First I would like to give a shout out to the two other contributors to this post, Fat Tsai and Kyu Hwan. Two funny guys, great writers and very knowledgeable about their sports. All three of us come from different areas (especially me), have different teams and players that we all root for and root against. Sometimes well all agree, often times we wont. It will be a fun ride to see how our blog grows and to get the opinions of three sports fanatics with very different views...
I start with this...
LeBron James. The NBAs most watched and criticized player, maybe ever. A guy who seems to be damed if he does and damned if he doesn't. He is this generations NBA athlete to watch. To label this guy as a player who can not close games, is far fetched. He put his team on his back countless years in Cleveland, got them to the NBA finals and was able to get to the playoffs every single year. All doing so with Mo Williams as his "all-star" sidekick. The guy cant close because of why?...He didn't beat a Spurs team in the NBA Finals that had a more complete team? Because he was able to close out a Pistons team that had been to the Eastern Conference Finals 4 straight seasons the year before Bron's Cavs played them? Because he was finally able to close out the Celtics this year in the playoffs and then the team with the MVP and best record in the league, Chicago Bulls? Does it ultimately come down to him not winning a championship? Well to win a championship you need a team, and LeBron has never had a complete team around him. He has never had a sidekick to rely on, just in case he is having an off game (it happens they are human). This isn't and individual sport, and yes teams go as their best players go, but on some nights guys just dont have it. So now that he is in Miami, people say he is deferring to Wade in the finals...Instead what LeBron is doing is what any other player would do, expose your biggest mismatch. His presence on the floor causes mismatches by itself and he is able to do everything else besides just scoring to be effective. He is a guy who can score, is willing to pass, rebound and guard the best guy on the floor at any given time...only a few guys in the NBA can do all that and still be the best player on the court. By the way how did all those "he cant close games" talks start up again right after he closed out the Celtics and the Bulls? If he wanted to try to win games all by himself and be the guy to take the last second shot every single time, he would've stayed in Cleveland. He is smarter than that and wants to win, so thats why he "teamed" up with Wade and Bosh. All the greats had a second go to guy, Jordan and Pippen, Shaq and Kobe, Magic and Kareem, Bird and Parish/McHale, the Celtics Big 3, and on and on...So the question is what if LeBron would have had Bosh and Wade come over in a trade to the Cavs? Would people still be criticizing the big 3 because they were teamed up together? Some of the greats were more fortunate than others and their teams made the right moves. In sports, your years are precious and if critics are going to ultimately judge your career based on how many championships you win, you better go to the team that will give you the best possible chance. In professional sports there is no such thing as true loyalty, because a team will cut a player or trade them without hesitation, so lets not bring loyalty into this. Like everyone says, its a business, and in a business you do what is best for you. Yes we all know the decision was a bad move, but lets face it everyone wanted to know and this past off-season was all about where he was going to go. He gave into the hype and although it was a bad decision, it is what it is. That doesn't make him a bad person or a villan. LeBron seems to be a guy who is portrayed by a lot of NBA fans incorrectly. He isn't a guy who gets into trouble in the off season, he is not a guy who is cursing out refs so clearly that everyone can see (that is my Kobe burn), he is not a guy who taunts fans or gets into other guys faces...he is a player who seems to be loving what he does and just wants to win...lets stop the LeBron hate, and start to enjoy this man who in the end could possibly be known as the greatest. It's a stretch, but to say that he doesn't have the tools to get there is a lie.
All the greats had to struggle before they got over the hump. It's garbage that the LeBron hate is so strong among so many that it blinds them to logical reasoning. That's how it goes in this sports game though. We as sports fans and have no perspective...writing off a 26 year old.
ReplyDeletewhat I find funniest, is people spend more timing finding his flaws instead of enjoying watching the guy play...we all know LeBron doesnt have a post game yet, or a real strong go to move, but who really did at 26? he went from high school to the nba, and the whole time has physically dominated at every level...he's never had to work on those areas...but to dig and dig and dig at a 26 year old who is in NBA years still coming into his own is unfair...he will have the last laugh when it's all said and done
ReplyDelete