# Deng up there with Lebron and Carmelo



## Jumpman23 (Oct 10, 2002)

I haven't see too many 19 year old kids with such bbal savy as Deng. This guy is so impressive. He's like a young Paul Pierce with better defense. It took Tyson and Eddy almost 4 years to kinda get the way you have to play in this league and this kid has got it by his 2nd preseason game. I doubt he will put up lebron or camelo type #s just because we have a solid supporting cast, but I would say he is pretty much neck in neck with those two guys.


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## Snuffleupagus (May 8, 2003)

Don't get carried away. Deng is nice but he hasn't averaged 20 ppg. He's not in that category yet.


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## Jumpman23 (Oct 10, 2002)

well the only reason lebron averaged close to 20 ppg was because he was the man on a bad team, much like crawford. I am not saying he is a bad player, all i'm saying that Deng has a better shot, and better D then Lebron. At least so far.


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## Snuffleupagus (May 8, 2003)

You're going to have a hard time convincing me the Bulls aren't a "bad team" and that Lebron wouldn't put up 20 ppg if he were in Deng's roster spot.

I will agree Deng is as good at shooting and defense, and he's almost as good a passer. But he can't handle the ball or create shots nearly as well as Lebron, and he's not anywhere near as explosive (though he's more athletic than people think). They're still a different class of players if you ask me.


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)




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## Jumpman23 (Oct 10, 2002)

i don't think lebron would put up 20 ppg on this team, now way. He's got no 3pt shot. Plus we got Curry here along with Hinrich and Noccioni who will take a good amout of the teams shots. Name 3 other player besides Lebron that are as good the 3 for the bulls. Aside of Z, they don't have anyone close, cuz wagner is no hinrich.


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

No way Lebron, maybe Carmelo, but that would be best case scenario.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

Lebron might average 30 on this Bulls team. We're starved for a superstar. Lebron is a superstar.

Deng is most definitely NOT in Lebron's class of player. Step away from the Kool-aid bar. Step AWAY from the Kool-aid...

But just for fun...

So we've got,
the future John Stockton
The Future Kevin Garnett
the Future Shaq
and NOW we've got the Future Lebron

Damn we're gonna be good...in the future...:sigh:


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

Well...

Deng being in the same class with Lebron isn't as far fetched as the Stockton, Garnett and Shaq comparisons, since they are the same age and were 1 and 2 in their class in high school. Deng was considered a phenom just like Lebron, but obviously Lebron has the higher ceiling because of his insane athletic ability.


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## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

This is hillarious. Deng is nowhere near the class of LeBron or Melo. To say so is just plain crazy.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Johnny Mac</b>!
> Well...
> 
> Deng being in the same class with Lebron isn't as far fetched as the Stockton, Garnett and Shaq comparisons, since they are the same age and were 1 and 2 in their class in high school. Deng was considered a phenom just like Lebron, but obviously Lebron has the higher ceiling because of his insane athletic ability.


Yeah but someone had to be number 2 in the class. It just happened to be Deng. There was a pretty big dropoff from 1 to 2 in that class, which wasn't nearly as strong as the class after it.

At least how I see it. I think Deng could be a nice player. But I don't see him ever being a superstar franchise player that you can build a team around.

But I think he's going to be a key piece of the puzzle. I would like to see him become like a poor man's Scottie Pippen. That's kind of where I have him projected right now. We just need to find him an MJ to play with.


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## Jumpman23 (Oct 10, 2002)

well i guess it's pointless to argue with u guys now...so i'll just wait till the season is over then we'll see.


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## Chi_Lunatic (Aug 20, 2002)

[email protected] not averaging 20pts on the bulls

wow


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## Dan Rosenbaum (Jun 3, 2002)

There is a big difference between LeBron and Carmelo in terms of how they help their teams. Cleveland needs LeBron out there in order to play well, while Denver generally plays better with Carmelo out of the game.

Deng is not the scorer that Carmelo is, but he is also not the ball hog and defensive liability that Carmelo is. My guess is that Deng probably will have a more positive effect on the Bulls in his first season than Carmelo had with Denver. (Denver's improvement last season had very little to do with Carmelo.)


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## bullet (Jul 1, 2003)

Well , Deng will be a star in the league imo...


But he's no Lebron.

Mello - yes , he might be even better eventually , but not Lebron.


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## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

Melo gets so much hate on this board. Deng cant touch melo right now, hes played a few pre season games against teams who are mostly putting in bench players. You guys do this to yourselves every year and get way too worked up on one of your many new prospects and always end up being let down in a very hard way. I would have thought the last few years would have taught some of you your lesson.


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>R-Star</b>!
> Melo gets so much hate on this board. Deng cant touch melo right now, hes played a few pre season games against teams who are mostly putting in bench players. You guys do this to yourselves every year and get way too worked up on one of your many new prospects and always end up being let down in a very hard way. I would have thought the last few years would have taught some of you your lesson.


