(This is a 2nd Part of The Hungry Dog Blog's analysis of Lebron James. In the first part Mike broke down why he's the best player in the NBA right now. In thi piece I attempt to understand Lebron as a player and as a public figure)
There is no figure in the world more polarizing than LeBron James. There are few who question his talent as he is widely considered as capable of being the best player in the NBA. He has never been arrested, he rarely gets into in game physical altercations, and almost never has anything negative to say to the overwhelmingly way past pervasive media. Yet there is possibly no athlete in the world more hated than LeBron and by the same token, no one as under-respected. Don't get the wrong idea, this won't be a LeBron defense column and I'm not a Heat fan. This will simply be a break down of who LeBron is as a player, who he's been, and who he could be.
You see for some reason it's become commonplace to jam all the factors of not winning a title into one problem; He isn't clutch. This seems to be the general consensus among all of the basketball world as of right now but there's so much beyond that. It's not a matter of him not being able to carry a team or close games as he's done both. So who is he? Why is he viewed and scrutinized in a way that no other player is? Yes, things are different in the information age but there's a reason why he's been a celebrity since he was 17. He is the most talented player since Wilt Chamberlain, he's more versatile than anyone ever, and he SHOULD be as dominant as anyone ever. He's a big body who can low and grab rebounds with the best of them. But he's also one of the fastest and most athletic players in the game. He can get to the rim like no other and is a chore to be defended by. On top of that he has incredible vision and is one of the game's best passers. He has all the skills to play point guard but he could just as easily play center. At the least he could be a top five player at four different positions. As unbelievable as it sounds, this is the part of the problem. Despite the fact that he is the owner of three of the last four MVP trophies, he has not played at the peak of his powers. For much of his career it was as though he brought too much to the table while simutaneously not bringing enough. It seems as though there is confusion still on how exactly to use LeBron. Naturally he is a point forward type player but he doesn't exactly have a mid range or long range shot and he isn't the dominant low post player he should be. Lately he has shown signs of refining his game and now I believe he's being used as properly as Miami can use him. But there in lies the next problem for LeBron, the future.
Finally LeBron has something in commone with the average person, a fear of the future. Of course I can't say for sure whether he fears the future or not, but he should be wary at the least. Anyone who's watched Miami in these playoffs can see this is NOT the powerhouse everyone thought it would be. They've fallen down 2-1 to the "sure to lose in the 2nd round for years to come Pacers" and are on the brink of elimination against a team of middle aged bald guys, never will be's, injured players, and Rajan Rondo. Dwayne Wade looks like he's aging earlier than expected, Bosh has done enough to prove he's above average but not great(but paid like a superstar), and beyond that? Yikes. Mario Chalmers has been a pleasant suprise recently but isn't well above average. Then you have the useless big man trio of Ronny Turiaf, Udonis Haslem, and Joel Anthony who are trusted so little that Dexter Pittman started a game earlier this post season. Shane Battier is a good leader to have around but he's past his prime as a player. Norris Cole was supposed to be a bright spot for the future but based on recent performance I wouldn't put too much stock in that. Mike Miller was supposed to shoot threes and not expected to do much else; he held up the second end of the bargain but i'm pretty sure he's never hit a three. (Also he looks like he should be hanging out with Bam Margera.....or in jail) This and whatever else they can claim off the scrap heap with what little money they have left is who LeBron will be sharing the court with in the future.(Unless of course they hang on to Juwan Howard and Eddy Curry, provived they're not dead) While he has shown an incredible ability to carry teams, that won't last forever. At some point all the minutes he's playing and his physical style are going to catch up to him and that time may be sooner than you think. This isn't a league where one can dominate for 20 years; eventually he will start to decline and the only way to avoid obscurity is to refine his game before it's too late. (Or get magic stem cells from Germany) At some point LeBron will have to "pick his spots" as they say, perhaps develop a mid to long range shot, and (gulp) put a few DNP's on the stat sheet to save his body. This year's playoffs have shown that old guys can still contribute but, of course, he'll need to find some way to save himself.
So, why does the future have to be worried about at all? Why doesn't he have a ring already? Where does this repuation of being un-clutch come from? I'm never one to claim I have all the answers but I do try to understand and explain most things. I couldn't possibly hope to understand LeBron as a "clutch player." I refuse to label him as a choker but I understand where that sentiment comes from. He's not the best crunch time player right now and he's had some downright no shows in the post season. This concern started after the 2010 conference semi's against Boston. The Cav's were upset by the Celtics and a lot of the blame was thrown on LeBron. For the last few games of the series it appeared as though he had checked out and become resigned to leaving. However, he was not labeled a complete and total chocker after that, people were too focused on hating him. Then the 2011 NBA Finals happened. After a strong game 1, LeBron pulled off the incredible feat of scoring two points or less in the fourth quarter of four consecutive games. Then in game six he was a non factor for the entire game before going off for a few minutes long after the outcome was decided. LeBron played horribly on the game's biggest stage and it will take years if he is ever able to shed his label as a choker. While before this year he hasn't had a vintage post-season, he also hasn't nearly been a choker. He was by far the best player on a team that won the (admittedly bad) Eastern Confernce in 2007 and performed exceptionally against the 62 win Bulls last year to send the Heat to the finals yet again. So why does this happen? How does a guy go from the best player in the world to completely useless seemingly so randomly? I'll never be able to understand this and perhaps this is just what LeBron is, this generation's Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt was another guy who dominated his competition but was rarely able to carry his team all the way, rarely able to beat the best teams (Celtics), was susceptible to disapearing, and cared what people thought way too much. I guess that's what Lebron will be remembered as, an enigma. There's no reason he struggles at times while looking like the best ever at others, there's no pattern or method to when he'll struggle of when he'll do well, no reason why he's not better in crunch time, and even he looks unable to explain it all. That's Lebron though, a mindfuck. A giant, fast, strong, athletic, graceful, worried, mindfuck. The inability of people to explain him is what makes him more interesting. No matter how much he is scrutinized, broken down, and analyzed; he refuses to be understood. He defies logic. And that is what makes him so polarizing.
Stay Hungry My Friends
No comments:
Post a Comment