The King's Heavy Crown:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/6...s-lebron-james
"The play's the thing, Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king".
—Hamlet, Act II, Scene 2
I'm no psychologist, nor do I play one of TV, but it doesn't take a shrink to realize that LeBron James is a conundrum to the game of basketball.
The talent, both God-given and accelerated through hard work and practice, is there. Everyone can see that. The things he has accomplished can not be done by mere mortals: leading teams to 60+ wins, threatening the legendary triple-double average and putting together a body that is almost a work of art.
However, if there is a trait that appears to be LeBron's tragic flaw (keeping with the Shakespearean theme here), it is hubris. While "King" James was a clever marketing ploy and sounded fitting given the propensity for there to be many a king named James in world history, the simple nickname took on a life of its own with, unfortunately for LeBron, mixed results.
LeBron went through the Honeymoon period of his career believing, and, frankly, selling his own hype. Not every player can be Kobe Bryant, a young stud of a player who comes in and, within a few years, is the second or co-best player on a squad winning titles. LeBron got the benefit of the doubt and was given the break. What LeBron showed was potential, amazing potential in fact, to be whatever the historians wanted to call him: the next MJ, the next Magic, the GOAT, or GOAT.1, etc.
98517969_crop_340x234 Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Then 2009 happened.
Many Cleveland fans will look back fondly (with perhaps a bittersweet aftertaste) at 2009. Though people rag on Cleveland's GM and the supporting cast now, back in the beginnings of 2008 all the way until the second half of Game 1 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron's Cavs were on their way to a title. Almost every major media outlet and journalist thought it so, and so did most teams in the league.
The fading Detroit Pistons didn't even bother to try to get revenge in round one of those playoffs, losing every game and not even getting close in any particular contest. The next round's Hawks just sat down and died while the Cavs steam-piled them to another 4-0 sweep, beating them, as they did the Pistons, by at least 10 points every game.
And in the first half of the ECFs against Orlando, the Cavs were shooting half court shots for fun and destroying Dwight Howard's Magic like it wasn't an issue. The 2008-2009 season was the year of destiny and basically no one stood in their path. By the ECFs, the LeBron led Cavs were 74-16 and on their way to a 1-0 lead on the Magic.
LeBron, up to that point, had shown NBA fans (and enemies) glimpses of his greatness. His first-ever playoff series against the Wizards in 2006 included two game-winning shots and a triple double. He led a very limited Cavs team to the NBA Finals in 2007. And he led a Cavs team that fought the eventual champion Celtics to seven games in the second round in 2008.
108672696_crop_340x234 Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Forgotten in those impressive glimpses was LeBron setting the playoff turnover record in '06 against the Wizs and getting completely annihilated by the Spurs in the Finals (0-4).
But that was okay: every star player had a blemish and 2009 would change everything. LeBron James would truly be crowned king of the NBA. Only eight games to go.
But adversity hit. Orlando stormed back and won Game 1 in what would be two completely separate halves of basketball. And though the Cavs won Game 2 by a miracle heave from LeBron, even the hardest of the hardcore Cavs/LeBron fans knew that shot was luck, saving them the immense humiliation of going down 0-2. But 1-1 wasn't enough...the Magic won in six, winning overtime games and eventually manhandling the Cavs from beginning to end in the final game.
And while Mo Williams showed some odd behavior in the Orlando series (throwing balls at Dwight Howard, making odd postgame comments about being the best, saying Anthony Johnson personally hit him with an elbow, etc.), LeBron was the one who showed his true colors, on many levels.
The year of destiny had been denied him and, whether fans of LeBron (or the Cult of LeBron, a different type of fanbase) want to believe it or not, a lot of that failure rested on LeBron. But the "King" moniker prevented LeBron from taking that next step and learning his lesson. The reason why most critics pan LeBron's supporting cast (hypocritically, I might add) is because LeBron did it himself.