It happens everywhere. The Bulls board on the site just happens to be more populated than any other forum on this whole site. If any other team had a board with this many people, and they had a 19 year old tearing up the pre-season, the hype would be the same. 

This thread isn't even this whole board, it is just one or two fans. From that you gathered that the whole Bulls board thinks Deng will be better than Carmelo Anthony. We can be excited about a guy without thinking he is going to be an MVP candidate one day.


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## BlazersBlazersBlazers (Sep 15, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>Johnny Mac</b>!
> 
> 
> It happens everywhere. The Bulls board on the site just happens to be more populated than any other forum on this whole site. If any other team had a board with this many people, and they had a 19 year old tearing up the pre-season, the hype would be the same.
> ...


Blazers board is hyping up Telfair just like you guys are hyping up Deng...It's hard not to be a homer.
TELFAIR FOR ROY!!!!!!!j/k


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## Squirrel (Jul 25, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>R-Star</b>!
> Deng cant touch melo right now, hes played a few pre season games against teams who are mostly putting in bench players.


Wasn't he matched up against Paul Pierce last night? It was his best game yet.


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## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Johnny Mac</b>!
> 
> 
> It happens everywhere. The Bulls board on the site just happens to be more populated than any other forum on this whole site. If any other team had a board with this many people, and they had a 19 year old tearing up the pre-season, the hype would be the same.
> ...



I realise its only some of the Bulls fans. I've been here over 2 years and have seen the different Bulls fans post about everything. There's the homers, the synics, and the guys in the middle.

My posts in this thread are only in reference to the homers.


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## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Squirrel</b>!
> 
> 
> Wasn't he matched up against Paul Pierce last night? It was his best game yet.


Maybe you can trade him for Pierce then. I mean hes just been playing so good, Im sure the Celtics will trade for a LeBron type player in a second right?


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## Squirrel (Jul 25, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>R-Star</b>!
> 
> 
> Maybe you can trade him for Pierce then. I mean hes just been playing so good, Im sure the Celtics will trade for a LeBron type player in a second right?


That wasn't my point, which is that Pierce isn't a bench player and he still had a good, "mello-esque" game.


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## Dan Rosenbaum (Jun 3, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>R-Star</b>!
> Melo gets so much hate on this board. Deng cant touch melo right now, hes played a few pre season games against teams who are mostly putting in bench players. You guys do this to yourselves every year and get way too worked up on one of your many new prospects and always end up being let down in a very hard way. I would have thought the last few years would have taught some of you your lesson.


I am not rating Deng that high. I am just pointing out that Carmelo was wonderful in generating glory stats last season, but very poor at helping his team win. No one ever answers the question why if Carmelo was so effective was Denver better off when Rodney White was in the game. (And remember I account for the quality of all of the players that Carmelo and Rodney White play with and against.) I doubt Deng will approach Carmelo in terms of generating glory stats, but I think there is a decent chance that he helps the Bulls win more. Basically, all Deng has to do is play at the level of Rodney White to do so.


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## ace20004u (Jun 19, 2002)

Deng is showing some promise but I wouldn't be so quick to put him up there with the Carmello's and Lebron's of the world just yet.


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## SPIN DOCTOR (Oct 31, 2002)

Lets leave the Bron comparisons alone, Deng and 99.9% of the league do not have the ability to change a game the way Lebron does when he is on the floor.

But...

Mello is a completely different example. The ONLY reason he gets mentioned in the same breath as Lebron so frequently is the fact they shared the same draft class, and went 1+2. Their upsides are completely different, Lebron has the POTENTIAL to become a dominating superstar, and Mello likely will become an all-star team contributer.

That said, Deng shows potential to be VERY good in a contributing role. Awesome, we needed a impact player through the draft on the wing. I for one am very happy Pax cut the deal with the Suns. He is much more skilled than I thought, and looks to be a great pick-up, as does Chapu. There is a good reason to watch games again, and that is progress. We as fans deserve some luck to come our way, now if we can get Gordon going we would have 4 rookies worth watching. 

Not that this makes the cycle of losing acceptable, just slightly more tolerable, and somewhat interesting.


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## BealeFarange (May 22, 2004)

I think, realistically, Jamal Mashburn-type productivity is the ceiling for Deng. You know what? That's FANTASTIC. A guy like Mash is really quite rare and I'm excited to have someone in Deng who could very easily be an all-star caliber producer soon...if not this year. 

However, to say Deng is already comprable to 'Melo/LBJ is obviously ridiculous. LBJ would score around 30 a game with the Bulls and 'Melo might even score more...those kids are SCORERS. Deng CAN score but he's not going to create shots all by his lonesome. 

