Zion will be a suck in the NBA and the Lakers will suck also

I think he's going to get too fat. 6'6 285 is not a basketball player. He should be a defensive end in the NFL. He will be 300 pounds in a couple years. 325 worked for Shaq because he was 7'1 and could just pound in the paint. 325 for a 6'6 won't work at all.

You never saw him play. He lost weight at Duke. He is more mobile at 285 than you are at 135 - I promise.

sbeefyk2 wrote:

I think he's going to get too fat. 6'6 285 is not a basketball player. He should be a defensive end in the NFL. He will be 300 pounds in a couple years. 325 worked for Shaq because he was 7'1 and could just pound in the paint. 325 for a 6'6 won't work at all.

Shaq got too far himself, by the way. By the end of his time with the Lakers he weighed 380 lbs.

UncTarHeelsXC262 wrote:

You don't have a clue how well or how bad Zion is going to do in the NBA. He has only spent a year in college basketball. He is still going to play in the NBA. That is something over 551,000 high school boys can over dream of doing. Hope he does well and has a long NBA career, but he will get his 5 minutes on the NBA stage.

This is among the most confusing posts I've ever read. A UNC fan claiming someone doesn't know how Zion will do, then wishes Zion well, but says he will have only 5 minutes in the league?

Not just a suck

But the suck.

Sksksks wrote:

Lebron led a team of complete scrubs to the finals when he was only 22. After he left the cavs both times, they went from one of the best teams to the worst team in the league. Imagine if MJ had to play with crappy teams, coaching and management for his whole career. He wouldn't have 6 championships. Lebron is the GOAT.

MJ did play on a pretty crappy Bulls team that built around him over time....and would have had more championships if:

1) had been drafted into a great team with great coaching right off the bat; and,

2) not retired and comeback.

I'm betting he'd have 8-9 championships if he'd stayed the course. But he didn't, so that's all just supposition.

As for LeBron - no, he's not the GOAT by any measure - yet. Statistically he's not, and in measure of number of championships won, he's not. So no, not yet - but could be if he holds on and wins a few more.

Now Zion - the kid. He's only 18. All of this talk is WAY premature, but that's what makes it fun! To me, his vertical leap ability and weight combination concern me. Over time, that'll wear on his knees - especially as he hits 10 years in the league. Assuming he starts for the Pels and logs significant minutes next year, his health will become a real concern faster. Here's a kid used to playing against JV players (NCAA), who now jumps to huge minutes against the best the world has to offer.

I really hope they bring him along slowly to ensure he is able to set himself up for a long successful career.

Now - the Lakers? LOL. Someone said that if LBJ had been healthy they may have made the finals. Um...not a chance. That team sucked - with and without him. As for he and AD - I don't think the chemistry will be there. Lebron has shown that he doesn't really have loyalty to any team, so if things don't go perfectly, I expect him to jump to another team - or at least threaten to, which will only serve to torque off his current teammates.

Cleveland, Miami, Cleveland, LA...all the while showing that he's a coach killer and has to be the top dog in every situation, whether or not he should be. As he advances in age, his game will need to adapt a bit more, and he'll have to be more accepting of teammates who want a little limelight as well. Not sure he can.

Predictions:

Zion: Good (not great) rookie season, followed by 10 years of middle of the road play.

Lakers: out in the second round of the playoffs - regardless of who else they may pick up in FA.

LBJ: No further MVPs for him; no more NBA finals either. Injuries will mount, and retirement will hit within 4 years.

Zion just dropped 29 on the Bulls..........in less than 3 qts.....missing ONE shot from the field.

Dude will put up 21-8.5 1blk-1stl and 58%+ from the field this year. All-Star in year one.

bumping this so the OP can see what a maroon they were

Zion is going to benefit tremendously from the fact that there are no 80s,90s style centers in the league anymore.

i Love that espn is churning out the zion-only highlight reels for each game (so far) like they did when he was at duke

Funny how quiet the haters get now that he's carving up the NBA in the preseason....doing it tonight against maybe the best defensive center in the league.

I know know...."it's just preseason....wait till the regular season"

but what ever happened to "Just wait till college"....."Just wait till he faces NBA plyers..."

guess what folks....there ain't more levels left.....he's legit and haters were flat out wrong.

I wasn't a hater but yes I was wrong. I still think he's going to get injured this year but he is unstoppable within 12 feet from the basket. He's got Westbrook explosiveness and Lebron strength. I think the only way to slow him down is to get him in foul trouble, the defense is suspect.

coach wrote:

I wasn't a hater but yes I was wrong. I still think he's going to get injured this year but he is unstoppable within 12 feet from the basket. He's got Westbrook explosiveness and Lebron strength. I think the only way to slow him down is to get him in foul trouble, the defense is suspect.

Last two games: 55 points in 50 minutes on 84% shooting. A decent start, but it’s only pre-season.

His defense will be fine- he’s super quick and he’s coach’s Le and competitive.

Oh yeah, 1-1 on 3’s!

“coachable”

Remind me -- how did the Cavs do when Lebron ("the cancer") left? And how did they do when he came back? And how did they do when he left again?

Good time to update this thread. Pretty amazing how stupid some of the posters are.

LeBron and the Lakers currently at 31-7!! LeBron just had a 35 pt 16 rebound 7 assist game and is LEADING the NBA in assists.

I'm a massive Lebron fan and have watched most of the Lakers games, but I have to say that their record is pretty inflated. Unless they make some big moves, their post season will be short lived unless the Clippers are #2 seed.

Pretty excited for Zion's debut.

John Wesley Harding wrote:

Zion is set to make his NBA debut tonight. We should gain some insight into whether he’s bound to be a suck.

Zion Williamson, if he were to chose could be a fifteen season tight end or defensive end in N.F.L. Williamson is such a talented athlete, he could be a 3rd down pass rush specialist in N.F.L. He's too big to run and jump 82 games plus playoff on a hard floor in N.B.A. Williamson, if he played 40 games a season, it is possible for him to stay somewhat healthy. I do not think basketball is for him though. N.F.L. players do not ever hit each other in practice these days. I know it is strange to say, but Williamson would stay healthier in N.F.L. than N.B.A.

How long before his next injury?