A look at some amazing LeBron plays in 2009
People tend to give LeBron the credit for all of the Cavs victories and successes but none of the blame for his or his team's failures. Many general fans would chalk this up to his impressive statistics but many, especially those that believe as I said above, just saw what LeBron was saying:
“I’m only one guy,” James said. “I took Hedo in the first game and Rashard made the shot. I took Rashard in the second game and Hedo made the shot.
“If I could clone myself, we’d be all right. But I can’t.”
In a nutshell, this showed the cracking ego of LeBron James by Game 3 of the ECFs. And this crack would get wider and wider until, as of February 28th, 2011, it seems to never be resealable.
In the quote above, LeBron is, of course, referring to Rashard Lewis hitting what would be the game winner in Game 1 and Hedo Turkoglu hitting what in 99 percent of circumstances would have been the winner in Game 2.
Though never expounded upon at length, this phrase sums up LeBron's belief in himself. "I'm the King," he says, "I can do everything. It's everyone else on my team that can't do the important stuff." Talent wise, perhaps, but that is a vain person deferring responsibility to others, instead of himself. With leadership, as I said, comes the success and the failure.
Suddenly, the season of entitlement made sense. LeBron "believed" he was as great as he was proclaimed to be. The "Chosen One" tattoo started to take on a more complex, grey meaning. The slightly offensive pregame shows and in-game dancing/trash talking to lesser opponents seemed to have more meaning.
Hubris or Truth? You decide.
And when Cleveland lost, the failure to shake hands with those that defeated him and his total abandonment of his team (instead going to the bus to ponder defeat alone), the ego made sense. LeBron James wasn't just anointed King by the media and teammates...he anointed himself. But long before he actually took the throne.
And ever since then, LeBron has been on a downward spiral. Though LeBron didn't necessarily blow any late game shots in the Orlando series, his failure to lead at critical moments became the rule, as opposed to the exception. LeBron's masterpiece of a fourth quarter in Game 7 of the '07 ECFs was becoming an aberration, not a habit. The King had flaws.
The 2009-2010 season was the year to make it better. LeBron could have taken his chance to learn and improve and take the Orlando defeat as motivation for future destruction. He had, clearly, the ability to destroy teams before: did the quality go away? Unfortunately it did. Besides hubris, LeBron showed that pressure was something he couldn't handle.
The stats were still there but not in crunch time, when it mattered. While the silly pregame parlor games stopped (for the most part) and the playfulness was kept to a minimum (except in Chicago), so did LeBron's energy and leadership. The Cavs still won 61 games but something was off. And it didn't take long to see LeBron was suffering more under the pressure come the second round of the playoffs, facing old nemesis Boston.
88075344_original_original_crop_340x234 Elsa/Getty Images
What occurred was a microcosm of LeBron's existence: a humiliating loss in one of the first two games, a heroic, nearly flawless performance as a rebuttal, and then complete breakdown. The Cavs lost even earlier than before, out in six games to the eventual Eastern Conference champ Celtics.
LeBron shook hands this time but took off his Cavs jersey for good. And then he made a move that, to me, was absolute genius for him in terms of his legacy but, also, incredibly classless. Yes, "The Decision." I need not go on about that, but LeBron went to the Miami Heat.
That move showed me (or at least I thought) that LeBron didn't need help, as he was a good leader to a point, but wanted someone else to take the clutch shots. Who better than clutch-magician Dwyane Wade? But LeBron's first Heat season, while full of amazing moments and impressive stats, is making the hubris, the tragic flaw, destroy his legacy.
Why, you ask? Because LeBron went to Miami to escape being the leader or the clutch guy. And that would be FINE if LeBron still didn't think himself the "King" when others on his squad are more capable than him of being the number one option. It seems LeBron wants to reap the benefits of being the No. 2 but still be treated as the No. 1.
