LEBRON should go down as GREATEST ever!!!

So sick of the posts on here discrediting how good this guy is and the talk of leaving to win a championship.  I would imagine around 75% of the NBA players end up playing for more than 1 team.  And the goal is to win the championship isn't it?  Don't we all pick the best players when we play pick-up games?  He never wanted to leave Cleveland before he won a ring there but he was too good to fast and he never got that second lottery pick that most teams get when they are rebuilding.  Son instead he was left with guys who most wouldnt play on other teams and he made them better but in the end he got tired every year because it eventually catches up to you in April/June. 

How come nobody talks about AI or Barkley or Melo or Karl Malone, soon to be Dwight and many other superstars that tried their best witht their orginal team to win but ultimately left for a better team and still didn't succeed.  Or Clyde Drexler, Shaq, Garnett these guys played years at the highest level and never could get over the hump without joining other superstars (Pierce and Allen), (Phil, Kobe, Wade, Riley) and (Hakeem).

No championship has ever been one by one superstar, the only team i can remember winning without any superstars was the 04 pistons and that team's entire starting lineup was all-stars and had a HOF coach.  Kobe would not have 5 rings without Shaq leaving Orlando, Pau coming in a ridiculous trade, and Phil Jackson coaching him, not to mention a great group of role players on those teams.  Jordan was 1-9 in playoff games until Pippen was drafted and Lebron is still younger than Jordan when he won his first ring, Jordan was in his 7th year and 28, Lebron just finished his 9th year (he was so good he didn't need college) and is only 27.  He's about to enter his prime for the next 5 years.  He almost scores as much as Jordan did, much better passer, and rebounder.  His teammates love him and he doesn''t need to be a dick the way Kobe and MJ were to motivate his guys.  Not to mention he seems to be a legit good guy unlike the other two who both are repeat cheaters on their spouses. 

He has been consistenly good with crap around him and now he has a decent squad not as good as the bulls or lakers and he is about to take over.  Shaq was in his prime for the laker runs and so was Pau, as was Pippen.  DWade is good but old and his best days are behind him, yes he is a HOFer but he is done dominating and Bosh is not a HOFer and never will be, he is around the 30th-35th best player in NBA and that is being generous.  A solid role player, much like Kukoc, Horace Grant, Longley, Rodman, Horry, Fisher...

When it's all said and done in 10 years he will def be top 5 all-time pts scored, top 50 all-time rebounds, and top 50 all-time assists or better.  He will probably end up with 5-7 rings and more MVPs and All-Defense Team than both Kobe and MJ.  Obviously he is only half way through his career now so he doesn't have them yet but neither did Jordan or Kobe.  I could see him going back to Cleveland in 4-5 years and winning them a championship too before he retires, that's how nice a guy he is and how much he loved that city.

So, recap, every championship is won with 2-3 HOFers and or 2 HOFers and a HOF coach, the Heat have two on their team just like the Bulls, Lakers, Pistons, Celtics, Spurs, Knicks, Rockets all did.

So what other reason is there to hate the guy for?

just leave jordan and kobe out of it until his career is over cuz he has along way to go to reach their careers not sayin he wont b up there someday but for now its ridiculous

I needed a few days to gather my thoughts and put the LeBron James phenomenon in proper context. For the record, I am not a Lebron James fan, although I am a fan of basketball excellence. During the 2012 NBA Playoffs/Finals, I did not root for LeBron or the Miami Heat, but instead rooted against them at every opportunity. Perhaps I am still turned off by “The Decision”, and subsequent Hip-Hop concert that ensued less than 24 hours thereafter. Perhaps, I continue to remain riveted at just how much longer a basketball nation can continue to grow their dog pile on a player who goes year upon year without a ring. Perhaps a part of my heart still goes out to Cleveland, a city that absolutely and unequivocally revered Lebron James, not just as an athlete, but as a hometown hero and a savior, whose economic and social impact on his community during a recession extended far beyond that of a mere basketball player. Perhaps, as a Bulls fan, I am still bitter that Lebron spurned Chicago during his 2010 Free Agency, and now our current superstar, Derrick Rose, may never again be 100%. Or perhaps there will always be a small part of me that will look to defend the legacy of my childhood hero, Michael Jordan, against any potential on-comers, even though in the eyes of most, his legacy remains beyond reproach.

No, I am not a Lebron James fan, but over the years, my objectivity has compelled me to become a Lebron James apologist. Why? Because it is simply unfair to hold one player to a completely different set of unreasonable and hypocritical standards versus the others.

Now that Lebron James has won his first ring, some of the pundits that have historically levied their criticisms against him will begin applying some of their same false logic to the next “ringless” superstar. Will their target be Carmelo Anthony? Dwight Howard? Chris Paul? The intensity will never be the same as it was for Lebron because of a multitude of reasons (some of which were generated by Lebron himself), but a portion of their collective energies will nonetheless now be redirected.

The majority of pundits however, will remain steadfast in their position in continuing to criticize Lebron – a person who is deserving of some of that criticism, but certainly not all of it.

Those critics will still point to Lebron’s failures as an Alpha Dog in 2009, 2010 and 2011 – permanent black stains on his resume, that somewhat negate his recent accomplishment. Of course, what they will fail to mention is that Magic Johnson also failed as an Alpha Dog 3 times (1986, 1990, and 1984), Kobe Bryant 4 times (2003, 2004, 2011, and arguably 2008), Wilt Chamberlain twice (1961, 1968), Jerry West 4 times (1964, 1969, 1970, 1973), Shaquille O’Neal twice (1994, 1995), Moses Malone twice (1979, 1984), Larry Bird 5 times (1980, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1990), Oscar Robertson twice (1962, 1965), Hakeem Olajuwon once (1987), and Kareem Abdul Jabbar a whopping 6 times (1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981). Yep, every one of these legends were the Alpha Dogs of teams that lost in the playoffs to inferior opponents, and by the same standards, “failed” just as Lebron did. Moreover, in most instances, each of these legends played terrible in a losing effort. Yet, they arguably remain 11 of the 14 greatest players to ever play the game, with failures that are either never mentioned, or merely forgotten.

