The Catch, The Shot, The...Elbow?

http://twitter.com/lebronselbow

I am by no means a LeBron James fan. I'm sure part of that is because I'm a Lakers fan, but there's also the part of me that is just rubbed the wrong way by his cocky demeanor. The part that bothers me isn't so much his dancing during games or not shaking hands, but it's his overall disconnect with why people would even be offended or have a problem with those things. And then there's his choice of nicknames (King James, The Chosen One), his choice of marketing campaigns (We Are All Witnesses, LBJ/MVP ripping off of Run DMC), and other things that leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Still, he's a transcendent talent in the NBA today. His combination of speed, skill and brute force is something to see. And that's why, even though I'm a LBJ hater, I'd still like to see him explode in these playoffs, beginning with this Boston Celtics series which is currently tied at 1-1.

In the closeout game of Round 1, LeBron hurt his elbow near the end of the game. Even though it caused him to shoot a free throw left-handed in the closing seconds of a four point game (he missed, but they still won), he said after the game that it wasn't that bad. He's since been diagnosed with a sprained elbow and bone bruise and has had several MRIs since then.

The weird thing about it all is that his play and talk aren't quite matching up. Clearly, he's being affected by it. Other than that leftie free throw, he just hasn't quite been as aggressive as we're accustomed to seeing. Now it's possible, and in fact my opinion, that he's being a bit of a baby about it. After all, he himself said that he's good to go and not too affected by it. Is all this injury talk just a ploy to make fans and media fawn over what a warrior he is?

Whatever the case, his elbow is one of the biggest subplots of this postseason. As much as I hate to admit it, I'd love to watch him rise above it and take over his team. On a recent podcast, ESPN columnist Bill Simmons mentioned that he considers it a skill to be able to play injured. I totally agree. Some of the most enduring moments in sports are athletes overcoming adversity, both physical and emotional, to shine their brightest. Think Brett Favre passing for nearly 400 yards the night after his father died. Think Michael Jordan scoring 38 (15 in the 4th) in a crucial Game 5 while playing through the flu. Think Kirk Gibson limping to the plate and homering off Dennis Eckersley in the World Series. And even in today's NBA, think of the great players bound for the Hall of Fame. Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan. They're all great players and all have put up very good performances playing through pain.

If LeBron can't fight through what may or may not be a minor elbow injury, what does that mean for him? Certainly at 100%, he's one of the best to have touched a basketball. But injuries happen to everyone. Isn't durability part of the game? Isn't fighting through pain part of what it means to be a professional athlete, much less a superstar? LeBron's a special talent. I want to see him have that extra switch, the one he can flip on even when he's hurt and say, "F this, I'm taking over anyway."

He doesn't have a real sidekick on this team. There's no Jordan/Pippen, Shaq/Kobe, Dream/Glide dynamic at all. They might as well change their name to the Cleveland LeBrons (or Crabs I guess). If he can't find that switch, it's a distinct possibility that he'll be sitting at home, watching the next round of the playoffs. Not quite the throne the King was hoping for.