LeBron & Shaq: A Closer Comparison Than Anyone Thinks

Miami Heat's superstar LeBron James has a major decision to make this offseason. He could opt out of his contract and try to get a restructured deal with his current team or move on to another team. Many people believe if James leaves Miami, he will get absolutely crushed by the media, and people will criticize LeBron of being a front-runner, not wanting to face a challenge. Personally, LeBron wants to win as many championships as possible.  Shaquille O'Neal was the first modern day player to do this begging the question, "Why aren't more people comparing LeBron's career arc to Shaquille O'Neal? If LeBron decides to leave, their arcs become eerily similar.

Obviously, people do not compare LeBron and Shaq because they are two very different players. LeBron doesn't play in the post like O'Neal, and Shaq is the interior player of this generation where James will be known as the wing player of the generation. It is so easy to compare James to Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant because they play the same position. Although if we go through what happened in their careers, James is much more comparable to what O'Neal through his career. Shaq was never considered a front-runner, why should James?

Maybe it is the hatred and disdain of James which causes it, but Shaq should have gotten the same sort of criticism. If anything, O'Neal's antics were far worse than anything James did so far in his career. Shaq forced his way out of Orlando and Los Angeles because he fractured relationship with guards, Anfernee Hardaway and Kobe Bryant. James might decide to leave when his contract is up, isn't that his given right as a professional athlete?  It is not like LeBron is napalming the entire franchise before he leaves the franchise. LeBron is moving on to see what's next for him.

What's weird about comparing the early arcs of Shaq and LeBron is with O'Neal, he left Orlando after four years while James left Cleveland after seven. O'Neal moved coasts from Los Angeles to Miami after seven years and if James decides to leave, it will be four years. Therefore by their eleventh year, both players were on their third franchise if James heads out of South Beach. There are a lot of different options for LeBron including a return visit to Cleveland, Los Angeles Clippers or Houston Rockets are probably all on the table for The King. It would add to the eeriness if LeBron chose Los Angeles making the arcs of him and O'Neal even more similar.

Personally, I think it is a 50/50 thing whether James leaves or not. People will obviously hammer LeBron for his choice if it is not with Miami. There will probably be a jersey burning like what happened in Cleveland. But at the end of the day, what people have to realize is this has happened before with the best player in the league. No one was better than O'Neal after Jordan left the league, and he bounced all over the league. We really shouldn't make a big deal about James leaving but it will inevitably happen given all of the different media outlets ready to pounce on James.

Charlie.