Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Cliff Lee-Bron James
So, the sports superstar spurns many offers for more money -- including one from the endorsement-friendly New York market. He decides to leave well over $30 million on the table. Instead of the bucks, he prefers to "take his talents" to a team that won one championship fairly recently and with other superstars on the team, looks truly formidable for several years to come.
In the end, pitcher Cliff Lee's "decision" to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies looks a fair bit like fellow Cleveland ex-pat LeBron James' decamping to the Miami Heat -- minus the ESPN-delivered docu-drama (thus sparing Lee the hatred of millions of baseball fans).
Still there's a possible bright side for New York fans -- even given the Red Sox's powering up with Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford (though, maybe not for you Mets partisans, Lee's returning to the NL East).
The long-beleagured New York Knicks seem to be doing OK without LeBron. In fact, amazingly, the Knicks have put together their most competitive team in a decade, are only one and a half games behind the Heat, with an eight-game winning streak (including seven in a row on the road). Yeah, it's early (only a quarter of the season out of way), but Am'are Stoudamire has almost singlehandedly revitalized a franchise essentially dead for nearly a decade. In other words, in a far worse position than the Yankees currently find themselves (one year removed from a World Series championship -- over the Cliff Lee-led Phillies)are.
So, Cliff Lee ain't coming to New York. That's fine. This great city ain't for everybody. Somehow, the Yankees will survive (Crawford going to the Sox, actually makes things easier for New York and Boston, with Tampa Bay becoming less of a threat in the AL East).
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In the end, pitcher Cliff Lee's "decision" to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies looks a fair bit like fellow Cleveland ex-pat LeBron James' decamping to the Miami Heat -- minus the ESPN-delivered docu-drama (thus sparing Lee the hatred of millions of baseball fans).
Still there's a possible bright side for New York fans -- even given the Red Sox's powering up with Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford (though, maybe not for you Mets partisans, Lee's returning to the NL East).
The long-beleagured New York Knicks seem to be doing OK without LeBron. In fact, amazingly, the Knicks have put together their most competitive team in a decade, are only one and a half games behind the Heat, with an eight-game winning streak (including seven in a row on the road). Yeah, it's early (only a quarter of the season out of way), but Am'are Stoudamire has almost singlehandedly revitalized a franchise essentially dead for nearly a decade. In other words, in a far worse position than the Yankees currently find themselves (one year removed from a World Series championship -- over the Cliff Lee-led Phillies)are.
So, Cliff Lee ain't coming to New York. That's fine. This great city ain't for everybody. Somehow, the Yankees will survive (Crawford going to the Sox, actually makes things easier for New York and Boston, with Tampa Bay becoming less of a threat in the AL East).
Labels: Cliff Lee, free agency, LeBron James, MLB, NBA
Friday, July 09, 2010
The LeBron Hypocrisy -- It's Not His
How DARE he? How DARE LeBron James -- not just exercise his free-agent right to take his talents elsewhere -- but turn it into a prime-time televised ESPN event? How dare he drive a stake into the heart of his hometown?
How dare he turn all of this into a circus? How dare he act like the second coming of Michael Jordan when he hasn't won anything yet?
This is the general -- not just Cleveland -- media denunciation of James for his "The Decision" special that announced his plan to play for the Miami Heat. His former owner, Dan Gilbert was ruthless in castigating James for his escape to South Beach. The words drip with venom: "deserted," "cowardly betrayal," "shameful display of selfishness," and the coup de grace:
Again, it all came down to three words: How dare he?
Well, quite easily actually. It's not like all these bigger-than-the-game impulses just popped into his head out of nowhere. Let's go back a mere seven years:
Just read that piece. It makes quite clear that, despite what LeBron critics say now, the "King James" appellation was given him by "onlookers." While other eighteen-year olds high school students are allowed to be eighteen in relative anonymity, LeBron James was anointed by his local school and athletic program as the second coming of Jordan. St. Vincent-St. Mary High School was allowing ESPN to broadcast his games. Think about that: This wasn't just a reporter and camera crew coming by to cover the latest phenom. This wasn't the network covering the end-of-season McDonald's All-Star Games; this was the biggest sports network in the world telecasting a high school game because of a wunderkind. And being rewarded with huge ratings!!
