Let’s just hold off on any MJ-LeBron comparisons

Over the past week Miami Heat small forward LeBron James has averaged more than 30 points a game and is shooting an amazing 60 percent from the field.

It is after only five games, so it’s a very brief sample, but you do wonder how long he can keep up this pace.

It looks to be right now as long as he wants, but we all know it will end. He might even have a mini-slump.

I was doing my Fox Sports radio show the other night, and a caller claimed LeBron was better than Michael Jordan and MJ couldn’t even play in today’s game and dominate.

I told the caller he was wacky.

Here’s my take: Quit comparing LeBron to Michael. He has a long career ahead of him before you can make those kinds of comparisons.

Hey, it’s unfair to LeBron; he isn’t claiming it, fans are. Should James, who is five titles short of MJ’s total, be compared to the best right away?

Let’s start with comparisons to Kobe Bryant, Jerry West or Paul Pierce. Right now James has the same amount of NBA titles as Oscar Robertson.

Let’s start there and leave Jordan alone on the mountaintop, because as birthday No. 50 comes around there is no comparison between Jordan and James.

It’s Jordan by a landslide.

An average NCAA Tournament:I love watching college basketball, and I was wondering: Is it better to have a dominant team as an undeniable No. 1, or the landscape like it is right now, where each week there is a different team at the top of the polls.The NCAA machine will spread the word that there are a bunch of very good teams competing to help build interest and hype for the tournament.I#146;m not even sure if some of these teams are any good yet. Unfortunately, with the tourney expanding to 68 teams, there is even more room for a watered-down product we call NCAA basketball.The one-and-done rule has taken the star power out of the game, and it seems we root more for the head coaches than the players. But once March madness rolls around, we will watch and enjoy it for what it is: a great month with great hope, great expectations and an average product.Back in the day it was the stars who helped make the tourney; now it#146;s about who becomes a star once the tourney starts. Stay tuned.Hope springs eternal:Pitchers and catchers are reporting to spring training, but have you ever been more underwhelmed by the state of Chicago baseball?On one side of town we are waiting for the emergence of .205 career-hitting Tyler Flowers to bloom for the White Sox, and on the other side Cubs manager Dale Sveum is trying to move forward and hoping to forget what happened last year.Ah #133; hope springs eternal!Program note:Watch me on Mancow Channel 50 (WPWR) at 6 a.m. on Friday and Monday.ŸMike North#146;s column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.