LeBron, Please Stop Passing with the Game on the Line!

LeBron James is a great passer of the ilk of Magic Johnson but he might need to look for his own shot more often when the game is on the line. Actually, he just needs to heave up a game-on-the-line shot! I do not care if he has to go 1 on 5 to do this. It really doesn't matter right now if he gets a clean look at the basket but I say he heaves it from mid-court if he has to. Please, just attempt one to appease the basketball 'know-it-alls'.

He needs to do this so that the otherwise great statistical season that he his having - averages of 28ppg, 8rpg and 7apg, with almost 2spg while shooting over 50% from the field and over 42% from distance - does not become somewhat tainted by all this talk about a lack of late game heroics.

Before I go any further, lets take a look at some stats - not the perception that one has from seeing LeBron pass a possible game winning shot during this years (2012) All-Star game, and most recently the March 2nd game against the Utah Jazz in which he - again - opted to make the pass rather than take the shot. The fact is that LeBron has actually taken 'game-on-the-line' shots before and has actually made quite a few in his esteemed career. According to stats gathered by the good folks at 82games.com, from the 03-04 to the 08-09 season, LeBron has actually taken 31 'game-on-the-line' shots and has made 17 of them; that is a respectable tally of 34%. It was also noted that Kobe Bryant has the most 'game-on-the-line' misses during that span.

The notation about Kobe proves that fans have a penchant for remembering the great 'makes' over numerous 'misses'. They also have knack for taking note when a great player continuously passes up these 'greatness' opportunities. This is the risk of perception that LBJ is toiling with - that many fans and pundits alike will keep harping on this issue because they are witnessing a great player who seems to be building a reputation as a player that defers to others, when taking the last shot should be something he innately craves.

All the greats have this innate desire to want the ball during the closing moments of a game. Michael Jordan seldom passed up an opportunity to be his teams closer - he used his superior athletic and leaping ability to create a enough room to elevate over his defender for a shot. Whether contested or not, almost everyone expected and wanted Jordan to take the shot; and Kobe is not different. So what makes LeBron - whom I think is arguably the most physically gifted basketball player on the planet - so different?

Well, LeBron is not that different. Lets return once more to the sample data provided above - the stats supports the argument that King James would rather make the correct basketball decision but does not shy away from taking the potential game winning shot. Based on the numbers taken from the sample period, LeBron, Vince Carter and Kobe are the top three players with fifty or more game winning attempts. Of the three, LeBrons' percentage is better than both Carter and Kobe; it should be noted that Kobe's actually percentage is only 25%.

So why am I suggesting that LeBron needs to hold on to the ball - by all means necessary - during the fading moments of a close game? Here is the answer:

When the Heat played the Jazz on March 2nd, with 4.5 seconds left on the clock and the heat down by one point. A play was drawn for none other than King James himself. The Jazz seemed to be playing a soft zone defence. LeBron receives the inbound pass with Josh Howard trailing around a pick. Paul Millsap is at the top of the key protecting against a drive to the basket. LeBron takes one dribble and bounce passes the ball to Udonis Haslem - for the record, Haslem was open and is a very reliable shot maker from that range - who takes the shot and misses.

From the video footage, a argument can be made that LeBron could have dribbled one or two more times because Howard was trailing from his right and Millsap was on his heels. A step back and elevation would have given him a good enough shot for a game winning attempt. He should have taken the shot because he was on fire and had scored 17 points in the fourth quarter alone. He should have taken the shot because, pound for pound with all the skills packed into his 6'8 and 260 pounds frame, he can get almost anywhere he wants on the court and shoot over almost any defender. This was a bad basketball decision.

But this should not be how he is perceived during close game moments. It is unbecoming of great basketball players to be perceived as not being clutch - worse is to be perceived as shying away from clutch moments. One of the Jazz commentators uttered these words right after the shot from Haslem clanked off the rim: "He passed it again."

This is what I am afraid LeBron's 'clutch-legacy' might become. A great player that is 'perceived' as being reluctant to take 'game-on-the-line' shots when all he is doing is making the right basketball decision.

