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LeBron James recently declared that he could win the scoring title every single year during the regular season if it was something he wished to do.   Though LBJ was only barely edging out Kevin Durant for the scoring lead as of March 26th, his statement about being a scoring champ only adds to his aura as the most complete basketball player in the league.   While most players would be happy with winning the scoring title every single year, LeBron understands with clarity that the Cleveland Cavs are at their best when he isn’t just hoisting up shots.   Heading into the playoffs, LeBron has cemented himself as a rare player in professional sports today, one who puts his team’s needs over his own ones at all times on the court.

Everything that can be said about LeBron’s pure athletic ability has already been said, likely 10 times over.   Sure, he’s the most physically gifted athletic anyone has likely ever seen.   It’s easy to gawk at a 6’9″ small forward with wide receiver speed, the biggest hops in the game and the bulking frame that can take just about anyone down low in the post.   But none of these reasons are why LeBron is in a class of his own in the NBA.   As entertaining as it is to watch him dunk on talented NBA defenders or chase down elite scorers for highlight reel blocks, you need to watch more than SportsCenter to understand just how good LeBron truly is.

What his recent statement about being the scoring champ really shows off is his maturity, which separates him mentally from players who also lack his talent.   Instead of averaging 35 points per game, which certainly is within his grasp, LeBron has fine-tuned his passing to the point where he is now considered one of the very elite passers in the league.   LeBron has always been a good passer but this season is just absurd.   Not only is he averaging nearly 30 points per game, he’s also averaging 8. 5 assists per contest, which is more than most point guards in the league.

While many of the scorers in the league hoist up shots to fill up their stat sheet, LeBron is surprisingly patient on the offensive end, which has yielded a field goal percentage of more than 50% from the floor for the season.   For a predominately perimeter player, such a high total is nearly unheard of for such a prolific scorer, and a mark that even Kobe Bryant has never come close to touching for an entire season.

Some who suffer with myopic lapses of judgment may think that LeBron James is simply flashing his arrogance by suggesting that he’s the best scorer in the league.   However, to make it as far as LeBron has in the game of basketball, especially considering he’s still only 25, a certain level of arrogance isn’t just expected – it’s required.   The claim that he could be the scoring champ every year is by no means an outlandish statement and only serves his image as a team-first guy.

His attitude is also a refreshing change from the NBA in the past.   Following Michael Jordan’s second exit from Chicago, the league was turned over to guys like Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis – all three of whom are score first guys in which team is a distant second.   While Iverson set the trend for the ball hog diva scorer, even with a paltry career field goal percentage of 42. 5%, LeBron has gone a long way to reverse the damage.

As players of the Iverson mold drag their feet to practice, LeBron’s work ethic has never been in question.   While players with comparable athleticism to LeBron take defensive plays off, LeBron is the first one chasing down opposing players and hoping to make a big play for his team.   Fans may have lined up to see Allen Iverson’s individual talent, but fans will be scouring for Cleveland Cavaliers playoff tickets because LeBron has elevated himself beyond the me-first mentality that plagued the league in former years.

True, LeBron James is a player filled with cockiness, as is every star in the NBA including the mild-mannered Tim Duncan and Steve Nash.   You simply don’t rise to stardom in the NBA without it.  But LeBron continues to dedicate himself to what’s best for the team, even if that means not reaching his true potential as a scorer in the league.   How many other superstars can say the same?

Almost as soon as the Cleveland Browns were getting to see what young quarterback Brady Quinn was capable of, his season is over. Quinn broke the tip of his right index finger, his throwing hand, during the Browns’ game against the Buffalo Bills on November 17. He knew then that he would have to let it heal, have surgery or try to play through the break. He chose to try to play through the pain, but the result was a 16-6 loss to the Houston Texans where coach Romeo Crennel pulled him out in the third quarter. He went to renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews to make the final call, which was that his finger isn’t healing and needs to be rested. He has not yet determined whether he will get surgery or just rest the injury.
Quinn has been waiting for his chance to prove himself to the Browns since he was drafted in the first round of the 2007 draft by the Browns. Quinn held out into training camp before signing his contract with the Browns, which already put him behind for the starting quarterback competition. His first year with the Browns, he only saw action during one game, the Brown’s final regular season match against the San Francisco 49ers. Derek Anderson was starting for the Browns this season until Quinn got the starting job on November 6. His first game was against the Denver Broncos. Quinn was 23 of 25 for two touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 104. 3. The next game was the game that he injured his finger, and he was 14 of 36 for no touchdowns and a rating of 55. 9. The week that Crennel pulled him was even worse, with Quinn going 8 of 18 for no touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 21. 3.
Many people had high expectations for what Quinn would do in the NFL after his illustrious college career. He broke 36 different records while at Notre Dame, which speaks volumes from a school who so obviously loves football. He finished with 1,602 career pass attempts, 929 completions and 95 touchdowns. He broke the previous record of total offensive career yards by more than 4,000 yards, amazing 11,944 yards. Although the finger injury has him sidelined the rest of the 2008 season, Quinn obviously has the potential to be a big contributor in the future.
For the rest of the season, the Brows will go back to Derek Anderson. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2005 draft and was later waived by Baltimore that September. One day later, the Browns picked him up. He didn’t play any games in 2005, but found some playing time the next year. He started three of the five games he played in during the 2006 season. The next season, he played in all the games and started in 15 of them. He had 298 completions on 527 attempts as well as 29 touchdowns and a passer rating of 82. 5. He started the first eight games of the 2008 season, getting nine touchdowns and a rating of 66. 0. See Anderson finish out the season with Cleveland Browns tickets from http://www. stubhub. com/cleveland-browns-tickets.