Image via WikipediaLet's play a game. Forget that LeBron James' decision to join the Miami Heat via an hour-long ESPN special was one of the biggest PR disasters in recent memory.Forget about whether he's a man, the man, THE MAN, or whatever else on the Heat. I'm not saying those aren't legitimate concerns, because they are, and have been and will continue to be addressed on this website and many others.
All I'm asking is this: for however long it takes you to read this post, put aside your feelings about LeBron James, the man, and think of LeBron James as a basketball player.
For just a second, think of LeBron James as he is on the court. He's walked away with the past two NBA MVP awards, and he may be the most dynamic talent to ever play NBA basketball. And after seven years in Cleveland, he's going from a supporting cast made up of role players and fringe all-stars who only existed to support his gifts to playing with one MVP-caliber player, one All-NBA(maybe 2nd or 3rd team, but still) caliber player, and a series of highly capable role players surrounding the three of them.
Difference #1: More Lebron off the ball
Most people think that LeBron James will score less next season, but might average 10 assists per game/a triple-double because he'll have better teammates to pass to. But consider the following: In the 2007 FIBA Qualifiers and 2008 Olympics combined, LeBron averaged .183 assists per minute while surrounded by the best players in basketball while playing against non-NBA competition. During the 2009-10 NBA season, LeBron averaged .221 assists per moment while playing with his teammates on the Cavaliers against other NBA teams. What did shoot up when LeBron was surrounded by elite talent was LeBron's scoring efficiency: LeBron shot 65.4% from the field during his last two international stints, as compared to 50.3% over the course of the 09-10 season.
Why do I mention this? Because when LeBron gets the ball on the weak side against a defense that isn't loaded up against him, he's as close to unstoppable as it gets. He's 6-8, 260 pounds, his top speed is as fast as any other player's, he can change directions at full speed, he's completely ambidextrous around the basket, and he can change directions while going full steam. If he catches the ball in stride and the defense is looking somewhere else, they have no chance of stopping him.
Difference #2: More playmaking from LeBron?
This will be interesting to see. There's no doubt that LeBron has the ability to put up huge assist numbers if he's trusted to be the primary playmaker -- he averaged 10.5 assists per game in February, when Mo Willams was injured and LeBron was the de facto point guard for the Cavaliers. With Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and Mike Miller (the latter went 50-99 on "spot-up" threes last season) surrounding him, LeBron certainly has teammates more than capable of converting his assists.
And with Mario Chalmers, Carlos Arroyo, and Eddie House being the Heat's point guards, LeBron will be relied as the primary playmaker for much of the time. I just wonder how things will shake out with LeBron and Wade as the playmakers; Wade may be as good or better than LeBron as a playmaker, and there's no doubt that LeBron is Wade's superior on the weak side. In short, LeBron could average a 10 APG with his new teammates, but it may not be in the Heat's best interest to have him do so. And I'm not sure if LeBron is quite as stat-obsessed as Wilt Chamberlain was when Wilt passed up scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity because he decided he wanted to lead the league in assists.
Difference #3: More LeBron in the post?
This is another scenario that could go either way. On the one hand, Chris Bosh is a better post-up threat than LeBron has ever played with, and Wade initiating plays could mean less of James in the post. Additionally, Lebron needs to put in serious work on his footwork in the post to become as effective on the blocks as he is on the drive.
On the other hand, there are two reasons why LeBron may go to his post game in Miami more than he did in Cleveland. First of all, Pat Riley and Mr. Wade likely have LeBron's ear like no player, executive, or coach in Cleveland ever did. If they tell LeBron he needs to go to the post more, he's more likely to listen to them than Mike Brown or Mo Williams. After all, Riley did coach Magic Johnson, who utilized the post game beautifully. That fact won't be lost on LeBron. With LeBron's size, strength, explosiveness, and ability to use either hand around the basket, he's a dynamo in the post waiting to happen -- he's just never seen a compelling reason to make post-up scoring a primary element of his game.
Second of all, LeBron did post up a fair bit in Cleveland, but he preferred to wait for the double-team and pass instead of try to go all the way and score. His Cleveland teammates usually didn't convert when LeBron kicked it out, but that could well change in Miami. If James forces a double-team in the post, it'll be awfully tough to stop Bosh or Wade if James kicks it out to them. LeBron's always had the ability to be one of the best post-up players in the NBA if he wanted to be, and that will be just as true in Miami as it was in Cleveland.
Difference #4: More LeBron on the break
The glacial Zydrunas Ilgauskas or Shaquille O'Neal were the starting centers during LeBron's seven years in Cleveland, and Mike Brown's defensive system didn't encourage the kind of gambling that leads to fast-break opportunities. Because of that, LeBron got to show of his almost unprecedented ability in the full-court rarely, although he was highly successful when the Cavaliers did get a fast-break opportunity. With Wade and Chalmers being two of the most successful defensive gamblers in the league, Bosh being a great athlete for a power forward, and the small but fast Joel Anthony likely to start at center for the Heat, Miami should be a smaller, more athletic, and faster team than any of LeBron's Cleveland squads were.
http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/08/what-will-lebrons-game-look-like-in-miami.php
