Tuesday, August 9th, 2011 at 9:00 am  |  130 responses

LeBron James Working Out With Hakeem Olajuwon


by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Kobe Bryant did it. So did Dwight Howard (twice, in fact.)

It’s now LeBron James’ turn to benefit from the tutelage of the NBA’s postgame Yoda.

James, long maligned for seemingly not working hard enough to develop a deadly postgame (despite obvious physical advantages over, well, everyone), has enlisted Hakeem Olajuwon to help change things.

From the AP:

“Right now I’ve just been focusing on being a better player, working on my game every single day,” James said. “Like I said, the Dallas Mavericks were a great team and they deserved to win that championship. And I’ll just use that as motivation coming into this season.”

He’s also trying to deliver on his vow to be even better whenever the Heat resume play, saying he’s been in Houston at times this offseason to learn post play from one of the game’s all-time greats, former Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon.

“I look at what he was able to do throughout his career,” James said. “Unbelievable talent. Multiple champion. Just to see how he was able to dominate in the low post, for me as an individual, I just try to look at some of the things I feel I need to get better at and hit home at it. Our team becomes better if I continue to get better and that’s what it’s about.”

For about eight years now, fans and media have wondered why LeBron didn’t look more comfortable posting guys up, and instead focused on bull-rushing to the hoop or the long outside jumper.

It’s encouraging to learn that even the player many consider to be the best in the League, sees room for improvement in his game.

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  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    There’s no way 26yr old Shaq, 26yr old Hakeem, 26yr old Kobe, and a 26yr old Bird was better than current Bron, no way. I bet you don’t even know what those guys did in the playoffs at that age, never-mind I’ll tell you.
    A Shaq-led Laker squad was swept in the 2nd round by the Spurs, Hakeem-led Rocket squad was busy losing in the 1st round to the Sonics, the celtics led by Bird was swept in the 2nd round by the Bucks!!! and Kobe was busy playing second fiddle to Shaq avg. 19 ppg in the RS and playoffs.
    So explain to me how those guys were better than Bron at age 26 when none of those guys made it past the 2nd round and 3 of their teams were swept?
    I understand the hate towards Bron since it’s mandatory behavior for a Kobe fan but at least come with the facts.

  • http://bleacherreport.com/articles/791470-lebron-james-vs-dwyane-wade-who-is-the-better-player/page/8 nbk

    Correction JT, at 26 Kobe averaged 27 6 and 6 and Missed the Playoffs entirely.

  • http://www.twitter.com/dfrance21 dfrance21

    What we should all do is two things 1. Stop comparing everyone under the sun to MJ and 2. Stop passing judgement on people careers, when their careers are not even over.

  • http://bleacherreport.com/articles/791470-lebron-james-vs-dwyane-wade-who-is-the-better-player/page/8 nbk

    then we would be just talking about politics.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    Really? We are Sheep aren’t we. Here is the blue print for who is the best player PPG+APG+RBG+fg%= Best player right?? You guys truly astound me. Especially you NBK, a dude who sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. You seem to know it all. You can name a Stat in a second, but…. You should know better as a student of the game. Your a dude who have played the game. It ain’t about STATS!!! It isn’t, it just isn’t at all. They show only a portion. Oscar Robertson was not the GOAT. Kareem is not the Goat. Kobe is not the Goat. MJ is the Goat! Not because of how many assists he ended up with, how many rebounds he grabbed, not just because of how he scored the ball. It was because of what he did on the biggest stage. Not his RS numbers and nice stats, but what he did in the Playoffs. It’s not about adding up stats. MJ is clearly the best because he did more for his team in the Playoffs than any other man besides Bill Russell. (and we know he isn’t the GOAT) (shi+, right???) Kobe has done it in the playoffs a number of times. Shaq has. Bird has. Magic has. D-Wade has once. LBJ has had some nice series but is 0-2 in the finals with miserable outcomes. He has not created a LEGEND about himself yet. Thats why at this point there is no comparison between him and the great winners of basketball in the past. He is in the Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton category. Not to hard to see that…..I thought. Holy shi+.

