LeBron James

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Shifting the discussion away from the good-for-nothing,
obviously-on-the-take, Laker-lovin', puppy-kickin', criminals who officiated
the Phoenix game... (By the way... if you're trying to justify your outrage
over the officials, it's best not to use Tommy Heinsohn as any sort of
barometer...)

Anyway, did anyone watch the LeBron James show last night? Since you're all
probably breathlessly awaiting my thoughts, I'll make you wait no longer:

What a disappointment-sort of.

Obviously, he's talented. Incredibly talented for a high schooler. He may
indeed be another Kobe or McGrady. I lean toward McGrady at this point, and
here's why: The kid doesn't play hard. Sure, you might say it's just a high
school game, but competitors compete. I didn't see a competitor last night;
I saw an entertainer. He appears to enjoy putting on a show. That's the kind
of player I see McGrady as, and that's why I always side with Kobe in these
Kobe vs. McGrady debates. Kobe is a fierce competitor. McGrady is a great
player and showman, but I don't think he burns to win as much as Kobe does. 

James seemed much the same. He stood straight up on defense most of the
game. He cherry-picked. He stood around on offense and waited for the ball
to come to him-as if the game didn't really start until the ball was in his
hands. The analysts kept raving about his passing. He's a good passer, but
not a great passer. I had read so many comparisons to Magic Johnson-don't
make me laugh. Magic, like Bird, was a GREAT passer. They didn't just
anticipate the game, they dictated the game. They moved and positioned
themselves in certain ways just so the opponent would react a certain way
and THEN they would make a great pass. There are plenty of good
passers-Antoine is one-who can make occasionally great reactive passes, but
there hasn't been a passer like Magic or Bird since those two retired.
There's no shame in that, of course. But I'd read so much about his passing
ability and so many comparisons to Magic that I was expecting a young Magic
last night. I saw a young McGrady. That's still a great player, but you
can't compare a McGrady to a Magic. It's the difference between an all-time
NBA first-teamer and a perennial all-star starter. It's Bill Russell vs.
Patrick Ewing. Bird vs. Karl Malone.

I really wonder if the hype just hasn't taken on a life of its own with this
kid. How can scouts be so sure, when physically he is an NBA player right
now competing against high school kids? He's a guard in a 6-8, 240-pound
body. What happens when he can't physically do whatever he wants? It strikes
me as similar to a baseball scout seeing a big 6-5, hard-throwing high
school pitcher. He can mow through high school opposition with his 95-mph
fastball, but can he pitch against major leaguers? That's another story.
There's no question James will be a successful NBA player, but I don't think
he's the certain hall-of-famer that others do. Not yet, anyway. I'll see him
in person in a couple of weeks, so maybe my opinion will change.

Mark