My latest at Huffington Post – LeBron James is doing for himself what Jerry Krause did for Jordan – examines MJ’s recent criticism of LeBron. More specifically, the post attacks the notion that Jordan managed to win titles all by himself.
In addition to shamelessly drawing attention to my work, I would also like to draw attention to some of the wonderful work that has recently been posted on the “Wages of Wins network.”
- Arturo Galletti – at Arturo Silly Little Stats – has offered three excellent posts analyzing the history of the NBA draft.
- Ty Willihnganz – at Courtside Analyst — seems to produce one great post after another. Here are three of his latest examining the media’s coverage of John Wall, the prospects for the Bulls in 2010-11, and the performance of the 1988 U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team.
- Andres Alverez – at Nerd Numbers the Blog – has some very interesting analysis of role players in the NBA. Unlike Arturo – who promises to post every day – Andres promises to only post on Thursdays. So keep that schedule in mind going forward.
- Robbie O’Malley – at Roblog – has two fantastic posts on Chris Paul’s recent demand to depart New Orleans. Each of these posts offers and evaluates a number of different trade scenarios.
So there you go. If you have not been following the Wages of Wins Network, you now have nine posts to read. And I didn’t even link to everything that has been written.
Let me close by noting that there is even more that will soon be posted here. Andres Perezchica has offered some interesting analysis of D-League players. And Burzin Daruwala has written a review of the Portland Trail Blazers that I think everyone will enjoy reading. Look for the posts from Andres and Burzin to appear in the next few couple of days.
– DJ
Wages of Wins Journal 
Alvy
July 25, 2010
Two things, one, you got Arturo’s name wrong (I’m almost certain it starts with a “G”), and second, while one could imply that Jordan did have all the success by himself, I think you’ve missed the point of his criticism, although in the long run, it isn’t ANY different from what LeBron might do in regards of winning in the future.
dberri
July 25, 2010
Thanks. I fixed Arturo’s last name.
Italian Stallion
July 25, 2010
I don’t disagree with your conclusion about Jordan needing help, but I think the issue is not being framed properly.
First off, setting aside monetary issues, “sports” itself is NOT only about winning.
It’s about competition.
When you are really serious about a game or sport, the idea is to test yourself against progressively tougher competition to find out where you fit in the pecking order and to perhaps learn something from the superior players.
What you find as you start getting very close to the top is that sometimes the differences in physical talent and skill are marginal, but one player is dominant anyway.
That’s because human beings also have different psychological makeups.
There are differences in mental toughness, competitiveness, ability to handle pressure, desire to perform under pressure, ability to lead, attraction to or fear of the spotlight, fear of failure etc… that also contribute to the results.
Basketball is a team sport. Everyone knows that even the greatest players need an excellent supporting cast to win a championship. However, for most teams there is usually a single player that leads through amazing scoring prowess and/or play making, spectacular defense etc…
That player is the leader and he’s often expected to take over games, make the critical plays down the stretch, take the toughest shots, get the big stop, make the big decision etc… because he is best suited to both the physical and psychological makeup of the task.
Those players that are successful at leading the charge against the toughest physical and mental competition available are the ones that tend to attain icon status.
That’s what Jordan, Magic, Barkley and others are talking about when they are criticizing James and this move.
Not a single one of them would have complained had he gone to Chicago with Rose, Bosh or Boozer, and Noah and won a title.
They wouldn’t have complained had he gone to NY with Amare and other excellent filler.
The issue is that he’s specifically teaming up with Wade.
The reason that’s an issue is because Wade has already achieved the elite status of playing monstrously great basketball under full fire in leading the Heat to an NBA title and is still considered one of the handful of super great players in the NBA.
That’s what the other greats and true sports fans wanted to see from Lebron. They wanted to see him paired “against” a similar rival in the finals with similar supporting casts to see “IF” he also has psychological makeup to handle it and rise to the occasion.
By pairing with Wade (and Bosh), he has maximized his chances of winning, but he has also avoided some of the psychological tests and pressures of having to perform under fire as the leader of a great team.
dberri
July 25, 2010
How long until IS gets over the fact LeBron didn’t come to NY? :)
Italian Stallion
July 25, 2010
dberri,
LOL.
I was over it a few days before “The Decision” when I realized he would have to be a monumental jerk to put fans through that whole process and then not select the Cavs. I thought he had to understand the backlash was going to be severe if he left, but make him a hero at home and sentimental hero elsewhere if he stayed.
He didn’t select the Cavs and we’ve seen what happened to him from a public relations point of view.
Can we fit “monumental jerk” into this model? :)
arturogalletti
July 25, 2010
IS,
I hated how he did it but I can’t argue with the decision itself. He went to play with his boys in Miami and he has a chance to win multiple rings (barring a Paul/Okafor trade to Orlando). There is no downside to him.
robbieomalley
July 25, 2010
IS,
Yeah the way he did it was monumentally dumb, that’s for sure. I don’t know who advises him but he’s listening to some dumb people from a PR perspective.
