"LeBron
James: The Making of an MVP" starts out at something of a seriousness
deficit. It’s difficult to believe that a glossy, magazine-style 156-page softcover
with 90 photographs eating up a hefty chunk of real estate will provide what
advance materials claim is the "definitive biography" of basketball’s
most transcendent star. To their credit, co-authors Terry Pluto and Brian Windhorst
of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (who also collaborated on 2007’s "The
Franchise: LeBron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers") do their level best to
bridge the gap.

Pluto
(writer of the ABA bible "Loose
Balls"
and a columnist twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize) and Windhorst (the
P-D’s Cavs beat writer and one of the league’s most respected reporters) draw
off interviews with James’ high school friends, teachers, coaches, and NBA and
USA Basketball front-office personnel — as well as more than a decade of
reporting on James stretching back to his freshman year at Akron’s St.
Vincent-St. Mary High School — to make sure that a sharply drawn portrait of
LeBron-as-person underpins the chronology of his ascent. (Feel free to judge
for yourself how successful they are; seven
of
the
22
chapters
are
available
online.)

Each
chapter explores what the authors believe to be a key piece of James’ athletic
and personal evolution into the kind of ubiquitous entity that can become the
NBA’s Most Valuable Player. Some, like the sections on James’ three-year
high-school football career and his efforts to improve his free-throw shooting,
are relatively mundane. Others provide big-picture insight into James’
carefully constructed public image; multiple chapters are devoted to the growth
of James’ media savvy, his lucrative side gig as a sought-after pitchman and
how influenced he was by Michael Jordan’s smooth, smiling omnipresence.

More personally
illuminating are the book’s early chapters, which chart James’ turbulent early
life as the son of a struggling, teenaged single mother. Chapter 2, titled
"Fitting In," details LeBron’s youthful search for order amid chaos
and the time he spent living with the Walkers, a loving and respected family
that provided a stabilizing influence and made him feel accepted, which Pluto
and Windhorst say still pays dividends, on the court as well as off.

"It’s
not uncommon for children from single-parent homes to gravitate to larger
families, especially if they are made to feel accepted. LeBron did; it was
natural for him to blend in," they write. "You can see it in his
professional life as he works to make new Cleveland Cavaliers teammates feel
comfortable — and enjoys mentoring rookies. He seems to remember what it was
like to feel like an outsider and to need support from others."

Throughout
the tale of James’ growth from grade schooler to global icon, Pluto and
Windhorst accentuate the King’s positives. They cite the "part of LeBron
James’s(notes) personality that makes him want to please, to be a good person, to make
his family, friends and hometown proud." They relate the "story
seldom told" of his classroom success (he made the honor roll at St. V as
a senior, graduating with a B average) and his solid scholastic citizenship
("… he was only in trouble a few times for ‘yelling in the hallway,’
according to Headmaster David Rathz").

At times,
the praise borders on overprotective. In the "Media Savvy" chapter,
Pluto and Windhorst deflect the well-publicized criticism of James following
his deafening silence after the Cavs’ 2009 Eastern Conference Finals loss to
the Orlando Magic, calling the behavior "unusual for LeBron" and
claiming that the "real story is how few times he has made major media
mistakes, which is remarkable when you consider that he has been in the public
eye since the age of 15."

Later in
the chapter, they take ESPN the Magazine Senior Writer Tom Friend to task for
writing what they call "the first negative story on LeBron," a Mag
piece published during James’ senior year of high school that shed light on
some of his mother Gloria’s personal problems. (Which story they’re referencing
remains unclear; Friend wrote three stories about
LeBron in late 2002, none particularly flattering to Gloria James.)

"People
in the local media knew that Gloria James had had a lot of struggles in her
life, but saw no reason to write about it," Pluto and Windhorst write.
"Why embarrass LeBron because of some poor decisions made by his
mother?"

On one
hand, that’s a fair point. On the other, calling out Friend nearly eight years
after the fact and making sure to note that "the local media" —
read: hometown journalists like Pluto and Windhorst — stayed above the fray comes
off as holier-than-thou. It smacks of petty score-settling, and it adds little
to the book.

