Why LeBron Doesn't Get My Approval Rating - Feb 12th, 2018

Why LeBron Doesn't Get My Approval Rating

Feb 12th, 2018

I am very sure that this title grabbed your attention and the first thought that came to your head is, "Oh here comes another LeBron hater," however, that is not the case. I have the utmost respect for LeBron James for the man that he is on and off the court. The four time NBA Most Valuable Player has been a class act as a businessman, father, husband, social activist and of course being a sure lock to be a top three player of all time. I have to preface this blog post with saying that, but now that we got that out of the way we can get into why I am not the biggest fan of his.

My most passionate and singular reason on why I cannot hop on the LeBron James bandwagon is simply because of his sense of entitlement. Let me explain. Before being drafted in 2003, LeBron was probably the most hyped and noted high school prospect since Benji Wilson and it was rightfully so due to the greatness that he displayed in the state of Ohio. We all have heard the narrative from there...he gets drafted No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, he dominates from day one and single handedly turns the Cleveland organization around in front of his hometown in Akron. Great. LeBron quickly transcended the "up and coming" status to the "I'm a problem and nobody can check me" status and this was evident at the end of his first stint with the Cavs. We all remember that 2010 series against the Boston Celtics. LeBron put that team on his back and though his performances were phenomenal, it was not enough. That season his contract was up and he was set to become a free agent and it appeared that he was going to leave Ohio as soon as they lost when he famously removed his jersey while heading for the showers.  This set everyone off. Soon, he announced that summer that he would be taking his talents to Miami to join forces with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh with the Heat in his also very famous interview that is known as "The Decision."

This to me is the start of LeBron's sense of entitlement that doesn't necessarily sit to well with me. I think he fell under the impression of the "If you're the best in the NBA you need to win a title every year" mindset and part of it is the media enforcing that doctrine.  LeBron, to me, feels that he is entitled to the best roster every year and is not satisfied until he has it. I still think that he shouldn't have left Cleveland initially and build that team to ultimately win the title. I think he got derailed by looking at teams like the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs during that period along with his frustrations with David Griffin to be the catalyst to him leaving. Ultimately, yes, LeBron was in a win now mindset but he was only five years in his NBA career and he could have done his due diligence to the state of Ohio. Subsequently to his famous decision, LeBron's days in Miami were electric and the Heat tore the NBA apart. Despite their elite roster, they won two championships in four years (both were back to back.) To me, them only winning two rings was a disappointment and the way they lost to the Mavs in 2011 and the Spurs in 2014 was very upsetting.

Anyway, LeBron decided to head to back to Cleveland in the summer of 2015 to join forces with Kyrie Irving and newly acquired Kevin Love. During this present run with Cleveland, LeBron has turned to the media countless times indicating that he needs more help or more playmakers or more shooting. This obviously stirred turmoil in the locker room and has caused ongoing rifts with his current and former teammates. LeBron has been known to influence trades and free agent signings so it confuses me how frustrated he gets when the team that he constructed has adversity. He is the singlehanded reason why Kevin Love has been continuously on the trade block. He played a major factor in Kyrie demanding a trade. He heavily influenced the moves at the trade deadline to get Isiah Thomas out as well. Again, it is very interesting how easily he can shuffle his roster and how he can be disgruntled with a team that he formulated. Obviously now Bron has to chase the two powerhouse teams in the Warriors and the Rockets but if you consider yourself the best in the world you should be able to compete and be a legitimate threat to  knock them off in the NBA Finals. All in all, LeBron's entitlement to having the best roster every year is problematic and when you openly put down your teammates you will have to eventually eat the fruits of your labor.