Wednesday, May 10, 2006, 05:03 PM EST
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Kobe Bryant]
Even the most casual fan of the Association realizes that Lebron James has no chance of winning an NBA championship this year. And, in the grand scheme of things, that may not be such a bad thing.
Not that I wish any ill will towards the self-proclaimed "King James." I'm just a firm believer in that you have to pay your dues before you're handed the keys to the kingdom. It merely isn't his time. Not yet.
The most infamous case of dues-paying involved Michael Jordan and the Detroit "Bad Boy" Pistons of the late '80s and early '90s. Late in the '88 season, Pistons' coach Chuck Daly instituted a strict set of guidelines - collectively known as the "Jordan Rules" - to neutralize the Bulls' all-everything talent. The Pistons absolutely owned Chicago for the next two years before Michael and the Jordannaires broke through in 1991 to win the first of three successive NBA championships.
Julius Erving - whom many consider to be the inspiration for Jordan and many others who play the game "above the rim" - led the Sixers to quite a few deep runs in the playoffs (including three NBA Finals appearances) before finally bringing home the hardware in 1983.
Dues paying knows no bounds. As a team, the Atlanta Braves got left at the altar more times than a bridesmaid in the early 90s before beating the Cleveland Indians in the 1995 World Series. And the Philadelphia Phillies won three NL East titles in 1976-78 before capturing the crown in 1980, the franchise's only World Series title in their 123-year history.
John Elway is one of the greatest signal-callers of all time, yet he endured several Super embarrassments before capturing back-to-back Vince Lombardi trophies in 1998 and 1999. And you could argue that Peyton Manning is going through the same situation right now after his Colts have been unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs the past three seasons, despite the fact that his offense is (or at least was, when they boasted the recently departed Edgerrin James) a Madden gamer's wet dream.
There are exceptions to the rule, of course. Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to the AFC title game as a rookie, and then trumped that impressive feat with a Super Bowl title as a sophomore.
Kobe Bryant really never went through the typical initiation process, either. Sure, he had that horrendous playoff series versus the Utah Jazz as a rookie, in which he jacked up airball after pitiful airball at the end of Game 5, but he would go on to win three titles in his first four years as a starter. Perhaps only now, without a dominant big man and/or consistent second scoring option, does he realize what most great players find out early in their careers: winning is a hard thing to do.
So perhaps it isn't completely terrible that Lebron hasn't ascended to the mountain top just yet. The learning curve should be steep - a few seasons of finding what it takes to be a champion should pay huge dividends in the future - let's not forget that Lebron is still only 21 years old. NBA fans should feel blessed to be able to watch the maturation of a superstar right before our very eyes.
We are all witnesses.
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