By BIJAN C. BAYNE
ProBasketballNews.com
The Cavaliers are in the NBA Finals. This is the franchise that was the symbol of NBA ineptititude as an expansion squad in the early 1970s, ridiculed for its record and front office (remember the draft selection of Mel Turpin) in the 1980s, and unable to make the Finals with Mark Price, Ron Harper, Brad Daugherty and Larry Nance later on.
Thus LeBron James becomes the first superstar since Allen Iverson to lift an otherwise mediocre team to the Finals. It took Michael Jordan seven years to bring a much better Bulls team there -- as he had help from Horace Grant, Scottie Pippen and Bill Cartwright. All three would have been more than role players had they played elsewhere (and all of them did).
Let's dispense with the comparisons to a young Magic Johnson, who reached the Finals as a rookie, but was teamed with Jamaal Wilkes, Norm Nixon, Spencer Haywood, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Michael Cooper was becoming a key defender (a manner in which Pippen complemented Jordan). For James, the second option varies on a given night between Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Donyell Marshall, Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, and Daniel Gibson. Yet the Cavs eliminated the two-time champion Pistons in less than seven games.
Where does this place James in historical context? It is difficult to make comparisons, as Bill Russell and Abdul-Jabbar won their first jewelry playing with point guards named Bob Cousy and Oscar Robertson, respectively. Russell also had Tom Heinsohn and Bill Sharman -- and the then-Lew Alcindor was aided by a talented forward named Bob Dandridge.
Granted, LeBron hasn’t won the whole thing yet (and probably won’t this year, with the way Tim Duncan and the veteran Spurs are playing). He is, however, writing the next chapter in a basketball legacy wherein he led his otherwise average high school squad to victories over national powers such as Oak Hill, and his Cavs have won 50 games two years running. Gilbert Arenas’ team isn’t in the Finals, and neither are the well-balanced Bulls.
Imagine the pressure on LeBron, who grew up following a bad Cavs team, and is an Akron native? He is The Hope. He must prove he is not The Hype. What have the Browns and Indians done lately? Beyond Lake Erie, he carries the mantle (thrust upon him by us, never assumed by him) of Jordan's heir.
Basketball is the sport in which one player can have the most impact of any pro sport, as there are only five one a side at a time. James would be a senior had he played the (for him) unthinkable four years of college ball. Carmelo Anthony, who managed a very similar feat to this in the NCAA, has yet to catch up with LeBron in terms of leading a pro squad. Allowing that it is more difficult to reach the Western Conference finals, the Nuggets have Iverson and Anthony. The standard James must be compared against is Kobe Bryant before (and more importantly, since) Shaquille O'Neal, 'melo, Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury, Grant Hill and Arenas. Few of those stars have advanced this far in the postseason.
In that light, James looks pretty good. If you're sizing him up against fellow 2003 draftee Dwyane Wade, the equation is unequal -- Wade has Shaq.
In the 1990s, various future Hall-of-Famers faced Jordan in the Finals. Charles Barkley (with a lot of support from Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle). Gary Payton (playing with Shawn Kemp, Sam Perkins, Detlef Schrempf and Hersey Hawkins), and Karl Malone (paired with Hall of Fame shoo-in John Stockton) come to mind. Few advanced that far in multiple seasons. Patrick Ewing got as far, but he had played in three NCAA finals.
What was LeBron’s preparation for turning back Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, and Rasheed Wallace? Nike Camp?
We cannot schedule a coronation, since the Spurs will likely take the crown. But the door to comparison with the greats is open, given that few have come this far without the aide of a fellow All-Star or future Hall-of-Famer. Could the 23-year old Hill (Final Four experience and all) have put these Cavs on his shoulders in this manner? Could Paul Pierce? It is doubtful.
With a combination of will, court vision, athleticism, and the still-developing frame that made him an All-State wide receiver in football -- mad Ohio as a 10th-grader, LeBron may not win the jewels, but he has earned his crown.
Bjan C. Bayne is the author of "Sky Kings: Black Pioneers of Professional Basketball," a member of the United States Basketball Writers Association, and the media relations director of the Association for Professional Basketball Research. He is a popular radio talk show host and regular contributor to ProBasketballNews.com.
