LeBron James and the 15 NBA Players with Chips on Their Shoulders in 2010-11
The NBA offseason that passed was arguably the biggest from the standpoint of how and where the superstars assembled, but simply due to the vast amount of publicity--good and bad--that was given to the NBA.
"The Decision" showed the David Stern and his Association that a legitimate superstar could hold their league hostage.
LeBron James ultimately moved from Cleveland to Miami to join up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh so he and Bosh could chase their first championship together.
But beyond Bron Bron and Bosh, who both have chips on their shoulders being labeled the team to beat before the season began, here are another 18 players that also feel they have something to prove.
Devin Harris
1 of 17
Devin Harris is a great player, well at least he was known as one before moving to New Jersey and the Nets.
Now, he never gets national recognition because no network wants to play New Jersey on TV.
And actually, at 16.9 points and 6.6 assists per game, Harris' numbers were slightly down as part of the Nets last season.
Harris has started this year off playing bigger and better and he has to in order to get his team back to relevance.
Brook Lopez
2 of 17
Much like Harris, Lopez' talents are overshadowed by the dismal destination that is New Jersey.
The Nets won an abysmal 12 games last season and even though Lopez showed much growth as a player, seemingly no one noticed.
Lopez has to prove not only that he's a good player, but a star, by leading the Nets back to the playoffs for the first time in years.
Darko Milicic
3 of 17
Darko, who was taken No. 2 overall in the 2003 draft ahead of everyone but LeBron, hasn't done much in the NBA so far.
Milicic enjoyed career-best numbers last season in 24 games with the Timbervolves, at 8.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Were they good enough numbers to warrant a four year, $20 million deal?
Many laughed and indeed, it was too much to pay for a decent role player but not someone that can be a star for your team.
And even though this season is only four games in, Milicic has only averaged 3.5 points and 5.0 rebounds, meaning the pressure might have gotten to him. He must overcome it and show he was worth the big bucks to play as Minnesota's big man.
Carlos Boozer
4 of 17
Boozer already had a chip on his shoulder when he was traded from the Jazz to the Bulls because many people have been critical saying his defense is soft and he's not big enough to play against many of the bigger power forwards in today's NBA.
Then, Boozer slipped and broke his finger and hasn't been able to play with his new teammates yet.
So, not only does he have to play bigger and better, but he has to prove he was worth the big contract Chicago paid him and mesh with teammates Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.
Tracy McGrady
5 of 17
Yes, T-Mac is still playing basketball and he's trying to remind everyone that he can still play in the NBA.
McGrady is currently playing in his 13th season, this one with the Pistons, and has only gotten 11.4 minutes per game and is averaging lows in scoring (.5), assists and almost every other stat.
He's got to be upset with as little playing time as that, especially on a winless Detroit team.
Chris Paul
6 of 17
CP3 was undoubtedly the best point guard in the game, deemed so by the talking heads on ESPN and TNT.
Then he injured his knee and everyone jumped from his bandwaggon over to Utah's Derron Williams as the best point in the NBA.
But Chris Paul is still a magical player, be it shooting, driving or diming assists to teammates and he will show everyone once again that he's the top dog at the point guard spot.
So far in the 2010-11 season, CP3 has been back on top of the game, averaging 20 PPG, 9.3 APG and 6.0 RPG.
Brendan Haywood
7 of 17
Brendan Haywood is one of the players that has a legitimate reason to have a chip on his shoulder.
Haywood was traded for and received by the Mavericks and he started at center for them to finish their season.
But Dallas traded for another center this offseason, and Tyson Chandler is their starting center now while Haywood's been dropped to 22 minutes per game.
Whenever Haywood gets into the game he's got to show how valuable he is on the court and the chip on his shoulder should help that case.
Jeff Green
8 of 17
Green is one of the top-three players on the young and talented Oklahoma City Thunder squad.
Green is averaging 19.7 points and 6.0 boards this season, but the Thunder didn't extend him a contract extension this year.
Now he'll have that chip on his shoulder all season, and it may even have him wanting to move on to a new team somewhere.
Arron Afflalo
9 of 17
Arron Afflalo is the Nuggets third-year shooting guard, who started last season and has this season as well.
He's shown an awesome amount of growth this year, quickly exploding to the hoop and an increased accuracy when shooting from downtown.
Afflalo is averaging career highs in points (14) and assists (3.3) this year and was hoping for a contract extension, but did not get one from the Nuggets front office.
He told NBA FanHouse's Chris Tomasson, "I'm fine, I'm fine. I'll put my best foot forward this year."
Afflalo wants to resign with the Nuggets and he wants to show them how valuable he is to the team this season.
Elton Brand
10 of 17
Elton Brand is aging and has shown a great resurgence in his 11th year.
