Can LeBron James play as well as the hype?
Can LeBron Jamesplay as well as the hype?
By TOM WITHERS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
OUND THE ROYAL TRUMPETS AND ROLL out the 94-foot red carpet from baseline to baseline.
The 18-year-old called King James -- the one with the spellbinding playing skills, dazzling smile, $100 million in endorsements and sky-high expectations -- has arrived.
Welcome to the NBA, LeBron James. They've been waiting for you.
It's hard to remember a more eagerly anticipated debut. The Beatles didn't get hype like this.
But John, Paul, George and Ringo didn't step off a plane in New York nearly 40 years ago with $90 million sneaker deals or their own Web sites, either.
Their records and guitars weren't being auctioned on eBay, and they weren't making commercials, handing out MTV awards or wearing $500,000 watches before their first concert.
The world has changed, which is why a hoops-playing prodigy from Akron can become a megamillionaire, A-list celebrity, billion-dollar corporation and anointed basketball messiah before playing a single second of his first pro game.
Era begins
J ames, the nation's top high school player the past two years, must prove he deserves it all as he begins his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team will open the regular season Wednesday in Sacramento.
"I've never been around a player like him, certainly not one at 18," said first-year Cavaliers coach Paul Silas. "He has an unusual confidence. He's not going to be intimidated by anyone. He says the right things at the right time.
"He has that swagger that the great ones have. I'm not putting him in a great category -- yet. He has a chance to be a very, very special player."
The LeBron James Era has begun.
The Next Michael Jordan. The Next Magic Johnson. The Next Overrated Bust. Take your pick. In a few years, James may fall into one of those categories or none.
Right now, the 6-foot-8, 240-pound James is a chiseled package of power who can jump like Jordan and pass like Johnson.
James is expected to become an instant All-Star and bring Cleveland its first world championship in any sport since 1964.
"The hype is almost impossible for him to live up to," said Cavs guard Ricky Davis. "They kind of set you up for failure."
James, though, isn't concerned about the pressure.
"I just want to make my team better every game," he often says. "I'm here to win. I want to win. Everything else will take care of itself."
It's up to Silas to see that it does. A two-time All-Star, Silas won three NBA titles during 16 seasons as a fearsome rebounder, tireless worker and disciplined player. As a coach, he has a reputation for being tough but fair and an excellent teacher.
Patience needed
esson No. 1 for fans: Patience.
"We only won 17 games last year," Silas said. "This kid has not played one game yet, and the expectation is if he doesn't score 20 points and grab 10 rebounds a game, the whole world will say, 'He just can't get it done.'
"Well, if he scores 12 or 13 points a game for me and gets five rebounds and five assists, that's a hell of a year. And he has the capability to do even better. But right now, the expectations are completely out of whack."
James is possibly the city's most high-profile athlete since Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown in the 1960s.
"He's the most popular thing in basketball," said Cleveland forward Carlos Boozer. "We're just along for the ride."
James has already transformed the Cavaliers, absent from the playoffs since 1998, into one of the sports world's hottest commodities.
The Cavs have nearly tripled their season-ticket base. Other teams included the Cavaliers in their ticket packages.
"We'll be the second-most watched team on the road behind only the Lakers," Silas said. "That blows my mind."
The Cavaliers will be on national TV 13 times this season, which is 13 more than the past two seasons combined.
Media requests have poured in from around the globe. James' preseason debut in Detroit was attended by reporters from Japan, France and Malaysia.
He has also made the Cavaliers fashionably hip, as fans wear his wine-and-gold rookie jersey. About 400,000 have been sold, ranking James just behind Jordan in national sales.
Always the best
hristened "The Chosen One' at 17 with a Sports Illustrated cover story, James spent the past three seasons dunking on kids who couldn't hold their own against him.
He couldn't remember the last time he wasn't the best player on the court.
"Tough question," he said.
How about never?
"You can print that," he said.
Those days are over. NBA players are licking their chops at the chance to greet James.
"He should have an endorsement with Target," said Minnesota All-Star forward Kevin Garnett. "Because he has a bull's-eye on his back."
James, who was on the radar screen of NBA scouts since he was 15, can no longer count on taking over a game and dominating whenever he needs to.
A marvelous passer with superb court vision, he needs to work on his outside shooting. He'll also have to adjust to playing an 82-game schedule, the almost non-stop travel and taking the occasional elbow to the rib cage.
"He's in with the big boys now," Detroit center Ben Wallace said. "I hope he's prepared."
And then there's the spotlight.
"He's not going to be able to take a night off," Boozer said. "That's tough."