Don’t Overlook LeVert In Cavs’ Winning Streak.

The streak continues. The Cleveland Cavaliers still have not lost under new coach Kenny Atkinson, running their record to 14-0 on the year with another win over Chicago Friday night.

Cleveland goes for #15 tonight against Charlotte at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Atkinson’s squad has captured the fans of northeast Ohio much like the Indians’ 22-game winning streak did in 2017. Fans were chanting “14-0” behind the desk of the Cavaliers’ post-game show after the win against the Bulls.

The wine and gold lead the league in field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, and points scored. And despite all of the offensive numbers, they still rank 6th in defensive efficiency.

It’s a team effort too. Ten players average over 10 minutes per game with only four being on the floor for 30 minutes, and none of those getting more than Donovan Mitchell’s 31.1.

The Cavs have won close games and blowouts. They’ve led wire-to-wire and made come from behind victories.

They are winning, and as usual, that’s a good thing.

Have they taken advantage of a soft Eastern Conference? Yes, there only two other teams in the East above .500 and the Cavs play one of them Tuesday in the defending champion Celtics.

Cleveland beat the other team over the breakeven mark, Orlando, early in the season. However, they have also knocked off the 10-2 Warriors and the 8-4 Lakers in this early season run.

You can only play who is one your schedule.

Ty Jerome has received a lot of love from fans and basketball folks around the league, but another unsung player has been Caris LeVert.

Because LeVert has not been a great three-point shooter in his career (34.4%), he sometimes draws the ire of the look only at the scoring column fans. We remember some poor shooting nights last year and the reaction on social media being that he’s not a good player.

But LeVert is what the basketball world calls “a player”. He plays and usually make a positive impact on the game no matter what his numbers say.

If his shot isn’t falling, he plays solid defense, gets some steals and rebounds. And at 6’6″, he can play either guard spot because he’s a good passer and has the size to play small forward as well.

So far this season, he’s fifth on the team in scoring at 12.4 per game, second in assists at 4.7, while shooting 55% from the floor, and an incredible 48.9% from three. Now we don’t expect the long-range shooting to continue at that pace, but his attempts are down, so perhaps the quality of the shots are much better.

He’s also a player who can create his own shot, which under the old regime was a needed skill, as only two other players (Mitchell and Darius Garland) had that skill, so if the shot clock was running down, he was a player to look for.

It is funny to us that Jerome and LeVert have played so well, because we have been saying Cleveland needed size in the backcourt for some time now, and both of them are exactly that, with Jerome being 6’5″.

The Cavs’ four best players get a lot of credit for how well they have played this season, but don’t overlook the play of Caris LeVert. He does a bit of everything and that is something coaches love.

Should Cavs Be Shooting A Lot Of Threes?

One of the problems with “sports revolutions” is sometimes the new idea gets carried too far. The NBA’s love of the three-point shot is one of those in our opinion.

The theory is sound. If you make 60% of your two point field goal attempts, you get 12 points. However, if you make just four shots from beyond the arc, you get the same 12 points.

Of course, this is predicated on shooting 40% from long range, and the league average is currently 36.6%. That doesn’t change the theory, because if you make half your shots from the field, you only need to make 33.3% of the long range attempts.

That Golden State won four titles around Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson (a.k.a. “The Splash Brothers) reinforced that shooting from long distance was the way to go.

Of course, this discounts that Curry is probably the greatest long-range shooter the game has ever seen. His career mark from behind the line is 42.7%, and feel free to scan above to see what the current league average is.

As for Thompson? He knocks them down at a 41.4% rate.

If you have two shooters like this, we would probably play that way too.

This season, NBA teams on average are taking 35 three-point shots per contest. Just 10 years ago, before the Warriors run to titles, the number of three-pointers was just 21 per game. And in the “good ol’ days”, just 20 years ago (LeBron James was part of the league as a rookie), that number was 14.9 long range shots.

We aren’t saying the three-point line should be eliminated. It’s been a part of the game since the ABA was around. What we are saying is maybe players who cannot make the shot on a regular basis shouldn’t be taking it. And make no mistake, players are encouraged to develop the shot.

If a player can shoot like Curry and Thompson.

The problem with this new style of basketball is that it is kind of forcing players who are borderline from long distance to go away from the mid-range shot. And that’s where we are at with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cleveland is one of the NBA’s worst shooting teams from three-point territory, in fact 5th worst, behind only Memphis, San Antonio, Orlando, and Detroit. However, they take the 12th most three-point shots in the league.

