Michael Jordan captured four Larry O’Brien trophies after he turned 30 years old.
Kobe Bryant claimed two after 30 years old, before the Western Conference caught up to the aging Lakers.
Tim Duncan has even won two titles after 30, with the last one being the historical 2013-14 performance by San Antonio. The old man smacked around the younger generations en route to a five-game rampage during the 2014 Finals. It wasn’t even fair.
Then, you glance at the 2003 draft class, which has been widely regarded as the most successful and talent-heavy draft the NBA has ever witnessed.
LeBron James, the No. 1 pick in 2003, has now reached 30 years of age. Carmelo Anthony (No. 3) is about to turn 31. Chris Bosh (No. 4) is on his way to 31. Dwyane Wade (No. 5) just passed age 33.
Do me a favor, and tell me which one of those is currently in a great position to win a title?
All four of them are close friends. All four of them are facing either insufficiency or mediocrity in the East.
The combined record of Wade & Bosh’s Heat with Anthony’s Knicks is a distasteful 23-58, with only Miami in position to grab a final playoff spot. Still, they won’t do anything with it once April rolls around.
James, on the other hand, has the Cleveland Cavaliers at 21-20, winning two of the last three games he’s played in since returning from injury. James has hit 52.3 percent of his field goals since coming back from the sore knee (34-of-65) and knocked down 38.5 percent of his 3-point attempts (10-of-26). The two wins were against both Los Angeles franchises, which ironically were ones that may have pursued LeBron in the offseason. We know the Lakers desperately want — and need — him.
All three of those games, LeBron has been over the 32-point mark, averaging 33.4 with monster performances against the Lakers and Clippers. If James had played anything close to this level for his first 29 games, he’d be the front-runner for Most Valuable Player.
Instead, he started off the season shooting well under 50 percent and looking dejected on the defensive end. Both of those were mysterious to the average fan, who had witnessed LeBron destruct everyone in sight for the last three years. Instead of hustling on defense, he was jogging. Instead of running, he was briskly walking.
After sitting back to heal his sore back and knee, he’s now running again. He’s caring more on both ends of the court, and showing more direct leadership than his previous 29 games.
“I’ve felt better in the last three games than I did the whole season,” James said after downing the Clippers. “We’ve had a 2-1 record since I’ve been back, so hopefully we can continue on that path.”
Is it possible James enters the discussion for league MVP, with the likes of James Harden, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, and Anthony Davis? You should never say “never,” especially if he impels Cleveland to an absurd record in the second half of the season. Playing in the Eastern Conference, where only four opponents pose serious threats to the Cavaliers (Washington, Toronto, Chicago, and Atlanta), you should be more on the optimistic side than any other.
Nonetheless, LeBron is still up against the greatest challenge of his career.
Now, it’s about keeping his body in adequate shape to last for the future championship runs. If you recall, Kobe went through a debilitating knee in 2011 that led to his 3-peat attempt falling short. Carmelo Anthony is currently experiencing tortuous knee pain that sidelined him for weeks and brought up the question of “shutting him down” for the season.
In order for James to be considered one of the five most illustrious players that’s ever worn an NBA jersey — which he claims is his No. 1 goal in this career — he has to win titles after the age of 30.
He has to defy age, as Bryant and Duncan have proven they could do to a certain extent.
He has to learn how to adjust his game once Father Time comes knocking on his door, which won’t be for another three years. But, it begins now. It begins with these middle-of-the-pack Cavaliers.
At the mid-way point of the 2010-11 season with Miami, LeBron had the Heat at 30-11 after going on a massive 12-game winning streak to right the ship. That type of surge hasn’t happened yet for Cleveland, and they now sit at 21-20 through 41 games — nine wins less than Miami’s big three during their first year.
It’s not a cause for major concern yet, since LeBron has given Cleveland no indication that he’d directly leave the city again if progress didn’t immediately happen. After all, most of us forget that he explicitly stated in his heartwarming letter that “We’re not ready right now. No way.” He’s not a fool, and knows it’s virtually impossible to win a title during your first year with a new “big three.”
The 2008 Boston Celtics accomplished it during their first year together, because they rode the league’s No. 1 defense (98.9 points allowed per 100 possessions). In 2010-11, Miami’s defensive rating stood at 103.5, which was No. 5 in the league. This Cleveland team is miles below that level, allowing 109.1 points per 100 possessions (26th).
There’s your main difference between the trio of new “big three” units, and it doesn’t speak very fondly of the Cavaliers’ title chances this season.
However, LeBron has every reason to stay in Cleveland. We’re not even talking about the home sentimentality here.
It’s about what can form in the following years, when this trio (James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love) can gel more together. It’s about when General Manager David Griffin can mold a solid unit around No. 23, something Dan Gilbert wasn’t willing to do six years ago.
If there’s one thing Love and Irving have over Wade and Bosh from 2010, it’s the significant youth. There’s time to make this work, and people need to have their long-term glasses on to realize it. You can’t be nearsighted.
James is in the driver’s seat, and there’s no question whose head this will fall on if he fails to deliver a championship to Ohio in the next three years. It could ruin his already corroded 2-3 record in the NBA Finals. Fans in the Cleveland area wouldn’t abandon him, but it’d be on the borderline of disaster.
To rise above the greats of Bryant and Duncan from this generation, LeBron needs to win at least two more times on the big stage.
The team and city are behind him. It’s only up to him to lead them past the finish line.