While the
numerous interviews, detailed statistics and in-depth breakdowns of James’ on-
and off-court life speak to the quality of the authors’ reporting, some elements
of the book definitely feel rushed or unnecessary. Some of the "LeBron
File" info-boxes included throughout the book provide cool tidbits (like
the fact that only James, Dave Cowens, Scottie Pippen and Kevin Garnett(notes) have
led their teams in total points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals in a
season), others read like filler designed solely to break up text-heavy pages.
How exactly does knowing that "Before games, LeBron often eats fruit in
the locker room, but sometimes he likes to eat chicken fingers" contribute
to our understanding of what made him an MVP?

Several
literary devices, turns of phrase and stories appear more than once (most
notably, former Cavs coach Paul Silas chasing journeyman forward Ira Newble(notes) around the
locker room following a loss to the Atlanta Hawks). There are at least a
half-dozen copy-editing mistakes in the later chapters, including a photo
credit simply labeled "Name Goes Here" that you just know has someone
at the publisher’s office bashing his or her head against a desk. Likewise
egregious: The first name of DeSagana Diop(notes) and last name of J.R. Bremer, James’
former Cavs teammates, are misspelled in Ch. 9.

Individually,
these are minor points, but if you put enough of them together, a book starts
to feel sloppy, and poor presentation unfortunately starts to draw attention
away from quality reporting. All told, "LeBron James: The Making of an MVP" definitely serves a
purpose as a quick and visually appealing summation of James’ career to date.
But if in 10 or 15 years, we look back on it as the definitive James biography,
the basketball-covering community will have a hell of a lot of explaining to
do.

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Monday to Friday, The Basketball Jones look at the big games and storylines from the night before with a mix of in-depth analysis and irreverent humor. As always, questions and comments are appreciated.

On today’s show, Skeets and Tas round up your weekend winners and losers. What was the most amazing part of Andre Miller’s(notes) 52-point night? Could Chris Paul’s(notes) injury have been prevented by moving the cameras off the court? Are the Magic peaking? All that, plus the lunacy of distraught Celtics fans, announcer humor and Durantula for MVP?

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Los Angeles Lakers
90, Boston 89

Fine me, if you think I’m pointing out irregular brush
patterns on the Mona Lisa, but it bugs the hell out of me that Derek Fisher(notes) and
Kobe Bryant(notes) are continually lauded for their basketball savvy whilst launching some terrible, terrible shots. Or, at least, being in the presence of some terrible, terrible shots. The Lakers are
ninth in offensive efficiency this year, and it seems due to this
perimeter-heavy attack that usually leaves Pau Gasol(notes) and Andrew Bynum(notes) as
bystanders. There’s no reason a team this brilliant should be ninth.

Ron Artest(notes) is a part of that problem, I submit, but he’s a
nutter. Kobe and Fisher? They know better. Not only that, they know the
offense. And you know that I know that you know that they know that Gasol and
Bynum are fantastic. Really, the Lakers should have won this game by 15 points.
The C’s are reeling, the Lakers are rolling, despite the crazy schedule.
Despite being away from the Staples Center. Despite Lady Hammer to Fall, or whatever her name is.

Kobe nailed another game-winner down the stretch, Doc Rivers
deserves huge heaps of blame for not covering Dr. Bryant with Tony Allen(notes), and
the C’s are really going to have to circle the wagons just to make it to May.

***

Denver
103, San Antonio 89

It wasn’t really the absence of Tony Parker(notes). George Hill(notes)
continues to be overrated, but he played … like George Hill. 17 points on 16
shots, four assists. It was Roger Mason(notes) Jr. and Manu Ginobili(notes), combining for
4-17 shooting, that allowed the Spurs to only manage 89 points in an afternoon
that saw the Nuggies turn it over on a fifth of their possessions.

***

Orlando 91, Detroit
86

Perhaps my least-favorite game of the year. The refs didn’t
call a thing, as cutters were bumped and post-up moves were denied due to more
and more bumping, and the pace was ultra-slow. The game competitive, after the
first quarter, but made terrible by the snail’s pace and the 1999-level style
of refereeing.

Ben Gordon(notes) had a missed shot (wide open, but didn’t set his
feet) and a turnover in the final minute, and Detroit lost. This was BG’s MO in
Chicago, despite the hype about him being some clutch standout, so beware,
Pistons fans.

