Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You all know I dont love Lebron James.
This question came up on the radio, I was listening to ESPN LA yesterday and they asked the question:
Who do you take in their prime, Shaquille O'neal or Lebron James?
Now this was LA, but overwhelmingly the answer was Shaq. He was just too dominant at his position and a dominating center is very very rare.
I'm not sure if James is in his prime yet or if we have seen his peak ... however, I'd take James
He's just too versatile - he can handle, create shots from all over the court and has great vision
While Shaq was a monster in the post, teams were able to work against him by either playing post players that would draw Shaq away from the rim on defense and on offense late in games simply fouling him .... he'd become an offensive liability late in a close game
Not to mention that James is a much more complete defender .... ever see Shaq try and guard a pick & roll? - pretty it is not
^^Same arguments you'd make for any versatile scoring guard, but the skill set Shaq had was so unique and dominating that you can plug in alot of players and have a title team.
I can't think of a player that didn't need a good supporting cast to be a title team .... Shaq is definitely no exception to this
plus, you'll get 10 more games a year from LeBron
That's true but if I'm starting a team from scratch I take the big man. And really this thread is a reaction to all the Lebron, Kobe, Jordan comparisons. Comparing a totally different dominant player....
Location: Born & Raised DC > Carolinas > Seattle > Denver
9,338 posts, read 7,110,408 times
Reputation: 9487
Damn....tough question.
They both have the ability to take over games. Shaq is a great rim defender, but Lebron himself is a great defender all over the court.
Once Shaq developed his little toss-hook shot, he could score at will. Bron can also score at will. Both seem to be good character/locker room guys.
I'd give a slight edge to James, just because he can be dominant all over the court and can play nearly every position. Shaq is one of the greatest big men of all time, but outside the paint he can't do much. Bron needs to keep working on his post game though.
This is a guy that won his championships in an era of great centers and just how many HOF centers are there playing in the NBA right now anywhere near their peak?
Maybe 1.
P.S. We'd also immediately get to stop hearing the claim about Lebron guarding any position too.
If we are talking about a 5 year period or perhaps a different era then possibly Lebron. I actually think he'd be tougher in the previous era of more physical play given his size and strength.
The center position is just too weak in the league to pass on Shaq.
In todays era with todays rules I'd absolutely go LeBron ...... with the ability to run more zones and pack in the lane on defense .... not to mention the proliferation of guys who are 6'10" on up who can shoot .... shaq would be even more of a defensive liability when not anchored in the post with other traditional big men ...... there is a reason why you see teams abandoning the traditional big man ... with the current rules and player talents you just don't need them .... guys can't hand check your guards so they can flow better, zones can help collapse up the lane and on defense you have to deal with guys who face up instead of back in
I know that Shaq was dominant - however, so is LeBron
If you look at this year from LeBron and Shaqs MVP season of 99-00 LeBron was actually more efficient in scoring (albeit slightly)
LeBron scored 1.206 points on every shot attempt - Shaq scored 1.148 points on every shot attempt ..... however, Shaq had a higher FG percentage and visibly looks more unstoppable when he was rolling over and dunking on people ...... however, on average if you gave each a 100 shots LeBron would generate around 120 points to around 115 for Shaq ..... he's equally as dominant with the ball in his hand
I know it's funny to the eye test ... but LeBron is every bit of an offensive force than the dominant big man ... you're not going to effectively stop either
It's just that LeBron has more ways to hurt you and you can work the offense through him in the last 2 minutes because he doesn't have the giant weakness from the FT line
Shaq was good at defending the paint - but really bad moving in space
LeBron is worlds better as an all around defender
If I were starting a franchise today and had either of them about to enter their primes - I'd go LeBron and that's no slight against Shaq
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
