LeBron James: What will be the next “Decision” for the Miami Heat superstar? – NBA Feature: Part – 3
Miami will still likely add a runner or two when and if, the season starts, but there won’t be anyone of note. By that, we mean a reasonable starting centre or an accomplished playmaking point guard. The starting line-up for the Miami Heat therefore is likely to be Joel Anthony, Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers.
Mario Chalmers showed some flashes of talent in the playoffs and the youngster could turn out to be an important player next term. Not a natural passer of the ball, Chalmers is likely to contribute on the score sheet as a good outside shooter; something he showed promise in, during the NBA Finals.
Dwyane Wade is used to having the ball in his hands, and in the years since Shaquille O’Neal left the Heat, he has played pretty much as a one man team. However, that is not what the current Heat roster needs. Wade, as good as a player he is, is not cut from the same cloth as James, when it comes to passing the ball and overall basketball IQ.
That pretty much leaves LeBron James to fill the lead role once again, unless the Heat are considering using Chris Bosh to direct traffic, which they will certainly not.
Another fact is that James himself is more suited to the role as well. He is one of the best at present, when it comes to scoring, there’s no debate about it.
But in tough situations, James sometimes gets bogged down by committed defences. Steve Kerr, former teammate of Michael Jordan, stated after the Finals that LeBron doesn’t have the complete offensive arsenal that “His airness” possessed.
Charles Barkley, who become quite a critic of James in the playoffs, dropped a few words of wisdom that point the way to unlocking what happened in the Finals and also what James should look to do in the future.
Barkley said James had been built up by the media as the heir to Michael Jordan; however his game was actually much closer to that of Magic Johnson and Scottie Pippen. That is one h**l of a compliment to be true, as the pair have around 11 NBA World Championships between them.
A close inspection would reveal to everyone that Barkley was spot on when making those assertions. James has the basketball IQ and playmaking abilities displayed by the great Magic Johnson, and the defensive abilities of Scottie Pippen, someone, James surpasses as a physical specimen.
What that means is that LeBron James actually played to his strengths in the last post season and as established earlier, it was and is the best role he can play for his team.
Yet the constant and harsh criticism directed at LeBron James, which stems more from his off-court antics than his on court play, has basically demanded of him to shun it all and go hunting for flashy glory next season.
James would need a lot of work in the off season if he does decide to go hunting for the scoring title next season, especially on his mid range jumper. However, it is likely to be a futile pursuit because without him manning the worker’s spot on this Heat team, they won’t make it far in the playoffs.
The decision is LeBron’s to make though. Last summer he decided to change things and leave the Cleveland Cavaliers. This time around let’s hope he stays the course rather than decide to take another fresh approach.
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