Yeah, you can bet his school didn't sell those rights for nothing. And "[James] was the focus of what was called the "Fantastic Scholastic LeBron James Tour," an 8,500-mile, cross-country road schedule that included stops in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dayton and Greensboro, N.C."
So, a high school team was "treated" to a schedule that might exhaust a college -- or pro -- team.
So, after being pimped out by the adults around him in high school, who helped promote him to the heavens in national media -- accruing all sorts of attention and financial ripples themselves -- LeBron learned a major lesson: There's major interest in what he does and where he goes -- and if he doesn't market/manipulate the direction of his life, someone else will and they'll reap all the benefits that go with it. "1,100 LeBron James items listed on eBay." When he was still in high school!
Did James go about announcing "The Decision" in the "correct" way? Maybe not. But what was the "correct" way for a still-young man who has been told from early on that every aspect of his life had to be on stage? NowLeBron James' existence mean to Dan Gilbert's Cavaliers over the last seven years? Hundreds of millions easily. How much to Cleveland? Arguably billions. But, he's required to "stay bought"? Really? And Akron-Cleveland got to unilaterally introduce LeBron James to the world, crowned him before his time and reveled as his star grew. But, he doesn't get to depart that circus on his own terms?
Please.
People may think that LeBron thinks that "This is my world and everyone else just lives in it." Nope. He's just taken the cues that the world's been giving him from an early age and has adapted himself to them. And that may turn out to be the best "decision" he ever made.
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How dare he turn all of this into a circus? How dare he act like the second coming of Michael Jordan when he hasn't won anything yet?
This is the general -- not just Cleveland -- media denunciation of James for his "The Decision" special that announced his plan to play for the Miami Heat. His former owner, Dan Gilbert was ruthless in castigating James for his escape to South Beach. The words drip with venom: "deserted," "cowardly betrayal," "shameful display of selfishness," and the coup de grace:
This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.In a later interview, Gilbert added that James "quit" during the playoffs. (Strangely though, Gilbert still wanted this "quitter" to resign with his team! Funny that, eh?)
Again, it all came down to three words: How dare he?
Well, quite easily actually. It's not like all these bigger-than-the-game impulses just popped into his head out of nowhere. Let's go back a mere seven years:
[With] Jordan retiring for the third--and he says final time--if all of the hype and expectations are valid, the answer to that often-asked question could come in the form of a 6-foot-8, 240-pound, 18-year-old high schooler whose spectacular play has prompted onlookers to refer to him as "King James."
LeBron James, who has been called "the best high school player ever," is a creative dunker with the explosiveness of Jordan and the passing ability of Magic Johnson. Not since Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) was a high schooler in the '60s has a high school sensation gotten so much exposure and generated so much excitement. He is what sports experts call "a legitimate showstopper" who has, during his tenure at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, exhibited the kind of fan-pleasing ability that will likely make him the NBA's No. 1 draft pick on June 26.
James, who has a 32-point scoring average and 3.75 grade-point average, is a cordial, sometimes engaging youngster who is characterized by his unselfishness on the court that's mixed with a bit of flamboyance. And it's those credentials that elevated him to the level where he was the focus of what was called the "Fantastic Scholastic LeBron James Tour," an 8,500-mile, cross-country road schedule that included stops in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dayton and Greensboro, N.C.
[SNIP]
The McDonald's High School Player of the Year is a unique package of athletic ability and charisma that has enthralled spectators in ways not seen before at this level. This spring, for example, sellout crowds of 20,000 or more attended several All-Star games in which he played, and some paid upward of $85 to see him. There are nearly 1,100 LeBron James items listed on eBay. And when was the last time that a high schooler has generated so much excitement that his regular-season games were nationally televised? Earlier this year, James' introduction to nationwide TV gained ESPN2 its largest audience in two years.The title of the above article from the June 2003 Ebony? "Is LeBron James the next Michael Jordan? High school phenom could be the answer to one of the NBA's biggest questions"
Just read that piece. It makes quite clear that, despite what LeBron critics say now, the "King James" appellation was given him by "onlookers." While other eighteen-year olds high school students are allowed to be eighteen in relative anonymity, LeBron James was anointed by his local school and athletic program as the second coming of Jordan. St. Vincent-St. Mary High School was allowing ESPN to broadcast his games. Think about that: This wasn't just a reporter and camera crew coming by to cover the latest phenom. This wasn't the network covering the end-of-season McDonald's All-Star Games; this was the biggest sports network in the world telecasting a high school game because of a wunderkind. And being rewarded with huge ratings!!