Case in point: the last month of the Miami Heat's games. LeBron drops 51 on Orlando, putting on the killer face and just annihilating Dwight Howard's squad. Fast forward to games against the very good Bulls and the new-look Knicks.
Is LeBron James the #1 guy on the Heat to give the ball to in crunch time?
Yes, without a doubt Yes, with reservation Meh. Not sure. No, he's not ready Wade please Submit Vote vote to see results
Is LeBron James the #1 guy on the Heat to give the ball to in crunch time?
*
Yes, without a doubt
25.8%
*
Yes, with reservation
8.1%
*
Meh. Not sure.
6.5%
*
No, he's not ready
14.5%
*
Wade please
45.2%
Total votes: 62
Against the Bulls, LeBron decided to be the No. 1 guy and, like he did many times before (most specifically in a regular season game with Boston in 2010 while still on the Cavs), he charged down the floor, spotted up a three while still covered and with loads of time left, clanked it.
In the game against the Knicks, he did the same thing. His shot was a little bit wiser but it still failed to deliver.
Michael Jordan was known, at times, to be a ball-hog, but what made the dude so clutch was his knowledge of when to pass and when to shoot. LeBron's concept of being clutch is taking FULL control of the situation: control the ball, bringing up the court, waste the clock (though he doesn't always do that) and take the last shot.
LeBron's problem—and his teammates get the brunt of the blame for it, though it isn't/wasn't their fault—is he will hold the ball and make up his mind about what to do. If he is covered too hard, he'll dish out to a teammate, usually with only seconds left in the shot clock, and a teammate bricks it. The teammates are slowed down by LeBron's waiting, are cold from likely not taking any shots in a while, and then are forced, sometimes, to take high pressure shots while being completely covered.
That is, of course, if LeBron doesn't just shoot up the three with plenty of time left and his teammates cleared out, waiting for his inevitable mood (and thus not in the position for a offensive board).
109484298_crop_340x234 Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
The "Decision" made sense to me from a legacy standpoint. LeBron, with his immense talents, would become either a Scottie Pippen or an early Kobe Bryant (when Shaq was around): the type of player who could take over games occasionally but usually deferred to the better leader/clutch player. And though I thought it was competitive cowardice to do this, especially after claiming to be all that he thinks he is (Chosen One, King, etc.), I thought it was also brave: it was a star admitting his faults and adjusting his game.
Man, I was wrong. LeBron isn't getting it and since the Cavs' meltdown in 2009 in the ECFs, LeBron's mental block is still growing and damaging any team he is on. No. 1 expectations as a No. 2 player destroys the mentality of your entire team, let alone the No. 1 player (Wade) relegated to No. 2.
So, the first step is for LeBron to not play the mildly inspired "villain" role and embrace his situation: become the No. 2. Become the greatest No. 2 of all time. It might make the silly tattoos and amazingly arrogant statements from the past seem out of place, but LeBron has proven, time and time again, that he is not the clutch leader of a team. He has a wall, and he is bumping his head on it.
Can it change? Maybe, but LeBron has the weight of an entire societal psychology on his shoulders, one he has bought into and still believes. It's time to switch the role: abandon the "King" and become the right-hand man. Hey, people love Oddjob more than Goldfinger anyways. No. 2 isn't bad. In the end, it will work for LeBron more. Of course, he can stay as the No. 1, he just has to embrace his faults.
I basically want LeBron to either heed my words or make me eat them. If he ends up becoming the greatest clutch player of all time or, at the very least, hits a meaningful game winner at this stage in his "kinghood," I'll be the first to give praise. Because then, at the very least, the hype, most of it self-promoted by LeBron, would be somewhat true. Right now, it's a lie and a lie that is killing LeBron James' effectiveness, whether he wants to believe it or not.
An effective No. 2 with rings will mean a lot more then a failure No. 1 with great stats.
Cult of LeBron, the floor is yours.
He's not a closer will never be one...They need the ball in wades hands if there ever going to have a chance.