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    Correction, KAJ has as much as right as anyone, MJ included, to be the GOAT.
    NBK, you’re right. Regardless, the guy missed the playoffs entirely. There’s no way MJ at 26, Bron at 26, Magic at 26, Bird at 26 fails to lead their respective teams to the playoffs. What does that say about someone that’s supposedly the greatest player since MJ?

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    No he doesn’t. But he is one of the closest to nipping at MJ’s legs.

  • http://bleacherreport.com/articles/791470-lebron-james-vs-dwyane-wade-who-is-the-better-player/page/8 nbk

    LeBron James – 28PPG 8 RPG 7 APG on 46% in 92 career playoff-games. Kobe Bryant – 25PPG 5RPG 5APG on 45% shooting in 208 Career Playoff Games. LeBron is also better then Kobe Bryant in the playoffs. Statistically & efficiently. And those are Kobe’s career numbers, if we just used when he was 26 this would look like a complete joke. Michael Jordan is the GOAT because he was6 titles (basically in a row) all after the age of 26 (when everyone said he would never win anything and is supremely overrated) – LeBron at 26 is in the same boat, except he has won more. – ANd what makes Michael Jordan the GOAT is that he won 6 straight titles, while being extremely efficient and the top dog on his team. His stats show how great he was, his titles show that he did it to the benefit of his team. Kobe’s most impressive stats come from seasons where he didn’t win at all, and some of his wins came even when he struggled. There is a huge difference.

  • http://bleacherreport.com/articles/791470-lebron-james-vs-dwyane-wade-who-is-the-better-player/page/8 nbk

    OH that and Kobe’s greatest seasons are still not as good as LeBron’s best 3 seasons. ANd Kobe’s best season is the only part of him that can be, logically, compared to Michael Jordan’s average season. (if you care at all about efficiency, which isn’t a stat)

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    I guess I just like guys that want to win it when it matters. LeBron looks like a Bum when he gets to the finals. Doesn’t even look like he cares at all. Check that STAT out. I have seen Kobe make way more difficult shots in way more difficult situations than LeBron, not a STAT, just a fact. Fact, Kobe has way more offensive skills then LeBron. Fact he does it all with half the athleticism. Fact he has way better footwork in the post. Fact, he has 5 championship rings. Fact, he scored the same amount as LBJ last year in 6 less mins. Fact, he makes clutch daggers allot. Fact LeBron doesn’t. Fact Lebron is best served as a playmaker, but turns the ball over way to much to have the ball in his hands that often. I will take kobe shooting 11% or whatever godawful percentage in the finals trying his hardest to will his team to a win, than LeBrons ultra effecient Loss. But thats just me, to each his own. If you wanna think LBJ has a chance to be better than Jordan when he isn’t as good as 10 other guys behind Jordan, fine by me. I’m not trying to change your mind. You like LBJ’s style of play and think he’s the greatest ever, I don’t. He’ll be a top 20 guy imo.

  • http://bleacherreport.com/articles/791470-lebron-james-vs-dwyane-wade-who-is-the-better-player/page/8 nbk

    PER 36 Minutes last season – Kobe Bryant 26.9 Points 5.4 Rebounds 5.0 Assists on 45% shooting (9.6-21.2 in 36 minutes) compared to LeBron James 26.7 Points 7.5 Rebounds 7.0 Assists on 51% shooting (9.6 for 18.8) – So he scored .2 Points per 36 minutes more then LeBron on 6% lower from the field. That is absolutely nothing to brag about. – Add that to the obvious, LeBron is MORE EFFECTIVE at EVERYTHING else. Kobe Bryant is more skilled the LeBron I have never argued differently, probably more skilled then LeBron ever will be. But that doesn’t make him a better basketball player, infact it’s obvious who is better especially at the age of 26.

