Can LeBron James' Game Help Repair His Image Outside of Miami Heat Fans?

LeBron James has been the victim of constant criticism and scrutiny during the NBA's offseason, and none of the negative sentiments have anything to do with his talents as a basketball player.

After being condemned for the way he handled his departure from Cleveland, and statements made in the wake of that media disaster, James would probably love nothing more than to find refuge on the court.

James has been punished for revealing a human side that some people find distasteful, and at times he has been victim to his own poor judgement.

But none of that diminishes what James brings to the game.

I have also been critical of James in recent weeks, and whether the criticism is merited or not, it should be important to note that it will all likely disappear once the regular season starts, especially if Miami can reach its potential.

Some observers question James' character, leadership abilities, and desire, but his abilities on the basketball court are above reproach.

James may be the top athlete in the NBA today, and one of the more impressive physical specimens in the league.

Not to mention he may be the league's top athlete; James has a rare combination of size, strength, and quickness that is unrivaled in the game today.

He has plenty of talent to go with that superior athleticism, and has improved as a player each year he has been in the league.

Unfortunately, James' ability on the court has not been very useful this summer, as it's taken a back seat to the carnival-like atmosphere of the offseason.

James, like most professional athletes, has a tendency to be very egotistical. He has made it known that his ultimate goal is to completely brand himself and become the game's first billionaire.

The only problem is James has found it more difficult to conquer the court of public opinion than he has the actual hardwood.

Every step James has made this offseason has been in the direction of his ultimate goal, but he has been unable to escape the perception that he took the coward's way out.

James realizes that in order to gain the respect he so desperately seeks he must win championships. His decision to join the Miami Heat was made with those interests in mind.

But in accomplishing that goal, James has been forced to watch his image plummet. Few people outside of die-hard fans of the Heat or James have shown him anything but scorn in the wake of his decision.

It's hard to vilify James for joining the Heat, especially since he really did nothing wrong. Even though the manner in which he did it was questionable, it wasn't criminal.

In fact, it's a little ironic that James has garnered so much criticism for attempting to address a short-coming that is mentioned every time his legacy is brought up in conversation.

James' failures in the postseason have always been topics of discussion, but now he faces the prospects of any championships won in Miami being devalued because he chose to join Dwyane Wade to earn them.

And imagine if James is unable to win a championship in Miami?

The level of criticism James is absorbing now would be nothing compared to the venom he will catch if the Heat are unsuccessful, and it's likely this scenario also weighs heavily on James' conscience.

James may never entirely escape the negative shadow cast during the NBA's offseason, but he does have a chance to lose himself in the game once the season starts.

James has been demonized this summer, but lucky for him he has the redeeming qualities of his superior basketball talent to fall back on.

He may not be able to erase the bitter taste from this summer's public relations disaster, but he does have the skill to shift the attention back to the basketball court.