Reggie Miller becomes the latest to rip LeBron James - Sun-Sentinel (blog)

How dare LeBron James reach out to Hall of Famers for advice, Reggie Miller says

Five quarters.

That’s all it took in these NBA playoffs for a national TV analyst to take the first potshot at LeBron James.

Tuesday night it was TNT’s Reggie Miller who delivered a perplexing diatribe against the Miami Heat star â€" and soon-to-be three-time league MVP.

LeBron’s sin this time? Reaching out during the lockout to Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. The meetings with Bird and Jordan never came off because they work on the management side now, but the others did happen.

“The average fan that’s at home watching is saying, ‘Are you kidding me?’ ” Miller said on air during the Heat’s Game 2 win over the Knicks. “This is the most physically gifted guy in our game. For whatever reason you left Cleveland, and you had every right to do that, to join arguably one of the top five players, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, a top 10 or 15 player, and now you’re reaching out to Hall of Famers to see what it takes?

“Enough is enough. Go out and actually do it on your own. What do you need more help for? That’s my only question about that.”

Play-by-play partner Kevin Harlan actually took up for LeBron, pointing out he was merely “doing his due diligence” and wanted to “tap into some of the guys that won before.”

“He wants to win a championship,” Harlan said. “I don’t know that I can fault him.”

Miller, a wonderful shooter who retired with the same number of NBA titles as LeBron currently has in Year 9 of his career, wasn’t swayed.

“I’m not faulting him,” Miller said. “What I’m saying is you’re getting ready to be a three-time MVP, because he’s going to win it this year. Guys should be calling you. I don’t remember Michael Jordan, when he was getting his head beat in by the Bad Boys, calling someone and saying, ‘How do I get by Detroit?’ I didn’t see Isiah calling anyone when he couldn’t get by the Boston Celtics. You figure it out and you go out and actually do it.”

Apparently Reggie has been watching too many of those old Nike ads, the ones that never starred him.

He also has no idea if Jordan ever, say, compared notes with fellow Tar Heel James Worthy during their summers back in Chapel Hill. Or if Isiah talked to his old friend Magic Johnson about trumping the Celtics.

What a bunch of hogwash.  

“I love LeBron James,” Miller concluded, not quite backpedaling the way he used to after a made 3-pointer. “He is the best and most physically gifted player in our game. He doesn’t need help. Guys should be calling him instead of him going out and researching them.”

Incredible, huh?

A player of LeBron’s stature responds to his second Finals loss and withering national criticism by seeking the counsel of some of the game’s great all-time winners, and for this he gets blasted after staging one of the greatest regular seasons in NBA history?

We truly have passed through the looking glass.

And just think, if the Heat reaches the Finals, we only have another 6-7 weeks of LeBron’s every little facial tic being subject to national debate and criticism by the likes of Reggie Miller.