in The Lebanon Reporter
With all due respect to the late Rick James, LeBron James is the real Superfreak. The most talented player in the NBA, King James is arguably the most physical force defenses must deal with and at times he’s just flat unstoppable. That being said, with his team down 0-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals, he also seems destined to go down in league history as the “greatest regular season player ever”.
Understandably this is not a moniker most players strive for. No professional athlete wants to be laid to rest with this epitaph chiseled on his headstone. You aren’t going to find any Bentley’s or Land Rover’s rolling into the arena with the vanity plate “GRSPE” tagged on them (at least not during the playoffs). Michael Jordan certainly wouldn’t have embraced the label “greatest regular season player ever”.
When the Big Three came together last summer in Miami the sports world went through a range of emotion. First surprise. Then disgust. And lastly confusion. There’s a reason we’ve never seen real superstars join forces in their prime to pursue a world championship before-that’s because a true champion is a killer at heart.
And let’s be clear here, by using the term killer in this setting nobody is attempting to glorify John Wayne Gacy or those of his ilk. In the sports world killers don’t dress up in clown suits and prey on teenage boys. Killers in the sports world prey on opponents and long to slam the door on an enemy’s season. They are the snuffers of hopes and dreams. More than anything killers want fans to remember them as the one with their hands on that door.
By joining forces with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, James forgave any chance of being remembered as the man who brought a championship to South Beach. At the very least, he’ll have to share that spotlight with Wade. Simply put when you consider everything James has accomplished to this point in his career, it is impressive, but it’s hardly the resume of a killer.
A killer doesn’t leave any doubt where the ball needs to go on offense or defense. A killer openly accepts blame when he comes up short. And , like it or not, a killer shakes hands with the enemy win, lose or draw. Kobe was a killer, so was Michael and despite his baby face and sheepish looks, so was Tim Duncan.
Killer’s assume all and bear all responsibility. Coaches of killers don’t call time outs to flip a coin to see who will take the last shot at the end of a game. They do so to discuss strategy to employ after their killer has stepped on someone’s throat by making a huge shot.
If James were truly a killer cut from the same cloth as Larry, Michael or Magic, the Heat would not be in jeopardy of going down 0-2 in Chicago tonight. But he’s not, or at least we have to assume this because to this point the jury hasn’t seen evidence to convince them otherwise.
That being said, it would seem as though James’ fate is to become a champion someday. It does appear however that he will do so by forging a new image of what we see a champion as. I suppose history will remember James as a pioneer, a trailblazer of sorts. A modern day Magellan who discovered the quickest and easiest route for a mega-talent to win a championship. Unfortunately it will be a championship history will remember as being won by the big 3, not LeBron James.
© 2011 Eric Walker Williams
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