pretty interesting article...brings up some good points.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/column...rts-columnists
When will LeBron's game meet the hype?
March 27, 2007, 9:41 PM EDT
LeBron James says his goal is to be the world's first billionaire athlete. Certainly, he is the first athlete to have billionaire Warren Buffett fly to Cleveland just to watch him play, as the Berkshire Hathaway chairman did over the weekend.
Every day, there is more news of LeBron's ever-expanding empire. On Monday, he became part owner of Cannondale, which manufactures the Rolls Royce of bicycles. Tuesday, The Associated Press told us LeBron is having a 35,440-square-foot mansion built in suburban Akron. He has endorsement deals totaling more than $150 million, and he's just getting started.
At only 22, there is no question that King James rules the NBA marketplace. But as LeBron swoops into the Garden Wednesday night to plunder the Knicks' fading playoff hopes, I ask simple questions:
Where are the basketball accomplishments to justify all of this? When is LeBron's resume going to include more than Nike swooshes and dollar signs?
Someday, James might be the best player of his generation. But right now, he's only about the fifth-best player in the NBA, according to David Thorpe of Scouts Inc., who has evaluated hours of James video this season -- and by that, I don't mean his commercials.
At this rate, the LeBrons might have their first billion before the real LeBron wins his first championship.
"There are times when he wants to be the man, he wants to carry his team," Thorpe said. "But the willpower just isn't there all the time."
Last season, his third after being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 draft that also produced Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony, Thorpe says James produced the best statistical season of any non-center between 18 and 22 since 1979, which was the rookie year for Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
Perhaps unfairly, the bar was set too high this season. James has been very good -- not great -- and the Cavaliers trail the Pistons by three games for the No. 1 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, 42-28 entering Tuesday night's game at Indiana. But James' scoring average is down -- from 31.4 to 27.3 -- his assists and rebounds are down, and he's shooting more three-pointers. This is the most telling sign that James is settling on the court the way he never would in a business deal.
With three games left this month including Tuesday night, James was one three-point attempt shy of the most he's ever attempted in a month, according to Thorpe. He's made only 20 of 63 (.317). "Although he's playing better and he's scoring better, I still think that's a sign he's not totally engaged," Thorpe said.
The trend also shows up in James' defense, which is "terrible in many areas and concepts," one NBA scout said. Defense takes commitment, work and a willingness to fight over screens, something Shane Battier learned in his four seasons at Duke. James apparently didn't get much of that at Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary High.
Clearly, James is judged by a ridiculously high standard. He has Hall of Fame talent and is the most gifted passer for his size -- 6-8 -- to enter the NBA since Magic. Given the lack of college and not much of a supporting cast, his game and competitive instincts can't possibly be as mature as Michael Jordan's were at this stage. But you have to wonder what building mansions, rubbing elbows with Buffett, and co-hosting the ESPY Awards, as James will do this summer, have to do with achieving greatness on the court.
"Does he have the killer instinct of Kobe [Bryant]? Not even close," an Eastern Conference scout said. "But he doesn't even have the talent of Kobe."
Orlando general manager Otis Smith, who has Darko Milicic, the second pick by Detroit after LeBron in 2003, said he'd still take James No. 1 if that draft were held today.
If he had to choose one player for the long-term, Thorpe said he'd take James, then Bosh, then Wade. One player for one season right now? Wade and Bryant are 1 and 1a, Thorpe said, followed by Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, then James.
"You have a young man that's averaging 27, six, and six, and he's having a down year," TV analyst Mark Jackson said. "That says a lot about the expectations of LeBron James."
When it comes to net worth, James already has exceeded expectations. You just have to wonder when the game will catch up to the hype.
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i was actually thinkin the same thing today...that lebron's business ventures might be gettin in the way of his improvement as a player. before this season he was steadily improving every year, but this season he seems to have taken a step back. last year he had finally overcome his poor play in the clutch, but this year he's right back to his old self. he's startin to settle for more & more outside shots, his free throw shooting has taken a dive, and some games he just looks plain out of it. so what do you guys think...are the people right, or is everybody just goin a little overboard?
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"When is LeBron's Resume Going To Include More Than Nike Swooshes and Dollar Signs?"
