A Pathetic Response

In the wake of losing the 2011 NBA Finals, LeBron James tweeted philosophically: "The Greater Man upstairs knows when it's my time. Right now isn't the time." This is a pathetic response by the self-described Chosen One, King James. Few excuses for poor performance are more irksome than professional athletes invoking God in the discussion as a way of rationalizing personal failings and shortcomings. One would assume that the Almighty has better, more pressing concerns than to inject himself in the outcome of the NBA Finals. Indeed, it would seem that it has been a few centuries since he demonstrated any stake or rooting interest in athletic contests, David versus Goliath being the notable exception.

Tasteless

After morning shoot around, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James found the time to mock Dirk Nowitzki who reportedly ran a temperature of 101 degrees before game 4. Of course, Nowitzki despite the illness led his team to victory. The expression, "He who laughs last, laughs best" comes immediately to mind, especially so for James who has pulled a disappearing act in the 4th quarter of games 4 and 5.

In Defense of LeBron James

I am no fan of LeBron James mainly because I believe that despite his prodigious talent he hasn't accomplish anything remotely commensurate with the all the hype heaped upon him and his delusions about becoming a global icon. While I don't quibble with his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers to "take his talents to South Beach," I thought the infomercial in concert with ESPN was tactless, classless, and essentially an exercise in self-absorption. That said, the criticism that James has disappeared in the fourth quarter of Heat's games against the Dallas Mavericks is misguided and ridiculous. While his teammate Dwyane Wade has exploded offensively, James has emerged as a shutdown defender on Jason Terry and a devastating passer, allowing Wade, Chris Bosh, and others to score at critical times. 

MJ or LeBron

Appearing on the ESPN radio show Friday, "Mike and Mike in the Morning," hall-of-famer Scottie Pippen, who played Robin to Michael Jordan's Batman, expressed the heretical view that while Jordan is the greatest scorer of all-time, LeBron James might yet be the greatest player of all-time. As is customary in situations of this sort, Pippen has subsequently modified his comments, having been subjected to a barrage of criticism for his outlandish opinion. True, James is an immensely talented player and among the best of his generation, but he is also the recipient of excessive hype that he has failed to fulfill. And it goes without saying that it is somewhat presumptuous to mention James in the same breath with Jordan, the latter having won 6 NBA championships while the former none. 

The Closer

LeBron James missed a game tying shot in the waning seconds of yesterday's playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Nothing new here, King James is 1 and 8 in late game situations where the Miami Heat are trailing by 3 points or less.

Two and a Half Superstars

Mired in a losing streak and unable to produce when it matters most, particularly when it comes to the league's elite teams, this trio - LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh - is finding it extremely difficult to live up to all that advanced hype. Two and a half superstars do not a team make.

The Big Three

Miami Heat's so-called "big three" - DeWayne Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh - is a misnomer. True, Wade and James should be mentioned among the NBA's elite players but Bosh is little more than a nice little complimentary player with an unimpressive resume and, as such, undeserving of what amounts to greatness by association.

A Childish Response

The Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert's childish response to LeBron James's departure is, by any measure, somewhat over the top not to mention hypocritical, because loyalty never prevented Gilbert from firing two coaches, Paul Silas and Mike Brown, chasing away general manager Danny Ferry, and trading players. As the expression goes, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. In the final analysis, it was all about business:

A transcript of an open letter from Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert:
Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

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.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER 'KING' WINS ONE"

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue....

Dan Gilbert

Majority Owner

Cleveland Cavaliers

Friends

From left to right: Chris Bosh, the Narcissist, and Dwyane Wade. Only time will tell whether the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

We Two Kings

Larry King's over-hyped interview of LeBron James is scheduled to air Friday night, coincidentally, roughly the same time the NBA Championship Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics gets underway. King, a vastly overrated interviewer, asked the Chosen One whether the Cleveland Cavaliers had the edge in re-signing him as a free agent. Quite predictably, James responded affirmatively, noting that the city of Cleveland and its fans had been good to him. But the truth of the matter, as any NBA fan knows, is that a free agent's current team has vastly more money at its disposal than its competitors. However, with James who aspires to be a global icon, it is more than simply being about money.

King James

The avalanche of negative criticism to LeBron James' no-show in game 5 of the series with the Boston Celtics reflects two tendencies. First, both media and fans as usual tend to overstate the importance of what happened in the last game played. You may recall that during the Thunder-Lakers series, some folks, most prominently Charles Barkely, had written Kobe Bryant off an old and washed up. Last time I checked, he was instrumental in closing out Oklahoma City and sweeping Utah. Second, James has nobody to blame but himself in raising expectations. If you're considered the best player of your generation, you had better deliver in the playoffs. In professional team sports, individual talent is trumped by championships. Look no further than Dominique Wilkins, the human highlight film, whose resume conspicuously does not contain a title.

Numbers

Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James has declared his intention of relinquishing jersey number 23 in homage to Michael Jordan. James, whose modest ambition is to follow in MJ's footsteps by becoming a worldwide icon, will revert to number 6, which he wore as a high school star in Ohio. James' move is further evidence of how ignorant present day athletes are of their game's history and traditions for number 6 was worn by two equally legendary figures: Julius Erving and Bill Russell, who won two NCAA championships, an Olympic gold medal, and an unprecedented 11 world championships with the Boston Celtics.

The King Has No Clothes

Of LeBron James' unwillingness to congratulate the Oralndo Magic after the Cleveland Cavaliers were ousted from the playoffs, Michael Wilbon writes:

But LeBron James, over the past five years, has made hundreds of decisions and utterances that play out in public. It happens a half-dozen times every day of his life, at arenas, and charity events and hospitals, representing the United States or the Cleveland Cavaliers or Nike or any of a dozen different corporate sponsors; he has to say something appropriate or greet someone in an awkward situation or act as the team leader and primary decision maker. And 99.9 percent of the time he does exactly the right thing. If we're keeping count on the behavior scoreboard, its LeBron James Gets It Right 299, LeBron Goofs 1. That's the ledger.

I disagree with Wilbon. James' behavior pretty much trumps whatever good will he established before this incident. As the expression goes, "Adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it."

Triple Threat

Excellent piece by Michael Wilbon speculating on LeBron James's chances of equally the incomparable Oscar Robertson's achievement of averaging a triple double over the course of a season.

We see all-court brilliance like this every 25 years or so, when a player is extraordinary in basketball's primary skills: scoring, rebounding and passing. Only Oscar Robertson, in 1962, has averaged double digits in those three categories over an entire season. Only Magic Johnson, in 1982, has come truly close since. It has been such an unreachable mark, like hitting .400 for an entire season or scoring 100 points in a single game, that it's now presumed to be unthinkable that a player would average a triple-double over a full NBA season.

Wizards on the Brink

Somebody forgot to tell the Washington Wizards that trash talking matters little unless you actually back it up with play on the court. DeShawn Stevenson, Gilbert Arenas, and now Brendan Hayward - who openly mocked James for complaining about the Wizards' physical play - have clearly won the verbal series, such as it is, but find themselves trailing 3 games to 1 and on the brink of being ousted from the playoffs by Cleveland for the third consecutive year. And all their efforts have succeeded in doing is motivating James to elevate his level of play, as if he needed another reason.