Early to rise: we know LeBron James is healthy and wealthy, but he's also wise. He won't be overwhelmed by expectations, which is why he's expected to make an immediate impact on the Cavaliers—and the league

Sporting News, The, Oct 20, 2003 by Bob Finnan

The expectations for LeBron James are great he may never live up to them. The Cavaliers could double their 17 victories from last season and James could average 15 points, five rebounds and five assists and still find himself being criticized.

Make no mistake, though. There is one part of James' game that even the harshest critic will admit is more than ready for the NBA: The kid can pass the ball. That has been clear from the beginning. He made a play in his first preseason game against the Pistons that had everyone talking.

The Cavs were on a fast break when Darius Miles slipped the ball to James in the key. Without breaking stride, James made a no-look push pass to Ricky Davis that was converted for a layup. It was a thing of absolute beauty.

"I saw Bird and Magic do that," Cavaliers general manager Jim Paxson says. "You can't teach that. Can't take credit for that one. That's a gift."

Like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, what makes James' ability so special is that he actually enjoys passing. Finding players who like to share the ball in the NBA is as difficult as finding players who go directly to their hotel room after a game.

"I love sharing the ball with my teammates" lames says. "If they don't think I can do it, I'll prove them wrong. I see a lot of things before my teammates see them."

The most hyped prep basketball player ever, James is trying to make the leap from high school superstar to NBA phenom. There's pressure on him to be an instant All-Star and carry the lowly Cavs into the national spotlight, but James has shown wisdom beyond his 18 years in dealing with the expectations. He bristles at the suggestion he will be the main man for the Cavaliers as a rookie.

"I'm not taking that role," he says. "You all want me to take that role. Whatever they need me to do, I'm there for them. I'll try to lead by example."

The Cavaliers haven't been on national television since December 2000, but they have 13 appearances this season on ESPN, TNT and ABC. Not only is the Cavaliers' season-ticket base growing steadily (the club refuses to release figures), but opposing teams are including the Cars in their partial season-ticket packages. Everybody wants a piece of the hottest rookie in the league.

"We'll be the second-most-watched team on the road this year behind only the Lakers," Cavaliers coach Paul Silas says.

When more than 100 reporters showed up for the Cavaliers' media day, it turned into a circus. But James doesn't shy away from the spotlight.

"Sometimes it gets a little grueling," he says. "(But) it's fun. It's not hard.... If not for you guys, I wouldn't be in this situation."

Silas says: "He handles those types of things very well. He's been under the microscope for a lot of years."

The last high school player to be drafted No. 1, Wizards power forward Kwame Brown in 2001, crumbled under the pressure of being a high-profile top pick. His confidence plummeted along with his minutes, and he even developed stress-related acne. Don't expect a repeat scenario with lames. He will not suffer from an inferiority complex as a rookie.

"He's not intimidated by anyone," Silas says. "He has that swagger that most of the great ones have. I'm not putting him in that great category yet. (But) he's a tough guy already."

Still, Silas is trying to make things easier on James, who's 6-8 and weighs 240. He has scrapped his initial plan of starting James at point guard and will play him at small forward or shooting guard at the start of the season. Will lames eventually become a point guard? Probably. Will he have the ball in his hands when the game is on the line? Undoubtedly. Then why not just let him run the point from the start?

"He's going to have enough pressure on him," Silas says. "It's not out of the realm of possibility to play him at the point. But I don't want him to have to deal with little guys harassing him all the way up the court for now. Instead of passing the ball, he'll be the recipient of it and come off screens."

James has few weaknesses in his game, but they likely would be more fully exposed by quicker point guards. Although no one says it publicly, James has trouble going to his left. Scouts say his lateral movement is a bit lacking, although Silas has not seen evidence of that. James' outside shooting, too, has gotten a bad rap, but James uses such fault finding as motivation to improve.

"They said that in high school," he says. "And I hit 11 3-pointers in one game."

One of the biggest questions in training camp isn't where James will play but how he will coexist with Davis. The Cavaliers' leading scorer last year at 20.6 points per game, Davis is trying to make the transformation from shameless gunner to consummate team player, and there are expected to be bumps in the road.

Pairing Davis, a 6-7 leaper with a nice 3-point touch, and James in the same backcourt could create one of the league's most exciting duos. But how can it work? James is a rookie anointed as the star of his team before playing a single game. Davis is a six-year veteran who values his statistics so much that last season he tried shooting at the other team's basket so he could grab the rebound that would finish off a triple-double.