Round 2

Well I really only have one thing I want to talk about today so I will just jump right in. Lebron James thoroughly confuses me. There is not a lot of question that Lebron is a freak of nature, you know, the good kind. He is a 6'8'', 240 lbs man-child who can run with the guards and handle himself down low with the big men. You see him on the Nike and Sprite commercials, and you just want to like the guy, you want him to win a fistful of NBA titles and in 15 years you want to look back and say that this is the kid that made people care about the NBA after Michael Jordan. The guy that made people care about the NBA again for good reasons again. Not the way people care about Ron Artest or Stephen Jackson, the guys people watch just to see when they will explode next; the Dennis Rodman version 2.0's if you will. And not the way people care about Kobe Bryant, the guy they watch to see how many points he has to score to earn acceptance again. No, Lebron is the guy who has a shot to make the NBA relevant to people who wouldn't recognize Kyle Korver if he walked by them on the street. Lebron is the guy who is supposed to have the game and the personality to make people care again; to make people watch basketball and actually root for someone to succeed; to make people care the way Michael made people care.

This is where the situation gets tricky though. Usually when a player has these kind of massive expectations piled on their shoulders, they either crumple like a paper sack, or they rise up and not only meet but also surpass the expectations laid upon them. Lebron James however, has done both. If you look at the stats alone, Lebron has already put himself in some lofty company. His name is uttered in the same breath as Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, and Michael Jordan on a regular basis. The stats alone say that people like myself who believe Mr. James will some day average a triple double over the course of the regular season are not necessarily out of their minds. But have you watched a Cavs game lately? I am going to be completely honest, if I am rooting for Cleveland and they're down late and Lebron has the ball in his hands . . . I'm nervous. Not anxious, as in anxious to see how Lebron is going to win the game this time and not excited, as in excited because I feel like I'm about to witness history. Nervous, as in deep down I don't think Lebron is going to come through. I know he's had his moments, against the Wizards in the playoffs last year and against the Pistons in Game 5 this year, but the bottom line is if you are the Cavs and you need a jumper to win a game, you aren't completely sure who you want taking the shot. Lebron's jumper is a work in progress and when he has to force himself to get a shot off, often the result is awkward at best.

On the other hand Lebron James is only 22 years old. Cleveland without Lebron would have been more excited about the draft lottery a couple weeks ago than it would be for the NBA Finals. He has put up great numbers every year, and for the most part, those numbers have improved each of his four years in the league. Lebron has handled the media scrutiny like a seasoned veteran from the first day he arrived on the scene. He can pretty much get to the basket and finish at will . . . even with two or three defenders hanging on to his arms for dear life. He has put his team in a position to win it all faster than MJ did and without the assistance of a trusty sidekick like Scottie Pippen. So clearly, there is a lot to like about the boy they call King.

But what does all this mean? Well when you look at the negatives, such as a jumper that is spotty at best, you have to remember that at the age of 22 Michael Jordan's jumper wasn't exactly the stuff of legends. And it is in fact hard to make a legitimate case that Lebron has a tendency to choke in big games when the guy has led his team to the NBA Finals when the rest of the Cavs roster could be mistaken for a good Division II team. I mean even though he is only in the Finals because he managed to navigate Cleveland to being the champions of literally the weakest conference in NBA history, his most reliable target to pass to is a guy they call "Boobie" (Daniel Gibson), so I am going to go ahead and call that one a wash. What it all comes down to is this; Lebron James is a great basketball player. He may not be the next Michael Jordan, but he is the face of the league and he will win multiple championships . . . that is as soon as the Cavs management puts a couple guys on the floor that can make wide open shots. That being said, wait 10 years. MJ didn't start winning championships until he was pushing 30, so Lebron is still ahead of the curve. Just give the kid a break and watch baseball and football for a couple years until Lebron James is ready to make the NBA matter again.