Pay Attention, LeBron!
By: Bill Ingram
While most of the NBA world seems to be consumed in pondering where LeBron James will land next season, it's important for LeBron, himself, to be paying close attention to the Western Conference Finals. That's right - the opposite conference's final round.
You see, LeBron James has been a legend in his own mind for quite some time, since long before he graced the NBA with his presence. He was "The King" right out of high school and Nike wanted us to know we were "Witness"-ing something special. It's not entirely LeBron's fault that his ego is out of control, the fact is we idolize and label young athletes far too early in this country. We want someone to be the next Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson, but there's not a player on the planet who can live up to either of those labels. Right now it looks like LeBron can't even live up to his own label. After seven years in the NBA, what exactly have we been witnessing?
"I spoil a lot of people with my play," James told ESPN.com after a blow-out Game 5 loss to Boston. "When you have a bad game here or there, you've had three bad games in a seven-year career, then it's easy to point that out."
See the problem? LeBron gives away his own Achilles' heel when he makes statements like that. Three bad games in seven years? Really? Here's a note LeBron - every time your team is eliminated from the playoffs it's a bad game for you, regardless of your own personal stats. You're The King, remember?
LeBron, of course, has more than three bad games in 2009-10 alone, but instead of continuing down that path, let's take a quick look at the player against whom LeBron is most frequently measured: Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. Notice it's not "King Kobe" or "Greatest Player Ever Bryant." Kobe has his nicknames, but none are nearly as narcissistic as "King James." Yet Bryant has proven to be, time and time again, this NBA era's gold (and purple) standard. He has four championships to his credit with entirely different casts of players around him, he's always near the top of the league in scoring, but more importantly he raises the level of play of his entire team when he steps on the floor. In those ways, Bryant is very much like Michael Jordan of the previous era, though his game is entirely his own and does not warrant a "next Michael Jordan" label. LeBron may have won back-to-back MVP's, but Kobe Bryant has been the best player on the planet for the better part of the last decade, with only Tim Duncan qualified to insert himself into that discussion.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself to be out there and be the best player on the court," explained LeBron after that Game 5 loss to Boston. "When I'm not, I feel bad for myself because I'm not going out there and doing the things I can do. But I don't hang my head low or make any excuses about anything that may be going on, because that's not the type of player or person I am."
Perhaps it's time for LeBron to hang his head just a bit - and perhaps he could hang it in the general direction of a TV tuned to the Western Conference Finals. Heck, I bet a phone call would land him courtside for the rest of the series. After all, he's The King. He could learn a lot about what it means to win at a championship level - or even the playoff level - from his counterpart in the West. Kobe Bryant, injured finger, knee, and all, rises to the occasion when the games matter more. After struggling a couple of times in the first round, Bryant has been simply brilliant in the five subsequent games. He averaged 32.0 points and shot 52.3% from the field in sweeping the Utah Jazz, and dropped 40 on the Phoenix Suns in a blow-out win in Game 1 of the WCF last night.
Hey, LeBron, did you catch that?
Regular season MVP trophies are nice. They really are. Just ask Charles Barkley and Karl Malone. Now ask them if they would trade them in in a heartbeat for a championship ring.
Time to pay attention, LeBron. Get your head out of your own . . .rear . . .view mirror and take a look at what a real MVP looks like. It might help you when you start next season as the "savior" of some franchise, whether that's Cleveland or somewhere else.
Every great player in the NBA has had their moment of truth. Michael Jordan didn't start winning championships right away. First he had to get over his own ability to step out on the court and score 50 on a given night and realize that he needed his teammates if he wanted to win. Hakeem Olajuwon had that moment during a stretch of games where he was injured and his team put together an impressive winning streak without him. Kobe Bryant had that moment after Shaquille O'Neal left and he realized he couldn't do it alone. Vince Carter had that moment more recently, and looked to fit in rather than star when he landed in Orlando this season.
It's time for LeBron to have that moment. Until he does, he will never be the elite player that ESPN, in particular, seems to believe he already is.
Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=16249#ixzz0oOXqsvDn
By: Bill Ingram
While most of the NBA world seems to be consumed in pondering where LeBron James will land next season, it's important for LeBron, himself, to be paying close attention to the Western Conference Finals. That's right - the opposite conference's final round.
You see, LeBron James has been a legend in his own mind for quite some time, since long before he graced the NBA with his presence. He was "The King" right out of high school and Nike wanted us to know we were "Witness"-ing something special. It's not entirely LeBron's fault that his ego is out of control, the fact is we idolize and label young athletes far too early in this country. We want someone to be the next Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson, but there's not a player on the planet who can live up to either of those labels. Right now it looks like LeBron can't even live up to his own label. After seven years in the NBA, what exactly have we been witnessing?
"I spoil a lot of people with my play," James told ESPN.com after a blow-out Game 5 loss to Boston. "When you have a bad game here or there, you've had three bad games in a seven-year career, then it's easy to point that out."
See the problem? LeBron gives away his own Achilles' heel when he makes statements like that. Three bad games in seven years? Really? Here's a note LeBron - every time your team is eliminated from the playoffs it's a bad game for you, regardless of your own personal stats. You're The King, remember?
LeBron, of course, has more than three bad games in 2009-10 alone, but instead of continuing down that path, let's take a quick look at the player against whom LeBron is most frequently measured: Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. Notice it's not "King Kobe" or "Greatest Player Ever Bryant." Kobe has his nicknames, but none are nearly as narcissistic as "King James." Yet Bryant has proven to be, time and time again, this NBA era's gold (and purple) standard. He has four championships to his credit with entirely different casts of players around him, he's always near the top of the league in scoring, but more importantly he raises the level of play of his entire team when he steps on the floor. In those ways, Bryant is very much like Michael Jordan of the previous era, though his game is entirely his own and does not warrant a "next Michael Jordan" label. LeBron may have won back-to-back MVP's, but Kobe Bryant has been the best player on the planet for the better part of the last decade, with only Tim Duncan qualified to insert himself into that discussion.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself to be out there and be the best player on the court," explained LeBron after that Game 5 loss to Boston. "When I'm not, I feel bad for myself because I'm not going out there and doing the things I can do. But I don't hang my head low or make any excuses about anything that may be going on, because that's not the type of player or person I am."
Perhaps it's time for LeBron to hang his head just a bit - and perhaps he could hang it in the general direction of a TV tuned to the Western Conference Finals. Heck, I bet a phone call would land him courtside for the rest of the series. After all, he's The King. He could learn a lot about what it means to win at a championship level - or even the playoff level - from his counterpart in the West. Kobe Bryant, injured finger, knee, and all, rises to the occasion when the games matter more. After struggling a couple of times in the first round, Bryant has been simply brilliant in the five subsequent games. He averaged 32.0 points and shot 52.3% from the field in sweeping the Utah Jazz, and dropped 40 on the Phoenix Suns in a blow-out win in Game 1 of the WCF last night.
Hey, LeBron, did you catch that?
Regular season MVP trophies are nice. They really are. Just ask Charles Barkley and Karl Malone. Now ask them if they would trade them in in a heartbeat for a championship ring.
Time to pay attention, LeBron. Get your head out of your own . . .rear . . .view mirror and take a look at what a real MVP looks like. It might help you when you start next season as the "savior" of some franchise, whether that's Cleveland or somewhere else.
Every great player in the NBA has had their moment of truth. Michael Jordan didn't start winning championships right away. First he had to get over his own ability to step out on the court and score 50 on a given night and realize that he needed his teammates if he wanted to win. Hakeem Olajuwon had that moment during a stretch of games where he was injured and his team put together an impressive winning streak without him. Kobe Bryant had that moment after Shaquille O'Neal left and he realized he couldn't do it alone. Vince Carter had that moment more recently, and looked to fit in rather than star when he landed in Orlando this season.
It's time for LeBron to have that moment. Until he does, he will never be the elite player that ESPN, in particular, seems to believe he already is.
Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=16249#ixzz0oOXqsvDn