by Andrew on Tue Apr 08, 2003 10:13 pm
I agree to a certain extent. There's certainly a lot of hype surrounding LeBron, and I feel that he might not live up to it for a couple of years, since the NBA will be tougher competition than what he's been facing in high school.
That said, he's not been facing a bunch of sub-6 foot players who can't play at all. Remember, Kevin Garnett was 6-11 when he came out of high school - there are some players at the high school level who, like LeBron, already have the height and bulk to play in the pros.
It's been well documented that LeBron is fundamentally sound and talented in many aspects of the game. The main concerns really should be his maturity and the pyschological impact of being the top draft pick. He's going to go to a team that had a losing season in 2002/2003, who might not have a lot of talent, and will likely lose a lot of games in 2003/2004. He might also have to deal with not being the main man - something he's always been thus far.
As for where he's going...
For some reason, I just don't see him going to the Cavs. I think fate will prove to be cruel to Cleveland, just as it was to Boston when they were vying for best odds in the Tim Duncan Lottery in 1997. I'm going with Denver, Miami and Toronto as the three teams that will probably get lucky in the lottery.
But you never know, he could pull a Steve Francis and get traded before he can even meet his new teammates.