Orlando and Detroit are teams in the bottom three in attempts, while Memphis and San Antonio take even more than the Cavs. Which style works more? Well, the Magic have the same record as Cleveland, while the other three teams are near the bottom of the league standings.

To us, the problem for J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad is will the percentage of made shots come up as the season goes on? Right now, only one member of the wine and gold shoots better than the league average, and that’s Sam Merrill, who just started to play with the injuries to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, and he’s taken just 85 threes.

Dean Wade is at league average, and he generally only takes threes.

The high volume shooters are all at 35% and below. Donovan Mitchell takes almost nine per game and Max Strus is at 8.3. Caris LeVert takes 5.7 attempts, but only makes them at a 33% clip.

Georges Niang, who had a career mark of 40% coming to Cleveland, is making just 33% in a Cavs’ uniform. And Isaac Okoro sits at 35.9%, but he still seems reticent to take the shot, especially if he misses early in a game.

The Cavaliers are telling us they have adopted more of a three-point centric offense since the injuries to two starters and are succeeding because of it. They are 6-3 since Garland and Mobley were hurt.

We would say it is not the style of play, rather the quality of opponent. Of the six wins, only Dallas (7th in the West) and Houston (8th) would play in the post-season if the season ended today. The only loss to a non-playoff team is Monday’s defeat at Toronto.

We would like to see Cleveland take threes but be a bit more judicious in terms of when and who. It can definitely be a weapon, but as we always say, a made two is better than a missed three.

Is that analytics?

Why Baseball’s All Star Game is Still The King

Last Sunday night as we were driving around northeastern Ohio, we checked in on what was going on at the NBA All Star Game, and we were soured almost immediately.

The game was late in the first half, with the score in the 70’s for both teams, and we heard the play-by-play man say there was only one foul called during the game. We thought that he had to misspeak, that it would be impossible for virtually no fouls to be called in the first half of a professional basketball game.

Sure enough, when we checked the statistics for the first half (mainly to see how LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were doing), we saw the announcer was accurate.

The lack of fouls indicates that a total lack of defense was in the game. Quite simply, no one was even trying on the defensive end.

We felt that the NBA’s star spectacular is now no different from the Pro Bowl and the NHL All Star contest, meaning it bears no relationship to the sport that gets played throughout the regular season.

That might be fine for the younger basketball fans, but what they are playing in that game isn’t basketball, much like the travesty that is the Pro Bowl is really no longer football.

And no one would complain if that game just went away.

No one is suggesting that players take charges, or hammer someone to the floor trying to stop a lay up attempt. But would it kill someone to get in someone’s way every once in a while?

Not to be showing our age, but in the 80’s and 90’s, the players did play some defense, Michael Jordan didn’t want someone scoring 40 points while he was on the floor, and while the players ran the floor and threw fancy, jaw-dropping passes you wouldn’t see in the regular season, there was still a competitive aspect to the game.

That’s why baseball’s mid-summer classic is still the king, and it’s because of the nature of the sport.

Baseball is the only sport where the defense (being the pitcher) has the ball. For Clayton Kershaw to show his skills on the mound, he has to keep a batter from showing what he can do.

It’s the essence of the sport, and that’s why their All Star Game is still the purest.

Imagine if this July, Corey Kluber made the all-star team and decided to lob pitches in so fans could see Giancarlo Stanton belt one in the upper deck. It wouldn’t happen, right?

Because Kluber would be there trying to show the fans why he is there. And to show his talent, he has to prevent Stanton from showing his.

In basketball, the players enjoy showing their creativity and skill set, but it would mean more if there was someone trying to prevent it.

What’s better? A breakaway dunk off a steal, or a player throwing one down in traffic.

The NBA needs to tighten up their product in terms of the All Star Game. You have the 24 best players in the world all on the court at the same time. Why not play the ultimate game one time a year.

Again, we don’t need to have people get hurt, but at least play passable defense, not what was on display Sunday night.

It would be a better show than what was seen at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The league deserves a better showcase.

Cavs’ Griffin A Man of His Word, So Far

When he was hired as Cavaliers’ GM, David Griffin said the team needed to improve its basketball IQ, and get some players who can make shots.