Am I excited? Hell yes. Kid's gonna be good.

Is he a hall of famer? No...but 'Melo/LBJ are on the path already. We have to remember how INSANELY rare those two are.


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## Johnny Mac (May 6, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>BealeFarange</b>!
> I think, realistically, Jamal Mashburn-type productivity is the ceiling for Deng. You know what? That's FANTASTIC. A guy like Mash is really quite rare and I'm excited to have someone in Deng who could very easily be an all-star caliber producer soon...if not this year.


Mashburn never got it together, but yeah, he was pretty good at pretty much everything. 

He averaged anywhere from 20-24 points per game. 
He averaged anywhere from 5-8 rebounds per game. 
He averaged anywhere from 4-6 assists per game. 

That *is* pretty amazing. Plus we know Deng can play disciplined basketball and D up. People look down on Mashburn because of his injures, and he never got his career together to be as good as he could have been.


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## GB (Jun 11, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Dan Rosenbaum</b>!
> There is a big difference between LeBron and Carmelo in terms of *how they help their teams*. Cleveland needs LeBron out there in order to play well, while *Denver generally plays better with Carmelo out of the game*.


:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:


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## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>GB</b>!
> 
> 
> :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:


I did the same thing.

Carmelo Anthony was the biggest reason for Denvers turn around. Yes, the other new players helped alot as well, but without Melo, they would not have been as good of a team. Because of his crybaby attitude off the court, people discredit what he can actualy do while hes on it.

I see Deng as being a very good role player during his career. Never to the level Melo is though. Deng will be a great role player, key word, "ROLE" player.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>SPIN DOCTOR</b>!
> 
> Mello is a completely different example. The ONLY reason he gets mentioned in the same breath as Lebron so frequently is the fact they shared the same draft class, and went 1+2.


1+3, actually. Don't forget about that tall guy that Larry Brown won't play.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>R-Star</b>!
> 
> 
> I see Deng as being a very good role player during his career. Never to the level Melo is though. Deng will be a great role player, key word, "ROLE" player.


I disagree. While I believe it's a little too hasty to start saying that Deng is Lebron James just yet, I do believe he will end up being more than what I would consider to be a "role" player. Time will tell, I suppose.


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## Dan Rosenbaum (Jun 3, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>R-Star</b>!
> Carmelo Anthony was the biggest reason for Denvers turn around. Yes, the other new players helped alot as well, but without Melo, they would not have been as good of a team. Because of his crybaby attitude off the court, people discredit what he can actualy do while hes on it.


Your first sentence is a claim that just is not supported by the evidence. Denver was every bit as good when Carmelo was cheering from the bench and once you account for who Carmelo was playing with and against, they were actually _better_ when he was on the bench. Not a lot better, but a little better. Denver's guard play was atrocious in 2002-03 and getting Camby healthy made a huge difference. Nene also got better at the little things. I do think Carmelo was helpful in creating shots, but his turnovers and problems on defense negated those benefits that he brought the team. With time he should be able to eliminate those negatives.

And I was making these claims long before any of the off-court stuff with Anthony came up.


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## atlbull (Feb 27, 2004)

I personally believe having Voshon Lenard was a bigger reason why they played better ball, then and the fact that Camby was able to contribute for the whole year. But I remeber some games when Lenard just took over.


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## SPIN DOCTOR (Oct 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>jnrjr79</b>!
> 
> 
> 1+3, actually. Don't forget about that tall guy that Larry Brown won't play.


Poor Darko,
First Larry Brown and then I forget about him too, I guess it was quite a forgetable transition (minus the championship) to NBA life.

Good catch!


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>SPIN DOCTOR</b>!
> 
> 
> Poor Darko,
> ...



It's sad too b/c it's not looking any better for him this season. Detroit is lucky that they got a championship last year. I'm sure their fans would be fuming at Brown for having a #2 pick on the bench for two seasons if their team wasn't so good. Winning makes things like that a LOT more tolerable. It'll be interesting to see if Darko eventually pans out and makes that pick look better than it does now.


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## Jumpman23 (Oct 10, 2002)

*You guys need to give me some props*

I started this thread after 2 preseason games, I saw Deng play in the summer league, and I could tell this kid was way underated by everyone. I wasn't saying that he was LeBron from last year, but he's not that much much worse than Melo was last year. Plus I said that he won't be able to put up their stats because he is at best our third or 4th option on offense. I knew this bulls team was way better than LeBron's team from a year ago, Deng migh have put up similar stats had he been in the same situation and had those kinds of minutes. 

So far in his first year in the nba he has shown that he has a better 3pt range than lebron did his 1st year, and he has a far better jumpshot. He is not as atheltic of course but he is very agile as I have seen him take it the length of the court and finish in trafic time after time. He is just as good of a rebounder as James, but is not as good of a passer. His handles are very good for a 6'8 guy.

