KG's "Advice" for Lebron

As I am sure you have heard KG gave Lebron some advice after the Celtics finished the Cavs this past week. He told Lebron that "Loyalty is something that hurts you at times", of course in reference to his loyalty to the Minnesota Timberwolves when he stayed in Minnesota instead of leaving to become a free agent in a place where he would have a better chance to win a title.

I think are two things to look at here, first the positives. KG is probably my favorite NBA player of all time. He loved Minnesota, he worked as hard as anyone, and he didn't blame anyone for the Wolves not winning out loud, something many stars are not able to do. KG also never said that if he had to do it again he would leave Minnesota, after all he still got his ring, is on pace to win another this year, and of course there is no lack of great power forwards to not win a ring while they were stars. Malone, Barkley and Wilkens were perhaps the three best at their positions from the mid 80's through the late 90's. None won a ring. None have to be ashamed of it. KG also wasn't telling Lebron to leave Cleveland, after all with Shaq's expiring contract, a few other players whose contracts expire in the new future and some savvy veterans who will be free agents the Cavs still have a chance to make themselves the best fit for a championship caliber team. If the Celtics decide to go young, Ray Allen might want to win another title, and if he would sign for less with the Cavs he would give Lebron the pure shooter he has lacked. Delonte West only has 1 year left and is earning almost five million, Antwan Jamison has two left at over 12 a year, something that might look good to a team with cap space or needing a player like him coming off the bench. Mo Williams and Anderson Varejo are hurting the cap the most in Cleveland, but being a Timberwolves fan I know there is always a GM out there with his head in the sand who might make a dumb move. The point is KG could have been telling him to wait and see what the Cavs can do, then make your decision.

There is that side of all of us though that think KG was saying something else, that he was essentially saying he made a mistake by not leaving earlier. I know he might think that now, but hopefully when he looks back he will realize that he couldn't have done things much better, and he really has no reason to think loyalty hurt him. First of all, he may have been loyal, but he also received max contracts every step of the way, something he would not have received in other cities. Sure money isn't everything, but why then didn't he offer to play for $10 million so Taylor could sign another star? HE also was given the chance to become a legend. Something Malone never would have become. Malone was never alone, it was always Stockton and Malone. KG had a chance to be KG. There was not going to be a KG and Wally, or KG and Gugliotta, or KG and Sam I Am. It was his team, and whether he admits it or not he wanted it to be HIS team more than anyone because he is that much of a competitor.

KG also forgets that despite what happened, the Wolves showed him loyalty too. Once Da Kid left town, the franchise had no where to go but down, way down. Instead of stringing him along another few seasons, or trading for what McHale and company thought was the best for the franchise, we made sure that we also got Garnett to place he had a chance to win at, a place it was almost impossible for him to lose at if they stayed healthy.

Finally, though I don't like to bring it up because I love KG so much as a player, we have to remember that there are also two flaws to KG himself that contributed to his "Loyalty" keeping him from a title. First of all, his play in crunch time. We can't forget that against Tim Duncan KG usually was outmatched. He never had a bad playoff run, but he also wasn't able to completely change a series on his own. I'm not saying he wasn't ever the best player for the Wolves, there were just times he wasn't the best player on the floor. Mostly because of his offense, much like Dirk doesn't change games with his D even though his offense is usually great. The other flaw that isn't as obvious is the fact the KG was a bit of a GM himself. He often told the management what he wanted, and like many star players he got what he wanted. He should have let the people with experience make personnel decisions and stuck to doing his best of the court.

Lebron is at fault in this last way too, it seems. He likes Mike Brown, the problem is he doesn't respect him in the way that he should. Mike Brown is afraid to call Lebron out, he thinks that best way to handle his star is to let his star help with the coaching. Phil Jackson isn't possibly the best coach of all time because of his coaching ability, its because of his management. Remember NBA players are not working professionals with advanced degrees for the most part, they are kids, kids with a lot of money and no one to tell them its my way or the highway. Jackson doesn't care who you are, you play by his rules. Sure players do not like this at times, we saw Kobe crying about it a few years back. You know what though, Phil didn't give in to Kobe and eventually he sat down and thought it over and realized that Jackson was a winner, and without him Kobe hasn't won a thing. Lebron wants to go somewhere where he can win, but it seems like he also wants to help pick the coach, he might want some say in the personel it looks like too. The problem is players don't win games on their own. Remember, as great as they are, a guy like Phil Jackson has seen the same guy with a different number for the last 50 years or so playing, much longer than these guys have even been alive. Even a guy like McHale, who I like to rip from time to time, knows more about basketball than we can imagine. He played the game at an elite level. He has seen the game from the inside and out and knows more than we think. He might not have been a great GM overall, but then again when you are selecting late in the draft many GM's aren't.

The point is Lebron needs to take KG's advice to heart, if Cleveland doesn't look like a place he can win then it might be time to move on. He needs to remember though that loyalty goes both ways, and he needs to be loyal to his team and let them make the big decisions. He also needs to remember that if he wants to be a legend, he needs to win on his own. Kobe is great, but without Shaq and without Gasol (who people seem to forget has been a dominant big for years now) he has not won on his own. Lebron has the talent to be in the same conversation as Jordan, but right now he doesn't have the direction.