He is 22, he doesn't have it yet, and the next 5 to 7 years will tell us if he does eventually have it.
Hard to describe what "it" is, but you know it when you see it.
Wade has it, Isiah had it.
We did see MJ pass off to Paxton, Hodges, and Kerr...but all of those guys knew if they missed the shot they would have MJ's anger to deal with. I don't see the Cleveland players look to/at LeBron the way players took to great players, great winners.
LeBron simply does not take over games the way others have. His force of will over other players isn't there yet. LeBron is great, but I don't see fear in the eyes of other players when he has the ball...you saw that fear when Magic, MJ, Bird, etc. had the ball in crunch time.
LeBron has to become a better clutch player at the charity stripe. That is a big weakness for him in the 4th quarter.
When I think of the truly clutch players in the 4th quarter (Mr. Clutch: Jerry West, Walt Frazier, Rick Barry, Isiah, etc....guys like this lived for, imagined all their life winning with the last shot, taking the last shot...not passing it off to a journeyman.
With LeBron's talent, he should dominate, no excuses. He doesn't dominate yet, and it is not lack of physical talent. I simply don't get the feeling that it is LeBron's team yet, but you knew it was Magic's team, MJ's team, Bird's team, Kareem's team, Shaq's team, etc.
LeBron may be closer to Magic than MJ, but I watched Magic turn into MJ/Shaq when needed in the finals against Philly when Kareem was out:
"The next morning the Lakers arrived at Los Angeles International Airport for their flight to Philadelphia and learned that Abdul-Jabbar wouldn't be making the trip. His ankle was so bad that doctors had advised him to stay home and try to get ready for Game 7. Westhead was worried about the effect the news would have on the team. In a private meeting, the coach told Magic he would have to move to center. No problem, the young guard replied. He had played center in high school and loved challenges such as the one he was about to face.
The big news, of course, was Magic, who was simply that. He scored 42 points, including all 14 of his free-throw attempts. He added 15 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block. "It was amazing, just amazing," said Julius Erving, who led Philly with 27 points."
Hard to describe what "it" is, but you know it when you see it.
Wade has it, Isiah had it.
We did see MJ pass off to Paxton, Hodges, and Kerr...but all of those guys knew if they missed the shot they would have MJ's anger to deal with. I don't see the Cleveland players look to/at LeBron the way players took to great players, great winners.
LeBron simply does not take over games the way others have. His force of will over other players isn't there yet. LeBron is great, but I don't see fear in the eyes of other players when he has the ball...you saw that fear when Magic, MJ, Bird, etc. had the ball in crunch time.
LeBron has to become a better clutch player at the charity stripe. That is a big weakness for him in the 4th quarter.
When I think of the truly clutch players in the 4th quarter (Mr. Clutch: Jerry West, Walt Frazier, Rick Barry, Isiah, etc....guys like this lived for, imagined all their life winning with the last shot, taking the last shot...not passing it off to a journeyman.
With LeBron's talent, he should dominate, no excuses. He doesn't dominate yet, and it is not lack of physical talent. I simply don't get the feeling that it is LeBron's team yet, but you knew it was Magic's team, MJ's team, Bird's team, Kareem's team, Shaq's team, etc.
LeBron may be closer to Magic than MJ, but I watched Magic turn into MJ/Shaq when needed in the finals against Philly when Kareem was out:
"The next morning the Lakers arrived at Los Angeles International Airport for their flight to Philadelphia and learned that Abdul-Jabbar wouldn't be making the trip. His ankle was so bad that doctors had advised him to stay home and try to get ready for Game 7. Westhead was worried about the effect the news would have on the team. In a private meeting, the coach told Magic he would have to move to center. No problem, the young guard replied. He had played center in high school and loved challenges such as the one he was about to face.
The big news, of course, was Magic, who was simply that. He scored 42 points, including all 14 of his free-throw attempts. He added 15 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block. "It was amazing, just amazing," said Julius Erving, who led Philly with 27 points."
