An Ode to Lebron

"Just look at him. So sleek. So powerful. So... beautiful, like some great golden god made flesh" - Lex Luthor

These words are from the movie Superman: Doomsday. They are the words of Lex Luthor, Superman's arch enemy as he is watching clips of the Man of Steel do the amazing things he does. In a twisted way he admires the object of his hatred, the man he wants nothing more than to destroy. In a way I feel this way about Lebron. He is without question one of the most freakish athletes the world of sport has ever seen. I have never questioned this about him. In a way I need him, just as Luthor needs Superman. One can't exist without the other. Making the case for the greatness of Kobe would never be as intriguing if Lebron was not around.

Now I find Kobe's nemesis hurt and weakened. Not just physically but mentally and, more importantly, openly. He is being blasted in the media for his recent play against the Celtics. The very media machine that has made him what he is - a strutting, posturing prima donna. He has been, since his first day in the league, anointed the greatest player ever to touch as basketball. People have been seduced by his "Godliness". My feelings on this are well documented in other posts. Suffice it to say, he has never won and we have no idea if he will. As we have seen so many times, talent is not an indicator of how much winning a player is capable of. Tim Duncan has the vertical leap of a carrot. Lebron James might as well be able to fly. Which one is a proven winner? Duncan. Why? He possesses something that cannot be quantified with numbers or with measures of athletic ability, the heart of a champion.

The media is now openly questioning this very characteristic and whether their God has it. My only response to this is, "how dare you?" How dare you, you who have spun him and babied him and praised him ad nauseam. Those that have given him free reign. Those that wouldn't dare criticize anything he has done. Not his playoff losses. Not his refusal to shake hands last year when Orlando bounced the Cavaliers out of the playoffs. None of it. We dare not criticize the one we worship lest he shun us from his glory.

"He's worried! You cut him! You hurt him! You see? You see? He's not a machine, he's a man!" -Duke from Rocky IV

I almost feel bad for him. His base, all the Lebron lovers, are pulling the rug out from under him when he needs them to rally around him. Much the same as the Tiger Woods' scandal earlier this year, this is a watershed moment in the history of one of the most high profile athletes of the generation. This moment may very well define what we will remember about Lebron for years to come. So far, Tiger has yet to regain either the form he demonstrated during his best years or the status of media darling he enjoyed for so long. There is one key difference between Tiger and Lebron. Even if Tiger never gets back to what he was, his body of work is without question at this point. He has won more than most could ever dream of. Lebron hasn't. Now he is down, if not yet out. Like the Russian in Rocky IV, he has been stunned. He has been cut and is bleeding for all the world to see. This story can go two ways. Like the Russian, he can keep punching and show fight. Or as another, now famous, Russian said,

"If you could make GOD bleed, people will cease to believe in HIM!" -Ivan Vanko from Iron Man 2

The media's Golden God is bleeding. His armor has been torn into like the above pictured Vanko does to Iron Man. The people supported Iron Man and he fought back with heart. Will Lebron? Who knows? I feel almost sad that this is happening and the flock is deserting its sheppard. Almost.