As a sports fan, I can't think of anything worse than having the team you covet sign one of your LEAST favorite sports figures ever. If Lebron did land in Chicago, I'm not sure how I would approach it.
First off, I will always root for the Bulls and for their success. However if Lebron James did end up signing with them, I would have the hardest time coming around for it. It would be like that Ashton Kutcher movie where his old gym coach who he despises ends up dating his mom. A train wreck to say the least.
I am constantly accused for my "LBJ hating," as being ignorant, because people think my perception of Lebron is that he isn't a good player. He is a good player, a great player at that. His numbers are phenomenal, and he's a force on the court. But to me, it's the comparisons to Kobe and MJ that make me want to pith a fit. The difference when asked why not? Finesse. Lebron is a freak of nature. He's a tremendous athlete who overpowers people. It gets the job done, but it's not impressive to me. The way Kobe and MJ play the game is so much different. It's smooth, and full of that word: Finesse. To Lebron, it's a show and he/the team admit it. They joke around constantly with and are accustomed to all these ridiculous dances and gyrations. Save it for the celebration when you actually accomplish something. In addition, you would never see MJ or Kobe walk into the stands after being fouled and snag a french fry from a baseline fan. They would just approach the free throw line and sink the free throws, minus the showboating/jokes/nonsense, whatever you want to call it. Also, Kobe and Jordan have each been dunked on, crossed up, or somewhat "made-a-fool-of" on the court. They probably never thought twice about calling up the camera men and having the evidence erased.
The bottom line is he has much maturing to do. And I'm no one to question the seriousness or lack-thereof of any individual, but I'm also not the icon for the sport of basketball in the world.
Watching Jordan and Kobe is comparable to watching Tiger Woods two shots back on the final five holes of the Masters. It's sports at it's finest. To me, watching Lebron is like watching the circus; It's a show and merely nothing more. You don't see that game face in the fourth quarter signifying a takeover, like that look Kobe gets when he shoves him bottom jar out three inches further than the top as if to say, "you can't stop me," after hitting a beautiful fade away in the faces of two defenders. It's unpredictable. With Lebron, it's always like he's telling everyone "get the hell out of my way, I got this" before he puts his head down and drives through the paint similar to a fullback out of the backfield barrelling into opposing linemen.
There's no question that nobody can stop Lebron, but unstoppable in a much different, less appreciable way than players like Kobe, Jordan, Magic & Bird. No player on the level that Lebron has been placed with would EVER come out with a performance like his game 5. NEVER. Everybody has bad games, but that's what separates the good from the elite. A game of that importance would never be tanked the way LBJ did Tuesday AT HOME. And as of half an hour ago, the so called "King" has been knocked out of the playoffs once again. And I never would guessed, but Lebron himself proved my point. I've said forever Lebron should be putting up 25/8/8 on every night, it's just his style of play and the way the offense is run around him. Tonight, in a series closing, losing performance, James posted a triple double. Just because he puts up those numbers does not make him elite! He put up a tripe-double on the stat page, but his performance was nothing spectacular. He almost made it a quadruple double with 9 turnovers, and made crucial decisions when the game was still in reach. With those same numbers, he's handed a crown if they win. But with those same numbers, the Cavs lost tonight and the blame cannot be placed on his teammates. He made terrible decisions in the fourth quarter, and was far from a leader on the court.
Nobody knows why or how this collapse occurred, because it never actually has. Lebron has never really been criticized before and blamed for anything, and he didn't know how to handle it/respond. He flopped, folded, all the above.
All the hate aside, LBJ is a great basketball player. He will probably win a ring some day, but he hasn't yet and he won't this year. So the comparisons need to stop.
And with all this said, it would be a shot to the heart if the Bulls landed Lebron. I like to "hate" on Lebron because I just don't see what everyone else does I guess. But you have to give me that being hopeful for Lebron in Chicago would be more than a stretch. Who doesn't prefer liking all the players on their team's roster? It's like fantasy sports...when drafting players, your not going to draft Derek Jeter if your a Red Sox fan. It's like the #1 unwritten rule of being a fan.
The Bulls are not far from contention. They've got the floor general in Derrick Rose who can take the ball in the fourth quarter. They've got a passionate defender/rebounder/shot blocker in Joakim Noah. They've got talent on the wings in Luol Deng and Taj Gibson who made the all-rookie squad. I have and would be much more interested to see how the Bulls can fair with a player like all star Chris Bosh, a low post threat the Bulls haven't had since...well....Luke Longley? (as I cringe typing those words). Only time will tell, but in an unsure, panicky-kind-of way I'm becoming more intrigued in this summer's free agent signing season.
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