Although the stats paint a different picture, the reality is that public opinion rarely takes the time to examine the stats. So I ask one more time; LeBron, please chuck-up a couple 'game-on-the-line' shot attempts, because the perception is becoming too loud and is drowning out the stats that prove otherwise.

Does DeMar DeRozan Possess Next Level Drive and Game?

What is DeMar DeRozan up to these days?

From watching several YouTube videos, I have seen with my own eyes that the Raptors two/three guard has been keeping busy playing in the Drew League on the summer league circuit. The Drew League is based in Compton, Los Angeles (DeRozan grew up in Compton). The League amalgamates professional basketball, college, street-ball and even some high school players into two divisions that each consist of twelve teams. This is where DeRozan has been getting in some serious summer runs; playing for the team, Go H.A.M!

 Over the last two NBA seasons we have witnessed the maturation of a player that one day - 'one day' here means next season, if there is a season (damn you NBA lockout) - will unequivocally become the best player and face of the franchise. He is developing before our eyes and all we hope for is that the development does not plateau anytime soon.


Talented players with high work ethics often find ways to add different dimensions to their game. They work on their weaknesses during the off-season and add new wrinkles to their overall game. Take for example the instance when Kobe Bryant at some point added about twenty pounds of muscle to his frame, hoping that it would take his game to another level. The very next season in 2007, he lost the weight because he wanted more quickness and energy. The point is that Kobe was willing to try the additional weight, hoping that it would give him an advantage.

Does every player have the desire to work on their game or add new dimensions to it? Most players use their summers to stay in shape. Only a handful look to become better than their previous selves. What DeRozan did in the second half of last season shows he might just have figured out how to turn the next level switch on. Whether he will achieve greatness is another topic all together. Right now, the important thing is to have development that translates to better stats and wins.

In the first 32 games of the 2010/2011 season, DeRozan averaged 13 points per game. In those early games, he had ten games in which he totaled less than ten points. The last 50 games of the season is where the revelation of DeMar began to unfold. He averaged 20 points per game and only had four games in which he scored below ten points.

On the season, he shot 47 per cent from the field while attempting 14 shots per game. The next level expectation for DeRozan is to see if he can maintain the excellent percentage from the field while being asked to assume a more prominent role on the offense. Can he average 20-25 points per game while rounding out other aspects of his game?

Hopefully scoring and the other aspects are being developed as he plays several months of summer ball. Some might argue that the competition is watered down but the fact that the league thrives on showcasing scoring and athletic abilities, might prove advantageous. It seems that all DeRozan needed last season was to believe that he has the game to shine in the league. The added confidence translated to improved play down the seasons stretch. Imagine what he can bring to the Raptors after posting good numbers in a single summer league game.

That's right! He shot 7 for 11 from three point range. The negative about that is that he launched eleven, which might make a lot of Raptor fans cringe. The positive is that he is working on his shot. Whether from beyond the arc or inside it, this is considered to be a good thing from my perspective.
Majority of the names on the box score are not household names but that should not inspire any thoughts regarding the level of play. Most of the players in the league played college ball and some play professionally in Europe and/or Asia. These are not your average pick-up games that might get intense every once in a while. These are regular-summer-league-season-games that lead up to the Drew League playoffs. This is where most of these guys sharpen up their game; some with the hopes of trying another run at making it to the NBA. Others work on improving/staying in shape for their contract work overseas.

And there are those like DeRozan and a few other NBAers who play because they are gym rats. You will find them in the gym working out or playing ball - alone or in a league. Bottom line here is that the competition in summer leagues are exactly what Raptor fans hope will help bring DeRozan's game to the next level.

That and his own desire to work on his game - in a gym hoisting up shot after shot. Earlier today, he Tweeted: "In the gym...". A little while later, he followed that tweet with "Shooting jumpers til my arm fall off...".

DeMar DeRozan: Talent - check; Drive - check; Work ethic - check!

Able to lead Raptors to the playoffs and beyond - TBD!