The whole Lebron sweepstakes has become an obsession bordering something that you would see on Dateline. Not much basketball being discussed. When people talk about it, it's more like "If the Knicks get Lebron, who he gonna play with?...he should go to Chicago because they got a team already." That's not basketball...and Lebron is not your typical basketball player. I mean if Carmelo was a free agent, Chicago would be the absolute best place for him to play. Carmelo is a scorer...a finisher. He's be a receiver if he was in the NFL, meaning the dude relies heavily on the offense and the point guard. It's also more essential to have the right players around him in order for the team to succeed. That's Carmelo though...and we not talking bout him.
Lebron is your team. He's the sun and his teammates are his planets. He's the Queen Bee, the Mother Ant. He's bigger than most power forwards and he's faster/quicker and just as skilled as any guard in the nba today. Everyone wants to mention Michael Jordan. Jordan was the greatest player that ever played but he needed a system, coach and the right players around him to win championships. He was a guy you knew no one can stop when it came to key points in the game. He was also a master killer in the 4th quarter. Nobody have come close to that...except Kobe Bryant...but again we're not talking about him today.
Lebron is not a receiver...he doesn't need a point guard to get him the ball. He doesn't necessarily need a certain coach to "coach him". Lebron can carry a teams offense, but he's not a Jordan/Kobe master killer of the fourth quarter. You can collapse on him and over work him because his current/former organization along with the nba fraternity want him to be "The King". They expect him to rise above all obstacles like the man is superhuman. What Lebron needs is a real chance to be the director of the ship. He always has the ball in his hand...the Cavaliers pretend to have Mo Williams running the show, but whenever they get in trouble they scrap that idea and we end up watching Lebron pounding the ball into the court trying to create miracles. He doesn't need a miracle....he needs Magic.
Magic Johnson was a 6'9" do it all player...he was just as fast and skilled as any point guard in the league and about as big and strong as any big man in the league. Sound familiar? He won his first NBA Championship sitting in at center for the injured Kareem Abdul Jabbar. He played his greatest ever in those playoffs. It wasn't quiet Magic's team yet until they cut the nonsense and put the ball in his hands. He became the greatest point guard the nba had ever seen. He lead a fast breaking offense they called "Showtime". It was incredible to see such a huge man flying up and down the court delivering passes Bob Cousy had to tip his hat to. They dominated by giving Magic receivers AC Green, Kurt Rambis, Micheal Cooper, Byron Scott, and probably the best finisher ever in James Worthy. He also had Kareem who was able to prolong his career focusing on defense and his sky hook, while being the trailer on some of those fast break opportunities.
Lebron needs targets, he needs receivers. He needs guys that want to get out a run and are just as physically gifted as he is. He needs that James Worthy, Byron Scott, Kareem type of player. He needs those Kurt Rambis, AC Green, Michael Cooper type role player. He needs players that compete and have their own energy and abilities. Lebron James doesn't need to be "King James". He needs to be "Magic 2.0"
Cut and paste this youtube link into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPr3NNGL_fg&feature=related
Lebron IS a point guard. He needs to be officially given that opportunity. His career 7.0 assist average including 8.6 during the 2009/10 season is evidence enough.
The Knicks have the ability to start him on this path...the right path...and buy/trade for all the pieces he needs to be successful. Mike D'antoni is also the perfect motivator and offensive mind to get the guys around Lebron to function in an uptempo offense. Ask Steve Nash.
WORD!
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