the NBA, the commish and the media to blame for Lebron's failures?

Question

- Stern pushed him forward into the spotlight at every opportunity he got. Stern thought he would represent perfection and success in the NBA like Jordan but Lebron hasn't

- Media used him extensively to market him as an explosive scorer (I agree) and a king(no) and a future legend (bogus)

Before he could prove anything they gave him the crown and labeled him the next MJ or Magic or whatever

Lebron can't live up to those standards...just can't, too young, stupid teammates, great opponents, biased refs, excuses excuses

The simple fact is Lebron does not possess the clutch play of MJ and Magic...juss doesn't ...he and the cavs got lucky getting an easy draw to get to the FINALS

Doesn't know when too shoot and doesn't know when to pass (most of the time he does pass it is to bail him out for hard circumstances he gets himself into with his over dribbling and poor movement and cuts OFF THE BALL)

Lebron is just another Vince Carter, T-Mac, Marion or Pierce

he has the physical gifts and tools like those guys but is just too flawed fundamentally that stops him from being an elite player

He is a good player I acknowledge that.

Doesn't have a reliable Jumper, chokes in the clutch, bad free throw shooting, gets away with several walks and carries.

Doesn't play sound defense, instead depends on teammates and sometiems reaches and grabs instead of moving his feet

Dude is not a complete player

but is one heck of a physical specimen and talent fsho

PEOPLE NEED TO ADMIT AND ACCEPT THAT

AHAHA good one chicago floater

Dawn:

Magic won finals mvp in his rookie season

to macarthur

"Kobe is close, yet without Shaq, Kobe is not as potent as MJ, Magic, or Bird"

Are you kidding me???

dude averaged over 27 points and a carreer high 6 assists per game his first year without shaq...he and odom combined to miss 30+ games.

second year he averaged 35 points per game WITHOUT Shaq and was 6 seconds away from eliminating teh mighty suns

third year he led the team to a no. 2 seed a 26-13 record before walton and odom missed 20+ games each and all had to play injured alongside him (huge liability)

He accomplished so much without shaq..give credit where its due man

To Taylor

Magic Johnoson started some games in the nba finals when kareem was injured and filled in as a center

Smarty Pants


Lebron doesn't have to be a legend to on my top five

His dunking ability is incredible...I love that

I love his court vision also

There's nothing wrong with criticizing some of my favorite players

And anotehr thing to Smarty Pants

kobe would've prolly accomplished all those things you mentioned if he wasn't benched by stupid dell harris (current assistant coach of choker mavericks) the first 2 years of the league...he was back up to perennial all star eddie jones (yes he was good once)

his third nba season was a strike season and nba played only 50 games

His first full year starting in the league he won a championship

Answer 1

dude you really laid it out! LOL
i think Lebron hasn't failed yet. i think he's just going through growing pains. when MJ had 63 against Boston, the Bulls still lost....but that didn't mean he was a failure.
we all play our part in adding fuel to the flames when it comes to bashing Lebron.
for me...one thing explains it all. he is only 22 years old. obviously, we can't use that line forever....but right now i agree that he has to much growing to do. give him time to understand the mental side of the game. when MJ became a mental player, he almost stopped dunking altogether, and instead developed that now infamous turn-around J...and he realized that it wasn't about just him.
Lebron will probably never have the killer instinct, if he doesn't have it now. i don't believe you can grow into that....you either have it or you don't.
Lebron is indeed a defensive liability right now, but that can change....don't write him off yet. He's averaging almost 28 pts...6 rebs...and 6 dimes. i would say he's a doggone good player who CAN be great one day. it's all up to him and how much he wants to be that man.
Lebron didn't call himself KING, so we can't blame him for that. He didn't compare himself to MJ, so we can't blame him for that either.
but we can blame ourselves, and especially the media. look how many questions are posted about him right now. Yahoo sports has 5 different articles dogging him, instead of giving the Spurs props. even ESPN spends their time talking more about him than anything else. how come no one is bustin on Dirk Nowitski...Mr MVP for pulling a disappearing act against Golden State?
of course the media is to blame, and Stern has no doubt played his part in trying to make Lebron the face of the league.
but if we can all point our fingers.....then we also have a share in the blame.

Answer 2

First Lebron is not a failure. I agree Lebron hasn't lived up to his media billing, nevertheless he is one of the top stars of the NBA today. Unfortunately, he was compared to MJ. Before Lebron, Vince Carter, now of the NJ Nets, was compared to MJ, both have never lived up to the star quality of Jordan. Lebron, however, is closer to the MJ mystic than Carter ever got. In today's NBA, Lebron is just below Duncan, Bryant, and Shaq on the court. Not bad. In fact quite impressive for a teenager like Kobe coming out of high school to the pros. So yes, the media is partly to blame because they made it seem that Lebron had MJ potential. So far, that hasn't proven true. Yes, the Commish partly to blame because he was selling Lebron to the public. And yes, the NBA panicked when MJ retired. Stars like MJ, Magic, and Bird come rarely. So when MJ finally retired, no true NBA star was left. Kobe is close, yet without Shaq, Kobe is not as potent as MJ, Magic, or Bird. As far as Lebron reaching the same level as the three mentioned legends, he's still young. He might need a few more years of seasoning.

