Eventually there will come a day when LeBron James will be held accountable for his team’s lack of success by ownership, media and his ever-growing fan base.
The polarizing disposition of Kobe Bryant has led to a monumental push to anoint James as the best player in the league, too early in my opinion. I won’t go as far as implying that James’ back-to-back MVP awards weren’t deserved, because they were, but the lack of postseason success blame game should be placed on the king’s broad shoulders instead of his court.
Fair is fair, when the Cavaliers shocked everyone by advancing to the 2007 NBA Finals the outpouring of praise was bestowed upon James, we all became witnesses. But for some reason after two consecutive disappointing playoff finishes James has slithered away from catching the brunt of the blame.
First, head coach Mike Brown was relieved of his duties despite winning 143 games over the past two seasons and easily being the most successful coach in Cavaliers history.
Brown became an easy scapegoat to James sympathizers as if the masses could name some of Phil Jackson’s greatest coaching strategies when Michael Jordan used to single handedly take over fourth quarters during his championship runs.
Elite players win championships; great coaches keep the ship on course during the regular season while setting rotations, managing injuries and massaging locker room chemistry.
When the Cavaliers lost to the Orlando Magic in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, I blamed Brown for his lack of defensive adjustments designed to contain Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis. But when the Cavaliers fizzled out against the Boston Celtics in the second round of this season’s playoffs, Brown’s inefficiencies didn’t outshine the overall inept nature of the team.
The second casualty in the King’s court is Danny Ferry.
Ferry took over the General Manager duties for Cleveland in 2005 and proceeded to surround James with an exceptional cast.
James has been provided quality supporting players that Kevin Garnett would’ve killed for in his prime. All-Stars such as Shaquille O’Neal, Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams were acquired for mere peanuts, but it has been announced that Ferry and the organization are mutually parting ways.
The latest rumor according to SLAM is that Williams and Delonte West have been placed on the trading block which would further increase the casualty count.
There is little doubt in my mind that James will be returning to Cleveland after orchestrating a media circus that’s likely to extend far into the summer, but when the dust settles and the 2011 postseason begins, the prematurely anointed king won’t have anyone else to blame if the Cavaliers come up short again.
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