Something about Lebron James is not translating.  The more I see his game, the more I think he is the most talented basketball player that has ever walked on this planet, and yes, I am a Michael Jordan fan and I am including him, Wilt, Magic, Bird, Oscar, you name it.

James has it all going for him.  He is a physical freak.  At 6'8" and 240 pounds, he can play four of the five positions on the floor easily.  He has the size and bulk to rebound, and post up.  He is larger than Jordan, and therefore can do more things a larger man can do that Jordan couldn't.  He has a nice touch on his outside game, can shoot the three and stretch defenses.  Finally, for his size, James has amazing quickness and can run the floor and finish on the break.  Defensively, he is not as good as Jordan was, but he is still an above average defender who can shut down an opponent.  He just doesn't get blocks like a player his size often does, or steals.

The amazing thing is King James is getting better, and at only 27, is only entering his prime.  His field goal percentage has gone up the last five years, from .484 to .489 to .503 to .510 and to an amazing .531 this year.when he won his 3rd MVP award in the last 4 years.  If not for Derrick Rose, James would be on a four year MVP streak, and he didn't miss by much the year Rose won.

James averages just over seven rebounds per game and just under seven assists per game for his career.  You get the feeling, like you did with Chamberlain and Jordan, that he could lead the league in just about any catagory if he put his mind to it.  Yet, something is missing.  Something....an intangible of some kind....that it just does not appear that James has.  For all his greatness, and for all the chances he and his teams have had, it is almost amazing that James is still looking for his first championship ring.

When James was with the Cleveland Cavaliers. you got the feeling that his teams overachieved, and it was largely because of James' greatness.

In his final year in Cleveland, the Cavs finished 61-21, best record in the conference, yet lost in the conference semi-finals.

The year before that, the Cavs were again an NBA best 66-16, yet lost in the conference finals.

In 07-08, the Cavs were a disappointing 45-37 in the regular season yet still made it to the conference semi-finals, where they lost.  The year nefore that, they were 50-32 and made it to the NBA finals, where the Spurs beat them.  The year before that, they were also 50-32 and again lost in the conference semis.

Even though the Cavs brought in an aging Shaq and Antawn Jamison, James big complaint was that he didn't have enough help in Cleveland.  It was all him, and he couldn't do it all, or so he said.  He needed more help to bring out his best.

That of course brought about his well publicized defection, when he "took his talents to South Beach" in his oft-criticized "the decision" show on ESPN, which reviled everyone in Ohio and made James the NBA's "public enemy #1" in many fans eyes.

He orchestrated the signings of his buddies Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to the Heat as well, and now there could be no excuses.  He had his "help", and it was self-chosen help at that.

Since joining the Heat, Miami went 58-24 last year and lost to the Mavs in the finals.  This year, they were 46-20 in the strike-shortened season, which is percentage points worse than the previous year.  His Heat are one game away from being eliminated by the "old farts of the NBA", the Boston Celtics, in what would be one of the biggest upsets in NBA history if it happens.

One has to find it ironic that the guy who didn't think he had the talent to win in Cleveland, went out and landed in a place that had that talent, and ended up having a worse record in his first two years there than he had during his last two years in Cleveland, and more importantly, still no ring as of this writing.

What I think it shows is that Lebron James simply does not have the same leadership abilities or will to win that Michael Jordan had, or more recently, Kobe Bryant has.  Or at least, he hasn't learned it yet. 

There is still time for Lebron to silence these criticisms.  He is only 27, and heck, this season isn't even over yet.  There is still a fairly decent chance that the Heat go into Boston tomorrow night, beat the Celtics, win the series in game seven at home and then beat either the Thunder or Spurs for the title. 

If that were to happen, all these questions will go away, James will most likely be the playoff MVP, and no one will be talking about this anymore.  That's a LOT of pressure on one mans back tomorrow night, but I gotta say....it is well earned.