Miami Heat: Charles Barkley’s Comments About LeBron James Justified?
By Noah Decker
Miami Heat: Charles Barkley’s Comments About LeBron James Justified?
When LeBron was drafted by the Cavaliers, he was joining a team that had only won 17 games the previous season.
The Struggle in Cleveland
Within four seasons, James would carry his team to the NBA Finals. LeBron led the team in scoring, averaging 27.3 points per game.
The second leading scorer on the team was Larry Hughes, who averaged only 14.9 points per game. When the Cavs faced the Spurs that year in the Finals, Larry Hughes only scored two points on ten shots the whole series, before sitting out the last two games due to injury.
Must Read. LeBron James would have dominated in the 90’s too. light
When it was time to get James some more help for the next season, the Cavaliers front office disappeared. After failing to surround James with proper talent for four years, the best player the Cavaliers could get the following three years was Mo Williams.
Every NBA player is elite and the best of the best in the world at what they do, playing basketball, the top one percent of the top one percent. However and again… Mo… Williams…?
When Barkley says LeBron James never went through the struggle, does this not count? He did not take the same path in his career as someone like Michael Jordan or Giannis Antetokounmpo, but was it wrong of him to leave?
The Cavaliers failed to surround him with anyone that could help him carry the offense. He gave them all he could, but the best he could do was lead them to the Finals, where they ultimately got swept.
The Cavaliers went from winning 61 games with James to winning only 19 without him. Thoughts?