One of these things is not like the other...

So I've been wanting to write a post about The Voice, but I've been distracted these past couple days by my computer getting owned by viruses. Which is not fun and which I have not quite successfully navigated through yet, if at all.

But I just wanted to hop on and make a quick remark about LeBron James, since that seems to be the cool thing to do. I'm not sure if this is going to be at all accurate, but it's just something I was thinking about.

I think we've seen that LeBron doesn't necessarily compare all that well to other superstars. Clearly, the whole Jordan thing is BS, not because LeBron isn't a great player, but because the comparison simply falls flat and makes no sense.

As ESPN's Tom Haberstroh writes:

Every time we compare this James to that Jordan, we're reminded of an essential detail:

Jordan had the license, ability and desire to shoot 26 times per game; James does not.

And this is the big elephant in the room. James and Jordan are different players playing in very different situations in very different eras. They are both great -- both all-time greats. But Jordan didn't have Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on his team, begging for 32 shots every game. And Jordan will probably maintain that he wouldn't want them anyway. He wanted the ball every time down the court and we have deified him for that. That's part of made him the best basketball player to ever play the game.

There is no denying that James stunk up the joint in Game 4 when he shot just 3-for-11. But the real reason Jordan would have never scored just eight points in a Finals game is because he would have never taken just 11 shots from the floor like James did.

Why?

Because Jordan is not James, and James is not Jordan.

To me, LeBron doesn't necessarily compare well with the traditional stars because his value and ability have as little to do with scoring as any true superstar I can think of. Obviously, he can score the ball, but if you think of superstar wings like Jordan, Kobe, or Durant, their value is very strongly tied to how many points they score. They happen to do other things very well, which is what makes them superstars, but I feel like for LeBron it's the reverse, so much so that one might say that his offense is the weakest part of his game.

Think about it this way. What makes LeBron such a dynamic basketball player? He has a tremendous combination of size and speed. For his position, he is an A+ rebounder, passer, and ball-handler. Combined with his exceptional court vision and basketball IQ, this makes him very scary from everywhere on the floor because he can see what's happening, then dissect the situation and execute the correct action as quick or quicker than pretty much anyone in the league. On the other hand, he's known for lacking a post game despite his considerable bulk. His outside shooting and foul shooting are mediocre. I believe that his other qualities allow him to get away with these deficiencies because he is able to get to the rim (and attempt much easier shots) and create for his teammates (who have more developed offensive weapons).

You think about Dirk and his ridiculous spin moves and fadeaways. Kevin Durant launching one handed floaters from the top of the key. Jordan and Kobe with their footwork, jabs, fading jumpers. The two-step (if you're talking about Wade) or Euro-step (if you're talking about Manu). I don't think LeBron really has a move or a standout offensive tactic like these guys, unless you count the charge to the rim which, while very effective, isn't in the same category as those other moves in my book.

It's just weird to think that someone's offense can be so good while his pure scoring ability isn't on a superstar level, but I think that's the case with LeBron.

Now I'm not excusing his play recently. At times, notably game 4, he's seemed a bit detached, maybe a little too passive. I obviously don't know what the explanation is, and there might well be a good, legitimate explanation.

I do think that we're seeing a different kind of superstar with LeBron though. There's no doubt he's an elite player, one of the greatest talents that's come into the league in a while. Maybe he really isn't a closer, not necessarily the guy you want scoring the ball late. I'm not sure that's true, given his previous series and playoff history with Cleveland, but at this point it's just shots in the dark anyway.

Will we be able to come to grips with and accept an ubertalent that doesn't (or maybe can't) score like what we're used to seeing?