So I want some props, give em to me!


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## DaBullz (Jul 15, 2002)




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## Pay Ton (Apr 18, 2003)

*Re: You guys need to give me some props*



> Originally posted by <b>Jumpman23</b>!
> I started this thread after 2 preseason games, I saw Deng play in the summer league, and I could tell this kid was way underated by everyone. I wasn't saying that he was LeBron from last year, but he's not that much much worse than Melo was last year. Plus I said that he won't be able to put up their stats because he is at best our third or 4th option on offense. I knew this bulls team was way better than LeBron's team from a year ago, Deng migh have put up similar stats had he been in the same situation and had those kinds of minutes.
> 
> So far in his first year in the nba he has shown that he has a better 3pt range than lebron did his 1st year, and he has a far better jumpshot. He is not as atheltic of course but he is very agile as I have seen him take it the length of the court and finish in trafic time after time. He is just as good of a rebounder as James, but is not as good of a passer. His handles are very good for a 6'8 guy.
> ...


:| 

Props.


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## bullsville (Jan 23, 2005)

*Re: You guys need to give me some props*



> Originally posted by <b>Jumpman23</b>!
> I started this thread after 2 preseason games, I saw Deng play in the summer league, and I could tell this kid was way underated by everyone. I wasn't saying that he was LeBron from last year, but he's not that much much worse than Melo was last year. Plus I said that he won't be able to put up their stats because he is at best our third or 4th option on offense. I knew this bulls team was way better than LeBron's team from a year ago, Deng migh have put up similar stats had he been in the same situation and had those kinds of minutes.
> 
> So far in his first year in the nba he has shown that he has a better 3pt range than lebron did his 1st year, and he has a far better jumpshot. He is not as atheltic of course but he is very agile as I have seen him take it the length of the court and finish in trafic time after time. He is just as good of a rebounder as James, but is not as good of a passer. His handles are very good for a 6'8 guy.
> ...


:rock: 


:allhail: 


Is that enough? :grinning:


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

As it turns out, Deng may not be like Lebron or Carmelo. I think he is more in the mold of a Kirilenko. He is a guy who knows how to play basketball within a team system with great movement. He runs the floor really well, understands spacing really well on both ends of the floor. He uses his wingspan nicely, and is deceptively athletic. He gets his hands on a lot of balls and is always working hard. He is going to have a silky smooth touch in a couple years. He is going to be a bigtime impact player, but *no*, I don't think he is going to be a go-to guy. Kirilenko isn't a go-to guy, Peja isn't a go-to guy. Those are guys that excel within a great system, and be very effective. These are the type of guys we need, and I think Deng is one of them.


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## Darius Miles Davis (Aug 2, 2002)

The thing that gets me about Deng is I think he's the best penetrator and finisher at the rim that we've had since #23 and #33 (oh yeah, and #45 too). That group of Bulls includes Artest, Jay Williams, Crawford, Hinrich, and yes, even the gifted Mr. Gordon. This is something I didn't realize Deng had in him. Some of us were so concerned about Deng's relatively pedestrian vertical leap that we didn't realize how creative he is when he's in the air.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

Deng is without a doubt the best finisher around the rim that the Bulls have had in the last 7 years. His hands are huge, yet silky smooth with the ball. Krause would be in heaven. I'm just amazed at how well he can finish his drives and layups in traffic and on the move.


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## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

I like how Eddy finishes aroudn the rim. He throws it down.

Deng is our best penetrator, he goes up and under and what not, the other guy doesn't block him.


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## Pan Mengtu (Jun 18, 2004)

I thought he was going to be too much of a stiff to be anything but a roleplayer but i don't think so now. He has a lot of confidence and some pretty good skills already. I like him.


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## nanokooshball (Jan 22, 2005)

I would say that deng will be @ LEAST a scottie piipen type player....I mean he's only 19 and avg 

Luol Deng Rookie stats
12.5ppg, 5.5rpg, 2.5apg, 1spg, 0.5bpg in ONLY 28 min/g

scottie in his SECOND year of playing (@ 23 years old)
14.4ppg, 6.1rpg, 3.5apg, 1.9 spg, 0.8bpg in 33.1mpg


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## Killuminati (Jul 30, 2002)

Deng's gonna be a good player in the League. He's looks kinda awkward doing some things but is remarkably effective. 

He might be up there with Carmelo one day, but LBJ is out of the question. A player like 'Bron doesn't come around too often.


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## Wynn (Jun 3, 2002)

I only hope that one day DENG will be at least half as good as his tribemate, MANUTE, before he retires.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

I believe Deng will become better than Melo. He looks like something out of the Scottie Pippen line. I don't think he'll ever be in Lebron's class. But he won't have to be, because he's going to have the help for many a battle down the road(hell...even now).


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