Enough has already been said about the ESPN spectacle "The Decision" -- a one-hour special dedicated to LeBron James (an NBA free agent) and his selection of his 2010-2011 team. If you are unaware of what I'm talking about, then allow me to be the first to welcome you back from that rock you were under.
I just have one thing to add to what has become a colorful, national discussion (even the almost-irrelevant Rev. Jesse Jackson has thrown in his two cents).
Simply put, LeBron gave up (yes, "gave up" as in "quit"). Now let me be clear, my "quit" doesn't refer to any in-game, basketball-related performances -- actually, Mr. James has been quite masterful over his seven years in the NBA. It is my belief that LeBron gave up on that extremely rare quest to change the very landscape and fabric of a major professional sport. Great athletes make history all the time, but every blue moon, an athlete makes a serious attempt to join the hallowed Pantheon reserved for "ALL-TIME GREATS."
This quest for greatness has less to do with the team goal to win NBA championships than you may think. A classic example would be Dr. J -- his "greatness" was established well before his Sixers team won the 1983 title.
Why do people fondly recall Dr. J and not Dominique Wilkins or John Stockton? One thing's for sure...the conversation cannot be centered around stats. If you mention titles, then I'd probably throw out the names Clyde Drexler or Hakeem Olajuwon. Big names? Yes. An all-time great? Not hardly!
Defining "greatness" is always a touchy subject. Don't believe me? Just bring up the subject at your local barber shop. My definition is based mostly on that "ooh-aah" that gets lodged in your long-term memory bank. As previously stated, I care less about stats or even titles -- I believe that many of us know greatness when we see it!
Getting back to LeBron...
Mr. James (I refuse to call him "King" until he gets a ring) is the latest prodigy with a legitimate shot at joining Kobe as one of the only "greats" of this generation. His latest move to Miami diminishes our ability to evaluate his "ooh-aah" moments apart from those of his new All-Star caliber teammates. Having a D-Wade and Bosh on the roster is a definite step-up, but it also dramatically lowers the level of difficulty for winning a particular game or championship.
With that said, in my book, LeBron isn't completely out of the "greatness" running, but he's significantly raised my "ooh-aah" expectations. What he could've probably done in a couple of championship seasons in Cleveland as the bonafide "man" will now take many more seasons as a key cog on a team stacked with talent and experience.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone 4
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