Cleveland’s LeBron James tallied 34 points and 14 assists last night against Portland, but that doesn’t mean he can’t improve. CBS Sports.com’s Ken Berger reported yesterday that former CBS broadcaster Rick Barry (above) was kind enough to share his vast expertise last night on Comcast Sports, with the following analysis of King James.
“He’s got major flaws in his game,” the Warriors great said in an interview airing Wednesday night. “He’s six years into the NBA. How can a man six years into the NBA with his talent have a major flaw in his shot? How can he not use screens effectively? . . . I watch the game very carefully, he doesn’t use screens effectively and this is not LeBron’s fault. It’s the fault of the people who are teaching him. … There is no doubt in my mind that LeBron, if shown these things, would do them, because he wants to be a great player. He wants to win a championship. As great as he is, he should be better.”
Of David Beckham, George Best once said, “he cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn’t score many goals. Apart from that he’s all right.” I tend to think his critique was a little more on the mark than Barry’s, however, as someone with an Eastern Conference rooting interesting, I oughta be quite grateful Rick hasn’t offered to serve as James’ tutor.