LeBron James: King Still Clueless Headed into Title Run

Sigh. And I really though that LeBron James had turned a corner mentally. Instead, the Miami Heat star proves with his latest remarks that his killer instinct is as vacant as his ring collection. 

LeBron James bashing? That is so 2011, you might say. 

Well, this isn't a piece dissecting everything that is wrong with the King, just the one last frustrating hole to his basketball psyche. 

You see, Kobe Bryant gets it. So does Dwyane Wade. Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan would all agree in unison. A season without the ultimate glory is a failure; at the very least, a season like the one the Heat are having certainly is. 

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports on Wade and James being asked about the success this season. That is when a very easy and specific question was lobbed up, ready to be dunked. Would this season be a failure without a title?

Wade's answer: "I say yes. There's only one champion. It's a failure for every other team. If you don't win a championship, you had a failed year."

Kudos for bunny-hopping over that pebble of a question. However, the man with the most talent in the league still thinks with compassion, and that troubles me. 

James' answer: 

"

The season won't be a failure. You put too much work into a season to automatically call it a failure, but it would be a disappointment.

This is our goal. This is what we've come together for. A failure is a strong word. We commit ourselves and we dedicate our season, we work hard every day and to automatically say it's a failure, I think that's a big word. But I think it'd be a disappointment, because that's what you work hard for every day.

"

Someone bigger than me, please slap some sense into him. 

James has the physical gifts and natural talent to be the best to ever pick up a basketball. Of this, I have no doubt. That's what makes things like this so frustrating. 

Many will shake this off as meaningless, but it's of the utmost importance. James would be fine with a slow build to a title, shaking off a loss in 2012 as a life lesson learned. 

His partner in crime would see it as a wasted opportunity, and that's the right mindset. 

You don't head into the playoffs with the best team and not expect to win, thinking it the biggest disappointment if you don't. 

Disappointment? Really?

James should be ready to tear apart the locker room if the Heat lose their grasp on the NBA Finals. That is the only proper emotion for a superstar with visions of being a global icon and a world champion. 

A loss should hit you in the gut and last for what seems like an eternity. Alas, James just doesn't have it, and he will never get it. 

Sad. Imagine how many titles he would have if he did have that it quality. 

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