I am, I have been, and I always will be a LeBron lover and a Kobe hater. Kobe may epitomize the ultimate 4th quarter closer, but the game is already in hand with LeBron on the floor for the first 36 minutes. Is Kobe more skilled? Absolutely. But you simply cannot teach your kid, no matter the combination of PEDs, to become a fast and agile 6'8, 250 lbs. giant. LeBron's recent free agent hype has soured me for a few reasons:
1) If he returns to Cleveland, I simply ask, what was the point of all this? If he returns to Cleveland, it's simply out of loyalty. Cleveland management has proven that their greatest asset is acquiring aged and pricey former talent. Mo Williams, the supposed cure to Cleveland's backcourt illness, disappears faster from the playoffs than that dude from Jumper. So if he's going to stay, its mostly out loyalty to his home state.
2) Larry King Live? Really? The only person he's willing to converse with publicly is a man who has to look down at his notes to name the other free agents. Only two reasons exist for this interview. Either he's hoping to improve his likability among the 55-years-old+ demographic, or, the more likely scenario, he's promoting his brand globally. But to do it in such an obvious fashion is a slap in the face to the NBA, especially during the NBA Finals. LeBron claims he wants to help improve the NBA, but in fact all he's doing is taking attention away from the Finals, and instead, hurting it.
3) LeBron skipped a live appearance at Game 2 last night. I understand his desire to remain disconnected with the public. But if he's going to create so much hype through his free agency, the least he can do is make more than 2 public appearances per month.
That said, I still like the man. I still pray every night that he comes to the Knicks and grabs our franchise by the collar and pulls it out of the gutter. And New York sewers are pretty gross. He's still better than Kobe. I just wish he acted with a little more integrity. If you're not going to re-sign, come out and say it. Give Cleveland a chance to rebuild. If you want to leave Cleveland with the money, just go ahead and ask for the sign and trade. But just do something. You're killing us. And you're making us hate you.
The hype around Lebron's free agency is completely driven by the media. Is Lebron not allowed to be a enjoy being a free-agent like every other player in the league? His legacy is already pretty extensive but is missing the most important part, championchips. If he goes back to Cleveland, it will be because he thinks he has the best chance to win there. Considering that some of his leading alternatives are the knicks and nets, cleveland may be his best shot.
ReplyDeleteyour two reasons are contradictory. I could agree with the first one, that he's taking attention away from the Finals...But you also say he should've made his scheduled "live appearance" at Game 2. If he'd done that, wouldn't that have just taken more attention away from the Finals?
ReplyDeleteSam,
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is mostly media driven, but LeBron is doing nothing to stop it. In fact, he's building it up. I agree that the alternatives are not strong, but I think in the long term the Bulls or the Nets are better (I wanted to say the Knicks, but I have to be realistic.)
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI think LeBron could have shown up without making it a huge deal. Plenty of stars show up at the Finals, including Chris Bosh just last night. That's all I was hoping for. He shows up, like Bosh, and maybe does a quick interview. Him not showing up to a scheduled appearance is a bigger story in itself because it leads to more speculation as to why he didn't show.
Max,
ReplyDeleteI don't think he's reaching A-Rod status, but he's getting there. Hopefully he fixes it before he gets to New York.
I know he is not retiring, but you think he would learn something from what Brett Favre is doing to Minnesotta, his image is being killed by holding out.
ReplyDelete