Gaz, good call. I was actually about to go into the thread and officially declare the Pred Thread Dead.
I would disagree with the notion that Lebron is one of the most gifted physical athletes ever - I think he is the most gifted physical specimen ever. It's either him or Shaq in team sports (boxers, fighters, decathletes I'm not counting here) He's also highly skilled, but he's not driven by the same OCD-level desire to get better as MJ, Kobe, Bird, Kareem all were/are. At least not yet, he may after this series (nothing like a little taste of the old humble pie to drive a man forward.)
It is unfortunate that the Media crowned him before he totally earned it (after last season, he'd earned it, but prior not really) because I think it demotivated him a little. Obviously still a major stud out there and one of the top 3,4 whatever players in the League. But to get to that next level, he needs to be driven by the desire for perfection which normal, sane people are not (as perfection is impossible.)
Lebron is a pretty business-smart dude and I think that his focus is on his and his family's life rather than perfecting the game of basketball. MJ was a freak and his total focus was dominating every last waking moment of his life - his family crumbled as a result. But his on the court is, well, we all know.
This is not to fall into the dreaded Lebron v. Kobe v. MJ comparison trap, but when you are talking about players that good, you really have to bring the others up or there is just no point of reference.
He's having a rough series to be sure (averaging 8.5 TOs hurts) which is compounded by the solid play of his teammates, Z especially as it seems to beg the question, "What if Lebron was on too?"
I want Lebron to develop his own persona - but I don't think that that is going to happen. From his Kevin Garnett pre-game to his GQ post-game and statesmen speaking style (very political, excellent at it) he is an exercise in pick and choose to develop and exhibit media persona, rather than an honest representation of who he really is. This is an absurdly personal point for someone who has never been within 20 miles of the guy to make, but
Lebron needs to recognize that he is a limited person just like everyone else - and then explore those limits in the framework of a "perfect" basketball game.
And again, if he never got any better he'd still be pretty damned good.
