The Tragic Hero

There isn't anything I could say that has not already been said by any ESPN journalist about Lebron James, but as a die heart basketball fan I have to share my feelings on the events that took place this summer. First, let me tell you my story of "The Decision." The week leading up to that infamous hour I inquired, amongst my friends, to figure out where people thought he would end up. Most people I asked thought he was going to New York. However, my brain trust of basketball thought differently. Paul, Brian (http://2up3down.blogspot.com), and Caleb all had faith and believed he would stay in Cleveland. Me, I knew that LBJ was not chasing money (so NY was out), knew he was tired of losing big games (so Cleveland was out), and thought he was too competitive to play with his buddies (so Miami was out). I thought he was the ideal superstar, had all the gifts to dominate but had the sense of mind to keep his teammates involved. I thought he was the combination of physical prowess and competitiveness that we have not seen since MJ. I thought he was going to Chicago, but I was wrong. I believed that Lebron wanted to win, but also wanted to carry a team to the promise land. I just knew he was going to show all the Kobe fans ( or satanist, your choice ) that he could beat the Lakers with some real talent but still be the unquestionable alpha dog of his team. I was riding false hope into the waking minutes of "The Decision" like a wife waiting on her husband that has been working late for three straight weeks. LBJ was the shinning knight, he was the guy who was going to slay Kobe's reign of terror on the league, I was sure of it! And then he spoke the ugliest words an athlete has ever spoken, "I'm going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat." Disgusting! I felt worst than Chazz Palminteri at the end of Usual Suspects. For the first time I saw Lebron for what he really was; a weak, self-centered, spoiled super athlete. And thus I deemed him Lebitch.

The first thing that came to mind after "The Betrayal" was that no one could compare Lebitch to Jordan anymore. Michael was a transcendent athlete that played for a Bulls team that was terrible when he was drafted in '84, but made it his mission to carry Chicago to the promise land and become the best player he could be along the way. Michael loved winning. He wanted to win at everything he did at life. (and in most cases he did) In Lebitch's case, however, no one can really pinpoint what his reason is for playing the game we love. Money? Fame? Highlight on ESPN top 10? No one can say for certain. So instead of pondering a question no one can answer I will answer one that has a definitive answer. Question: Why can't Lebitch be like MJ? Answer: Lebitch will never be MJ because he lacks the drive, competitiveness and focus that Jordan fed off when he played.

The first and smallest difference between Lebitch and Jordan is drive. Now, I am not claiming that LBJ is not a driven player. We have all witnessed his explosions against Deshawn Stevenson, the Hawks, and most recently his decapitation of the Magic while keeping in mind that Orlando's GM, Otis Smith, questioned his competitiveness in the summer. What I am claiming is that his drive comes and goes, and that it seems that he only is driven by outside forces instead of being self-driven. Bill Russell would give himself a grade after every game, the scale being from 1 to 100. The greatest winner in NBA history never gave himself a grade over 50. When Jordan was lacking motivation he would convince himself that someone disrespected him or his game, and torched them for acts they never committed. For example, before a playoff game against the Heat, Jordan walked into the arena and greeted the players he saw as he made his way to the locker room. However, according to Jordan, Alonzo Mourning didn't shake Michael's hand. Jordan was so pissed that he made it his mission to single handedly destroy Alonzo and the Heat. Yet, when Alonzo was asked about the alleged cold shoulder, Mourning said it never happened. He even claimed that he didn't see Jordan until the warm ups began. My problem with Lebitch is that he is only driven when other people can see it, not by nature. Michael did whatever it took to win, even if that meant making up stories to keep himself driven. And lastly, if you think of basketball in the '90s you think of one man, Michael Jordan. He is first and everyone else comes second. This is not the case for Lebitch. He could be the best player in damn near any sport if he chose to but he doesn't, there will always be the debate over who was better Kobe or Lebitch.

