LeBron James continues to face criticism two weeks after deciding to join the Miami Heat to form a super team along with NBA All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. After being severely scrutinized by the media, James has received backlash from the greatest NBA player of all time.
During a recent interview, his Airness took James to task.
“There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, ‘Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team,” Michael Jordan said. “But I can’t say that’s a bad thing. It’s an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.”
However, Jordan, like most individuals who have complained about James signing with the Heat, has failed to take the long view. James is smart enough to understand how the NBA works. Every season, there are only six teams who really have a chance of reaching the second round and Conference Finals in the playoffs…. The rest of the 26 teams serve as fodder for the top six teams to dismantle. Of those six good teams, there are three great teams that have the perfect combination of superstars, bench players and coaches to win an NBA championship. If your favorite team has one or two of those components missing, their chances of capturing a championship are virtually nil.
And this is where Jordan should place blame. The way NBA commissioner David Stern has the NBA set up, the league is nothing more than an oligopoly. In the last 30 years, only eight franchises have won an NBA championship. Unlike the NFL or MLB, NBA teams rarely go from worst to first in a span of 12 months.
Jordan needed Scottie Pippen; Magic Johnson needed James Worthy; and Kobe Bryant needed Shaquille O’Neal and Pau Gasol. Those great players all needed to play with another All-Star to capture an NBA title.
In seven years, the Cavs failed to place a prominent All-Star on their roster to complement James. So like any knowledgeable businessman who understands the climate of his work environment, James chose to place himself in a position to win a championship in a league where only a few get the opportunity to do so.
–amir shaw
