Okay. An obligatory LeBron James take.

I know, another LeBron take on the internet is something you don't want to read. But if I'm not going to sleep before I get this posted? I may as well put it out there.

Did I watch the special? No. I did not watch the special. Like most of us on the internet, the mere idea that LeBron James was going to get an hour to massage his ego made me sick. I would rather replay the frustrating sequence of Mr. Zero in GTA San Andreas and watch the delightful paintball episode of Community than attempt to stomach this.

Any problem with him signing with Miami? I believe that they're going to implode at some point. Strange things happen. Wade's injury prone. Bosh is mercurial. See the above paragraph. for my opinion on LeBron. That being said, he seems to be playing with his friends. And on that instance alone? I have no problem with LeBron.

But the biggest and my potential most hypocritical problem? His ego trip is a win. Seriously. Remember the premise of the special was to get people talking about him.

What's this post about?

Kevin Durant could be considered as much of a transcendent talent as Mr. James. And you could ask your average casual NBA fan about him and they may not know that he signed an extension with the Thunder. A classy, quiet move. And he should be rightfully regarded highly for it.

But he lost the news cycle. And I helped.

Yay, huh?

LeBron has officially hit step four...

On the Tebow scale to athlete hatred.

And oddly enough? It's a relatively small event that does it. For you see? It was at a skills camp where America will turn heel on LeBron. Since I'm a lazy bum, I'll give Gary Parrish the words.

You want to see video of Xavier's Jordan Crawford dunking on LeBron James?

If so, too bad.

Because you're not going to see it.

Thanks to Nike.

Turns out, there were at least two cameras rolling Monday night when Crawford dunked on James during a pick-up game here at the LeBron James Skills Academy. It was a two-handed jam, the kind that would've circulated quickly on YouTube. But Nike officials eliminated that possibility shortly after the dunk happened by allegedly confiscating tapes from various cameramen.

And here's the reason why this is justifiable for a heel turn.



That's Devin Harris getting beat by a London Streetballer. It got to youtube. It lasted a day as news. We moved on. Devin moved on.

But to do what LeBron did is professional wrestling behavior. There are some in the WWE whom cannot allow themselves to look bad. It's something that Triple H would do. It's something that Hulk Hogan would do. Why is LeBron just as bad?

Because they can't let some random jabroni beat them. Not your random Ted Dibiase and especially some two guard who couldn't even beat out Eric Gordon in 2007. So now Jordan Crawford has the rough equivalent to Chris Jericho's first WWF title reign.

And yes, LeBron James is Triple H in my analogy. Which means he'll need to marry a fake breasted daughter of David Stern to get his first championship.

Free Antwan Jamison to a good home...

Image via Wikipedia

Jonathan Givony is reporting that the Wizards are shopping Antwan Jamison. And they do not want much in return. This is interesting because the Cavaliers have the expiring contracts to make such a deal worthwhile for both sides. Givony says that a package of Ben Wallace (who's now best known as a sketch character on the Disciples of Clyde Podcast) and Sasha Pavlovic (who defends like he's a zombie on rollerskates), can be a great match for a deal (if the Wizards throw in Mike James) And I'm sure that there would be a pick at 30 or 45 involved, to get the Wizards a little more.

Here's why the deal is so great for the Cavs. In a world where the undersized four that can hit the three was a linchpin of NBA Finals runs for both the Magic as well as the Lakers? Even a past-30 Antwan can bring a lot to the table. He's not too far removed from being a 20 and 10 player. A LeBron-Mo-Antwan triad has some definite value.

And the Wizards can use the extra pick at 30 to use their pick at five for Jordan Hill. Why? Because Patty Mills can be theirs if they want to trade up, or maybe even if they stay at 30. That means they can get their shit together as the Gilbert Arenas albatross keeps rearing its ugly head.

Sorry. Cheap shot. I will move on.

LeBron and The Tebow scale.

LeBron James is a special player. He took the Magic down by himself today. And you know what? I'm feeling bereft. Really. I feel myself slipping toward a place I don't want to go to. For you see, LeBron James is on the Tebow scale of athlete hatred.



Why Tim Tebow? Because in this modern era, the journey of Tebow is the journey that most modern athletes will take for the causal fan. I shall explain, presently.

Step 1: Manic Indie Thrill

Now, you can have your professional be the manic indie thrill in some sports. But in Football and Basketball? The superstars get found early. Tim Tebow was little more than a curious glimpse as a Freshman in college. LeBron's junior year at St. Mary's-St. Vincent? That was for the cognoscenti.

But then success hits. Skills start to pay bills. And many players evolve to Step 2. What do we call step 2?

Step 2: The Raymond Stage

The player can walk on water. 20 passing touchdowns, 20 rushing touchdowns. A conference championship just because you wanted it more than the other 11 players. And even the sketchy antics, be they jorts or the LeBrons, are looked upon with amusement. Not scorn. In short, they are good.

But it does not last. Good things never do. Step three can be summed up in one line. "Look in my eyes, what do you see?"

Step 3: The Cult of Personality

Like anything good, the mainstream media has to roll up and ruin everything. Let's quote Thom Brenneman, shall we?

"If you're fortunate enough to spend five minutes or 20 minutes around Tim Tebow, your life is better for it."

Now you see, that boils down step three perfectly. The media go all bromantic on the player. And it's sickening. There are some on the twitterverse who showed relief about the abscence of Doug Collins this evening. Why? He's gone full Brenneman on LeBron. Suffice it to say, the casual fan cannot dig it.

And when the casual fan stops liking a player? What happens next?

Step 4: Backlash!

Suffice it to say, LeBron is treading that line with Jay-Z, ARod, and other people who you could consider douchebags. And when he goes to New York in July of 2010? The backlash will come out in full force. LeBron will be disliked.

But you can't stop the inevitable, right?

I'm not a man who's going to roll out and say I saw Michael Jordan play.

I always thought he was a ballhog. Now, what that says about me as a five or six year old is something for the ESDM-IV to decide. But you know what? I saw true greatness tonight.

 

I'm know I'm not the most original take on this matter. But that was one hell of a shot. But you know what? it encourages the team to play like crap. Because then LeBron will kick it into Legend mode and save the day.

 

They were up by 23. Don't forget that.

 

And before we forget, the Magic have shown a mental toughness you never thought they had. They have the next two at home. And they have the Turk, who inexplicably gets left open. (As twitter me said: You can't leave a man that ugly that open!)

 

Let's not call it Iconic just yet. Unless the Cavs take the next two in Orlando? It is not a shot that belongs to the ages.

 

It will just merely be critically acclaimed. 

See. That shot was magical.

30 in 30: Cleveland Cavaliers?

Do they have enough behind LeBron? No.