The next point and reason I now hate LBJ is his displaced sense of competitiveness. For some odd reason Lebitch cannot comprehend how playing with the third best player (while he is the second best) in the league stains the public's perception of his competitiveness. Some of the best games of the past two or three years have been Wade James duels. Being able to watch two truly great athletes go shot for shot is like watching two great heavy weights go blow for blow. No one can genuinely articulate what your eyes are beholding, you just had to see it to comprehend it. Imagine if Joe Frazier refused to fight Muhammad Ali? Imagine instead that they became training partners and sat at each other's corner during fights are rooted each other on? (Did you throw up yet? Yeah, me too) How could these too super athletes, James and Wade, even want to play with one another? They are suppose to size themselves up against each other. They're suppose to read the papers just to see each others stats so they know what they have to beat out their next game. Lebitch should want to destroy Wade just to show the rest of the world how much better he is, but instead he CHOSE to play with with Wade. In an interview, while promoting the video game NBA 2K11, Jordan said "I would've never called up Larry and Magic and ask them to play with me." Yes Mike, we know you wouldn't. We know Jordan lived for the moments where he could out assists Magic and out shoot Bird, he lived for the moments where he showed the world that he was basketball. LBJ is suppose to follow this example, but instead he take the easy way out. Now just imagine Bird, Magic, and Jordan together in their primes. (Wait... let it all sink in) Would that even be fun to watch? Maybe at first, but after their 5th championship would there even be a need for a regular season or even the playoffs for that matter? Why wouldn't the league just pick a team name out the hat and whoever got picked had the "pleasure" of losing a championship series to Bird, Magic, and Jordan. "And the lucky loser is.... Houston! Get out there fellas, don't lose by too much! " The point of sports is to compete, the reason for professional sports is to have all of our best athletes compete against each other to see who is better and who is the best. The Miami Heat fiasco completely undermines the entire reason for sports, if there are two best players on one team then how can you tell who is better? As a competitor you should want to win, but you should want to beat all of your competition along the way. Michael lived by this, Lebitch ran from it.

Finally and most importantly, the biggest factor that will always separate Jordan from James is focus. No one mentions focus when they speak about Jordan's greatness. I myself got the idea from a book named How to Be Like Mike, by Pat Williams. In the first chapter of the book he tells of an instance in which gave him a new perspective on Michael. While working for the Orlando Magic he asked, former Jordan teammate, B.J. Armstrong to take a look at the beginnings of his book. Armstrong told Pat that he "missed the most important thing." "The thing that makes Micheal who he is", B.J. said, "is his focus." People don't usual tend to see focus as a characteristic of greatness, but when you take some time to ponder the thought, it makes sense. You can credit his prowess on the court to his athleticism or work ethic, but what happened when he was sick or injured? Those last two things are negated, yet somehow Jordan found a way to excel. The most famous of these games was in Game 5 of the 1995 NBA Finals. Michael was terrible ill, reports stating he had "flu like" symptoms (whatever that means). Despite the vague and questionable diagnosis, it was obvious that MJ was not himself. Moving slowly in warm ups and was sweating puddles, everyone knew something was wrong with Michael. However, Jordan was a winner and although his body gave in his was too focused to lose. He finished the game with 38 points, hit the game winning shot, and was carried off the floor by Pip' like a groom carrying his new bride to bed for the first time. However, this is not the only instance of Michael's focus. In 1988, Jordan acquired a cold before the all-star game, but instead of sitting out he scored 42 points and a win. MJ was entirely focused on winning, and nothing would stop him for doing so. James' focus, on the other hand, is else where. As I stated earlier, I can't say in complete confidence that Lebitch is focused on winning. Especially after the 2010 playoffs against the Boston Celtics. As the series' momentum swung toward Boston LBJ gave up, he stop running back on defense and seemed disinterested on the offense. He claimed that whole season that the summer was not distracting him, but it seemed clear that he couldn't wait to get out of a Cavs uniform. The usual amazement I experience when watching James was not there. I never thought "Okay Lebron is about to turn it on now" because I wasn't getting that feeling of anticipation anymore. Can anyone ever say this about Jordan? After "The Decision" happened he stated that he was keeping "metal notes" of critics and made the most pitiful commercial I ever saw. (What should you do Lebitch? Focus on winning instead of critics!) LBJ is that guy in high school who couldn't stand the fact that he might not win prom king, and did everything to get every single vote. Let me fill you in on a secret Lebitch, everyone loves and/or respects champions so why don't you focus on winning one of them?

In final analysis, the reason LBJ lacks the drive, competitiveness, and the focus to be like or greater than Mike is a result of his tragic flaw, his ego. James needs to be loved, needs to be seen as amazing, and can only take praise and never criticism. Instead of taking the challenge of carrying a team to a championship, he took the easy way out and chose to play in Miami with Wade and Bosh. LBJ was suppose to save us from the all the arrogant infuriating superstars of today and he ended up being the greatest ass of them all. He has all the physical talents to be the greatest player we have ever seen, but it is his mental flaws that will always keep him out the same breath as Magic, Bird, and Jordan. We will always remember Lebron James as the coward who could of been our savior.