Ouch, My LeBron Hurts

Certainly, you have heard the tale of Achilles — the legendary Greek warrior whose mother attempted to make immortal by dipping him into the River Styx. As she soaked her son in the immortal waters, she held him by his heel, leaving that as his lone point of vulnerability. As the legend goes, during the Trojan War, a Trojan Prince named Paris slew the great Achilles with an arrow to that very heel. For evermore, that particular part of a human's anatomy was to be known as the Achilles tendon and further, any perceived weakness in an individual or group would come to be called an "Achilles heel."

In modern days, it seems a similar legend is unfolding. Alternating between a site in one of our nation's most storied cities and a location just off the muddy shores of Lake Erie, a great battle is unfolding. Valiant warriors battle for fame, fortune, and victory with little regard for their opponents. Salvos are launched and reciprocated for 48 minutes at a time, but no matter the pace or veracity of the scrum, only one can be declared as the winner in a given night. Further, the first group to claim victory in four of the battles will be anointed as winner of the war, at least for this year.

The skill and passion of the combatants cannot be questioned. Both sides feature individuals who have laid claim to being the best at one point or another over the past 10 years. However, on one side, there is a singular talent; a warrior so bold and larger than life and filled with such a spirit that he could single-handedly sway the outcome of this historic battle. Nearly invincible, this hero has shown his dominance time and time again in the days, weeks, and months leading up to this fray. There has been no man, woman, child, or beast that could affect any manner of control over this fiery champion. Most declare that there is no stopping this force and victory has become inevitability as opposed to merely an option.

But in recent days, things have changed. As it turns out, when the Gods were instilling this legendary figure with his unparalleled athletic resources, his benefactors neglected a single, almost imperceptible area. This one weakness could undo the hero and his followers, and the very fact that it exists seems to have ushered in a sense of woe and uncertainty that otherwise would be considered ridiculous. You can see it in the way the hero carries himself — the constant grasping at the weak-spot almost as if he is resigned to the fact that he is now exposed and therefore ineffective. You can pick up the confidence that is now exuded by the hero's antagonists as they see their improved plight.

The only question that remains is — if indeed the hero is vanquished — will our right elbow evermore by known as our "LeBron" and will a failing be a result of a foe taking advantage of our "LeBron elbow?"

While this all may be much ado about nothing, the more serious take away from the current scenario playing out in the Boston/Cleveland NBA playoff series is that there is clearly something wrong with LeBron James and it is evident, at least for now, that this popular basketball messiah has a failing that is rather unflattering: when the chips are stacked against him, he seems to make excuses and fade to the background.

It is true that the Celtics did little more than win Game 2 on the road, tying up their series, but this topical reality belies the more symptomatic problem that has begun to surface. Being a monumental Michael Jordan fan, I can honestly tell you that never in his career — not once — did I become aware of Jordan uttering a phrase starting with "I'm not making excuses, but..." Isn't the mere utterance of this phrase in and of itself making an excuse?

This isn't to say there isn't a legitimate, maybe even serious issue with James' elbow. In fact, the injury is probably quite troublesome, but these things happen, even to superstars that transcend their sport. When something like this happens, the question is how does one respond? By shooting an ill-advised left-handed free throw in a close game? By stoically becoming a bystander on your home court in a blowout loss? Or does the star step aside temporarily when he realizes he cannot rise above the issue and trust those around him to succeed where he cannot?

I am not about to argue the fact — and it is clearly fact — that James is the most uniquely skilled basketball player of this era. His size/speed combination would make even the most freakishly-gifted NFL player envious. He can jump through the roof, his instincts are sharp and well-honed, and he even has a consistent jump-shot to rely on when his body just doesn't feel right, keeping him relatively grounded. LeBron also features a burning competitiveness that exalts him to excellence, but sometimes doesn't play so well in the public sector (see: reaction after last year's playoff loss to the Orlando Magic). It is hard to find fault and such things, at least on the surface.

Sometimes, ironically, the ego and pride that ultra-competitive athletes develop as the successes pile up become a deterrent to sustained success. In the case of Jordan, a novel titled "The Jordan Rules" cataloged the childish sense of entitlement that the megastar comported himself with. You may find this to contradict the very point of this article, but upon reviewing the book further, you realize that among this immaturity and megalomaniacal behavior, Jordan issued direct, unmistakable challenges to those with whom he ran. They were forced to get better or they were persecuted until they either complied or were run out of town.

While this isn't a virtue, it is the way to make a champion. You see, in issuing such direct challenges to a person's manhood, you provide for them the understanding that you have a specific expectation and further, you feel that they can meet said expectation with the right mix of grit, effort, heart, and sacrifice. This method creates lots of "dead bodies," but it also generates an energy that develops into across-the-board improvement for those that remain.

Conversely, LeBron takes a more hands off, "look at me" approach to leading. He isn't going to insult any of his teammates by demanding they work as hard as him. If you ask him, he'll tell you that they don't share the same gifts that he was blessed with. He would rather try to assemble a group of players around him that already have some skins on the wall, removing the dirty work that is required to convert an average NBA player into a good one.

So, by not trusting in his teammate's ability to develop into something resembling his own excellence, LeBron has created a culture of insecurity and self-doubt. He'll still make the shooters on the team better by getting them more open looks, to be sure, but he will never compel one of those shooters to demand the ball from James with the game on the line as John Paxson, Steve Kerr, and even Bill-freaking-Wennington all did while playing alongside Jordan.

Becoming a true champion is about much more than being the best player on the planet and imposing your will on your opponent. It is about inspiring a lesser to become a peer. It is about instilling the confidence that even though you know your teammates need you and they know they need you, you know they could do it without you if they had to. Reality may tell a completely different story, but often times, reality is little more than perception, so the perception that is created becomes critical.

Love or hate Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and any of their peers, past or present, you cannot deny that they not only inspired their teammates to be better through their play on the court, but they compelled them to be better by making them realize that sometimes they'd have to succeed in their absence. And none of them would have ever intentionally put their team in a more difficult position simply because their pride, competitiveness, and ego would not allow them to admit they may be better off on the bench.

Regardless of how this series or even this season ends for the Cavaliers, I'm going to go on record in saying that LeBron won't be hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy once this all plays out. They are a great team with great stars and a solid game plan. But they have a tragic and ultimately quite devastating weakness.

Let's just call it their "LeBron elbow."