LeBron James vs. Carmelo Anthony: the No. 1 pick from Akron has all the hype, but pick No. 3 has led his team to greater—and immediate—heights

Basketball Digest, March-April, 2004 by Rick Barry

LAST SUMMER, BASKETBALL DIGEST hyped the 2003 NBA draft as "the last great drat." The performances of LeBron James, picked No. 1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Carmelo Anthony, taken third by the Denver have done nothing to dispel that.

These two young players have made an immediate impact and are going to become players in the league. That's not just of their athletic prowess, but their maturity as well Knowing the publicity and that have been thrown their well as the dollars--the way they're handling it all is incredibly impressive. Both are well spoken and respectful. In today's league, two young superstars who are first and foremost nice guys is a refreshing change of pace.

I recently met both young men and was quite impressed. Under strict instructions from my nine-year-old son, asked them about the possibility of sending an autographed picture to him. Both went out of his way to send something that far exceeded an ordinary photo. "They certainly didn't need to do that and it showed me just how thoughtful and accommodating they are. Melo and LeBron gained two new fans for life.

Normally, I compare two position in "One-on-One." That's not really the case here. Anthony can play both the 3- and 4-spots, while James has played the 1, 2 and 3. But with the two inextricably intertwined in the annals of basketball, the comparisons are inevitable, so I'm throwing in my two cents.

I originally thought I would give the edge to Anthony, but after seeing how well LeBron played in December and January, I reevaluated my rankings. Of course, they're just rookies so I'm not going to be too generous.

INSIDE OFFENSE (Anthony 8, James 6)

Inside scoring is one area where Anthony has a solid edge over James. Anthony has strength and quickness to be an immediate and consistent scoring threat in the post area. To be fair, James hasn't been asked to do much inside offensively. Cavaliers coach Paul Silas is trying to use the young rookie in the most effective way possible by putting the ball in his hands on the perimeter and providing him with the opportunity to be creative. But with LeBron almost always being guarded by a shorter and/or less physical defender, he needs to be able to post up at will. He has enough talent and skill to learn how to go one-on-one in the paint whenever the situation dictates.

James is more athletic than Anthony. But in the middle, Anthony is silky smooth and deceptively quick. His timing is exceptional and he often scores on lip dunks and other rhythm plays inside.

Anthony is also surprisingly adept at driving to the basket--he keeps the ball in close to his body almost like a running back, then, at the appropriate time, extends his arm and the ball past the defense with terrific body and ball control. James is a little wilder on his drives and seems out of control much of the time, although he is getting better in this phase of the game.

Why is Anthony stronger in going to the hole? Because he played an entire college season against older, more experienced players, which helped give him confidence. He led his team to an NCAA title as freshman. As James gets more comfortable in his role as the Cavs' savior, he'll undoubtedly become more of an inside threat.

OUTSIDE OFFENSE (James 6, Anthony 5)

Neither James nor Anthony is shooting the ball well At this early stage in their careers, Melo has better shooting form, but LeBron is shooting a higher percentage. Needless to say, both of these players must improve in this area to take their games to the next level. Put "outside shooting" on the summer workout list right now.

Both need to work to get their percentages up, which for Anthony means at least 46% from the floor and James, as more of a perimeter player, at least 44%. Consistency like that from this pair would make them extremely dangerous.

Anthony is an acceptable three-point shooter. Not James For me, 30% is the absolute minimum a player must shoot in order to be allowed to hunch regularly from that range. James is struggling at around 27% as the season approaches the halfway mark. Anthony, despite shooting less than 400 from the field overall, is around 33% from the arc.

I expect to see a lot of growth from both of these young men as shooters. In fact, James has already shown a marked improvement. "They seem to be hungry to get better and I think they're up to the challenge of improving their shooting technique. Once that happens, watch out. They will become virtually unguardable.

FREE THROW SHOOTING (James 6, Anthony 5)

Both are shooting solidly in the mid-70s, but with my five-percent cutoff system, James' .760 free throw percentage to start his rookie year is worth a point more than Anthony's.748. I'd like to see both of these guys up in the 80s next season and for the rest of their careers. They both will get to the line frequently and can do some damage if they are money from the line.

TEAM DEFENSE (Anthony 9, James 8)

James is actually listed as being a little bigger than Anthony, yet he plays on the perimeter and thus needs to be aware of penetration by some of his smaller, quicker opponents. He hasn't done a lousy job as a team defender--in fact, he is above average for a rookie. Experience and comfort level will help James improve as the season progresses.