Grave Expectations: Who LeBron James Is Should Be Up to LeBron James

You've seen them, the father and son at the tennis or basketball courts at times most seven-year-olds don't even know exist. Only one of them wants to be there; no prizes for guessing which one.

You've heard the father barking, the kid frustratingly taking shot after shot or serve after serve. The only solace the child has is knowing, soon, his father has to go to work. It's sad, for every one of these stories with a happy ending there are countless with irreconcilable riffs. Not allowing a child to grow up is among one of the worst sins a parent can commit.

So why haven't we allowed LeBron James to grow up?

His every move, word, dribble, shot, win, loss, mistake, triumph is measured against, oh nobody, just the greatest basketball player OF ALL TIME.

Without the expectations to be something he's never promised to be, how different would we see LeBron James?

James has been coddled his entire life. He's never had to work for anything. Nike validated his mere presence with a $100 million contract before he even stepped foot in an NBA arena.

Do we judge him because he wore 23 in high school? The audacity of that young and impressionable kid who grew up in the 90's and idolized Jordan like every other kid in America.

Because he left Cleveland? Studies show 76 percent of newborn babies want to leave Cleveland. Dan Gilbert's Comic Sans attack justified the move that very night. The method was wrong, but the motive and need were evident.

James' infamous "take my talents to South Beach" line might as well translate to "I'm not Jordan, I can't do this by myself."

Is that kind of self realization a bad thing? Shouldn't be.

It was LeBron James' most clairvoyant moment ever. He knows he's not wired like Jordan, or even Kobe. He's too concerned with being liked/loved. He wants to be an entertainer and a businessman. Jordan made his business deals on the basketball court. LeBron prefers boardrooms.

In this world of highlight shows, PlayStation and Xbox, when we see a freakish talent who can mimic anything we can do with a controller in our hands, we believe it's that easy. When it's not, we get offended. We take it personally. Animosity grows. HE choked. HE's arrogant. HE isn't what HE said he was. HE's no Jordan. Hell, HE's not even Kobe Bryant!

We project expectations. "Do you know what I'd do if I had all that talent?!" we say, but the answer is no, and, neither do you.

I get as frustrated as the next fan while watching King James. "Why doesn't he drive to the basket?", "Why does he keep taking long jumpers?", "Where's his killer instinct?", "Jason Kidd is guarding you with one foot in the grave, DO SOMETHING!"

Jordan spoiled us into thinking it doesn't matter who your opponent is: If you want to win, you will. We become transfixed on the failings of one player when there were five other guys in different jerseys that deserve credit. Have we forgotten that they totally destroyed the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers? Frustrated them (to the point of rage) with ball movement, clutch shooting and solid defense. Sound familiar?

Goldfish memory.

Last year the Miami Heat were 47-35 and just crept into the playoffs only to be dismantled in five games by the Boston Celtics in Round 1. This year, after gutting the roster and picking up other team's scraps just to fill it, they went 58-24, dismantled those same Boston Celtics, terrorized the new MVP and the scrappy Chicago Bulls, and made it to the NBA Finals.

This year, the Dallas Mavericks were just better. Their overall team shooting percentage ranks as arguably the best in NBA Finals history. They played team basketball, preyed on the Heat's defensive over-aggressiveness and just plain beat them. The Mavericks should be celebrated, the Heat should be congratulated.

This is year one of five the new Big Three signed up for. Pretty damn good start when put in (*spoiler alert* P word!) perspective.

Clearly LeBron and his advisers/BFFs don't get many things right in terms of public perception. But I'm not going to vilify a kid for the rest of his career on the basis of an ill-advised one-hour TV special.

Unrealized potential is the toughest thing to deal with as a parent, and as a critic. It's a helpless feeling. But it's also my sincere hope that LeBron James develops that mental toughness, blocks out the haters, dedicates himself like never before and leads the Miami Heat (with Wade as a sidekick) to multiple championships.

However, he's just as likely to shut everyone out, listen to his friends and be perfectly okay deferring in clutch moments and trying to build a Fortune 500 company off of a couple conversations with Warren Buffet.

I take no joy in seeing this talent fail. We have a chance to witness something we've never seen before each night he's on the court. I'd like to allow his career to develop and then judge its merits once it's complete. Saying "he's not Jordan, he's Magic." or "he's not Kobe, he's Pippen." is foolish. Right now he's none of the above. But I'm okay with that. Guess I'm in the minority.