BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) MO WILLIAMS
Mo was just coming into his own. He’s worked as LeBron’s wing man for a few years now and is being abandoned like a mean ex girlfriend. At just over 15 points, over 5 assists, and 3 boards a game Mo Williams was a great “Robin” to LeBron’s “Batman”. Sure it’s easy and redundant to credit James with the heart sum of their 2010 66-16 record but people like Mo make guys like LeBron work. Mo has only been an All Star once, in 09. Even then he was in only as a replacement player. Ironically, he was subbing for an injured Chris Bosh.
(THREE) BEN WALLACE
In a comparison of stats, Wallace is as accomplished as just anyone LeBron has played with. Five time all Defensive Player, four time All Star, four time Defensive Player of the Year, and has a NBA Championship ring from 2004. True, the majority of his career and success came in Detroit. But Wallace’s stats always seemed best when he had support around him. LeBron could have been that support and these two could have been a great tandem. They barely had a chance together, but the time was no capitalized on really at all.
(TWO) CARLOS BOOZER
Booz has 2 All Star appearances, first rookie team, a US Bronze Metal, and a US Gold Metal thus far in his career. He’s missing the same thing LeBron James, an NBA Championship. In LeBron’s 2003, “Rookie of the Year” debut the team finished 9th in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs. Also on the team at this time was Carlos Boozer, an All Star. In this recent “2010 Free Agency War”, both LeBron and Boozer were free agents but in the end LeBron didn’t take advantage of the chance to try to win with “The Booz” again.
(ONE) SHAQUILLE O’NEAL
Shaquille O’Neal has enough rings to make a complete fist of NBA Championship glory. In his 18 years as an active NBA player, he’s won 4 times. Mathematically, that means for every 4 and half years Shaq plays he’s won a title. I know he won Back to Back twice, but that’s not the point. Shaquille is always hungry to win games and is known to inspire those around him. If LeBron James is on the same level as the Michael Jordans, Magic Johnsons, and Larry Birds he could have managed to make this work. D-Wade and Kobe did. I know Shaq was older with the Cavs than he was with the Heat or Lakers but shouldn’t of that been counter balanced by the fact that “LeBron is the best in the league”? At this point, if and win LeBron gets himself a ring is it HIS or will he be riding a proven Champion in D-Wade’s coat tails? Questions like this could have been avoided.
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