You can’t argue with the decision itself though. There’s just no possible way he could have stayed in Cleveland and won a ring. They had a deal in place with Toronto for Bosh but Bosh wanted no part of Cleveland. There were plenty of other free agents that also either didn’t want to go there, the Cavs couldn’t put a deal together to trade for them, or the Cavs were too inept to think of deals.
The only free agent they got while LeBron was there was a one year wonder in Larry Hughes and they massively overpaid him. Also plenty of overhill guys looking to tag themselves to LeBron.
Also there’s the proven fact that the Cavs owner is as big a d bag as LeBron James. I bet LeBron knew that and didn’t like it.
some dude
July 25, 2010
“Many people now believe that Jordan was the only one responsible for these titles.”
Your entire argument is founded on a giant straw man.
And even if we assumed it to be true, which it isn’t, the argument against is MJ’s words is a big non-sequitor
Michael’s point was that he would never join up with his direct rivals, not that he didn’t believe he needed help.
Furthermore, Jordan didn’t jump away from a b2b 60 win, best record in the league, team but stayed and fought till he climbed the mountain.
also: “And since it didn’t look like a similar story was going to unfold in Cleveland”
based on nothing whatsoever. Gilbert proved he’d be willing to spend a lot to build a team around Lebron and a lot of those moves were done by the bequest of James, whereas Krause went against MJ’s choice of Joe Wolf instead of Pippen or Grant.
There i so much wrong in that article.
some dude
July 25, 2010
“There’s just no possible way he could have stayed in Cleveland and won a ring.”
Factual basis for this non-existent. This isn’t CP3 in New Orleans with a cheapskate owner. Gilbert was willing to make moves and even now still had pieces (like West’s non-guaranteed contract)
“The only free agent they got while LeBron was there was a one year wonder in Larry Hughes and they massively overpaid him. Also plenty of overhill guys looking to tag themselves to LeBron.”
Mostly Lebron’s fault. His inability to committ to the Cavs the last 2 seasons was their undoing. guys like Artest and Ariza specifically turned Cleveland down because he wouldn’t sign an extension, as did other players. No one wanted to be stuck in Cleveland if he was going to leave regardless.
marparker
July 25, 2010
I can’t wait for the season to start so people can get over the off court Lebron issues.
Secondly,
I would love to see some daily boxscore stuff once the season starts. I don’t have the technological capability to make it happen but maybe some rich guy with no job and a boxscore obsession can do the trick.
robbieomalley
July 25, 2010
SD,
If they had the assets and the will to make a move this summer, why didn’t they?
Chicago picked up Boozer, NY with Amare, Miami with Bosh/Wade. Cleveland needed to do something.
some dude
July 25, 2010
uh, Cleveland couldn’t do anything until Lebron made a decision. How could they commit long term to someone if Lebron leaves?
Lebron also tied up their FA cap room and didn’t allow them to go after any reasonable FAs as he was being courted.
We’ve seen ben Wallace, Shaq, Hedo, Zack Randolph all being traded with what have been called “untradeable” contracts. If there’s anything we should have learned about the NBA by now is that a move is ALWAYS possible.
Cavs would have even had the ability to sign someone (or gotten Amar’e) had it not been for Lebron wanting Jamison and not committing. The lengths people will go to absolve him of guilt for hijacking and then abandoning a franchise with an owner willing to spend any amount is unbelievable.
John Giagnorio
July 25, 2010
Hijacking and abandoning? He did the NBA equivalent of changing the company he works for, nothing more nothing less.
The lengths people will go not to acknowledge that these players don’t belong to the teams that draft them (leaving aside that the drafts are ridiculous anyway) and that the top players are way underpaid (a free gift to charming owners like Dan Gilbert) by at least $10million/season is what is truly unbelievable.
Alien Human Hybrid
July 25, 2010
@ some dude-
It boils down to championships. The old guard is critiquing LeBron for playing with a guy who is a team leader who has already won a championship. It has little to nothing to do with how well Wade played (for evidence of this fact, look at Kobe’s production on all his finals teams, particularly the last 2).
Fortunately for the more rational among us, we know who the best player on Miami is. Consequently we also know who (if past performance is any guide) will continue to be the best player on that team by far.
If Miami wins 70 games and an NBA championship, all of this needless LeBron-inspired hand wringing will be forgotten. Even the silly alpha-dog meme.
brgulker
July 26, 2010
Dr. Berri,
I know you don’t do Twitter, but I just linked your article via mine :) It’s a really concise read, and I hope it gets some attention. I’m beyond tired of the whole “competition” argument; people need to think through it more thoroughly. Maybe your article will be a springboard.
reservoirgod
July 26, 2010
Well said, John Giagnorio.
some dude
July 26, 2010
“Hijacking and abandoning? He did the NBA equivalent of changing the company he works for, nothing more nothing less.
The lengths people will go not to acknowledge that these players don’t belong to the teams that draft them (leaving aside that the drafts are ridiculous anyway) and that the top players are way underpaid (a free gift to charming owners like Dan Gilbert) by at least $10million/season is what is truly unbelievable.”
yes, he hijacked them. he was NEVER staying so he should have told them that day 1 of free agency. That would have allowed Cleveland to be some kind of player in the FA game.
