The impact that former Miami Heat superstar LeBron James has on a team is almost second to none in NBA history.
But with that great impact comes great expectations, and James’ former teammate Udonis Haslem says that some players simply cannot handle those expectations and the pressure that comes with them.
“If you can handle LeBron coming to your team, it works out for you and it can be successful,” Haslem said while on “The Posecast” with James Posey. “The problem is: Everybody can’t handle it. When LeBron comes to your team, there’s winning expectations instantly. No waiting, no four or five-year process; there ain’t none of that.”
Haslem was a member of the first Heat team that won the NBA championship in 2006 with Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade.
That team quickly dissolved into mediocrity, but once James and Chris Bosh came to South Florida in 2010, the team’s expectations were extremely high.
In some ways, the squad met those expectations by reaching the NBA Finals in each of James’ four seasons in Miami and winning back-to-back championships.
Ever since the late 2000s, every year that James’ team hasn’t won the NBA title has been deemed by many to be a failure.
Some may feel it’s a harsh way to judge the teams he has played on, but at the same time, it’s also a nod to his sublime talent, leadership and basketball IQ.