Lebron Overrated? It's B-ball chat time!

So now that Lebron James has his 1 title and is running over everyone in the NBA it has become fashionable to put him in the best ever discussion.  He may be the best player in the NBA right now but I would not have  him in my top 5 all time... maybe not in the top 10.  I might start a team w/ him in the lineup as I do believe in the evolution of athletes and he is a freak but let's slow down.  He is a one time champ and has had plenty of support around him. I don't see him in the Jordan/Magic/Kareem/Russell mold.  I view him more like Shaq.  An absolute freak of nature that dominates because his physical presence is so unique.  Shaq destroyed people in his prime and refs called games differently for him.  If he go a benefit of calls like Lebron he would have shot 94848 free throws a game (and hit 12). When you think of Magic, Russell, Bird, Kareem, Jordan... it is intelligence, guile, determination as well as physical gifts.  They shot, passed, rebounded. Jordan dunked it, he shot threes, fade away, anything and everything.  When you see Lebron he hits a couple jumpers but mostly he drives the lane, runs guys over, gets away with a blatant charge and maybe goes to the free throw line.  Same as Shaq.  How about this... Lebron over his 10yrs averages 27.6ppg, .489%FG, 7.3RPG, 6.9APG, .8BLK, 1.7STL, and 3.3TO.  Shaq's first 10? 27.5PPG, .576%FG, 12RPG, 2.8APG, 2.6BLK, 0.71STL, and 2.9TO.  Huh... looks like Shaq had better more dominating numbers.  Yeah, but Lebron was a bigger winner.  No? Shaq won 3 titles in those 10 yrs.  But Shaq had better teams... Really?  Early on Kobe was not Kobe. Other than that?  How about Mark Madsen.  Robert Horry, Rick Fox.  Devean George.  Not exactly a murderer's row.  So maybe Lebron pulls a Jordan and keeps getting better, then we can talk.  For now he is statistically not even as productive as Shaquille O'Neal who very rarely gets in the top 10 all time discussion.

By year 10 Kobe had 4 rings, Magic had 5, Jordan had 3, Bird had 3, Kareem had 2, and Russell... well he had alot. Oh yeah, Shaq took his talents to South Beach nearly a decade ago and won the championship in year one. Oh yeah... they also played that season together, didn't end well.