Compensation. Perhaps a
better word is overcompensate. This is a word that we are all too familiar
with. It is oftentimes used to describe various individuals in terms of their
personality and/or reactions to various situations. It is referred to in terms of
something the individual lacks and therefore attempts to make up for in another
area, specifically one where they either excel or have some control. Short guys
overcompensate for the height with weightraining or an aggressive attitude.
People who grew up lacking financially tend to purchase more frivolous things
once they are financially able. A woman who may not have the phattest ass may
wear shirts that accentuate her bountiful bosom (provided she has one, of
course).
We understand this concept of
compensation/overcompensation and yet a massive group of people, including and
perhaps led by Skip Bayless, still view LeBron James in comparison to great
players such as Jordan, Bird, and Kobe. The consensus is the only thing Bron is
missing that killer instinct, that will to crush your opponent at all costs. I
must agree. LeBron is the most dominant player I have ever watched that did not
possess a desire to utterly dominate the opposition. There are many theories on
why this is and of all that I have heard, none focus on the obvious.
Compensation.
Bron is 6’8” and 260lbs
(though less now due to this diet. I am not convinced it will improve anything,
but rather hurt him. That is a discussion for another blog post though.), all
muscle, all coiled muscle fibers ready to spring on every lazy pass, ready to
take every hard foul and finish anyway, ready to do what the “Akron Hammer”
does. Herein is where the lack of mental toughness (to the level of a Jordan or
Bryant) is explained. Let’s first give Bron that he has the mental toughness
that exceeds your everyday human being. Let us also concede that he does
possess mental toughness that most likely exceeds 90 – 95 percent of all
professional athletes and it is probably higher in terms of the NBA players. So
it is not that he does not possess such will, such desire to decimate but that
he lacks it on an elite/superior level whereas, seemingly other greats had it
in spades.
Consider his size, speed, and
strength coupled with his basketball I.Q. This makes for a very formidable
athlete. As we have seen throughout his already hall of fame worthy career,
there are not too many situations that cannot be overcome by his ability. It
has been said that if he possessed Jordan’s killer instinct he would be the
greatest basketball player of all time, the perfect player. But there is no
such thing as perfect when it comes to an individual. God gives as He sees fit
but never completes the image in a singular individual. The goal is to create
the perfect whole based on the sum of its parts. Imagine Jordan, Bird, or
Bryant with LeBron’s physical gifts and ability. This is reason he doesn’t
possess that killer will, he simply doesn’t need to. Jordan, Bird, Bryant, and
many other players with an indomitable mindset required such a mindstate in
order to realize their greatness because the physical abilities they possessed
were not enough. In Jordan’s own words he has failed more than he has
succeeded. So the goal of the exercise is not to win everytime, that is simply
impossible. But the goal is to maximize your potential and there are many ways
to do so. And these ways differ from person to person.
LeBron has the physical gifts
and abilities that maximize his potential, therefore there is no need for his
killer will. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying he shouldn’t have it. I am
simply stating that forces beyond his control preclude him from having it. This
is about natural selection, to an extent. So when thinking of LeBron in this
context he is as great a talent as whoever is on your Mt. Rushmore of the
NBA,though he may not match all the hardware. His greatness cannot be denied
and therefore should not be overlooked simply because he does not possess a
certain mindstate when he has other tools that compensate for that area of lack.
Remember, Shaq, one of the most dominant athletes period never could shoot a
free throw and we all know how important free throws are at the end of a game.
There will always be something missing…unless you’re Jordan of course…lol.
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