And so, what are we to think of LeBron James now?
I’ve never been one of those guys who judges players by how many championships they’ve won. I’ve seen too many great players in all sports who have won one or none. Basketball is so much more of a team game than most people want to recognize — it’s way more than “How many rings has he won?”
But so many people want to break it down to that. Bill Russell, they say, was a better player than Wilt Chamberlain because he won many more championships. That’s ridiculous, though, because Russell, as great as he was, played in a stable lineup of all-stars coached by one of the greatest coaches who ever lived.
I don’t think Luc Longley was a better center than Kevin Duckworth, for example. But Luc won titles with the Bulls and the Duck never won one.
And even for the singular superstars — Jordan, Duncan, Bryant, O’Neal, Russell, Chamberlain, that breed — winning titles cannot be the only measure of greatness.
The point of this is to tell you that just because James hasn’t won an NBA title yet, I’m not going to allow that to affect my evaluation of him as a player. Jordan hadn’t won any yet, either, at LeBron’s age or experience level.
But I do think James has a ways to go. Obviously, he’s capable of making great plays. Of doing great things. Of doing so many things that help you win games. Obviously, he’s a supreme talent.
But I’m not quite sure he’s totally harnessed his abilities yet. I don’t think he really understands all of what he can — and cannot — do. When your limitations are so much farther out there than everyone else’s, it’s difficult to know exactly where they are. And I do believe, no matter how good you are, you need to recognize what you can’t do.
LeBron, I think, is still struggling with that. Part of understanding his limitations will drive him to get better — as he’ll surely do. His outside shot still needs plenty of work and I would expect, as he gets older, it will continue to improve as it has over the last few seasons.
But his understanding of how to get teammates involved and how better to take care of the ball in critical situations will have to improve, too. That’s where he needs to be so careful of his limitations. I’m not sure that he’s quite the distributor he thinks he is. Not yet.
He’s going to have to better recognize opportunities, for himself and his teammates. For a great player, he seemed to turn the ball over in crucial situations too often. That can come from trying to do too much.
Lastly, I am not sure he’s quite the defender he’s billed to be. I’m not sure he ever will be, either, because so much is expected of him at the other end of the floor.
In summary, I think he’s going to get better. I know he’s going to get better. But nothing is for sure. Nothing is guaranteed. Will he win championships? Probably. But as Orlando has taught us once again, it’s a team game. He could, quite frankly, use some better teammates.
Maybe that’s when he’ll improve the most.
NBA | Dwight Jaynes | June 1, 2009
Cleveland Cavaliers, Dwight Jaynes, Lebron James, NBA playoffs, Orlando Magic
I think he is already one of the greatest individual players to step on an NBA court. At his age, that is hard to imagine. But you are dead on, he still doesn’t get his teammates involved enough. He’ll probably learn that, but that isn’t his biggest downfall… his lack of humility is. It is really hard to cheer for someone who ‘showboats’. The chalk in the air, the fake pictures before the game adn just the constant ‘in your face’ lack of humility. LeBron rubbed off on his entire team (and he dared complain that Orlando over-celebrated?). That is what he needs to work on the most. Can you even imagine MJ taking 20mins to get through introductions because he had to set up the fake camera and snap fake photos of Luc and Scottie? Grow up LeBron. Adults are having a hard time cheering for your immature style.
Lebron is the most incredible athlete I’ve seen in my 25+ years of life. He impacts each game more than any other player in the nba. It isn’t his fault the Cavaliers got beat. It’s the team’s fault for not having players to matchup with Hedo Turkoglu. Lebron can’t guard him and Rashard Lewis at the same time, and Cleveland has no other wing defender, and nobody else to make plays offensively besides James.
Dwight, I agree with you that you can’t judge an individualy player’s skill level off how many championships he won. Who knows, Lebron in his prime might just be able to beat Michael in his, regardless of championships.
That said, the goal of any NBA (or NFL, MLB, etc.) athlete is to win a championship. Every year. The players that are able to do that are effectively achieving the greatest goal in their sport. Points scored, triple-doubles earned, Kevin Harlan heart attacks caused don’t matter at the end of the season. It’s all about winning the title. So for that reason, I think that when people argue that MJ was the best ever, it’s not solely that he had the most basketball skill ever, but that he was the most effective NBA player ever, being able to achieve that lofty goal so many times (obviously while having the stats he had). When people argue, who was better MJ or Lebron, it’s not just skill they are referring to. It’s their body of work and whether or not they were able to win championships. Because in the end, these guys are so mind-boggingly good it’s impossible to objectively say who was better between the top-10 players. That’s why you have to look at team success – the ultimate goal.
That said, I fully realize Lebron as at a disadvantage given his supporting cast and the quality of teams surrounding him. But that’s just the way it goes in sports. The true champs will learn how to overcome whatever obstable.
Lebron is a talented….JERK!
To run off the court like a whimpering baby and not stand like a man and congratulate the winning team speaks volumes to me. The icing on the cake was his refusal to speak with reporters and leaving his teamates to answer the tough questions…
This superstar is no man…he is a little boy. Hell nobody wants to accept defeat, but a real man who has any integrity shakes the hand of the team who beats them. He stands behind his teamates who also suffered a heartbreaking series loss. Lebron deserted them all and shame on him
Shame on the NBA for not handing him a hefty fine. Way to go NBA, now you gave guys like Rasheed Wallace a legitimate reason to gripe
Yah I guees the NBA doesn’t play favorites <<<insert sarcasm
Lebron asks us to be witness…yes he is a phenominal player as well as an amazing athelete. However, in the end it is ALL about LEBRON
One more thing. Lebron has a good supporting cast. Yes that is right he does. They have the pieces to win it, but King James is gonna have to learn how to involve his teamates. Until then he will never win a ring…
Keep it up Lebron, but your lonely throne is nobody’s fault but yours.