Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Tuesday, there are zero days remaining!LeBron James is the most important player in the NBA -- both on and off the court.
He's already one of the all-time greats at age 24, and as the reigning MVP, he puts up the type of numbers you'd expect to see only in a video game. And you know what's really scary? No one knows just how good he can actually be.
NBA commissioner David Stern, who's worked in the league's front office in some capacity or another for the past 40-odd years, recently suggested that James "may be the best player to descend to this planet."
The mere possibility that James might test free agency has sent teams around the league scrambling to re-adjust their payrolls, putting their futures on hold simply for the chance to woo James away from Cleveland this summer.
Off the court, James is a global brand with squeaky clean crossover appeal, making his announced goal of becoming a billionaire surprisingly plausible.
And yet ... something is missing. Despite all the accolades, milestones and paychecks, James has yet to attain the ultimate goal, winning zero NBA titles, putting him behind the likes of Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.
In fact, despite reaching the NBA Finals once before -- dragging an over-matched Cavaliers squad out of a watered-down Eastern Conference in 2006 before being swept by the Spurs -- he's also won zero games in the NBA Finals, putting him two behind Dwight Howard, whose Magic topped the Cavs in the conference finals last year before losing in six to the Lakers.
After the Cavs made moves to mitigate their matchup problems with the Magic (picking up Shaquille O'Neal to battle Howard in the paint was the big one, but adding Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker to add bench depth will pay dividends, as well) James should keep his team on the cusp of winning that elusive title.
But would James' winning a title actually be good for the NBA? Or does the drama of having an uncrowned King make the league more compelling? Will James finish his career like Kobe and Michael, winning multiple titles as part of a dynasty? Or will he be like Charles Barkley and Karl Malone, two of the best players to have ever played the game who just happen not to have a ring? Right now we simply don't know.
The sense of urgency will build every season James fails to win a title, and his drive to close the gap between his individual accomplishments and his team's goals should continue pushing his stats into the stratosphere. Unfortunately for him, the longer he goes without will give fans more reasons to watch.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-27-2009 @ 9:45AM
Jared Humphrey said...
Already one of the all-time greats? Really? Don't get me wrong, he's an absolutely phenomenal talent but put the Kool-Aid down for a minute.
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10-27-2009 @ 12:09PM
FLOW said...
I agree Jared. While Lebron is a physical freak, a great NBA career has more to do with your career accomplishments and championships than your physical capabilities. All time greats after a few seasons and no championships, is just premature. True, at the end of his career, he may go down as one of the All time greats, but you gotta string together championships, not MVP's to be an all time great. Avoiding injury, being in the right system and dealing with younger more athletic players will all determine how great your career will be. It's really not his fault tho, the media needs to get a grip, always looking for the next Michael Jordan.
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10-28-2009 @ 1:24AM
samanthaldavis24 said...
Winning the MVP is a major accomplishment. Touching just about every single category on the stat sheet every year of your career, for six years, says that you are a all-time great and the only other thing that you could do at the ripe age of 24 is win a championship. Lebron is already considered the only true rival to Kobe Bryant, and he himself had the pressure to win a title without Shaq too prove his greatness. There's only one title every year and depending on how the deck is stacked, a truly great player could go his entire career without winning. Patrick Ewing, Clyde Drexler, Barkley and so on never won but it doesn't put their place in history behind a player such as Robert Horry and his uncanny luck.
10-28-2009 @ 2:06AM
Giles said...
Even though James came straight out of high school, making the best transition of anyone doing so, agewise, he is still only entering his third season, compared with most of the all time greats, so it is still very early in his career, and will probably be his best season yet. Better than an MVP season is pretty good. He was the second best rookie in the preseason, behind Bosh, but since then he has shown himself, in a way, to be a smaller version of O`Neal. The Wheel, the Real Deal. And for some of the same reasons, including out quicking opponents much less muscular, so when they try to take a charge, they get there too late, and it becomes their foul. Folks tend to notice their strength, at least, Shaq`s strength, more, but it is the movement of the feet which makes them so good. Kobe has the championship, LeBron the MVP, but clearly the baton is being passed. If LeBron stays healthy, always a big if, and if the summer and the economic depression don`t combine to destroy what Cleveland is trying to build, even this season, Kobe could become LeBron`s greatest rival, rather than LeBron being Kobe`s greatest rival. Even back to back MVPs, if Bryant doesn`t get the championship either, would establish James as the current #1, and way too much hype previously. And the Lakers are NOT the only legit rivals for the Nba championship, as Boston pointed out tonight. And as Orlando will likely make abundant clear, especially, if, as reported, SVG has opted for Anderson at forward with Lewis out, not small ball. The Spurs will have trouble out west trying to overtake the Nuggets for second out there, if Ginobilli isn`t healthy again this season. The loss tonight shows the Cavs still have their work cut out for them, learning to blend together, but it is an immediate wake up call, and there is no better time for a wake up call than the very first game of the season. Hopefully they WILL wake up, we`ll see.
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10-28-2009 @ 12:04PM
timbop11 said...
In my opinion, it is a bit premature to place LeBron among the all time greats. If his career ended today, he would NOT end up falling into that category...... he has one MVP, and has managed to fill up seasonal stats.... not approaching career stats yet. Now, if he continues to stay healthy and play at the level he appears to be capable of..... then possibly..... probably yes. There are, however, echelons / tiers of greatness..... to reach those upper tiers, you have to be a champion.... to reach the uppermost tiers..... you must be a champion multiple times.... this is, after all a team sport, and NO ONE player is greater than the game..... so those great players who showed personal brilliance AND led their teams to the promised land become the truly great ones... those that did it time and time again become the ones anointed with ALL TIME GREATNESS... Russell, Jabbar, Bird, Magic, Jordan, Olajuwan, Duncan, Shaq, and yes..... Kobe as well as others. LeBron has nothing that Kobe doesn't have.... Kobe has 5 things LeBron doesn't have.... 4 Rings and an NBA finals MVP.....lets face it folks.... it will be awhile before we can put him in the same class as those names. ALL TIME GREATNESS is hallowed ground, lets not cheapen it by placing people there who don't deserve it.......YET.
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