So far, Griffin is a man true to his word.

Of course, it helps a great deal when the best player in the league decides he wants to come home and play for your team.

LeBron James was the smartest basketball player on the court when he was here previously, and with even more experience, it is doubtful he has lost his ability to play the game the correct way.

James took a lot of heat early in his career so making the right basketball play, that is to say, he hit the open man rather than force up a bad shot.

We can remember times when James wasn’t in the game where the Cavaliers took poor shots when the team needed a basket. We said at that time the rest of the Cavs could have learned from watching the younger LeBron play basketball.

His younger teammates should be in learning mode, and when the teacher happens to be a four-time league MVP, if they aren’t willing to gain knowledge from James on how to play the right way, they likely will not be in the wine and gold for long.

Griffin’s other two free agent signings help with the shooting problem the team had last season.

Last year, Cleveland didn’t have a lot of consistent shooters from the perimeter. Yes, Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters had their moments from outside, but their strength is more taking the ball to the basket.

Signing Mike Miller and James Jones as free agents addresses the need for players who can put the ball through the hoop from outside.

And they should get plenty of open looks with the way James, Irving, Waiters, and rookie Andrew Wiggins can go to the basket.

Miller, now 34 years old, enjoyed a bit of a career renaissance this year, playing his most minutes since 2009-10. He’s a lifetime 46% shooter from the floor, including 41% from beyond the three-point circle.

Last season with Memphis, he shot 46% on three pointers.

Jones is more of a three-point specialist, with more than half of his shots in his career coming from behind the arc.

He will be 34 years before the season starts and he’s made 40% of his threes over his career.

Neither Miller nor Jones will be starters.

Miller will probably be a rotation player, backing up at both the off guard and the small forward spots.

Jones only played in 20 games for the Heat last season, so he will probably be used as a specialist, playing in situation where three-point shooting is needed, maybe for plays at the end of a quarter.

The point is, both of these signings are minor in terms of neither player will be getting 30 minutes per night, but they are bringing a skill set needed on the wine and gold, and also another veteran presence for a team that doesn’t have many experienced players.

They will help James get the message to the young players and relate what is needed to win an NBA title.

Neither player is killing the Cavs in terms of salary cap space.

So far, Griffin is keeping his word in terms of rebuilding this franchise. It helped immensely that James returned to the franchise, but getting shooters, something lacking for Cleveland, is a great help too.

Deng’s Professionalism Makes Him Best Cav

When the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for two-time all star Luol Deng a little over a week ago, we proclaimed our love for the trade and said Deng steps in as the second best player on the team immediately.

We were wrong.

Deng is the best player wearing the wine and gold uniform right now.

You are probably reading this saying we are out of our mind, surely Kyrie Irving, the much-publicized young point guard is the best player. After all, he is the face of the franchise.

After watching four games with Deng in uniform, it is clear he is the alpha dog.

Why? Not to be too simplistic, but he’s a basketball player.

He makes open jump shots, he moves without the basketball, he plays solid defense. Isn’t that what you want out of a basketball player?

We have been campaigning for some sort of veteran presence on the Cavaliers, and getting the all-star small forward from the Bulls, is the first step in the right direction.

Instantly, Deng has developed a chemistry with fellow vet Anderson Varejao, communicating with him on defense and moving without the ball to get good looks at the hoop when the “Wild Thing” has the ball at the elbow.

This is because they know how to play professional basketball, something the younger Cavs like Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters have yet to grasp.

However, these two players and the rest of the players who are new to the league should be watching Deng and Varejao with an eye toward being the professional both of these players are.

It’s why it is clear, if you know basketball, that Luol Deng is now the Cavaliers’ best player.

It appears to have surprised the newcomer when his new teammates didn’t communicate on the floor. To be sure, the Bulls must do it quite a bit, and talking makes teams better particularly on the defensive end of the floor.

The younger players have ability, but they seem to have “SportsCenter” games, meaning they do things that show up on highlight reels, but don’t necessarily contribute to winning basketball games.

Irving, in particular, seems to be struggling since the arrival of Deng, shooting just 37.5% from the floor and his assists are down as well in the four games Deng has played. Perhaps, Irving is having difficulty converting from being in total control of the offense to Deng’s more disciplined approach.

And Deng’s contribution on the defensive end definitely tips the scales in his favor. He may not be on the all-defensive team, but he gets in his man’s way consistently.

