MidValleySports.Com

LeBron will need more help next year

How quickly they turn and how soon they forget. How did the best basketball player in the world become a stiff overnight? Does anybody remember what the Cleveland Cavaliers were like before LeBron James got there?

I’m not the president of the LeBron James fan club but wasn’t this a little too much? After the Cavs were dismissed from the playoffs last week one would think James had committed treason or murder. He was torched by fans and media alike. He was called everything from a quitter to a bum. He became the best player in the league to a joke overnight.    

Ok he had a bad game. Kobe Bryant had two terrible games against Oklahoma City and the Lakers won the series in six. That’s what happens when you have other guys on the team that can play. If Bryant is off, then Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom or Derek Fisher is on. Even Andrew Bynum, (yeah Bynum) can play a little bit.

If James has a bad game, as happened in game five against the Boston Celtics, who’s going to step up? Mo Williams, Anderson Varejao? Jamario Moon? Wally Moon? Who? Yeah, my point exactly.

James hasn’t won an NBA title in his first seven years in the league. But honestly who could win with these guys? Put Kobe on this team and Cleveland gets knocked out of the playoffs by Boston in the second round. Put Dwayne Wade on this team and they’re dumped in the first round.

Michael Jordan didn’t win a title until he played with Scottie Pippen. Bryant didn’t win one until he played with Shaquille O’Neal and vice versa. Most teams have at least three options. Cleveland has one.

When you’re the star you get the credit when you win and you take the heat when you lose. So to a point I understand it. But it’s time to take a step back and look at it realistically. The Celtics didn’t beat Cleveland because James was bad. They beat Cleveland because they have Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. If you throw in a couple of the Celts bench players they have six legitimate scorers.

The Cavaliers have LeBron James and a bunch of guys that would have trouble starting at Kentucky. They brought in O’Neal this year thinking that would put them over the top. Yeah Shaq was pretty good…five years ago. Shaq made 21 million this year to average 12 points and six rebounds per game.

James was lambasted after the Cavs got eliminated but in the last game he had a triple – double. 27 points, 10 assists and 19 rebounds weren’t enough as Boston finished them off. That’s career for a guy like Moon. Whatever happened to Delonte West? Wasn’t he supposed to be another option?

LeBron’s triple- double wasn’t enough because he didn’t have any help. Williams had 22 but disappeared down the stretch. Shaq had 11 but you would barely have known he was there. Varejao, Moon and West had 11 points combined!

James was accused of quitting in game five but did you know his 15 points were second on the team to O’Neal’s 21? Sure he stunk. But when you play for Cleveland you can never stink because the rest of the team already stinks.

Don’t think James wasn’t taking notes as the playoffs progressed. Chicago with Derrick Rose and Miami with Wade are looking pretty good to him right now. The fans in Cleveland were booing James after that game five performance. And it is definitely their right. But next year they might be booing him in a Chicago Bulls uniform.

I actually found myself rooting for the hated Celtics yesterday as they beat Orlando in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals. If Boston wins the Lakers will have home court advantage in the NBA Finals.

Rooting for the Boston Celtics- it seemed so sick…hypocritical…almost like calling LeBron James a bum.

That’s my principle.

Tim can be reached at tspeterson@yahoo.com