Can you say “double standard”?

These same critics will point to the fact that Lebron’s championship is tainted because he teamed up with another future Hall of Famer inDwyane Wade, in order to finally win his first ring. Of course, what they will forget to mention is that Wilt Chamberlain teamed up with Elgin Baylor and Jerry West in order to win a championship in 1972, Oscar Robertson teamed up with Kareem Abdul Jabbar in 1971 in order to win his first ring, and Moses Malone teamed up with Julius Erving in 1983 in order to win his first championship. You see, not every great legend is gift-wrapped a championship caliber supporting cast the way that Magic, Bird, Kobe, and Russell were. Others had wait to for their fortune. And while it is true that Wilt, Oscar, and Moses were traded, and did not willingly choose to team with one another, it is important to remember that NBA Free agency only began in 1976, years after Oscar and Wilt had retired, and years before the concept of using Free Agency as leverage even existed. It was a different time, and a different culture, but do you really think that Oscar, Wilt, and Moses would have remained silent had they played in today’s era? Do you really think that they would have refrained from forcing management’s hand, or using free agency to test the waters? Do you really think that they would  have won a championship had they not teamed up with another superstar? And by the way, Wilt, Oscar, and Moses are 3 of the 14 greatest players of all time.

The critics will continue to declare that Lebron James is unclutch, that he disappears during big games, and cannot be relied upon for big shots. However, they will conveniently gloss over the fact that throughout his career, Lebron has repeatedly hit big shots throughout the playoffs, has a respectable 45% FG in playoff crunchtime, has a better career playoff GW shot percentage than the current “clutch” standard, Kobe Bryant, and has already amassed 3 of the most legendary
“Big games” in NBA History –  two of which are runaway choices for Top 10 of all time:

• 2007, Gm 5 vs. Pistons, – 48 points, 9 reb, 7 assists, 18-33 FG, and scored the 29 of his team’s final 30 points
• 2008 gm 7 vs.Boston– 45 points, 5 reb, 6 assists, 14-29 FG, including 10 points in the fourth quarter.
• 2012, gm 6 vs. Boston – 45 points, 15 reb, 5 assists, 19-26 FG in which a stoned/highly medicated Lebron had perhaps the greatest single game playoff performance in NBA History.

No, the critics will conveniently leave this out, forcing emotional arbitrage on folks such as myself, who simultaneously root against Lebron James with the right side of my brain, while defending him with the left.

But regardless of whether I want to appeal to my logic or emotions, 3 things became clear to me  once the NBA Finals ended. It became clear to me that in 2012, Lebron James peaked on both sides of the ball like only 4 others ever have: 1991 Michael Jordan,  1962 Wilt Chamberlain, 1971 Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and 1995 Hakeem Olajuwon. It became clear to me that Lebron James was a player that had endured more scrutiny and hypocrisy than any other in the history of sports. And it became clear to me that Lebron James had become a person who managed to turn the other cheek, rise through rubble of the one of the most embarrassing performances in NBA Finals history, and begin a transformation from villain to victim similar to only Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, a bi-polar girl named Janet that I dated back in 2002, and the overpriced plumber that miraculously unclogged my toilet 3 weeks ago.

Absolutely remarkable.

The critics will continue, the inaccurate perceptions will continue, and the false narratives will continue. But for those who care, for those who share a passion for the history of the game, for those who seek truth, for those who value basketball excellence, and for those who believe that every player should be held to the same set of standards, the reality will in fact remain far different.

It’s interesting, because one of the readers on Chasing 23, Paulie Walnuts, has always maintained in our Comments board that a player with the talent of Lebron James would eventually win a championship for the simple reason that a player of Lebron’s caliber has never not won a NBA championship. Lebron got his first, and the scary thing is that he still has yet to reach his ceiling. There is no doubt in my mind that he is already a Top 10 Player of all time, and his evolution is nowhere near complete.

Actually LBJ is on pace to past Kareem Abdul Jabbar

And Kareem knows it.....two years ago he made a comment that he is AGAINST 18 year olds coming into the NBA

He didn't say that when Kobe came in....McGrady, Garnett, etc...etc.....it is LBJ that is consistently...THE YOUNGEST AND FASTEST TO

5000 pts....10,000 pts....15,000 pts   etc..etc..etc..

Get it.....LBJ doesn't have to play the years Kareem played....what LBJ has in his favor is a 4 year head start....Jabbar went to college....LBJ did not

This folks is the elephant in the room.....and hard for folks to see,...because LBJ passes the ball and always finishes #2 OR #3 In the league in scoring (not #1) folks think that he doesnt score the ball....But owe he does and he does so consistently every year

He will be the #1 all time leading scorer when it is all said and done

Oh, and the folks that keep referring to the ring count with LBJ compared to Kome and MJ.....he may not surpass them in rings b/c LBJ was cursed to a sorry, ill managed and no #2 scorer-all star teammate with Cavs

BUT

He will pass MJ and Kobe in EVERY and I did not stutter EVERY nba statistical career catergory and that is the true measurement of individual performance...pts scored....rebounds grabbed...assists dished...steals grabbed and shots blocked.