Watch the younger players on the defensive end, opponents flash to the basket all the time and you will see the Cavalier defender trailing his man quite a bit.

This isn’t to say Luol Deng is a special player, but he appears to be the epitome of a professional basketball player. He plays the game the correct way.

GM Chris Grant would be well served to obtain another veteran player to go with Deng and Varejao to help the Cavaliers move forward.

The more players guys like Irving, Waiters, Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller can learn the game from the better off the future of the Cavaliers will be.

Cavs Collecting Talent, Still Need Leadership

The Cleveland Cavaliers surprised quite a few people with the first pick in the NBA draft.

After weeks of speculation about Nerlens Noel and Alex Len being GM Chris Grant’s top choice, the Cavs went with F Anthony Bennett from UNLV at number one.

The question mark on Bennett is whether or not he is a tweener, too small to play power forward and not quick enough to guard small forwards. He does have an NBA body, measuring at 6’7″ and 240 pounds. He’s big enough to not get pushed around by older NBA veterans.

On the other hand, looking at him from the offensive end, he could be a match up nightmare for opposing forwards because with his size, he can overpower many small forwards in the league, and if other teams put a power forward on him, he will be too quick for them.

However, he needs work on defense, which he will get from coach Mike Brown. He reportedly also needs help with his aggressiveness on the boards, which again, the coaching staff will work on.

One question that will need to be addressed with Brown is how well he works with young players. He didn’t seem to have a lot of patience with guys like Shannon Brown, but he will need to tolerate rookie mistakes from Bennett, and the team’s second first round pick in Sergey Karasev.

Karasev is 6’7″ and can shoot the basketball, given a score of 10 out of 10 in shooting on NBADraft.net. He is reportedly a good passer and has a good feel for the game, but he needs to get stronger. It was reported that Grant had coveted him for a while, and the rumor was the Cavs were going to trade up to #13 to get him, but he fell to them at #19.

The problem with the Cavaliers right now is still the absence of a veteran to give guidance to all the young players. That is a definite need, someone who can teach Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, and Dion Waiters how to win in the NBA.

Also, Bennett was a good player in college, but we don’t feel he was a dominant one. Last year, Anthony Davis was clearly the best player in the college game. You can’t say that about Bennett, and if you can’t dominate at the college level, what makes anyone think he can be a great pro.

That’s why we advocated dealing the first pick if at all possible.

Right now, Cleveland has one potentially great player in Irving, and a bunch of other young players who might develop into solid NBA players, or they might not.

And they seem to be collecting guards with Irving, Waiters, Karasev, and second round pick Carrick Felix. They still don’t have a big man who can put the ball in the basket on a consistent basis.

Perhaps Tyler Zeller will be that player in his second year, but no one can be sure of that.

We realize they still could make a trade or do a sign and trade before the season started. But right now, it is tough to project this team as the playoff team owner Dan Gilbert said he wanted.

Hate to put a damper this soon on draft night, but if there no more moves for the Cavs, it looks like another long winter for the wine and gold.

It’s Not LeBron, It’s the Heat

As we wait for Game 7 of the NBA Finals, we had a revelation.

We really don’t care if LeBron James wins a second title with Miami tonight, but the thought of the people in south Florida celebrating a second consecutive title is down right nauseating.

First of all, Miami is a terrible sports city when you come right down to it. And the fact that a bunch of people left game six early speaks directly to that. They don’t share the passion for sports that midwestern cities like Cleveland have. To them, it’s just a thing to do, a place to go.

That’s just the fans. The reason for rooting against the Heat have more to do with the franchise, and the way the team was put together.

It starts with Pat Riley, who is most famous for coaching the “Showtime” Lakers of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy, but we remember that he was a central figure in the era that almost killed basketball, when he was coaching the New York Knicks.

Those Knicks teams forced the league to re-examine the rules about illegal defense, and they played thug basketball, with Riley instructing his squad to foul on pretty much every possession, and daring the referees to call it every time down the floor.

Of course, they didn’t because games would have lasted four hours, so “Riles” got away with one, although the Knicks never won a title.

Riley did finally win another title as coach, with the Heat, but did so forcing out Stan Van Gundy as coach, and taking over a team led by an aging Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade.

And although the league has never acknowledged it, there was tampering involved in putting the current Heat team together with Riley allegedly contacting LeBron James during the season before he became a free agent.

