensus would be LeBron. So yeah, we'd all make a gigantic ****ing mistake together.

For me, no chance. Jordan was doing stuff, even in college, that I had never seen anyone do, still haven't seen anyone do, on both ends of the court. Lebron has freakish physical gifts, but I've never seen him do anything where I thought that, "no one else is capable of doing this"

I know that back then people were still too enamored with the, "got to have a top notch big man to win it all" mentality, but it's still stunning to me that any person with a modicum of basketball knowledge could have watched Mike play more than 10 times, and not irrefutably known that he was a once in a forever talent that you had to take.

As a Laker fan, I was scared to death that Jordan was going to be on Houston with Sampson or Portland with Drexler. I was so happy that they were blinded by anachronistic thinking. How could experts not see what a noob middle school kid could see so clearly.

[daveberg]

Jordan. All day. EVERY day.

As mentioned above, Jordan was doing things in his rookie year that seasoned veterans couldn't dream of doing, his athletic ability was off the charts. A beast on offense, and scarily enough, an equal beast on defense. Plus, a great (although harsh) leader with ice water in his veins when it came to crunch time.