There is no doubt about the talent of LeBron James. He is absolutely the most talented athlete to ever don an NBA uniform. He can go from half court to the rim in four strides. He glides through the air as if he’s paid gravity to leave him alone. It is almost impossible to stop it. Simply put, LeBron James is awesome. There is no other explanation.
As talented and entertaining as LeBron is, there are some things I question. Let me start by saying that I am young but old school, especially when it comes to basketball. (I’d rather have a solid five than a superstar and four spectators. Watching a player go one-on-five for 48 minutes isn’t my idea of entertainment.)
If you’ve seen LeBron play this year, he’s behaving a little differently. Last year, LeBron was all over the place. He worked harder and pushed everyone on the court. So far this season, he’s played like rushing isn’t cool. He’s not totally noticeable, but I have the ability to tell when players are chasing him (probably because I’ve played several). this annoys me Pushing and working more than everyone else IS great. LeBron is the best player on the court night after night, not imposing his will and talent on every possession is a waste. (Yes, this is commonplace among today’s superstars, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.)
I saw LeBron play in New York City last week. Naturally, the focus of the game was on the possibility of LeBron wearing a Knicks uniform next season. All the celebrities and some of the World Series champion Yankees were in attendance to have some fun with LeBron. LeBron knows his way with advertising. He’s smart, marketable, and plays with the media. It’s easy to see why everyone loves him. On this night, he just wanted me to play basketball. For the first quarter, he did. In fact, he left. LeBron scored 19 points on 8/9 shooting. After that, he started trying to do too much and ended up turning the tables 7 times. It was obvious; the setting dictated LeBron’s play. NBA legends like Bird, Jordan and Magic would never use a regular season contest to play in front of a crowd. They were all businesses.
Where is your head? LeBron could show up starving, hungover and sick … and still be the best player on the court. We all know that LeBron wants to one day be an international billionaire. That is a good goal. Although, if I’m a partner of his, don’t I want him to focus on one thing and one thing only from November to June? We’re three weeks into the NBA season and all we hear about LeBron is his fate for 2010. It’s a constant distraction for him and his teammates. While he is the best player in the East, his team needs to work to compete with the Celtics. This week, LeBron FINALLY stated that he would no longer discuss or consider questions regarding his future fate. Thanks god. LeBron is finally focused…
…Or not. On Thursday, LeBron urged the NBA to retire the number 23 and asked NBA players to stop wearing the number in honor of Michael Jordan. Who cares? I know not. Jordan is old news. He was absolutely the best player in the NBA. That was then. He is now moody and irritable. If LeBron really wanted to start the move, he should have given up number 23 to him before asking others in the NBA to do the same. Does anyone know what Kobe Bryant is doing? No. As much as I root for Bryant, he is totally absorbed in winning basketball games. LeBron should drop the charades and focus on how he can get back to the Finals. He has been swept in his only final appearance and it is unlikely that he will return this season. As long as he’s young, he won’t have forever. Maybe he should get to work.