I don't think we've ever seen a more scrutinized superstar than LeBron James in NBA history, but the Miami Heat star is finally shedding some of the hate now after helping South Beach repeat as champions.Since 2003 up until last year, there's never been a player with more pressure to win a ring than LeBron. James helped guide the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2007 NBA Finals, only to be swept by the San Antonio Spurs. In his first year with the Heat, he disappeared in a six-game series loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals.
However, in 2012, James redeemed himself and captured his first ring, but it still wasn't enough. Could he rebound against the Spurs again? Can he win a ring in a full, 82-game season? James did so.
Will there by another superstar who will experience this type of criticism that James has endured? Are there any superstars left that will receive the same treatment and pressure to win their first ring?
If there is, here are five players that come to mind.
5. Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose has received a ton of flak this season for not playing, despite being cleared back in February. With a full offseason ahead, it's for sure that Rose will be back on the court in October for the Chicago Bulls.The Bulls have a good shot at finishing at the top or at least the second or third seed in the Eastern Conference next season. They gave many teams hell, and he wasn't even in the line-up. Now imagine what this Bulls team can do with Rose in.
Rose is going to have a lot of pressure facing him and it will continue to increase as the Bulls improve as a team. But then again, Rose has been seen as possibly the most likable guy in the NBA, and he's the youngest person out of anyone in this list, so it may be a bit easier for him to avoid the hate.
4. Carmelo Anthony
A bit of a shocker, right?Many would have Anthony higher on this list, even No. 1, but it doesn't seem like the media holds the New York Knicks forward to a level that LeBron or the top player on this list possess. Simply put, Anthony is not in their class, and it doesn't seem like he's a true superstar either. He's a star, not a superstar.
It looks like we'll forever have a doubt in our mind for Anthony being an NBA champion. However, he's still in the Big Apple, and there will always be pressure on him. But looking at it, it seems like the only championship he'll have to remember is at Syracuse.
3. Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard clearly is the best NBA center in the league. He's racked up multiple All-Star appearances and Defensive Player of the Year awards, and adding to it, he came very close to being a Most Valuable Player back in 2011.Howard has been in the NBA Finals before, as he helped lead a scrappy Orlando Magic squad against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009, only to lose in five games. Howard now joins the team that has beaten him, but the question is, will he stay with them in free agency?
The Lakers showed growth in their chemistry towards the end of the season, and they look like they can make a possible run if they keep their core intact. The real question is: is Howard serious about winning? Does he see himself winning a championship if he joins James Harden in Houston?
Nonetheless, Howard has faced a ton of scrutiny in the past few years and it's only going to grow if he doesn't garner up wins.
2. Chris Paul
It might be a bit of a surprise to have Paul here, but he is regarded as the best point guard in the NBA. Paul now has Doc Rivers as his head coach, and there is a chance he could land either Kevin Garnett or even Howard in a sign-and-trade.Nonetheless, people overlook how the Clippers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. Many say that they were too talented to have lost that and to be a first-round exit. I think the excuses will start depleting more and more come next season for CP3.
Can he show up?
1. Kevin Durant
If you take LeBron out of the NBA, Kevin Durant is the best player in the league. Like LeBron in his Cleveland days, Durant is a very likable person and player and someone that people root for.Against the Grizzlies in this year's playoffs, Durant wasn't able to get his Oklahoma City Thunder past them in the second round. Much of it was due to the loss of Russell Westbrook. Nonetheless, Durant put up stats that you would see in NBA 2K13, and it was much like how James carried his team in the playoffs back in Cleveland.
Durant needs help from Westbrook much likes James needed from Dwyane Wade. And so far, it's shown from guys like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron that you can't win without a sidekick. Durant's NBA Finals record is 0-1, and it will stay that way unless OKC starts turning things up again in the playoffs.
Oklahoma City is going to have to work harder to get back to the Finals this season with teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Clippers and Lakers revamped and looking to chase them out.
Can Durant get it done? Each time he doesn't, I think we'll see more and more of a LeBron deja-vu segment of another major superstar who can't win it all. And the more he loses, the less there will be of excuses for him.
And the pressure will be more than ever.
