I can’t take this LeBron James hype anymore. In fact, it’s much ado about nothing since I believe James is just going to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers anyway. If money talks, then the Cavs, in fact, do have an edge since they can offer LeBron $30 million more over the life of a max contract. “But what about the marketing opportunities in New York?” Stop it! Like he wasn’t and couldn’t continue to build his “brand” from Cleveland.
C’mon LeBron… just admit you’re staying already!
Now, if we take what LeBron says at face value (well, really, he isn’t saying much) and he wants to win multiple championships, the Cavs offer him the best shot. The New York Knicks will make the playoffs with James and whatever other free agent they sign, but they won’t have any depth. Besides, combine the three other main pieces currently on the roster (Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, and Toney Douglass) and their combined NBA experience is only six seasons. LeBron has more than that himself. The New Jersey Nets offer a lot more in regards to the roster – Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, Terrence Williams, Courtney Lee, and the third overall pick in this year’s draft. Oh, and an owner that actually seems to know what he’s doing. The Chicago Bulls have some nice pieces as well with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah primarily, but LeBron would NEVER have a better legacy in Chicago more than Michael Jordan… and LeBron’s ego wouldn’t be able to handle that.
C’mon LeBron… as Milli Vanilli, the greatest lip synchers ever, used to sing, “Girl you know it’s true!”
Recently LeBron had an interview with Larry King, a man whose interviews in recent years can only be described as a clusterf&%^! Whether it be constantly calling someone by a wrong name, asking questions my butt lips can come up with, or blatantly harrassing female guests, King is as sloppy as a pair of Paris Hilton panties, BUT he does get ratings. We’re a sick society that loves to watch car accidents, aren’t we? In any case, why bother to do this now? The day after Game One of the NBA Finals? Actually, it only aired the day after as there were leaked quotes a couple of days before the first game. Why wait about three weeks after your first tee time to talk about free agency? And there is no way this interview could have been about anything else but that. I mean, is King going to ask you about your kitchen sink faucet? Hmmm, well…
C’mon LeBron… do you think we’re all that dumb?
And who knows if this is true or not, but allegedly Nike will be putting out a sneaker for every city LeBron visits during his free agency tour. Nike has denied this, but it could be true. Remember, this is the same company that not only tried to prohibit the footage of Jordan Crawford cramming it in LeBron’s mug last year, but also had Mars Blackmon tell us that it must be the shoes, fooling every overweight and short Filipino kid into thinking he could dunk. Okay, maybe it was just me, but Nike is a great marketing company and doing a “tour shoe” wouldn’t be out of the question from them or LeBron. If this turns out to be a false rumor, it says something that people believed it.
C’mon LeBron… no one wants a shoe to remind them that their team/city lost out. There can only be one Cleveland afterall!
And speaking of Cleveland, how in the hell do you put up with the shenanigans? I mean, here’s this guy gassing the city up, but at the same time isn’t commiting to anything and openly trying to get other city’s to love him for the man that he is and the man that he’s going to be… sorry, caught “Jerry Maguire” the other day on cable. Anyway, I had to find out how such a great city desperate for a winner could basically grab their ankles like this. So. I texted a personal friend of mine and one of the co-founders of Waiting For Next Year, Scott:
It’s a function of never winning anything. Think of it as never having a girlfriend but all of a sudden you started dating the prom queen… You stop calling your friends, dress a bit different, start watching chick flicks… it changes you.
What a great analogy from Scott. That said, I can understand why people are the way they are there. However, there has to be some backlash there with people not giving a s&!@ if James leaves, right? Let me hear you Clevelanders!!! Seriously, the enabling from Cavs owner Dan Gilbert needs to stop, but alas it’s too late and even if it wasn’t, Gilbert wouldn’t. LeBron is one of the best in the game and only 25-years-old. It’s difficult to blame Gilbert and those in Cleveland that basically let LeBron’s ego run wild like Hulkamania.
C’mon LeBron, we all know you’re great, but eventually even the prom queen gets to be too much and becomes just another freshman in college.
Okay, let’s be clear. LeBron is legitimately one of those players that only comes around every several years/decade/whatever. He’s a physical freak blessed with phenomenal basketball skills. It’s only natural that everyone and their mother’s best friend’s college roommate’s boss wants him on their respective team, but enough already with all of this LeBron hype (and, yes, I understand I am now a part of this, but you won’t see anymore from me on this site about it until July). I have to agree with what NBA Commissioner David Stern is not saying, the hype is taking away from the NBA Finals, which just got interesting last night thanks to Denzel Washington’s son. And, it’s hard to argue that this isn’t all calculated by LeBron’s true “team” of advisors/friends/butt kissers, as well as LeBron himself. Look, we were already going to pay attention anyway. The King interview, alleged Nike tour shoe, rumors of LeBron attending and then not attending Game Two yesterday blowing up on the internet, and who knows what else is to come… enough already!
C’mon LeBron… the next time you want this much hype in June, earn it by making it into the NBA Finals and winning it.
Seriously.