Answer 3

Let's take this step by step: 1) I have no doubt that hundreds, if not thousands of NBA viewers thought Dirk was faking his illness. I personally believe Dirk is fantastic and was not faking. However, Lebron and Dwyane Wade are followed so closely by the media that everything they do is on national television. They can be criticized for their imitation of Dirk, but the reality is they were displaying their disbelief of how good Dirk was under his condition. 2) Dirk is not better than Lebron ever will be. Lebron averages 28 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds per game for his career. Dirk averages 23 points and 8 rebounds per game for his career. It's no secret that Dirk is a far better shooter than Lebron, and probably better in the clutch, but in terms of stats, Lebron is the better player. 3) I agree with your disgust at Lebron refusing to shake hands after being eliminated from the 2009 playoffs. He displayed poor sportsmanship, and his emotions got the best of him. I can understand his frustration, however. After being in the league for 6 years and being compared to NBA legends like MJ, Lebron felt the ultimate pressure of a superstar failing expectations. Though this was one of his worst moments, he cannot be considered a failure for it. 4) Why does everyone blame traveling on Lebron? Yes, he travels. It's on the refs to call it. Plain and simple. 5) Also a bad decision to predict ten championships in Miami. Not only is this grossly unrealistic, but it showed his arrogance that a lot of people despise. You can't blame him. He was excited to play for a great team and have his dream of a championship become a reality. 6) Once again, blaming his defeat on an improbable injury displayed his immaturity. Yes, he should have owned up to the loss. However, his immaturity probably stemmed from him not going to college. College prepares players for handling their business maturely and with dignity. Conclusion: Lebron has done some regrettable things in his career, and has not lived up to many peoples' expectations. However, he cannot be considered a failure in the NBA. He is an incredible player and I have no doubt he will win his championship.

Answer 4

Lebron is what 22. Should just be coming out of college. But he is in the Finals instead. I think his stats speak for themselves. He has improved every year. The definition of a star player is making their team better I think he has more than accomplished that. The Cavs had 17 wins before him.

If you want to blame someone for the Cav's blunders blame the EX-GM. Bad drafts, overpaid salaries take your pick. I mean 6.5 mil for snow. 4 mil for newble. 6 mil for Damon Jones. 7 mil for Donyell. I mean come on.

I honestly think Lebron knows when to pass. He averages around 7 assists a game. That is more than most PG's in the league.

Last night he passed to Andy because he got trapped and picked up his dribble. Yeah he could have been like Kobe and jacked up a shot with the whole other team surrounding you. Who expected Andy to throw up a circus shot? I was waiting for him to pass it back out.\

Where was Jordan at Lebron's age. Stuck in the first round at best.

Different story with Magic he had a Hall of Famer by his side with Kareem. Easy to get assists when the record holder for points scored is on your team.

Besides Lebron who does the Cavs have. Nobody.

Answer 5

He was definitely OVERHYPED by the media and NBA. The guy is going to be really good for years to come but the media and NBA overhyped him way too early before he even played a single game in the NBA.
Like MJ said, today's NBA players get paid on their potential rather than what they have done.
Calling the 18-year old (when he was in high school) KING JAMES before he even played a game was just over the line by the media and NBA. I just hope this non-sense doesn't get to the point where they will pick on some elementary school kid and call him "the greatest to ever play the game."
That's BS.

Answer 6

You should write a book... because you always have a lot to say about everyone.

The only thing is that LeBron isn't a failure in any way. He has just started his career. Michael Jordan joined the Chicago Bulls in 1984 and didn’t win his first championship until 1991. It took him 7 years. LeBron has all of the time in the world to mature into a basketball legend. All of what you’re saying sounds good right now, because his team is down 3-0 in the NBA finals. Where was all of this when he played his historic game 5 against the Pistons? It all sounds great now, because he is struggling.

LeBron is really mature!

22! 22! Get that threw to your head... you say he's one of your favorite 5 players... doesn’t seem like it.... because you always have crap to say about him...

Bottom line is that... LeBron is great!!!!!

He is only 22 and he has already done all of this!!!!

Youngest player to be named NBA Rookie of the Year (19 years of age).
Youngest player to record a triple-double (20 years, 20 days).
Recorded 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists on January 19, 2005 vs. the Portland Trail Blazers.
Youngest player to score 40 points in a game (19 years).[8]
Youngest player to score 50 points in a game (20 years, 80 days)
Recorded 56 points vs. the Toronto Raptors on March 20, 2005.
Youngest player to score 2000 points in a season (2004-05 season).
Youngest player to average 30 points per game in a season (2005-06 season).
Youngest player to reach:
1,000 points
2,000 points
3,000 points
4,000 points
5,000 points
6,000 points
7,000 points
8,000 points
Youngest player to win an All-Star Game MVP (21 years, 51 days)
Youngest player to be named to the All-NBA first team (21 years, 138 days)
Youngest player to lead the league in All-Star voting (22 years, 26 days)
Youngest player to score atleast 20 straight points in a game
Youngest player to score atleast 45 points in a playoff game

So... is LeBron... Michael Jordon?... nope!

Is LeBron... LeBron?... yupp yupp!!!!!!

ooo plus...

LeBron is priceless. :)

Answer 7

I don't think that it has anything to do with lebron. I believe it has to do with the west-east divisions and how they set up the teams for the playoffs.

I think it has to do with the lottery draft program. I think it has to do with a seasoned team, Spurs, who usually bring something to the table. The Spurs have more depth on the bench. Lebron costs money.

I think Detroit should have been playing and they play themselves out of the playoffs.

He is still young, but I don't know if he will win a NBA ring with the Cavaliers . . .

Answer 8

However it happened, Lebron James is responsible for helping the Cavs get to the finals. The fact that he hasn't performed well there is partly due to the Spurs' smothering defense and partly his fault. Neither the media nor Stern had anything to do with that.

Answer 9

Lebron is still young. Damn, cut him some slack. He hasn't even reached the prime of his career yet. Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson were both older than Lebron is now before they reached the best years of their careers. Lebron just needs time to grow.

Answer 10

No one is to blame for him failing but himself. To try to dish it off on someone else would illustrate the point that he lacks maturity.