LeBron James: 5 Moves the Heat Star Needs to Learn and Refine from "The Dream"

Following in the footsteps of fellow All-Stars Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant, two-time MVP LeBron James has reportedly been practicing with dominant center Hakeem Olajuwon as a means to learn some of the league's most coveted post moves.

James couldn't have picked a better time, either. Not only is he coming off of one of the worst postseason series of his career, but he'll also be learning during the lockout where the regular season might not start according to plan with the way talks are currently being held.

LeBron certainly isn't the first NBA player to call upon Olajuwon for help to refine his post game. Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard most recently received guidance from Olajuwon with his around-the-basket game last offseason. It's no coincidence either that Howard averaged a career high in points per game as he developed some post moves that considerably helped his offensive consistency.

Among those moves include a running hook shot and even a 15-foot bank shot.

Olajuwon's post moves are some of the NBA's most deadly and coveted shots in the game. No post player has ever showed so much dominance in the paint with their footwork since Shaquille O'Neal decided to use his size to own the paint for over a decade. Hakeem's Dream Shake, above all, is a series of moves created by the Nigerian himself to free himself up for easy scores around the basket. The move is considered one of the most lethal as it's not always the same move time after time.

It's the uncertainty in every Dream Shake that made defenders pull their hair out when defending Olajuwon.

If LeBron James can master, or at least just learn, some of Hakeem's key moves, he'll add a completely new threat to his offensive repertoire. He has never developed anything near a post game and struggled greatly attempting to develop one last year in his first season with the Miami Heat. With Olajuwon leading him and giving him tips this offseason, James could very well just have become more of a dangerous offensive threat than ever before.

Learning Olajuwon's post moves is no easy task, but here are five of his key moves that James needs to learn in his time with the Hall of Famer.

The Bank Shot

LeBron James could probably get some tips from Dwyane Wade when it comes to bank shots, but why not ask one of the masters of the perfect bank shot?

Once you get into the post and you face up your defender, you immediately have the advantage because of the uncertainty of what you could do next. You can either attract some defenders and pass it out to an open man, perform a running sky hook or post up some more to get closer to the basket.

Perhaps the best move would be an easy bank shot. While the defender could be worried about getting too close and allowing the opposition to blow by them, they usually tend to give the player some room to breathe. This allows the perfect time for an easy bank shot over the defender since they're usually more worried about the offensive player getting any closer to the rim.

If Hakeem Olajuwon taught Dwight Howard how to consistently hit it, then there are no excuses for LeBron James.

The Up-and-Under

A variance of the Dream Shake, the up-and-under is a more popular post move that isn't as difficult to learn and perfect.

All it involves is faking a jump shot, or any type of shot for that matter, and allowing the defender to attempt to block the shot even though it was only a pump fake. When said defender embarrassingly flies by, then you can attempt the shot and finish off the up-and-under.

It's one of the easier post moves to learn and it would be a good first move for Olajuwon to teach James.

The Hook Shot

Created and perfected originally by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon also made sure to utilize the hook shot to his advantage as well.

The hook shot is another offensive move that is easier said than done. You need the quickness to beat a defender, the height to get it over the outstretched hands of any defender and a precise understanding of where the basket is. Knowing where the basket is at all times is one of the keys to being a quality post threat, as your back is to the basket most of the time you're in the area.

A hook shot takes great control of your upper body as well as the side of your body that you're using to take the shot. As you can tell by Dwight Howard's hook shots, it's not a process that you can learn overnight. You need to be able to establish some breathing room between you and your defender and then be quick enough to take the hook shot while getting only a small look at the basket with the defender closing in again.

The Spin Move

The spin move is a lot easier said than done. It takes precision, timing and a great understanding of the post as it can easily result in a turnover if you find yourself too far under the basket or end up costing you an offensive foul.

James has done plenty of perfect spin moves in the past, including his most recent one against Rajon Rondo, but it would greatly help his work in the post if he can learn how to dribble, spin off his defender and then score in the same sequence at a more consistent rate.

Along with Shaquille O'Neal, Olajuwon was one of the best in the league at performing the quick spin move off the defender. When defenders put their weight on you with their forearm, the offensive player can size them up and feel where most of the defenders weight is distributed. Once you feel where most of the defender's weight is, then you can spin off of them as if you were pulling a chair out from underneath them.

Olajuwon also created a half-spin move where you fake your defender as if you were going to spin off of them before coming back to the original spot and then taking the open shot.

It takes a lot of agility and even more practice to perfect this move, and it would make James an extremely dominant player in the post if he could learn how to do this. He's strong enough to post a defender deep into the post and is also quick enough to spin off of the defender once he's ready to score.

The Dream Shake

One of the most historic moves of NBA lore, the Dream Shake was patented and perfected by Hakeem Olajuwon during his near 20-year career.

The Dream Shake requires having a great understanding of the post, knowing how to outwit opponents and possessing the quick feet needed to move about so freely when performing the move.

When performing the move, you need to face up your defender and then put on a myriad of moves by either showing the ball as if you were going to shoot it or spinning so many times that the defender isn't sure at all of when or how you're going to put up the shot.

It's considered one of the most deadly moves in the history of the game because no two Dream Shakes are ever alike. It's nearly impossible to stop because there are variations and other moves you could add to it when in the middle of the move.