"The play's the thing, Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king".
—Hamlet, Act II, Scene 2
I'm no psychologist, nor do I play one of TV, but it doesn't take a shrink to realize that LeBron James is a conundrum to the game of basketball.
The talent, both God-given and accelerated through hard work and practice, is there. Everyone can see that. The things he has accomplished can not be done by mere mortals: leading teams to 60+ wins, threatening the legendary triple-double average and putting together a body that is almost a work of art.
However, if there is a trait that appears to be LeBron's tragic flaw (keeping with the Shakespearean theme here), it is hubris. While "King" James was a clever marketing ploy and sounded fitting given the propensity for there to be many a king named James in world history, the simple nickname took on a life of its own with, unfortunately for LeBron, mixed results.
LeBron went through the Honeymoon period of his career believing, and, frankly, selling his own hype. Not every player can be Kobe Bryant, a young stud of a player who comes in and, within a few years, is the second or co-best player on a squad winning titles. LeBron got the benefit of the doubt and was given the break. What LeBron showed was potential, amazing potential in fact, to be whatever the historians wanted to call him: the next MJ, the next Magic, the GOAT, or GOAT.1, etc.
98517969_crop_340x234 Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Then 2009 happened.
Many Cleveland fans will look back fondly (with perhaps a bittersweet aftertaste) at 2009. Though people rag on Cleveland's GM and the supporting cast now, back in the beginnings of 2008 all the way until the second half of Game 1 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron's Cavs were on their way to a title. Almost every major media outlet and journalist thought it so, and so did most teams in the league.
The fading Detroit Pistons didn't even bother to try to get revenge in round one of those playoffs, losing every game and not even getting close in any particular contest. The next round's Hawks just sat down and died while the Cavs steam-piled them to another 4-0 sweep, beating them, as they did the Pistons, by at least 10 points every game.
And in the first half of the ECFs against Orlando, the Cavs were shooting half court shots for fun and destroying Dwight Howard's Magic like it wasn't an issue. The 2008-2009 season was the year of destiny and basically no one stood in their path. By the ECFs, the LeBron led Cavs were 74-16 and on their way to a 1-0 lead on the Magic.
LeBron, up to that point, had shown NBA fans (and enemies) glimpses of his greatness. His first-ever playoff series against the Wizards in 2006 included two game-winning shots and a triple double. He led a very limited Cavs team to the NBA Finals in 2007. And he led a Cavs team that fought the eventual champion Celtics to seven games in the second round in 2008.
108672696_crop_340x234 Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Forgotten in those impressive glimpses was LeBron setting the playoff turnover record in '06 against the Wizs and getting completely annihilated by the Spurs in the Finals (0-4).
But that was okay: every star player had a blemish and 2009 would change everything. LeBron James would truly be crowned king of the NBA. Only eight games to go.
But adversity hit. Orlando stormed back and won Game 1 in what would be two completely separate halves of basketball. And though the Cavs won Game 2 by a miracle heave from LeBron, even the hardest of the hardcore Cavs/LeBron fans knew that shot was luck, saving them the immense humiliation of going down 0-2. But 1-1 wasn't enough...the Magic won in six, winning overtime games and eventually manhandling the Cavs from beginning to end in the final game.
And while Mo Williams showed some odd behavior in the Orlando series (throwing balls at Dwight Howard, making odd postgame comments about being the best, saying Anthony Johnson personally hit him with an elbow, etc.), LeBron was the one who showed his true colors, on many levels.
The year of destiny had been denied him and, whether fans of LeBron (or the Cult of LeBron, a different type of fanbase) want to believe it or not, a lot of that failure rested on LeBron. But the "King" moniker prevented LeBron from taking that next step and learning his lesson. The reason why most critics pan LeBron's supporting cast (hypocritically, I might add) is because LeBron did it himself.
