The overwhelming, across-the-spectrum approval of LeBron — his game, his demeanor, his place in the sport — was bound to happen in our knee-jerk, 30-second news cycle kind of world. It fits the athlete mantra, which says the media and pundits will build you up for the sole purpose of tearing you down. Except the opposite is true now with LeBron: the tearing down came first, and now comes the building back up.
But to suggest that, after one championship at age 27, James has surpassed Jordan as the greatest player a renowned basketball authority has ever seen? It is both silly and predictable — and unnecessary. Bryant enters his 17th season in a few months, and only by virtue of two brilliant acquisitions by Mitch Kupchak appears to have one more legitimate shot at a sixth title to equal Jordan. Seventeen years. A lot can, and will happen for (and to) LeBron if he plays that long. Let’s just enjoy his talent and see how it plays out, shall we?
The irony here — and I’m confident James would say this, point-blank, if asked — is that a significant aspect of James reinventing himself had to do with letting go of the comparisons to Jordan that had burdened him since he was a teenager. He shoots fewer 3s and long 2s than he used to, isolates at the end of games less than he used to, and has learned to exploit his true gifts — the size, speed and strength that allow him entry to the lane at virtually any time of his choosing.
In that realm — athletically — James is superior to virtually any player under 7-feet who has ever played. But when you needlessly resurrect the LeBron-Jordan narrative, you’re opening a Pandora’s Box that James only recently was successful in closing — thus catapulting himself to his own unique brand of success.
With all due respect to Coach Boeheim and anyone else who thinks now would be a good time to resurrect an old, unnecessary argument, I urge restraint. Let’s just leave it alone, for now.
Article Appeared @http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/ken-berger/19801399/lebron-better-than-jordan-lets-not-get-carried-away