Greatest Skill Set

Jordan was the best at creating his own shot.  Magic was the best at creating shots for others.  Bill Russell was the best at creating more possessions for his team which led to more shots.  Lebron James combines all three skills.  He has established himself as the best small forward of all time, and is well on his way to replacing someone on the NBA Mt. Rushmore.

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When I think about players that had the ability to control a game using their versatility, the first player that comes to mind is Oscar Robertson.  He is the only player in NBA history to average a triple double for a season.  His numbers were unreal. Here are his career numbers:  http://www.nba.com/history/players/robertson_stats.html

Magic Johnson also had all three abilities as well.  He has the most playoff triple doubles all time with 17, and he is second on the regular season all time list with 72.  Magic could play all five positions on the court proving it his rookie season during game 6 of the NBA finals.  Kareem, sat out due to an injury, Magic showed his versatility by playing every position on the floor at one point or another.  From point guard, to center.  He scored 42 points, pulled in 15 rebounds, and 7 assists against Dr. J and the mighty Philadelphia 76ers to win the first of his five NBA championships.  

Larry Bird, who was the second biggest star in the league during the 80s behind only Magic, also had the ability to impact the game using his versatility.   At one point I considered him to be the best small forward ever.  I remember watching old Celtics games a few years back. They were showing a marathon of great playoff games on NBAtv. Magic, MJ, and Bird. 

Lebron was still in Cleveland at the time. His playoff numbers were like 29 points 8 boards and 8 assist. He was doing his thing in the playoffs.  I was comparing their skills and Larry Legends numbers popped up and they were identical. So at that time Bird was better. He had more championships, mvps, and identical numbers. Skill set wise, he shot the ball better, and I would say his post game was more complete. 

Now I look at Lebron's resume and its nearly identical to Larry legends. In fact its better in some areas if you looked at them side by side.  Take a look:
http://www.landofbasketball.com/player_comparison/b/larry_bird_vs_lebron_james.htm 

Present day Lebron James is better than Larry Bird.  At 29, I see him getting better for a few more years. At that time, his game will slow down, he will post more and actually play a lot like Bird use to play. Right now his athletic ability puts him above a lot of players due to the fact that it allows him to do more on both offense and defense. For the most part Lebron James is unstoppable.


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James has the best combination of skills of any player that has ever played when you add his play on the defensive end, size and athleticism.  Although Lebron James is not on the Mt. Rushmore of the NBA as of yet, he is building a strong case as to why he should be.  Fan or not, we are witnessing history. 


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