Are. You. Kidding. Me?!
No argument from me that LeBron is the most talented player. There's no question and anyone who disagrees is kidding themselves. He's too fast, too strong, too big. He has a decent jumper, decent range, great passer, and ball-handler.
But he is not the #1 player in the NBA.
One these guys is not like the others.
In order to be #1, a player needs to have greatness. When I think of greatness, names like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, the list goes on. I'll add Dwyane Wade to the mix, as well. What do all these players have in common? They were All-Star players at their positions, current or soon-to-be hall of famers, many of whom were MVPs (or multiple), had one or more championships, and most importantly, were CLUTCH PLAYERS.
Perhaps the greatest of all time.
I'll even excuse the lack of championships to be considered great. But not that so-called "clutch gene." The desire to not only want the ball in important moments but the ability to make the shot, the block, the steal, THE play to help the team win. LeBron does not possess that gene and people argued back-and-forth for the first 8 years of his playing career. But after his abysmal performance in the 2011 Finals, particularly in the 4th quarter, THE clutch quarter, he came up small, averaging 2 points in the 4th quarter for 4 straight games. That's unreal and that's not greatness.
Even more infuriating is that he's unquestionably the most talented player in the league and yet is unable to make the play in the clutch.
LeBron is top 10, maybe even top 5, but he's not #1. Give me Dwyane, give me Kobe, give me Kevin Durant. Don't give me LBJ in the 4th quarter.
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