Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is a lot of things.
James is a two-time National Basketball Association All-Star and one-time All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. He is the youngest player to ever record a triple-double, the youngest player in the history of the league to notch 5,000 points, and then 6,000 points.
LeBron is, arguably, the best player in the league not named Kobe Bryant.
He is not, however, the heir apparent to the one guy that made LeBron's No. 23 jersey so famous. He is not the next Michael Jordan.
And it isn't because of any deficiencies in James' game on the offensive end. LeBron has showed in these playoffs how supremely talented he is with the ball in his hands. However, while he isn't a defensive liability; he just doesn't match the tenacity on the defensive end that Jordan brought.
Because of his obvious achievements on the offensive end, Jordan's defense often gets overlooked. Most people forget that Jordan is a nine-time member of the NBA's First Team All-Defense. He also was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 1988.
That means that, in addition to being the leagues leading scorer 10 different years, Jordan was one of the top-five defenders in the league for nine years. It's a freakish combination that culminated with Jordan's Chicago Bulls taking six NBA titles.
While LeBron is improving on the defensive end, it is hard to envision him up to Jordan's level. Quite frankly, LeBron takes too many defensive series off.
James' level of intensity on the defensive end never quite matches his offensive flair. Many times the past three seasons, LeBron has seemed lax, more willing to play the passing lanes for thunderous fast breaks than to buckle down on his opponent.
It's a trait that he and Larry Hughes, who must develop into a reliable second option on offense, both share.
Simply put, there has been nobody beside Jordan to utterly dominate on both ends of the floor, and there probably never will be.
Now I realize this will be a very unpopular opinion, but that is just what it is ' an opinion. Here's hoping LeBron proves me wrong.
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Josh Johnson
