LeBron James needs a better supporting cast. (Elsa/Getty Images)
After an NBA-best 66–16 regular season record highlighted by a 39–2 home record, hopes were high in Cleveland that the team was bound for the finals and a shot at the title.
The Cavs fell short, losing in the conference finals to Orlando in six games, as the Magic robbed fans around the league of the highly anticipated LeBron vs. Kobe showdown.
LeBron James did all he could to carry his team to the finals but the rest of his team, including the head coach, was exposed and shown to be not good enough.
Coach Brown
Head coach Mike Brown was exposed, being unable to find any answers to the Magic defense shutting down the rest of his team aside from LeBron.
LeBron dropping 40 points has nothing to do with Brown. Even I could coach him to do that. James is just that good. As Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy concluded following Game 1, you just can’t stop James.
Quite frankly, I’m not even sure how Brown won coach of the year. What Mike D’Antoni did with an undermanned and talent-less Knicks team was more impressive even though they didn’t make the playoffs.
If the coach of the year winner has to have led his team to the playoffs, then Erik Spoelestra, who turned a 15-win Miami Heat team into a playoff team while starting two rookies, deserves strong consideration.
Supporting Cast
The problem is, LeBron doesn’t have much of one.
As well as point guard Mo Williams played this season, there are easily at least five or six point guards I’d take over him.
While Delonte West greatly improved at the two-guard this year, especially in his perimeter shooting, he still does not have a good enough all-round game. All he is really good for is being someone who LeBron can kick it out to when he drives the lane.
And then there are LeBron’s big men. Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas is just flat out terrible and power forward Anderson Varejao isn’t much better. The departure of power forward Carlos Boozer after the 2004 season to the Utah Jazz has proven to be a huge loss.
As good as James is and will be in the years to come, he cannot win championships alone.
Michael Jordan won six championships not only because he’s the greatest basketball player to ever walk the earth, but also because he had good supporting casts around him.
Fans will remember small forward Scottie Pippen, power forward and rebounding machine Dennis Rodman, and guys like guard Steve Kerr coming off the bench to hit one big three after another.
Kobe Bryant has won three championships but did so as part of the best big-little duo the game has ever seen (with Shaq) and is likely on his way to a fourth championship with the help of a very good supporting cast around him.
LeBron needs more help around him and Cavs GM Danny Ferry will have to make trades fast, as this season’s free agent market isn’t too deep with players the Cavs need.
To help LeBron, the Cavs could go with a dominating big man, a swing man to work the wings with him, or one of the premier point guards in the game.
If Ferry doesn’t get James this type of help, next year will likely be LeBron’s farewell tour as the King will take his throne somewhere he can win a championship.
Greener Pastures
So the question then becomes where will LeBron go?
While no one can get in LeBron’s head, much speculation is made based on headwear—a New York Yankees hat.
This could mean he’d light up the Garden and play for the Knicks, playing under a great head coach in Mike D’Antoni and an organization that would build a supporting cast around him capable of winning championships.
There’s also the New Jersey (and likely to soon be the Brooklyn Nets). The Nets are partially owned by Jay-Z, who James is “boys” with. And the Nets have already begun building a young and talented team that should be intriguing to James.
There are also the Lakers, but LeBron playing with Kobe just wouldn’t be fair to other teams that are in the LeBron James sweepstakes.
So Cleveland fans better enjoy the 2009–10 because it may very well be the last with their hometown hero.
Matt Sugam also writes for The Daily Targum at Rutgers University.
