The most hyped high school basketball player ever had very little chance of meeting the expectations of basketball fans who were drooling over the prospect of another player of Jordanesque proportions. The hype was so out of control he was put on the cover of Sports Illustrated (talk about hurting someone's chances, i.e., the curse) when he was a senior in high school with the headline "The Chosen One." It made it sound as if God had decided to have a second son (it was a little harder finding a virgin this time), had anointed him to save the basketball world, and that God had decided he was destined to become the best basketball player ever. Tall order for a human being. Unbelievable pressure for a mere mortal. How unfair for the basketball scouts and the media to do this to a teenager. Well, "The King" has arrived and he may be ready for his throne even sooner than expected. This sounds like a made-up story: an overhyped athlete who actually, by all accounts, exceeds his expectations. No, this is reality. This is the enchanting world of (you guessed it ) Lebron James. Welcome to his kingdom and his fairy tale like existence.
Because of the hype, I was practically "forced" to watch to watch the McDonald's High School All-star Basketball Game when Lebron was a senior in high school. I nearly fell off my couch four times. And those were just his passes. Four of the most spectacular passes I had ever seen. All in one game by one person. (By a high schooler, no less!) Oh, yes, there were also some great steals, drives, and of course, a couple of high-flying dunks. The most obvious cliche came into mind immediately, "a man among boys", and this was a gross understatement. A teenager with a body out of Greek mythology (only taller). Michael Jordan with Magic Johnson's passing. Oh my God (pun intended)! Although it hardly seemed possible, the scouts and the media had actually understated his abilities.
But, how would he do against the big boys -- two levels higher? As expected, James went straight to the pros and his first televised game was hyped to the max. Again, I was "forced" to watch. Before the game, the biggest knock on him was his lack of an outside shot. Like a legend in the making, he rose to the occasion, and made it look as if it was his strong suit. Okay, it was only one game of shooting, but that was not the point. Lebron, "The Chosen One", "King James", was making a statement: I can handle the pressure, and any weakness you see in my game will be corrected with hard work and determination. He was letting the world know he had mental toughness to go along with his ridiculous talent and athletic ability. Not since Jordan hit the game winning jumper as a freshman against Georgetown in the NCAA Final with 16 seconds left had such a significant statement been made in the sports world (or, at least, the basketball world). After the game, I told all my friends and acquaintances who were sports fans that the only question now is: Will he become the greatest basketball player of all time or only the 2nd greatest basketball player of all time (after Jordan -- a perfect basketball player if there was one)? This was a bold statement after witnessing only one pro game and considering all the great players and careers that had preceded him. (And almost blasphemy coming from a huge Jordan fan like myself, but not really since I said 1st OR 2nd greatest all-time.) Today, June 3rd, 2007, the day after James has just led "his" Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in just his 4th season, I feel exactly the same way. If you are a basketball fan, by now you have heard that the NBA playoffs are "where legends are made." Well, get ready, because it will be shocking if James does not become a legend in the next 10 or 12 years of the NBA playoffs and take us on the best sports ride since Jordan.
But, before we get carried away (and it is hard not to with James), Lebron has a lot of work to do and a lot to accomplish before he will be considered the 1st or 2nd best basketball player of all time. First and foremost, James needs to become a great defender. What made Jordan the greatest was that he was the best offensive player ever and probably the second best defensive player ever (after Bill Russell). James, while a pretty good defender (and he played some great defense last night ), is nowhere near that right now. However, lest we forget, he is currently only 22 years old. Secondly, his free throw shooting needs to improve -- he struggled this year, shooting only 70%. That is not going to cut it. (Jordan, in case you're wondering, shot 84% for his career.) For his career, James has shot 73% and has shot 77% in the playoffs so far this year. Better, but not great, and I have seen him miss a lot of free throws late in the fourth quarter in his career. Currently, James is a good, but not a great shooter (46% career, Jordan 50%; 3-point shooting for James is .327, coincidentally, Jordan shot the identical percentage.) Up until the end the regular season last year (spring of 2006), James was not good at closing out and winning close games. This is a learned skill and perhaps a couple of years of college would have helped in this area. However, whether James learned this skill in college or the pros, this skill takes time to learn. Even Jordan, who turned out to be the master at it, did not have this skill very early in his career. Besides, in game 5 against the Pistons, Lebron seemed to have it all figured it out, scoring 30 of his team's 31 points (his teammates were 0 for 10 shooting during that stretch) in the Cavaliers' double-overtime win. James was remarkable, and now the only question is: Can he do it on a consistent basis?
Both James and Jordan are excellent rebounders for guards (6.7 and 6.2 per game, respectively), while James is the better passer (6.4 and 5.3 assists per game, respectively). Jordan was an excellent and probably underrated passer, but James is already one of the 5 best passers (along with Johnson, Larry Bird, Steve Nash, and John Stockton) in the NBA since 1969 (when I started watching pro basketball). Now, if only he had better players around to receive his wonderful, unselfish passes. (He did have lots of help last night, as rookie Daniel Gibson scorched the Pistons in game 6 with 31 points, 19 in the fourth quarter including 5 of 5 threes. It was only one game, however, and it will be interesting to see how much he contributes in the finals.)
James still needs lots of MVP awards, finals MVPs, and championships to be the greatest player of all time, however, by leading the not-so-talented Cavaliers to the NBA Finals, he made a big step in that direction. Think about how much more talent that Russell, Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bird, Wilt Chamberlain (the two times he won), and Oscar Roberston (the one time he won he had Jabbar) had around them than James has in Cleveland. They all had great teams and Hall of Famers around them. Jordan had Scottie Pippen for all 6 of his championships. Lebron has Larry Hughes. I think you get the point. This is like Batman without Robin, the Lone Ranger without Tonto, Hillary without Bill (or vice versa). The odds are against the Cavaliers, but with "The Chosen One" on top of his now remarkable game, they at least have a puncher's chance. Yes, the West was better than the East this year (again) and the Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs deserve to be favored; however, a week ago the experts on ESPN thought Detroit would have had a 50/50 chance against the Spurs if they met in the finals. But, the last I checked, "King James" led Cleveland to 4 straight wins over Detroit, and he positioned himself for a shot at his first NBA championship and what looks like his place in NBA history as one of the two greatest players ever. James still has a long way to go, but after Lebron's performances the last week, Jordan's throne is no longer secure.
