If any coach in the NBA could underappreciate LeBron James, one would assume it might be Rick Carlisle. After all, it was Carlisle’s Dallas Mavericks that beat LeBron’s Miami Heat in the 2011 Finals by rendering the four-time MVP a broken shell of his normally dominant self. Instead of gloating or feeling excessive pride over forcing James to a career nadir that would prove the genesis of so much unparalleled success in the interim, though, Carlisle seems to think more of LeBron than most of his coaching peers.
According to Earl Sneed of Mavs.com, Dallas’ head man said that James is “no doubt” among the five best basketball players of all-time.
Rick Carlisle on LeBron: "There's no doubt we're looking at one of the five best players ever to play."
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) October 17, 2014
We can’t disagree.
While a majority might that it’s too early to anoint LeBron as such, we’re comfortable enough with his growing list of accomplishments and all-encompassing influence to do just that. Quite frankly, no player in history has ever effected a game the way James so consistently does. Once The King won his second title, his career achievements became sufficient to rank alongside legends like Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Magic Johnson as a cut above the rest.
And the scary thing, of course, is that James isn’t close to done. Jordan had three titles at the end of the season in which he turned 30 years-old, and nobody would be shocked if LeBron managed the same by leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a championship this year. It seems almost likely at this point that he’ll catch Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record six MVP awards, too.
In James, we’re all lucky enough to witness almost unprecedented greatness. We can’t wait to see more of it come October 30.
Do you agree with Carlisle?
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