Talk to anyone on the streets about basketball and one of three names is going to pop up in your conversation:
Michael Jordan,
Kobe Bryant, and
LeBron James. Look at these player's statistics and it's easy to see that these are some of the best players the game has ever seen. The difference between these players however, is that while both Bryant and Jordan hold multiple NBA championships, LeBron James still remains ringless. So the question is, does LeBron even belong with those three names?
There is no doubt that LeBron has all the ability of a great basketball player. Just take a look at his career averages: 48% for field goals, 27.7 points a game, and 1 in 3 for for every 3 point shot taken. So how does this guy lose? When he was with the
Cleveland Cavaliers, the excuse was always his teammates. Every great player had a
Scottie Pippen, or
Shaquille O'Neal, was often heard. However, to fix this problem LeBron moved himself to the
Miami Heat where he had
Dwyane Wade and
Chris Bosh to make up for the lack of skill in his former Cleveland teammates. Yet here we are two season later and still no championship, or anything close.
Is two seasons too soon to tell if LeBron will ever get a championship? Of course. With only two seasons under his belt with a new team there is still much "warming up" to do, but the question can't be ignored; why no championship yet? Both Kobe and Jordan had three championships back to back by the time they had reached this point in their career. Despite putting up numbers it seems that LeBron doesn't have that extra skill that stats could ever measure, timing. What wins championships, and makes great player isn't their stats, its the ability to get it done when it counts. With no championships, but the stats to get there, LeBron simply seems to lack this ability. A great example of this could be taken from the recent all star game, with LeBron's turnover on a pass that could have won the game. An all star game is no good example of a player's skill, and one bad pass is no measure of a player's greatness, however this is not the only time LeBron has not came out with the points when they needed to be made.
LeBron is no doubt a good basketball player, but when putting him next to those names more needs to be there than just good. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are some of the greatest players the game has witnessed, LeBron is still just good.
There is no doubt that LeBron has all the ability of a great basketball player. Just take a look at his career averages: 48% for field goals, 27.7 points a game, and 1 in 3 for for every 3 point shot taken. So how does this guy lose? When he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the excuse was always his teammates. Every great player had a Scottie Pippen, or Shaquille O'Neal, was often heard. However, to fix this problem LeBron moved himself to the Miami Heat where he had Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to make up for the lack of skill in his former Cleveland teammates. Yet here we are two season later and still no championship, or anything close.
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