He's playing at the level he was back in LA with the Clippers in 2006-07 as he's averaging 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds.
Brand's showing he's got a chip on his shoulder and wants to get his 76ers back into the playoffs and if he keeps playing like this, he may do just that.
Kenyon Martin
11 of 17
K-Mart isn't playing currently, and he may not play until January, 2011.
But, he basically came out and said he's got a chip on his shoulder when he discussed displeasure in not receiving a contract extension from Denver and thus he is, "In no rush" to get back to the court.
Though, when Martin, one of the fiercest and most threatening defenders in the NBA, gets back to the court he will have to prove himself and that he can still play so another team picks him up when his days in Denver are done.
Baron Davis
12 of 17
Baron Davis is a star, well at least he used to be.
Davis is the old man on a Clippers squad that's full of young and more physically gifted players.
Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman are arguably bigger pieces of the team and Davis has struggled because of it, playing too much one-on-one and turning the ball over far too much.
He's mad and wants to prove he can still play, but he needs to be smarter about it.
Aaron Brooks
13 of 17
Aaron Brooks is lightning in a bottle, an extraordinarily quick and fast point guard that rose to fame last season with the Rockets.
Last year, Brooks' third in the league, he enjoyed career highs in points (19.6) and assists (5.3) while learning how to be a leader young.
His points have dropped to 15.3 per this year, but his assists have continued to climb to 7.0 per contest as Brooks is better facilitating his teammates.
He wasn't offered a contract extension either so he'll likely be proving himself to the Rockets and the rest of the league that he's a star point guard in the making.
Amar'e Stoudemire
14 of 17
Amar'e finally got out of Phoenix and landed in New York.
Knicks fans were so excited that they sold out the season tickets before this year even began.
But now, Amar'e has to show everyone that he's capable of being the man in New York.
The Knicks don't have a lot of talent surrounding Amar'e and he's going the have to score a massive amount of points while getting the majority of the opponent's defensive attention.
No longer does Stoudemire have Steve Nash and he needs a deft passer to play the pick-and-roll offense with--the Knicks don't have one yet.
Still, Stoudemire has started strong, to the tune of 21.3 points and 7.7 boards per game. But the Knicks are 1-2 to begin the season and they have to surround him with more talent.
Chris Bosh
15 of 17
Chris Bosh has always been the guy on any team he's played on in the NBA. Sure, he only played for Toronto in his first seven seasons, but there was a multitude of players that they tried to surround him with.
Now he's basically the third option on the Heat, meaning he had a lot of pressure lifted off of his shoulders when he moved to Miami.
Still, he should have a chip on his shoulder because so many in the media talked of him as an afterthought when discussing the new "Big Three" in South Beach.
Bosh will attempt to shine and should be given his due as a great player but there's no doubt that LeBron and Wade will get more publicity than the quieter big man.
Carmelo Anthony
16 of 17
Melo is not only hungry for a championship ring but he wants to be traded away from Denver to a new team.
Most preferably, Carmelo wants to go to New York to play with Amar'e, back to his birth town and close to family and friends in Baltomore, Maryland.
Melo doesn't want to be seen as another LeBron, an overly egotistical prima donna, so he didn't come out and say he wanted out of Denver until recently when he told Yahoo! Sports, "I think it's time for a change."
Until he gets his trade, Melo will play with a chip on his shoulder, and if he doesn't go to New York (which is the most likely because they don't have what Denver wants) then he may be playing mad for years to come.
Unless he ends up in New Jersey for now and Brooklyn later after the Nets move in 2014.
Plus, Melo want to be seen as one of the top players in the game, like his friends LeBron, Dwyane and Amar'e, and he still doesn't get the recognition they do--another reason for a large chip on Melo's shoulder.
LeBron James
17 of 17
LeBron James has to have the biggest chip on his shoulder of anyone in the NBA.
Some people think LeBron is the best player in the Association and he has been since last year, while others believe Kobe Bryant is still the top man in the NBA.
Bron wants to prove he's the best in the league while winning over an excessive amount of fans.
And he doesn't just want to prove he's the best in the NBA today, LeBron has a chip on his shoulder because he wants to be regarded as one of the most prolific players in NBA history.
One thing that can get him more credibility in discussions of the all-time greats is a title, and until he wins one (and more likely multiple) Bron Bron will have a giant chip on his shoulder to be sure.
Rich Kurtzman is a Colorado State Alumnus and a freelance journalist. Along with being the CSU Rams and Fort Collins Beer Bars Examiner, Kurtzman is a Denver Broncos and the Denver Nuggets Featured Columnist for bleacherreport.com and the Colorado/Utah Regional Correspondent for stadiumjourney.com.
