Despite putting up a triple double LeBron had 9 turnovers in the Cavs' loss to the Celtics.
Noooooooooooooo. LeBron has been my favorite athlete since he broke into the league 7 years ago already given the nickname "The Chosen One." Not just my favorite NBA players but my favorite sports athlete in general. He has the perfect combination of talent, swagger, maturity and affability that won over so many sports fans.
LeBron was always writing himself into the record books with all sorts of new "youngest player to ..." achievements. But the only knock on LeBron, if you can find any criticism for a player still only 25 years old and at his level, is that he has never won a championship. He is constantly compared to Kobe with the "who's the best player in the NBA" argument. Even though LeBron may be able to dominate a game more than Kobe and have better stats Kobe has got 4 NBA championships. LeBron has 0 and won't be sniffing one this year.
This year the big story surrounding LeBron was his expiring contract. His rookie contract he inked with the Cavs runs out this summer and he can decide to be a free agent. Teams like the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls have freed up tons of cap space to woo James and everyone knows LeBron loves the city of New York. It was thought that if the Cavs won a title there was no way he could leave. Or the Cavs would win the championship and the fans would be grateful that LeBron had brought them a title before he left.
Will LeBron leave Cleveland for The Big Apple?
But now nobody knows what's going to happen. Will he stay in Cleveland and try to build his legacy as a Cavalier? Or will he and another superstar like Dwayne Wade or Chris Bosh go to the Knicks?
Get ready for LeBron, LeBron and even more of King James. If you thought the media attention and pressure was big after the game where Cavaliers got blown out by 32 points and James only had 15 points then you are in for a big surprise. There will be an incredible amount of media attention dedicated to LeBron's tenure with the Cavs and speculation on where he will be headed next year.
Personally, I think LeBron will stay in Cleveland. He'll realize that it all boils down to championships and his career would be considered a failure if he never won a title. Can you imagine if one of basketball's greatest players ever never won a title? We're talking about a guy who's nickname is "King" and "The Chosen One." And by starting all over with a new team he has to start from scratch. If he went to the Knicks he'd have to erase all his progress with the Cavs and carry another team on his back. But by staying with the Cavs he remains on the best team (regular season) instead of going to the 10th best in the Eastern Conference.
I heard this from a sports radio show and I completely agree. As amazing as LeBron is, he has too much power in Cleveland. Anyone who has watched Cavs games sees that James goes 1 on 5 all the time. And a lot of the time he makes crazy shots that no one else could make. But the rest of his team just stands around. The entire offense is built around him. And even though the Cavs have or have added a bunch of great pieces to support him, Mo Williams, Shaq, Antawn Jamison, they can't be expected to perform if they never touch the ball. And when they do get the ball they are criticized if they take any shots away from LeBron. And the Cleveland Cavaliers will have a hard time emphasizing the other players because Mike Brown and the organization would face a mountain of critique from their fans. If LeBron for some reason didn't get the ball with the game on the line everyone would be jumping down Brown's throat. It's easy to say that the supporting cast would suck if LeBron wasn't on the team and that Mike Brown isn't a good coach but the truth is that LeBron's power in Cleveland is detrimental to the team. I'm in no way saying get rid of him because the Cavs would be much worse without him. But the Cavs have to find a way to take less responsibility off of James and allow the other players more freedom. That's the reason why the Lakers are so good. They have a superstar in Kobe, but he doesn't have as much weight on his shoulders as LeBron because he lets the other players do their thing. Granted, Kobe's supporting cast is much better but Kobe is better at managing games in that sense. He doesn't feel the need to go 1 on 5 into the teeth of the defense. He's content to get everyone involved in the first 3 quarters then takes over in the 4th.
Mostly though I am just bummed that the Cavs lost. It seems like they've been the best team in the NBA for a few years now but haven't won a championship. Sad that LeBron might go to the Knicks and if he does he won't be sniffing a title for a while and he might not ever get one. But he'll always be great and I'll still support him whatever team he goes to. Even if it means putting up a new Fathead poster of him in a Knicks jersey.
No comments:
Post a Comment