A look at some amazing LeBron plays in 2009
People tend to give LeBron the credit for all of the Cavs victories and successes but none of the blame for his or his team's failures. Many general fans would chalk this up to his impressive statistics but many, especially those that believe as I said above, just saw what LeBron was saying:
“I’m only one guy,” James said. “I took Hedo in the first game and Rashard made the shot. I took Rashard in the second game and Hedo made the shot.
“If I could clone myself, we’d be all right. But I can’t.”
In a nutshell, this showed the cracking ego of LeBron James by Game 3 of the ECFs. And this crack would get wider and wider until, as of February 28th, 2011, it seems to never be resealable.
In the quote above, LeBron is, of course, referring to Rashard Lewis hitting what would be the game winner in Game 1 and Hedo Turkoglu hitting what in 99 percent of circumstances would have been the winner in Game 2.
Though never expounded upon at length, this phrase sums up LeBron's belief in himself. "I'm the King," he says, "I can do everything. It's everyone else on my team that can't do the important stuff." Talent wise, perhaps, but that is a vain person deferring responsibility to others, instead of himself. With leadership, as I said, comes the success and the failure.
Suddenly, the season of entitlement made sense. LeBron "believed" he was as great as he was proclaimed to be. The "Chosen One" tattoo started to take on a more complex, grey meaning. The slightly offensive pregame shows and in-game dancing/trash talking to lesser opponents seemed to have more meaning.
Hubris or Truth? You decide.
And when Cleveland lost, the failure to shake hands with those that defeated him and his total abandonment of his team (instead going to the bus to ponder defeat alone), the ego made sense. LeBron James wasn't just anointed King by the media and teammates...he anointed himself. But long before he actually took the throne.
And ever since then, LeBron has been on a downward spiral. Though LeBron didn't necessarily blow any late game shots in the Orlando series, his failure to lead at critical moments became the rule, as opposed to the exception. LeBron's masterpiece of a fourth quarter in Game 7 of the '07 ECFs was becoming an aberration, not a habit. The King had flaws.
The 2009-2010 season was the year to make it better. LeBron could have taken his chance to learn and improve and take the Orlando defeat as motivation for future destruction. He had, clearly, the ability to destroy teams before: did the quality go away? Unfortunately it did. Besides hubris, LeBron showed that pressure was something he couldn't handle.
The stats were still there but not in crunch time, when it mattered. While the silly pregame parlor games stopped (for the most part) and the playfulness was kept to a minimum (except in Chicago), so did LeBron's energy and leadership. The Cavs still won 61 games but something was off. And it didn't take long to see LeBron was suffering more under the pressure come the second round of the playoffs, facing old nemesis Boston.
88075344_original_original_crop_340x234 Elsa/Getty Images
What occurred was a microcosm of LeBron's existence: a humiliating loss in one of the first two games, a heroic, nearly flawless performance as a rebuttal, and then complete breakdown. The Cavs lost even earlier than before, out in six games to the eventual Eastern Conference champ Celtics.
LeBron shook hands this time but took off his Cavs jersey for good. And then he made a move that, to me, was absolute genius for him in terms of his legacy but, also, incredibly classless. Yes, "The Decision." I need not go on about that, but LeBron went to the Miami Heat.
That move showed me (or at least I thought) that LeBron didn't need help, as he was a good leader to a point, but wanted someone else to take the clutch shots. Who better than clutch-magician Dwyane Wade? But LeBron's first Heat season, while full of amazing moments and impressive stats, is making the hubris, the tragic flaw, destroy his legacy.
Why, you ask? Because LeBron went to Miami to escape being the leader or the clutch guy. And that would be FINE if LeBron still didn't think himself the "King" when others on his squad are more capable than him of being the number one option. It seems LeBron wants to reap the benefits of being the No. 2 but still be treated as the No. 1.