  • http://bleacherreport.com/articles/791470-lebron-james-vs-dwyane-wade-who-is-the-better-player/page/8 nbk

    And another thing, making difficult shots does not make you better then anyone else. Kobe makes difficult shots because he shoots difficult shots, that doesn’t help when talking about winning, and can be attributed to part of the reason that he can’t win anything at all without another player playing like an all star. LeBron doesn’t make nearly as many difficult shots because he plays basketball the right way. If I had to win a game starting from the 1st quarter moving forward I would take LeBron James over Kobe Bryant every single time. Unless i have a team of all defenders who have absolutely zero offensive skill, then I take Bryant. Solely because he is a better SCORER, not basketball player.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Hold up, I know I’m late to the party here, BUT – Soop, what makes you so confident that Rose, Wall and ‘em owe so much of their success to Rod Strickland?
    Strickland was a dope player, no doubt, but let’s be real!
    If preps to pros was still an option, Derrick Rose would’ve been a top five pick in the ’07 draft.
    John Wall would’ve been a top two pick in the ’09 draft.
    And if they hadn’t gone to Memphis/Kentucky?
    Both still would’ve been the number one overall pick in their respective drafts.
    I’m sure dude’s a good coach but come on, these kids were set to be drafted really high pre-Strickland.

  • http://bleacherreport.com/articles/791470-lebron-james-vs-dwyane-wade-who-is-the-better-player/page/8 nbk

    “the seed” posted

    nbk
    First of all no NBA player should be tutored by Rod Strickland period, go seek out Tim Hardaway or John Stockton or anybody else. Rod Strickland is on Kentucky bench he is lucky the Head Coach gave him a job.

    — I only brought up Strickland for an analogy and then Seed said ^ that. I just proved that Strickland is atleast a decent coach, considering ever PG he coaches get drafted in the lottery and almost immediately thrives in the NBA. I wasn’t saying Strickland is the sole reason Wall and Rose are going to be great or even the reason at all. I just think he prepared them to succeed early. But was just arguing with crazy Seed again really

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    But was just arguing with crazy Seed again really.

    Ha ha, nuff said, my dude

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    It’s funny that Lakeshow continues to argue despite the fact that everything he brought up as to why Kobe’s better than Bron has been shut down by NBK. I mean what more evidence aka facts do you need?
    Also, for all the talk about Kobe performing better than Bron in the postseason, how many legendary games/series has kobe had in the playoffs? The guy has only one 50pt game in the playoffs, that’s it. All his biggest games have come during the RS against the likes of Toronto, Portland and Memphis. What name has he made for himself in the postseason expect for being a second fiddle to Shaq, losing to a Nash-led Suns team after being up 3-1, getting destroyed by 30+ points in two different elimination games (08 Bos/’11 Dal) and having the lowest FG% for a Finals MVP in history. The man’s postseason exploits are not as great as the media and fans would lead you to believe, people get blinded by the 5 rings and automatically think that he was dominant during those championship runs. Russell has 11 rings but that doesn’t mean he was more dominant than a guy with 0 (Baylor) or a guy with 1 (West) or a guy with 2 (Chamberlain).

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    The bad thing is Me & LakeShow got in a very similar discussion on 7-22 (i was on my way back from vacation is why i remember the day) where he got frustrated and just stopped commenting. Almost the exact same argument and disappeared from that too so i should have known better then too even engage this.

  • http://philosopher.view@blogspot.com The Philosopher

    LONG… LIVE… THE KING!

  • Big M.D.W

    go back ta cleaveland (or tha celtics GO CELTICS!!!) and you wil get the crowd on your side again

  • http://Slamonline.com Datkid

    @mlk4life Hold on.. When I said GOAT I didn’t mean better than mj.. I meant all time great, like in the convo.. But I’ma cosign nbk. Also MLK don’t call me kid.. ESP. After nbk kinda sonned you like that. But no. Kobe has never been statistically better than lebron, and neither has wade.. And when both were in similar situations… Neither was able to take there team anywhere near as far as he did. Lebron is the greatest one-man show on the planet. And right now by far the best player in the league.

  • MLK4Life

    @Datkid
    nbk didn’t “son” me. I shut him down easily. He’s just too dense when it comes to basketball matters to see it. Continue your LeBron love fest if you wish. Objective basketball fans know better.

  • MLK4Life

    Also, D-Wade swept four games straight from the Mavs after being down 0-2 to win a championship when he was 24. So does that make him better than LeBron and Mike? Come on dude. The way you guys have attached yourselves to LeBron is hilarious. Not once did I say Kobe and Wade were better than LeBron. But Kobe is closer to MJ. LeBron isn’t that type of guy. His game isn’t a MJ/Kobe style of game.