Sure, the players themselves (James, Wade, and Chris Bosh) probably talked about it during their time together in the 2008 Olympics, but many feel Riley was checking on the players during the season.

Then there is Wade, who is right now a broken down version of the great player he once was, but is a guy who for whatever reason gets the benefit of the doubt from officials on a regular basis.

When James was with the Cavs, there was a game the Heat won late because the refs continually sent Wade to the line even though in many cases, he created contact or a Cleveland player was called for a foul when he was getting out-of-the-way.

If Miami wins tonight, Wade will preen around the court like he is the guy responsible for the crown, much like he did after the Eastern Conference title. He should have been reminded that he played one good game in the series.

And then there is Bosh, a player much highly regarded than he should be. He disappears within the game on a regular basis.

Then you have Shane Battier, who may be falling down instinctively right now. Ray Allen, who turned his back on his compadre in Boston to chase another ring, and Eric Spoelstra, who the NBA butt kissing media would have you believe is a great coach.

If the Heat fail tonight, the blame should be placed on Riley, who didn’t put a strong enough team around James, much like Danny Ferry didn’t in Cleveland.

Instead, James will be skewered, and that’s not fair.

And this is coming from someone who still can’t forget the knife he put in the backs of Clevelanders a few years ago.

Two Weeks to Go to Determine Cavs’ Future

After winning the NBA Draft Lottery last month, Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert once again put all kinds of pressure on himself and his basketball organization by announcing it would be the last time for the wine and gold in that position for a while.

While we believe Gilbert was speaking from his desire to win, these types of statements are growing old. It is time for results for sure, but what happens if the Cavaliers miss the post-season by one or two games in 2013-14? Winning 36-38 games next season would be a great improvement from this year’s 24 victories.

There has been a lot of conversation about trading out of the top spot in the draft, a move we have advocated all along, but with this year’s crop of draftees being devoid of a “difference maker”, it will be tough for GM Chris Grant to come up with a trade partner.

If the wine and gold cannot deal the first pick, then they need to take the best player, whoever they perceive it to be, and not worry about the current make up of the roster.

While you can pick for need when picking later, when you have the first pick, you have to take the best player.

That would seem to narrow it down to three choices: Kansas G Ben McLemore, Indiana G Victor Oladipo, and Maryland C Alex Len.

McLemore is reported to have outstanding athletic ability and can score the basketball. He has three-point range, and can shoot off the dribble, a skill needed to be a complete player. His weaknesses are his feel for the game and his ball handling.

Those are a lot of good skills to like in a player.

Oladipo might be a reach at #1, but it has been reported the Cavs love him, and he would fit in nicely with Mike Brown’s emphasis on defense. He might be the most explosive athlete in the draft. He has a toughness about him and can finish at the rim. However, the rest of his offensive game needs a lot of work.

His jump shot is inconsistent and he doesn’t handle the ball well. He may be a good complement to Kyrie Irving, with Dion Waiters coming off the bench in a combo guard role.

Len is probably the most ready to play big man available this year. At 7’1″ and 255 pounds, he is a legitimate NBA center and his back to the basket game continues to improve. And he’s a decent mid-range shooter, and made 69% of his free throws in college.

As with most big men though, Len needs to get stronger and because of that, he is not a great rebounder at his size.

His NBADraft.net comparable player is someone Cleveland basketball fans should be very familiar with…Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

The Cavs’ biggest need is a small forward, but there doesn’t seem to be a quality one available this year.

Normally we don’t advocate taking a big guy for the sake of taking a big guy, but taking Len makes the most sense unless Grant can make a deal.

The speculation will end two weeks from today.

NBA Finals are Generational Thing

The NBA Finals have turned into old school vs. new school.

In one corner, we have the Miami Heat, the darling of ESPN. They are a highlights editor’s dream, filled with spectacular passes and high-flying dunks. They were put together through the highest profile free agency season ever when LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade to form basketball’s latest “big three”.

On the other hand, if you are above 40 years old, you have an appreciation for the San Antonio Spurs, led by Tim Duncan, an all time great looking for his fifth title as an important member of his team.

The Spurs were built through the draft, shrewdly picking international players like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tiago Splitter, and shrewdly grabbing guys like Kawhi Leonard in the draft and signing role players like Danny Green.