Case in point: the last month of the Miami Heat's games. LeBron drops 51 on Orlando, putting on the killer face and just annihilating Dwight Howard's squad. Fast forward to games against the very good Bulls and the new-look Knicks.
Is LeBron James the #1 guy on the Heat to give the ball to in crunch time?
Yes, without a doubt Yes, with reservation Meh. Not sure. No, he's not ready Wade please Submit Vote vote to see results
Is LeBron James the #1 guy on the Heat to give the ball to in crunch time?
*
Yes, without a doubt
25.8%
*
Yes, with reservation
8.1%
*
Meh. Not sure.
6.5%
*
No, he's not ready
14.5%
*
Wade please
45.2%
Total votes: 62
Against the Bulls, LeBron decided to be the No. 1 guy and, like he did many times before (most specifically in a regular season game with Boston in 2010 while still on the Cavs), he charged down the floor, spotted up a three while still covered and with loads of time left, clanked it.
In the game against the Knicks, he did the same thing. His shot was a little bit wiser but it still failed to deliver.
Michael Jordan was known, at times, to be a ball-hog, but what made the dude so clutch was his knowledge of when to pass and when to shoot. LeBron's concept of being clutch is taking FULL control of the situation: control the ball, bringing up the court, waste the clock (though he doesn't always do that) and take the last shot.
LeBron's problem—and his teammates get the brunt of the blame for it, though it isn't/wasn't their fault—is he will hold the ball and make up his mind about what to do. If he is covered too hard, he'll dish out to a teammate, usually with only seconds left in the shot clock, and a teammate bricks it. The teammates are slowed down by LeBron's waiting, are cold from likely not taking any shots in a while, and then are forced, sometimes, to take high pressure shots while being completely covered.
That is, of course, if LeBron doesn't just shoot up the three with plenty of time left and his teammates cleared out, waiting for his inevitable mood (and thus not in the position for a offensive board).
109484298_crop_340x234 Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
The "Decision" made sense to me from a legacy standpoint. LeBron, with his immense talents, would become either a Scottie Pippen or an early Kobe Bryant (when Shaq was around): the type of player who could take over games occasionally but usually deferred to the better leader/clutch player. And though I thought it was competitive cowardice to do this, especially after claiming to be all that he thinks he is (Chosen One, King, etc.), I thought it was also brave: it was a star admitting his faults and adjusting his game.
Man, I was wrong. LeBron isn't getting it and since the Cavs' meltdown in 2009 in the ECFs, LeBron's mental block is still growing and damaging any team he is on. No. 1 expectations as a No. 2 player destroys the mentality of your entire team, let alone the No. 1 player (Wade) relegated to No. 2.
So, the first step is for LeBron to not play the mildly inspired "villain" role and embrace his situation: become the No. 2. Become the greatest No. 2 of all time. It might make the silly tattoos and amazingly arrogant statements from the past seem out of place, but LeBron has proven, time and time again, that he is not the clutch leader of a team. He has a wall, and he is bumping his head on it.
Can it change? Maybe, but LeBron has the weight of an entire societal psychology on his shoulders, one he has bought into and still believes. It's time to switch the role: abandon the "King" and become the right-hand man. Hey, people love Oddjob more than Goldfinger anyways. No. 2 isn't bad. In the end, it will work for LeBron more. Of course, he can stay as the No. 1, he just has to embrace his faults.
I basically want LeBron to either heed my words or make me eat them. If he ends up becoming the greatest clutch player of all time or, at the very least, hits a meaningful game winner at this stage in his "kinghood," I'll be the first to give praise. Because then, at the very least, the hype, most of it self-promoted by LeBron, would be somewhat true. Right now, it's a lie and a lie that is killing LeBron James' effectiveness, whether he wants to believe it or not.
An effective No. 2 with rings will mean a lot more then a failure No. 1 with great stats.
Cult of LeBron, the floor is yours.
He's not a closer will never be one...They need the ball in wades hands if there ever going to have a chance.
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