You don't blame the coach ...Lebron just plays defense selectively ....I'm sorry, but ..motivation comes from within ,,,it can't be manufactured ...if Lebron only has the desire to make a decent effort denfensivley only ocassionally ...he'll never fullfill his potential, nor will the team become what it can become. As a coach ....he can't stress or teach defense any more than he is ...he's been as highly successful at teaching defense, and getting his team's to execute his defense as anyone ...his resume speaks volumes. But, the one guy that gets beat most regularly, and is exposed most often is Lebron ...and his main problem from the defensive end is basically giving good effort. He doesn't give strong effort on that end of his game ..he saves it for the offensive end ...as the team leader ...that rubs off, unfortunately ....as he goes ...so goes the team. He's gotta get it through his skull that he's gotta 'bring it' defensively ....
I have a real shocker to send ya guys ...Larry Brown's benching of Lebron on the Olympic team didn't happen without reason ...Larry Brown had a reputation of not letting the loons run the asylum ...and he had his run ins with players that tried to buck the boss ....but it paid off in the long run ....ie ..Chauncey Billups. Rasheed Wallace, Allen Iverson ....he made players realize what it took to win ...now Mike Brown has to make that same transformation in Lebron.... whether he successfully does that will determine the ultimate destiny of Lebron James ...will he ultimately be known as one of the greatest ever ...or just another great player ....and it will determone the ultimate destiny of the Cavs ....will be be a team that wins its 50-some games a year but exits the playoffs without a trophy ....or the one that strings together championships and is seen as one of the great teams in history.
It's all on Lebron ....in a nutshell. He's got all the ability to be the best at whatever he wants to be the best at ...and that HAS to include his defensive game ... ABSOLUTELY HAS TO ....or we ..or him won't be what we could be ....the best.