LeBron James: Is the Miami Heat Star Still the NBA's Biggest Villain?

Let's all say goodnight to the bad guy.

For two years, everybody pointed their fingers at LeBron James and said, "that's the bad guy." There was nothing he could do about it. Most NBA fans found reasons to blame him for anything NBA-related. Why? Because it was the easy and popular thing to do at the time.

Unlike the reference I'm making to a power-hungry drug lord, all LeBron James did was simply utilize his right as a free agent to move from humble beginnings in Cleveland to the paradise known as South Beach. The approach to doing so was something you see out of the villain in a movie, but the move itself was strictly a step toward winning a title (he did take less money in the process, after all).

Because of the move, James was ridiculed for anything that didn't live up to the lofty expectations he garnered when joining the Miami Heat. From the pre-preseason celebration to the 9-8 start, LeBron had a rough early going and it only escalated upon his future failures, including the 2011 NBA Finals. It was LeBron's biggest disappointment, especially when you consider how well he played in the series' leading up to that point.

Not only was LeBron garnering even more hatred and spite from his critics, but he was also proving them right. He left Cleveland to go win a title in Miami with a far more sufficient roster, so not winning a championship sort of defeated the purpose of going to the Heat in the first place. It didn't matter that he made it to the finals in his first year; it only mattered that he didn't win.

James' title as the villain was prevalent throughout the first season. He played angry and looked to prove points to faceless people with ignorant opinions. It ended up playing into the cards of those people, because LeBron wasn't focused enough on playing his game and making the proper adjustments to come away with a title in his first year.

Check his demeanor between the 2011 and 2012 NBA Finals. You will see a completely different player, and a lot of it stems from James looking to prove something to himself, not to the masses that are still going to criticize even with a title.

The post-game interviews of Game 6 of the 2011 NBA Finals and LeBron's media tour following the conclusion of the them are clear evidence of how much James has grown.

In 2011, James lambasted his critics by basically telling them that their lives are the same and he's still LeBron James, living a life with a lot more perks. Compare that to James' media tour following his first championship and how well he conducted his interviews. Any time an interviewer asked him to respond to his critics, he dodged the question as a means to not say anything that would get him plastered on ESPN.

It's a testament to how much James grew in the span of a year. He claims that the 2011 NBA Finals were the best thing to ever happen to him and it's certainly easy to believe that. Losing the finals caused LeBron to develop a post game over the summer and also gave him the necessary experience needed to get over the hump.

It was surprising to see James speak of himself as if he was mortal after the 2011 finals—this time he had no excuses. He didn't have a mediocre roster to blame it on; it all came down on him. He wasn't as bad as many said he was, but he still was the most disappointing player in those finals and was a huge reason why the Heat didn't walk away with a title.

Getting thrown back down to earth changed LeBron. The villain label wasn't for him. For seven years, he had been the carefree superstar who would make fake family portraits with his teammates before every game. It was tough to believe that he could transition to becoming the angry and vengeance-filled villain when that clearly wasn't who he was.

James completely reinvented his image for the 2011-12 season. He became a better all-around player, a better teammate and stayed out of the public eye by not giving the media anything worth quoting. Outside of the usual, "Will LeBron win a title this year?" talk, James didn't garner nearly as much attention as in previous years.

With a title, two MVPs and a second gold medal soon to be under his belt, James still hasn't erased the villain label. There are still plenty of people in Cleveland, and others throughout the country, that still cannot stand the sight of LeBron for reasons unknown.

However, he isn't the biggest villain. Because he's handled himself so well with the championship and the other individual accomplishments, a lot of attention has strayed away with people looking for the next person to point their finger at and say, "That's the bad guy."

That distinction now belongs to Orlando Magic/Brooklyn Nets/Los Angeles Lakers/Houston Rockets/Atlanta Hawks/Harlem Globetrotters center Dwight Howard.

Much like LeBron, Dwight always had the image of being a laid-back and carefree type of player. In fact, he was criticized for being too nice due to how friendly he is with everyone and the gleaming smile that's permanently on his face. He was never criticized for not winning a title, since he pushed all of that on the coaching staff and his teammates.

Dwight has easily usurped the title as the NBA's biggest villain and it really isn't close right now.

In the span of two years, he's single-handedly ousted the team's head coach and general manager, and has left the team in a perpetual state of limbo because of how indecisive he has been. He wants special treatment from the team he's spurning and is demanding a trade to only one team, a Brooklyn team that doesn't have the pieces to facilitate a trade.

And the blackmail story? I would have started migrating south if I were a Magic fan by that point.

Caught in the crossfire of all of this are the Orlando Magic fans, who have already gone through this with Shaquille O'Neal. But even Shaq wasn't reduced to this, because he left as a free agent. He didn't opt-in for another year with Orlando and then go about demanding trades for the next few months.

He spent his time with Orlando, saw better opportunities in Los Angeles and went for it, which is exactly what LeBron James did, except James played for Cleveland a lot longer.

If James was ridiculed by the media for leaving his team as a free agent, then Dwight Howard should get all of that and then some. But that seems unlikely. There's not going to be an obsession over whichever team Dwight Howard joins because he's not LeBron and all the hype that has come with him.

James did earn some of his criticism, because he does put his foot in his mouth a lot and say some outlandish things. When you big-up yourself as much as LeBron did for eight years only to come away with no championships, you do deserve the criticism and scrutiny to an extent. With the recent title and relaxed approach to media, however, James doesn't deserve the criticism and truly never has to the extent it has come.

Dwight has loudly and publicly taken all the heat off of LeBron. Of course, there will still be those who consistently jeer LeBron because he's not on their team. But he won't be in the villain role anymore. That belongs to the guy who actually just skipped out on his own basketball camp.

Or, instead of finding out who the next villain or scapegoat is, we could just watch and appreciate basketball without having to over-complicate it.