***

Toronto 117, Indiana
102

To watch the game and then to look at the stats, you’d think that
the Raptors won by 25. Really, 15 points doesn’t do this difference justice.

The Pacers can’t stop anybody, and they often struggle to
put consecutive hoops together. The Raps were without Hedo Turkoglu(notes), but Jose
Calderon(notes) was pushing the ball incessantly, and Chris Bosh(notes) (26, 15 points, seven
assists, two blocks) should be starting the All-Star game.

***

Philadelphia 83, New
Jersey 79

The Nets shot 10 free throws, all game. 10. They got to the
rim only when the Sixers essentially cleared the lane, and Rod Thorn’s band of
inefficient scorers acted as such.

Philly shot 36.5 percent and still managed to win. Andre
Iguodala(notes) "led" things with 14 points.

***

Cleveland 114, Los
Angeles Clippers 89

I might be pulling the same nonsense I tried with the
Lakers, but I worry about the Cavs. I worry about them while watching Cleveland
drop 46 points in 12 minutes of action, even.

It’s mostly with three-pointers, and while Cleveland shoots
a high percentage this year, I think you’ll be with me when I point out that
the long bomb, perhaps, isn’t LeBron James’(notes) best option at times. He’s not a
good shooter, but he shoots a lot, and this is not a habit worth embracing.
Especially at his age. Good god, I sound like a guidance counselor.

The Cavs walked all over the Clippers, Los Angeles made a
good show and actually made this an 11-point game in the fourth quarter, but
the hole was too deep.

***

Phoenix 115, Houston
111

Maybe it’s expectations gone wild — when you think of a team
full of overachieving scrappers, you tend to think they’re pulling it off in a
defensive-heavy style — but these Rockets just seem to continually disappoint
defensively.

They held the Suns, who are first in the NBA in offensive
efficiency at 114 points per 100 possessions, to about 110 per 100, but the Rox
still seemed to be lacking. Houston is 15th in the NBA defensively, and perhaps
it’s time I grow up and start to except this batch of 6-7 types for what it is.

Amar’e Stoudemire(notes) had 36 points and 11 rebounds, five
turnovers and six fouls, but it didn’t feel as if Phoenix was making an effort
to assuage his fears and feed him the ball. He just sort of worked his way to
36. Steve Nash(notes) had 16 assists to zero turnovers, and there’s a reason your
girlfriend and her friend call him "hot." Maybe that’s just my girlfriend. Am I
supposed to be upset at that? It’s kind of hard to be, considering the 16
assists and zero turnovers.

Props to the Suns for actually fouling while up three, and
in the final seconds. They decided not to do it in regulation, which led to
Houston forcing overtime, but Phoenix learned its lesson by the extra frame.

***

Oklahoma City 112,
Golden State 104

There was a point in this game, after Corey Maggette(notes)
declined to make an entry pass, that I was sure Ronny Turiaf(notes) was going to
strangle CM with a Warriors warm-up. This team is so, so dysfunctional, and not
in an endearing way. I won’t be chuckling when I spin tales about the Golden
State Warriors years from now. They’re just a heap of wasted talent, plus Coby
Karl(notes).

That was a lame joke, Karl can play, and while he seemed a
little hesitant at times in this game (make that extra pass, young man), he
should be a sound addition to this team.

The Thunder? They did what they were supposed to do. Kevin
Durant(notes) managed 45 points on 21 shots, which has to be some sort of record, but
it didn’t seem out of place. He just filled it up. Russell Westbrook(notes) (28
points) was continually afforded looks in the paint, and even Thabo Sefolosha(notes) had
his way at times.

Golden State made a game of this after OKC broke it open
late in the third, but the Warriors couldn’t get enough stops to tie things or
take the lead.

Stephen Curry(notes) looks like he’s eight years old, and James
Harden(notes) (1-7) needs to work on his shot selection. That is all.

***

Minnesota 112, New
York 91

The Knicks love to run, but they’re a terrible offensive
team. 95 points per 100 possessions, mainly because New York missed 19 of 28
three-pointers.  They got out to the
requisite hot start against Minnesota, the Timberwolves are cool like that, but
couldn’t hold onto it because Mike D’Antoni’s team cannot shot to save it’s
life.

Kevin Love(notes) (25 and 11) will be underrated for his entire
career, and this saddens me.

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