Blame Cavs for LeBron's 'struggles'
A few sports-reporting sharpies have suggested that at the crusty age of 22, LeBron James could be considered an on-court disappointment.
Oh, it gets worse. We also are to consider the possibility that King James is tanking the season as a means to have Mike Brown — and his grind-it-out philosophy — removed as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Another fling against the wall would have us believe LeBron is not among the league's top 15 players.
Well, the evidence is in: The sharpies aren't very sharp.
Instead of stabbing my eyes and ears with a fork, I'll just counter with a few numbers. Numbers are our friends. While not offering definitive proof of anything, numbers never lie to your face.
Anyway, compared to last season's individual stat line — 31.4 points, 7 rebounds, 6.6 dimes and 48 percent from the field — LBJ is down 4.3 points, .3 rebounds and .8 assists per game. His shooting has dipped to 47.9 percent.
Yeah, this guy's become quite a bum. The Cavs, who hold the second spot in the Eastern Conference playoff hierarchy, have a winning percentage of .583 compared to last season's .640.
So, instead of going the silly, diminishing-skills route, let's take a look at some possible explanations for the slight numbers decline:
James is taking about three fewer shots per game.
His bad free-throw shooting has become miserable. If he'd quit leaning back from the waist when he loads his shot, those percentages from the field and line (not to mention his scoring average) probably would rise accordingly.
Teammate Larry Hughes — who seems to need the ball to feel relevant — has not succumbed to injury. His shooting doesn't do LeBron's assist total any favors.
Most of LeBron's other teammates just aren't very good. One exception is back-up post Anderson Varejao, whose hairdo may provide an impediment to quality passing. Four-man Drew Gooden can rebound and score. But the hired perimeter guns are atrocious. One-dimensional Damon Jones (38.6 percent from 3) seems to have lost that dimension. Point guard Eric Snow is so miserable from beyond the arc that he's only attempted three 3s (making zero) this season. First-round pick Shannon Brown (36.7 percent from the field) is a smaller edition of Hughes. The Cavs did get lucky in Round 2, where they plucked former Texas Longhorn Daniel Gibson (46 percent from 3).
I haven't forgotten 7-foot-3 Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who's not exactly the perfect running mate for LeBron and his eye-popping physical skills. Z is so slow that just pronouncing his name can take up the majority of the shot clock.
Aside from that sage pick of James at the top of the first round in 2003, the Cavs have had little success on draft night. They had no picks in '05 and selected Oregon buster Luke Jackson in '04.
Jackson was taken with the 10th overall pick, or five spots higher than rising star Al Jefferson. Josh Smith went 17th, J.R. Smith checked in at 18, Jameer Nelson was taken at 20, Delonte West followed at 24 and Kevin Martin was around until 26.
Let's just say Cavalier general managers Jim Paxson and Danny Ferry have not done a bang-up job in acquiring pieces that fit around James. Perhaps that's because the Cavs don't know which style of play would mesh with his considerable talents.
Brown, who was Rick Carlisle's defensive coordinator in Indiana, prefers it when his players guard people. That's a very good idea. Repeat after me ... defense wins championships.
But James, who's strong enough to stop time and shiftier than your ex-wife's lawyer, would be more efficient in an up-tempo scheme. That's fine, because he's been whining about playing at a faster pace. Now before you rip him for this perceived insolence, let's review Magic Johnson's inability to continue playing for Paul Westhead.
According to Magic, Westhead didn't allow the Lakers to push the ball enough. My, how times — and coaching philosophies — have changed. As he improves from mid-range, James would be nasty in a high-screen, spread offense. Unfortunately, Cleveland lacks the shooters for LeBron to kick the ball to when the defense comes to him.
Before we toss LeBron into a pile with Vince Carter, please know he averaged 35.5 points (on 57-percent shooting), 7 rebounds and 7 assists in Cleveland's last four games.
It also should be mentioned that not comparing as favorably as expected with Michael Jordan is a big disappointment — a big disappointment that anyone would have such ridiculous expectations for any player.
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