And San Antonio has perhaps the best coach in the professional ranks in Gregg Popovich.

The younger generation think the Spurs are boring, because they play below the rim and have unassuming superstars, who rarely draw attention to themselves.

The Heat have the preening James, the perpetual scowling Wade, and Bosh, who screams like he won the lottery every time he makes a big shot.

The older fans think the Heat is all that is wrong with professional basketball, with their roster of three all-star players, a couple of decent role players and a bunch of stiffs. They’ve become the place where guys nearing the end of their career go to try to pick up a championship ring.

But they think the Spurs play the game the right way. The move the basketball, play solid defense, and just go out and do their jobs. They are business like in their approach, as opposed to the “look at me” Heat.

The Spurs play like the great NBA teams of the past, and we aren’t talking about the Bulls of the 1990’s and the Lakers of the 2000’s. We are talking about the 70’s and 80’s, when teams moved the basketball, and the game wasn’t someone pounding the ball at the top of the key, waiting to break someone off the dribble and drive to the hoop.

Sure, occasionally Parker does that, like he did in Game 1 when he kept his dribble alive, falling down, getting back up, and hitting a leaner off the glass to clinch the win. However, by and large, the Spurs score by executing and making open jump shots. They usually are a very good three-point shooting squad.

They are like the old guys who play the kids at the Y, and keep winning and staying on the court because they understand the game, and use the mental aspect to create mismatches and points.

And on defense, they know how to grab and lean into players just enough to knock them slightly off-balance when they are shooting. They frustrate the heck out of their opponents.

Most of the older basketball fans are rooting for San Antonio, not just because their stars are older, but because they represent the way things used to be. They are hoping for a champion who does things the correct way.

Even With 4 MVPs, James Doesn’t Compare With Jordan

We understand that currently, the state of sports is based on the present and the recent past.

Many football fans think the NFL started when the Super Bowl did in the mid 1960’s. A lot of basketball fans think the NBA started when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird came into the league.

Baseball may be the one sport that still embraces its past, but most records today are compared with those of post World War II.

At least that goes back 60 years.

That’s why it is amazing to me that many hoops fans want to anoint LeBron James as the greatest to ever play the game.

For the early time since we remember, Wilt Chamberlain was the greatest player ever. Just look at the raw numbers, the man averaged 50 points per game for a full season. Today, a 50 point game is looked at as extraordinary.

Yes, Bill Russell had more rings, but he also had a better supporting cast, players like Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, and John Havlicek.

Wilt the Stilt wound up with two rings, both with teams ranked amongst the NBA’s best ever, the 1966-67 76ers and the 1971-72 Lakers.

Then Michael Jordan came along.

Perhaps possessing the greatest will to win ever, Jordan won six NBA titles and the next best player on any of those teams was Scottie Pippen, who in our opinion is considered a great player because he played with Jordan.

There were solid players on those teams, but no other superstar talents.

Meanwhile, Jordan never played with anyone as good as Dwyane Wade, a legitimate superstar player who led the Heat to a title with Shaquille O’Neal. Wade was the best player on that team.

Yes, Jordan won only four MVPs, but the perception at the time was the writers were tired of voting for His Airness every year.

There was no doubt who the best player in the NBA was, and at that time there were players like Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing, and Hakeem Olajuwon in the league. All of those guys were superstar players.

James is recognized as the best player in the league now, universally. Does today’s talent compare to the guys who competed against Jordan?

Most basketball experts would agree that Kevin Durant is the next best talent, but who’s third? Or the next five best players?

James can’t control who is playing today, but the league doesn’t have the same amount of great players in the game, as there were when Jordan was in his heyday.

While the Heat are the favorites to win this year’s NBA title and make it two straight crowns, they haven’t won it yet. And even if they do, that would give LBJ two rings to MJ’s six.

You don’t need “The Diff” on the scoreboard at Quicken Loans Arena to know that James needs four more titles to tie Jordan as leaders in the “modern era” of the game.

Heck, Kobe Bryant has five rings, although he wasn’t the best player on all five of those Laker squads.

Note: You can’t hold guys who weren’t key players on their teams who have won a similar amount of rings, like Robert Horry or Steve Kerr.

When James gets to four, then start the conversation. Until then, shut up. Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever.

That’s not a slight to James, but let’s slow down the temptation to put him on the top of the heap.