Bernstein: Despite His Plan, LeBron Still Bears Responsibility
By Dan Bernstein--
When LeBron James packed up his "talents" and took them to Miami, he turned many of us off when he explained the reason for The Decision to team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
"We don't have to have the pressure of scoring 30 every night or shooting a high percentage," he said.
Sorry that pressure was so burdensome, King James. Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
Many of us were taken aback by something that sounded so anticompetitive, including former NBA greats who criticized the absence of the requisite alpha-dog trait for a superstar. Even though he possesses the greatest combination of physical assets and basketball skill we have ever seen, he chose to shrink from responsibility and become a facilitator.
Wade stood in the middle at their ostentatious, narcissistic, introductory clown party. Wade's face was front and center on the magazine cover. James was only there to help.
Oh, he's helping.
James is the alpha dog -- even now, on the 38-14 Heat -- whether he wants to be or not. He is only scoring about a point less per game than his career mark of 27.7. He is outperforming his career averages for rebounds and assists, currently at 7.3 for each. His field-goal and free-throw percentages are similarly higher, and his three-point shooting stands at a career-best .356.
He has played every position on the floor this year, as needed, both on offense and defense. He is by so far the NBA's best player that it's tough to even mount a credible alternative case.
Without him, his former team has joined the ranks of the worst of all time. The 8-45 Cavaliers are in the midst of a record-setting, 26-game losing streak. A loss tonight makes it the longest ever in pro sports. The subtraction of James is the only material difference between them this year and last, when they were 61-21.
It has become clear through 50 games (and more so every night), that James's pressure-alleviation plan may have backfired. He may have believed that joining forces with Wade and Bosh would share the burden, but the Heat will only go as far as his considerable ability takes them.
Those of us so disappointed in his apparent lack of desire to carry a team may get to see him tested, regardless. The playoff crucible awaits, and even if cover is provided for James by the arranged, three-star-player design, it is now stressed by their roles as NBA antagonists.
In other words: he may have planned to spread the pressure, but there is now so much more of it to go around.
Teams in the Eastern Conference are elbowing for position, setting up for some delicious postseason series. Boston has one more run left, the retooled Magic remain formidable, Atlanta has proven to be a difficult playoff foe, and you can trust that Derrick Rose will not let the Bulls go quietly.
But any team emerging will still have to go through LeBron James.
I may not like him as much as I once did, and I probably never will.
But that does not keep me from appreciating what he's doing and what he still means, despite his efforts not to.
Dan Bernstein has been the co-host of "Boers and Bernstein" since 1999. He joined the station as a reporter/anchor in 1995. The Boers and Bernstein Show airs every weekday from 1PM to 6PM on The Score, 670AM.
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