- The failure of LeBron James to choose the Chicago Bulls, which would have placed him in a better position to win championships.
- The failure of LeBron James to control his narrative here, leading him to be seen (so far as I can tell) as a heel in all this rather than an eager athlete hoping to win, as this Bill Simmons tweet notes with the appropriate sports entertainment reference. (Though would any selection other than Cleveland lead to this outcome?)
- The failure of ESPN in delivering the news in the first ten minutes of the show as promised, leading instead to the basketball equivalent of an Idol results show.
- Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's open letter to the fans as Comic Sans FAIL.
Friday, July 9, 2010
WE WITNESSED: There are at least four different types of failures we can discuss regarding last night's LeBronathon:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I grew up near Cleveland, and that part of the state has lived and breathed the Cavs for the entire LeBron era. People love him so much that I think a lot of Cavs fans would have made their peace with LeBron wanting to go somewhere that gave him a better chance to win a ton of championships and cement his legacy. But wow was the LeBronathan awful. I tuned in for a few minutes to see what his decision was, and this was what I caught: LeBron rather defensively saying that he hopes the Cavs fans will be respectful when he comes back to play there for for the Heat, but he's not expecting them to, and a bunch of stuff about how much he has given to Cleveland. I didn't hear much about how that area supported and gave to him. And I say that as someone who does not like the NBA and pointedly doesn't usually watch, so I can only imagine what real fans are going through. I'm avoiding talking to my dad and brothers today.
ReplyDelete<span><span><span>(Though would any selection other than Cleveland lead to this outcome?)</span></span>
ReplyDeleteSure. Choosing the Knicks would have been portrayed as a noble act, as LeBron arriving in the capital of the free world to restore the city to basketball relevance. Never mind that the assembly of a LeBron-Wade superteam is more interesting from a basketball perspective - if it's good for New York, it *has* to be good for the NBA, and for America.</span>
I was in law school in Cleveland when LeBron was in high school battling the Ohio HS Athletic Association over his Hummer (with "King James" embroidered on the head rests) and accepting throwback jerseys. Even with his selfish crap back then, Clevelanders could only hope that they won the 2003 lottery. Even law school students could afford great seats because the Cavs were so terrible.
ReplyDeleteI don't fault him for going to another team where he thinks he has a better shot to win a championship (although I would have preferred Chicago). That's the whole point of the NBA, isn't it? What I do fault him for is making a public spectacle of it all, knowing how much this decision meant the fortunes of the metropolitan area he's lived his entire life. He humiliated Cleveland - a city that didn't need that kind of sucker punch. It's almost like an 80s movie plot where one of the jocks asks a geeky social outcast to the big dance as a joke, only to stand her up or otherwise embarass her in front of the entire school. Maybe he's that insulated and ego-centric that he didn't realize the impact of this decision. If that's the case, I have even less respect for him. I know I'll be rooting against Miami this season and hope that Chicago's done enough by adding Boozer to stop LeBron and the Heat from winning this season (and future seasons).
And as for Gilbert's "angry letter/party font" debacle, someone should have suggested that he wait a day to cool down before posting that. It's the worst.
Joe Posnanski is worth a read on this, for the Cleveland sports fan perspective: http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2010/07/08/the-lebron-decision/#more-3679
ReplyDeleteHe at least could have had the decency to call his former employers to let them know of his decision before announcing it on the air. Frankly, if LeBron really is one of the top five players of all time, I have to think he eventually would have won multiple titles in Cleveland. Part of the reason the Cavs' roster is so poorly constructed is that they made so many short-sighted "win now" decisions (e.g. adding Jamison) out of fear that LeBron could leave at any moment. If he'd signed a long-term deal, the Cavs finally could have made a long-term plan. And, frankly, he only needed to give Cleveland one title to become the greatest sports hero in that city's history. He'll probably win more titles in Miami than he would have ever won in Cleveland, but this smacks of taking the easy way out.
ReplyDeleteAs for Gilbert's letter, what a joke. James is going to be absolutely barbecued by just about every sports media entity for the next 48 minutes. All Gilbert had to do is send a form letter taking the high road (we thank him for all he brought this franchise but now it's time to move forward) and watch everyone else eviscerate James. But in a misguided attempt to fire up his fan base and avoid losing more season tickets, he somehow managed to make James a sympathetic figure.
I feel terrible for the Cleveland fans, but the Cavs have been a poorly run organization since they drafted Lebron (and I can't think all of that can be put on him because he might have left some day), and I can't imagine actually choosing to work for a guy who would write a letter like Gilbert wrote. Of course, just because his leaving was justified, he didn't have to be such a complete ass in the manner he chose to leave (what a bizarre PR/marketing strategy he has).
ReplyDeleteOh, and ESPN was just awful. Leaving aside the issues surrounding bartering advertising space for the interview and allowing the Lebron to chose his interviewer, that show was horrendously done. Truly embarrassing.
I agree that the Cavs have been poorly run (and don't really feel sorry for the team). Just the fans and the city generally.
ReplyDeleteThe Comic Sans is bad (but see, I'm Comic Sans, Asshole), the "scare" "quotes" however are "unforgiveable"
ReplyDeleteEverybody is allowed to leave, but nobody has to leave like an asshole.
ReplyDeleteOK, so LeBron now has a better chance to win a title. But if he doesn't win one now, it's going to look even worse than when he didn't win one in Cleveland. And if he does ... ho hum, so what? Not only will everyone expect it, but the conventional wisdom will not be "LeBron won a title," but rather "LeBron couldn't win a title until he was playing with two other superstars, one of whom is arguably better than him." Isn't that what everyone thought about Kobe until he got out from Shaq's shadow?
ReplyDeleteBeyond that, though, what this spectacle has proved more than anything is that LeBron is a selfish narcisistic jerk (although perhaps slightly mature than Dan Gilbert).
Lakers v. Heat. NBA Finals: for whom are you rooting?
ReplyDeleteWho is arguing that Wade is better than LeBron?
ReplyDeleteI'd reluctantly root for the Lakers.
ReplyDeleteThe Heat, and it's not a particularly difficult decision for me. Lebron hasn't reached Kobe levels of unlikeability yet, and I have a difficult time not rooting for Wade.
ReplyDeleteThe same thing I root for during Duke-UNC games: a massive gambling scandal resulting in double disqualification.
ReplyDeleteHe meant Mike Miller.
ReplyDeleteThe Community marathon was awesome.
ReplyDeleteThe letter reads like a guy whose first wife left him for someone thinner, prettier and more tan - and he's swearing to remarry up.
I am so adopting J. Bowman's response.
ReplyDeleteHeat, though it may depend on how they fill out the remaining seven to eight spots on their roster. Anything to make Bill Plaschke unhappy.
ReplyDeleteCompare his press conference with Gretzky's. I don't think Gretzky repeatedly mentioned how much he, himself, had done for Edmonton. And wonder if the press thanked him for "taking the time."
ReplyDeleteI root for an asteroid, since it would also get Dick Vitale.
ReplyDeleteMy only interest in this is hoping by the time I get home I can pull up a youtube video of Hitler reading Gilbert's letter.
ReplyDeleteI'm not crazy about Dick Vitale, but he just doesn't get me as riled, as, say, Tim McCarver and Joe Morgan.
ReplyDeleteNot quite the Gilbert letter, but he's still upset.
ReplyDeletedon't know if this is any good --
ReplyDeleteOpen Letter to Potential Employees from Cavaliers Majority Owner Dan Gilbert