So that leaves us with LeBron. We seemingly reassess this guy's legacy every time there is a big game. Weren't we just here in Game 7 of this year's Eastern Conference Finals? It's not fair for the guy since he is undoubtedly one of the greatest players of all time (Top 10 for sure) and one of the most versatile greatest players of all time since Magic Johnson. But, what LeBron has done is unique compared to the greats he is often judged against. It starts with his "Decision" and ends with the "Miami Heat Victory Party" before they even won a game. He marginalized himself. No one else is to blame. He made his free agency decision a national spectacle and then contributed to the Count that will live in infamy Not 1, Not 2, Not 3, Not 4.... And really that's 90% of the reason he has to stand up and answer these legacy questions every time there is a pivotal game. The other 10%? Game 3 of the NBA Finals this year. No legend has such a loss of confidence and such a conspicuous no-show as LeBron had and did in Game 3. 7-21 for 15 points. Sure, LeBron does not need to score to have an impact, he did after all have 11 boards and 5 assists. But he had a whopping -32 while on the floor and just looked lost and confused out there. Then comes back, as he has in all the games this year when the Heat lost and threw down monster performances.
Can we really take LeBron seriously in GOAT conversations when he requires extrinsic motivation like having his back against the wall? Michael did it to murder his opponent's soul. Kobe does it in his ever relentless quest to get better. LeBron is simply gifted with so much overall talent he gets bored. We, as fans who judge who the best of our sports are, take it as an insult that a player with so many gifts gets bored with them and needs to pander to the lowest common denominator. Fans are used to seeing the best of the best operate with a cutthroat mentality and desire to not only win, but destroy. LeBron seems content to waste NBA Finals games in order to give him the edge he needs to win the series. Fine, the goal is to win rings, but let's not pretend that LeBron has approached anything near the level of domination the way Jordan, Bird, Russell, Magic, and Kobe ever approached the game at its pinnacle. LeBron is simply Shaq in his prime. An unstoppable force when he wanted to be, aloof other times it suited him. And that is really where the career legacy of LeBron should start and stop. He plays the game liek Magic did, but not to the same level of excellence. He is physically imposing just like Shaq and that's where his dominance lies, in his physical attributes.
I have often questioned what LeBron's second career will look like. LeBron is finishing his 10th year where hes been to the playoffs 8 times and the Finals 4. But what will happen to LeBron in this second decade? Is he actually skilled enough to do what Duncan has done for 16 years? Be the same guy night in, night out for 16 years. Duncan's per 36 minute numbers are nearly identical every season. Does he have the drive enough to change his game and give himself longevity the way Kobe and Jordan did by evolving their talents? Or will he simply believe he can rely on his imposing physical talents the next 5 years? Shaq peaked in years 8-9, maintained a just past peak level in years 10-11 and then the wagon came apart in year 12 with a little renaissance in year 13 before he was never the same again. Was it a shock that he became marginalized after 13 years? It can't be. He was a physical brute who relied on his size alone. When his body started breaking down from the physical trauma he had nothing left to fall back on. This is why Kobe may still have a few years left even after a full achilles rupture. Kobe evolved his game to be a more deadly jump shooter the way Jordan did. I just cannot see LeBron putting in the same dedication Jordan and Kobe had in changing their games when he already lacks the level of desire that those two shared.
So this is why it's not entirely to early to start putting LeBron in a box. He has shown nothing to us to demonstrate that his second career will be like Birds or Jordans or Kobe's. He was given free reign to bomb jumpers on the Spurs in Game 3 and got scared. Why? Because they were too open, according to DWade? That's terrible. LeBron will go down as the most physically imposing and versatile wing player of all time. He'll go down as one of the greatest on the ball defenders of all time. But even winning this ring what he has shown us to date still can't compare with the greatest of the great players.
And that leads me to my last point. Watching these NBA Finals has signaled something to me that the talking heads haven't quite picked up on yet. We are watching throwback performances from DWade and Manu Ginobili without asking the question: Who is replacing these guys? Dirk, Duncan, Nash, Kobe, Manu, DWade, Garnett, Pierce, Allen, these are all HUGE names from the last decade of NBA basketball that will be out of the league or completely marginalized in 3-4 years. LeBron is exiting his peak. So is Chris Paul. Who are our greatest players of tomorrow? Kevin Durant? Russell Westbrook? Derrick Rose? Paul George? Marc Gasol? Kevin Love? Blake Griffin? Damian Lillard, who won rookie of the year? Anthony Davis?
I feel like the NBA was spoiled this last decade and we are going to enter an era where one team rules them all a la the 1990s Chicago Bulls. Look at that list of potential best in the leaguers. Outside of Durant or Rose there really isn't star power there and there really isn't game changing ability there unless you add in Westbrook. The league is not in good hands going forward. The best player in the league is exiting his prime and probably isn't anything better than top 6-7 player of all time in my opinion. Where is Derrick Rose or Kevin Durant going to rank? They are extremely young and judging them now is worse than judging LeBron but after them the jury is out on what the league has left. The influx of talent has been no better in recent years. In 2011, we got Kyrie Irving and that's it. Sure there were fine starters like Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard as well but that's it. We can't even judge Kyrie because he hasn't been able to play a full season in college or pro yet. In 2012, we got Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard. I don't think I watched even 12 minutes of them playing. Bradley Beal, Harrison Barnes, and Andre Drummond all stepped up as the season went on but none of them is even a burgeoning star in this league and they were the second tier of rookies we had. 2013 proves to be no better where a team is legitimately contemplating taking a guy with an ACL tear and no sophisticated offensive game with the #1 pick.
The burden is really on Durant and Rose to step up and take over this league the next couple of years. They are marketable, they are talented, and they are young. But Durant was laid bare this postseason as needing another All-NBA teamer in order to succeed and Rose has been blasted nationwide for his "rehab" and disappearance from the 2012-2013 season while the rest of his teammates fought valiantly to make it to the second round of the playoffs. I think in some small way David Stern knew this and timed his exit with that of the players who made this league what it is today. When he hands it off to Adam Silver he will say look what I turned this league into, knowing full well the dearth of talent entering the NBA and leaving Silver to hold the bag when ratings decline the next half decade.
As a post script before we start Game 6, it is totally NBA like to make headlines with a referee when they have been so good staying out of the spotlight this series. What genius thought it was a good idea to stick Joey Crawford as referee for Game 6 of the NBA Finals with one of the teams being the Spurs? Crawford infamously tossed Tim Duncan for laughing on the bench against the Mavericks a few years ago and there is no question Crawford has it out for him. Why set yourself up like this, NBA? My heart says the Spurs win this in 6 notwithstanding the Miami crowd and Joey Crawford, but as the Heat have done all year they'll do enough to force a Game 7 after a brutal loss in Game 5 and, well, no team leading 3-2 in the NBA Finals has lost Game 6 on the road and then won Game 7 on the road. My head says the Heat win in 7.
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