Doc Samson
Superhero Psychiatrist
- Joined
- May 23, 2007
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I agree, especially with the bolded part. What is funny is, the media doesn't know what they want LeBron to be.
Sometimes they want him to be the next Jordan despite the fact that the Jordan ship has long since sailed. As great as Jordan was on the court, his image was equally great. The Decision and every move LeBron has made since has destroyed any chance of him being the next Jordan.
Other times it seems like the media wants him to be the Ryan Leaf of basketball with a little of Barkley's personality (but none of his redeeming qualities) thrown in.
They seem to change what narrative they want for LeBron at the drop of a dime. Following the Knicks series and the MVP Award, they were pushing the Jordan angle. Following his loss in the finals last year (and now) they were pushing the Ryan Leaf angle.
That isn't to say LeBron is purely being victimized by the big bad media. His attitude and actions certainly do not help his case. In fact, his attitude and actions are what allows the media to define him.
But the fact is, media aside, the reality is somewhere in the middle. LeBron is probably the Brett Favre of basketball. He is top ten all time at his position, maybe even top five. But he is neither as great as his defenders paint him (Favre's defenders will say he is up there with Montana, Bradshaw and Brady) or as bad as the critics say (Favre's critics will claim he is one of the worst big names ever, but despite his post-Green Bay years, he isn't that either).
LeBron is not as good as the likes of Jordan, Kobe or even Wade. At the same time, he is far from the Ryan Leaf of basketball. He is a great player who has some serious gaps in his game (much like Favre did with his interception count) and issues with pressure in the big games.
Absolutely (and being a Packer fan I concur with the Favre comparison)
But the even better comparison I've been making for years is with Peyton Manning. Lebron is the exact same guy.