by Benjamin Costain

Created on: June 17, 2009

LeBron James is undoubtedly a great player, but he needs to be more team oriented in order for the Cleveland Cavaliers to win an NBA championship. This past 2009 season the team was great at home. LeBron average more assists, fewer shot attempts, and the Cavs almost went an entire season without losing a game there. On the road was a far different story. I understand that everybody's record should be worse on the road, but they were easily a different basketball team. LeBron tried to do too much and it hurt the entire organization. All he needed to do was get his teammates involved early, so all of them could get into a rhythm as opposed to just him. Statistics show that when James starts off passing, the team is far better off and they have a better chance to blow out the opposing teams. It is unacceptable for a team to not win championships that has a talented point guard like Delonte West, an all star shooting guard in Mo Williams, bench players like Sasha Pavlovic and Daniel Gibson to back them up. Along with Zydrunas Illgauskas, and Anderson Varejao in the back court, that makes for an all star lineup, and a team that when playing well can beat anybody on the road or at home.

As for next year; the Cavaliers need to find a defensive minded point guard to back up Delonte West, and then leave the rest to the coaches and players. The front office in my opinion has done its job, and gave the organization every opportunity possible to bring home a championship. All James needs to do is watch game tape from the playoffs, and show himself that he cannot control the game by himself, and that he cannot take every defining moment late in the fourth quarter and try to make it his. When I first watched LeBron play his rookie year my first thought was wow, this kid is a rookie, and is making most veterans look foolish. I figured that after he got a year under his belt he would snap out of his self-minded attitude and bring home a title, but I was wrong.

Before the season starts this year the teammates of James need to talk to him about leadership, and explain to him that it doesn't mean that he has to take all of the big shots, and that he doesn't need to be a part of every play. Sometimes he needs to be a decoy and dribble into the paint and kick it out for an open three pointer. Once his team tells him that, then they can finally get over the hump. The big problem I think is that LeBron just likes looking at his own face too much on television, every time there is a camera around he has to stand out. Shooting half courters before each game, throwing chalk, making up dances with teammates; that's something for rookies to do, and he needs to tone it down. Once he learns that it's a team game, I think he will be more of an asset to the organization, and they will bring home the first title in Cavaliers history.

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