  • http://bleacherreport.com/articles/791470-lebron-james-vs-dwyane-wade-who-is-the-better-player/page/8 nbk

    It’s pretty hard to put into words how moronic your arguments are. Lets just make this nice and easy, before MJ was the goat who was? A center? A Point Guard? A Small Forward? It wasn’t a shooting guard, it wasn’t someone with an “MJ/Kobe” “Style” of game. So does the GOAT always have to have that type of game? Clearly he doesn’t. If LeBron wins 7 straight titles, 7 straight. He will be a year younger then Jordan when Jordan won his 6th, and will (despite 2 irrelevant losses in the finals) be in the conversation for GOAT. (Like i’ve said numerous times I highly highly highly doubt LeBron will ever get there, but at 26 he’s closer then ANYONE has been since Jordan too Jordan) – And Kobe is not in the conversation if your looking at it objectively (Having actual existence or reality.)

  • http://Slamonline.com Datkid

    @mlk4life no nbk basically disproved your argument.. W/o mentioning the fact that mj had the benefit of going to college, and learning from an all time great coach.. And it’s not a love fest.. I just don’t hate Lebron illogically like you do.. ALSO I NEVER SAID LEBRON PLAYED ANYTHING LIKE JORDAN.

  • http://Slamonline.com Datkid

    Actually nvm you don’t hate Lebron @mlk4life… But again.. You’re still wrong.. Lebron will be all an time great when he’s done.. Maybe not THE goat… But if he does well he deserves a place in the convo

  • MLK4Life

    It’s not hard at all to put into words how ridiculous your arguments are @nbk. LeBron’s not winning 7 straight. He needs one first. And the league is too good for any team to win 7 straight. Don’t know how you came up with that mindless hypothetical statement. Kobe’s definitely in the conversation. Perhaps you’ve never seen him play. Your love fest with LeBron prevents you from seeing things clearly. MJ himself has said numerous times that he’d take Kobe over LeBron. Are you going to disagree with him as if you know better? @Datkid He didn’t disprove my argument at all. Your love for LeBron also renders you incapable of seeing things clearly. LeBron’s a great player. The most talented SF to ever play. But he’s going to need some more MVP awards, Defensive Player of the Year Awards, and Championships to be talked about with Jordan. It will be hard for him to get MVP awards while playing with a fellow superstar and another All-Star and it will be difficult to win DPOY awards with Dwight Howard in the league. Championships will also be difficult because he put a huge target on the Heat’s back last summer. The league is too good for any one team to become a Dynasty currently.

  • http://bleacherreport.com/articles/791470-lebron-james-vs-dwyane-wade-who-is-the-better-player/page/8 nbk

    uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh your reading comprehension is straight up non-existent. All-Time? I would take Kobe over LeBron too, why though? because of Longevity and 2-Championships. But we are talking about having a chance at being in the GOAT conversation, which Kobe ISN’T and NEVER will have unless he turns into Benjamin Button. LeBron has a CHANCE (he’s 26 and more accomplished then MJ at the same age…despite losses in the finals and more years in the league, he’s still more accomplished, its inarguable), and as i’ve said F*CKING OVER and OVER and OVER is that I don’t see LeBron ever GETTING THERE but unlike Kobe and every player since MJ he’s got a chance. End

  • http://Slamonline.com Datkid

    Yeah cosign nbk above…he did disprove you.. At his age Lebron is more accomplished than mj PERIOD. And in reference to your statement above.. It will be very difficult.. But not impossible

  • J DIlla

    Bill Laimbeer and THE Microwave had more of a impact than lebron in 4th quarters. And I can’t begin to tell u there stats, I just know what I WITNESS…Stats are overrated…PERIOD!

  • Charles

    I don’t understand the comments on LBJ’s character? There’s nothing wrong with his character except being the opposite of Cleveland fans..understanding a contract. Period. It doesn’t matter though. Wait till Biill Cartwright makes HIS comeback and brings out HIS shoes..we’ll see who the g.o.a.t. is then…

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