He was the most anticipated high school player I can remember along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor. Abdul-Jabbar was able to achieve team success more quickly, though at a time when the NBA was much smaller and Abdul-Jabbar's Milwaukee Bucks were able to supply him with key, complementary pieces.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have not done that yet for James, who also is playing for a relatively inexperienced coach who may not be able to help bring out James' team abilities as well. It wasn't unlike the change Michael Jordan needed from a young Doug Collins to a more experienced Phil Jackson.

James came to the NBA as the next great thing and hasn't disappointed. He is going to be. Moving into the second round of the playoffs with a 50-win team last season put him on a parallel path with Jordan, though at a much younger age. Just uniting with teammates he can trust may be the last step before James can begin playing for championships and cementing his legacy as a Hall of Famer and one of the best ever to play the game.

Surprisingly, Wade is on that road. Surprisingly, because he was lightly recruited in high school and went to Marquette, no longer a major basketball power. When the 2003 draft came up, the Bulls with the No. 7 selection were certain they could get the local kid who grew up in Chicago idolizing Jordan. There was some mild surprise around the NBA when Miami, believed to be looking for a big man like Kaman, went for Wade.

No more.

It was Wade who was responsible for that Miami Heat championship.

You never discount O'Neal's presence, but it was little more than that this time. To O'Neal's credit, he understood, which he refused to do for Bryant.

Wade shouldn't be this good. He's just a good medium-range shooter and smallish for his position, which often is inside. But he has this remarkably unique ability to find his way through seams and get to the basket like Jordan did. Plus, he's remarkably tough and ultra competitive. Slights forgotten by others are long remembered by him, like when the Dallas Mavericks questioned his shooting before the NBA Finals last season.

Wade has come along at the right time since the latest rules adjustments in the NBA benefit slashers because of limitations on contact. But Wade also is unusually tough, playing, not unlike Jordan, with an apparent high threshold of pain. His daring only rivals Allen Iverson in today's game for his ability to absorb hits from the defense.

The battles between Wade and James, which heated up during last season, should become the highlights of the Eastern Conference playoffs for years to come. These two will battle to go to the Finals and one day stand side by side in Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

That remains unclear for Anthony, who came into the NBA as that Bird-like rival for James' Johnson.

Anthony has not been in a stable team situation with coaching and executive changes with the Denver Nuggets and his behavior often has seemed to mirror that. Despite being slightly older than James and with a year in college, he's demonstrated considerably less maturity.

In addition to his antics at times with the team and off the court, he's shown less well-rounded abilities than James and Wade.

While Anthony is probably the best shooter of the three, making several game-winning shots last season, he's the most one-dimensional. He doesn't play off or with teammates well, not showing much interest in passing, as James does, or rebounding, as Wade does at a far smaller size. And his defense has been suspect.

Still, the goal of the game is to put the ball in the basket. If Anthony does that enough, he could be an all-league level player without portfolio, sort of the Alex English or George Gervin type with great numbers but not great success.

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His image was most helped this summer on the USA World Championship team, where he was the one player who seemed most willing to rise to the challenge and hit shots. James and Wade were somewhat frustrated by the zone defenses, and Anthony appeared to rehabilitate himself the most with his performance, even if at the end he took too many bad shots. One, though, had the feeling his college coach was selected to be an assistant for the team as a way of helping Anthony focus better. The question remains whether he can during the season and with the dysfunctional roster around him in Denver.

The three have grown close personally and are known to text message and e-mail one another frequently, a friendship that was solidified during the World Championships. I'd prefer there be a little more cool competitiveness among them. Perhaps I'm too old-fashioned and old-school since I still don't understand all that shaking hands and hugging after games. Magic and Michael weren't close until Johnson left the game. They were closer to enemies when they played with Johnson linked to Jordan rival Isiah Thomas. Bird ran in different circles than the other two and kept his distance, especially playing Johnson regularly in the finals. It wasn't until they played together on the Dream Team, when Johnson and Bird were effectively out of the game, that the three developed closer relationships.

I have no doubt James, Wade and Anthony enjoy beating the other and their matchups should be some of the best for years to come. They are the future of the NBA and one that figures to be exciting, thanks to that impressive draft class.