Yeah, you can bet his school didn't sell those rights for nothing. And "[James] was the focus of what was called the "Fantastic Scholastic LeBron James Tour," an 8,500-mile, cross-country road schedule that included stops in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dayton and Greensboro, N.C."
So, a high school team was "treated" to a schedule that might exhaust a college -- or pro -- team.
So, after being pimped out by the adults around him in high school, who helped promote him to the heavens in national media -- accruing all sorts of attention and financial ripples themselves -- LeBron learned a major lesson: There's major interest in what he does and where he goes -- and if he doesn't market/manipulate the direction of his life, someone else will and they'll reap all the benefits that go with it. "1,100 LeBron James items listed on eBay." When he was still in high school!
Did James go about announcing "The Decision" in the "correct" way? Maybe not. But what was the "correct" way for a still-young man who has been told from early on that every aspect of his life had to be on stage? NowLeBron James' existence mean to Dan Gilbert's Cavaliers over the last seven years? Hundreds of millions easily. How much to Cleveland? Arguably billions. But, he's required to "stay bought"? Really? And Akron-Cleveland got to unilaterally introduce LeBron James to the world, crowned him before his time and reveled as his star grew. But, he doesn't get to depart that circus on his own terms?
Please.
People may think that LeBron thinks that "This is my world and everyone else just lives in it." Nope. He's just taken the cues that the world's been giving him from an early age and has adapted himself to them. And that may turn out to be the best "decision" he ever made.
Labels: ESPN, LeBron James, Media Phoniness
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Rescuing The "King"
My Post colleague Pete Vescey puts the sudden rush to crucify the "underachieving/choking" LeBron James in proper perspective:
Does LeBron need to improve himself? Sure -- but Jordan's outside shot and defense got better as the years went by. As Vecsey points out, it's more important that LeBron has not just a "supporting cast," but a very good partner-in-crime that will complement his greatness.
And, yeah, and after watching a decade of Knicks futility, I'd love to see him in New York. Don't think it's going to happen, but we starved NY fans would be happy to have five straight years in the playoffs.
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Again, last I checked, LeBron was 25 and already had carried his team once (2007, his fourth year in the league) to the Finals.From that viewpoint, James still has three years in hand before he "ties" Jordan in title-futility in terms of age. How soon we forget that James was frustrated by both the Bird Celtics and the Isiah Thomas Pistons before he finally broke through (Oh, and James actually got his team to the Finals in only his fourth year in the league -- surpassing Jordan in that regard).
Michael Jordan didn’t plead his case on the Supreme Court or win a title until he was 28 . . . with Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and Bill Cartwright by his side and trusty shooters on the outskirts.
Neither Kobe nor Shaq won a title unless aided by one another, or abetted by Dwyane Wade or Pau Gasol. Oscar Robertson never won until he joined Kareem in Milwaukee. Magic never won without Kareem, either.
Go back to the 1980s. The lone franchise players ever to capture a championship without another Top 50 player were Isiah Thomas (twice) and Hakeem Olajuwon (once) ... and Tim Duncan (three times), but he had Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
Does LeBron need to improve himself? Sure -- but Jordan's outside shot and defense got better as the years went by. As Vecsey points out, it's more important that LeBron has not just a "supporting cast," but a very good partner-in-crime that will complement his greatness.
And, yeah, and after watching a decade of Knicks futility, I'd love to see him in New York. Don't think it's going to happen, but we starved NY fans would be happy to have five straight years in the playoffs.
Labels: LeBron James, New York Post, Pete Vecsey
