If You Feel Bad For LeBron James Then You Are A Damned Fool

Contrary to popular belief, I am no idiot. As much as I dislike what LeBron James stands for off the court, I cannot blame him for what has transpired on the court over the course of the first two games of the NBA Finals. I could very well make the case that the most impressive physical specimen in all of sports should be able to consistently make a mid-range jump shot, but his lackluster perimeter game wouldn't even make a Buzzfeed list of the Cavaliers' biggest issues. 

That said, the last thing I have any intention of doing is throwing on a dunce cap and attending this pity party that people are throwing for the biggest control freak in the entire NBA. It's true that LeBron James doesn't have enough talent - or the right talent - around him to win an NBA Championship this year. It's also true that he's had more autonomy over this current roster than maybe any other player in the history of sports has had over their team's personnel.

I know the Cavaliers are in desperate need of a long athletic wing defender that can contribute offensively and take some attention away from LeBron. Unfortunately, LeBron's first act in "coming home" was strong-arming his team into trading that player when he essentially orchestrated the deal that sent Andrew Wiggins to Minnesota for Kevin Love. I know the Cavaliers could use a strong interior post presence that can be trusted to give them some easy buckets. That's why I was left scratching my head when LeBron was urging the Cavaliers to meet Tristan Thompson's downright ludicrous contractual demands. I know Tyronn Lue is getting comically out-coached in this series, but wasn't that at least a little predictable when LeBron had a wildly successful coach (record wise) canned midseason for someone with no experience leading a team of his own?

It's not fair to blame a player that's nearly averaging a triple double for his team's struggles. That's why I am not blaming the player. I am blaming the person responsible for the acquisitions that have proven to be abject failures. Usually that would fall on the shoulders of the General Manager, but in this extremely odd case the most productive member of the Cleveland Cavaliers is also the most unproductive member of their front office. I don't blame LeBron James for having the incessant need to put himself in the best possible position to win. While it's obnoxiously self serving it's also very smart. However, he undoubtedly loses the ability to act like he is a great player stuck in an unfortunate situation when he, himself, constructed the entirety of the situation. I probably would have traded Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love too, but that's why I - much like LeBron James - would make a fucking terrible General Manager.