Instead, he made them wait til everyone of value was snatched up while allowing them to think he was coming back.
It has nothing to do with “belonging” to teams. The Cavs did everything for Lebron. The least he could have done was inform them he was leaving the moment he knew he would. He didn’t even return a single phone call over 2 months.
Human decency should be expected.
AHH – I disagree. Kobe is still one of the most disliked players (including Favre, too) despite having won. Those detractors had to kind of shut up recently, but polling indicates Kobe is still a polarizing figure in sports. AROD also deserves mention. Lebron is now polling ahead of them.
Many people believe he violated the code of the playground. Whether that will continue remains to be seen, but I believe for a good chuck of people it will, whether it is fair or not.
The rest of us just think he’s a d-bag the way he treated both his team and city, which has nothing to do with leaving.
dberri
July 26, 2010
http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news;_ylt=AqrVSHsQrKkWrgsfNAvlja5rZoh4?slug=ap-favoriteamericanathletes
The above link indicates that Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods are the two most popular athletes in America. Winning can overcome anything. If LeBron wins a title in Miami, we should expect the same reaction from fans.
some dude
July 26, 2010
http://www.sportingnews.com/golf/article/2010-06-08/sbj-tiger-woods-plummets-on-sports-q-scores-list
The above link demonstrates while Kobe is well liked, he is also well hated, which is why i said he is one of the most polarizing figures.
Despite more people liking him, his negativity rating stayed the same.
Furthermore, the Q rating is far more advanced that the Harris poll.
jbrett
July 26, 2010
Premise: The ‘Alpha Dog’ concept is a completely modern construct. It was born in 1979 with Magic and Bird, perpetuated with the rise of ‘Isaiah’s’ Pistons, then ‘Jordan’s’ Bulls, and cemented into modern folklore when MJ ‘singlehandedly’ beat the Portland and Phoenix repertories, then the duos of Seattle and Utah. From then on, the necessity of the front-man and backup singers model has been accepted dogma.
Find me the teams, players, or press who cared one whit how the team was constructed pre-1979. Who was the alpha dog on the 70’s Knicks? They traded for Detroit’s best player–DeBusschere–and then Baltimore’s best player–Monroe; who was calling NY anti-competition? Did anyone call those two titles tainted? Milwaukee traded for Oscar-effing-Robertson! Ten years’ long in the tooth, but still the Big-effing-O (I’m pretty sure that was his middle name); are the Bucks giving the trophy back because getting better players is un-American? I read a quote from a 60’s GM–can’t remember which–that essentially said the Lakers were always looking for a legit center, but no way would anybody trade them one; everyone knew what would happen next. (By the way–the Lakers COULD have drafted Havlicek in ’62 and Willis in ’64; what would that have meant to the next 6 years?) If LA had traded for Thurmond, would the Logo or Elg have have found those titles hollow? I’m gonna say Hell, no.
My guess? You have to come forward to ’79 to find the rampant egotism that allows a player of a FIVE-man game to even imagine he can do it alone. Magic’s my all-time fave, but he was drafted onto a team with the best player in the damn league, and a solid supporting cast; for him to see it any other way is akin to amnesia.
I’m reminded of an exhibition game Magic put on mid-80’s; he said, basically,”They always put Larry and I on opposite teams–but this is MY game, and we’re playing together.” Only one game, granted, but a statement nonetheless. They also ran a 2-on-5 fast break for a dunk, making one wonder what might have been–and very well could have been, if LA doesn’t sign Jamaal Wilkes as a free agent and keeps KC’s #1 pick in ’78. And no one would have blinked twice, or bemoaned the unfairness of it all, or questioned their ambition–because they wouldn’t have CHOSEN to play together. I guess it’s OK to bitch to management about getting better teammates, but it’s unmanly if you do something about it yourself; what a Bizarro-world we live in these days.
One last thought: The proof of the pudding is in the eating; the recipe the Heat are using is a success only if they win it all–probably multiple times, in the public opinion. To echo Nicklaus’ thoughts on Tiger–last year, by the way–sure, they SHOULD win, but they still have to actually DO it, right? If they go 73-9, or better, with no trophy, we won’t call them the best ever, will we? And until they DO win, they’re just doing what everyone else is doing–trying to knock off the current champs. Maybe they will be the ’70 Knicks; maybe they’re the ’77 Sixers. Time will tell. And if they win it all, the other contenders will immediately start work on building a team that can knock them off–and in this era, maybe Chris Paul really WILL engineer that trade to Orlando, and he and Dwight will find a third Amigo to make things very, very interesting.
More power to them.
Maverick Carter
July 28, 2010
What was the matter with the way LeBron changed teams? I flew him first class down to Miami didn’t I?
You try to fly into Cleveland — it’s nothing but coach. I know because I tried to book it.
“New coach” they kept telling — but new or not, coach is still coach.