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Someone needs to say it, and it's going to be me: LeBron James is a genius.
I was shocked to hear he's now one of the most hated athletes in America. Shocked. You're all crazy. I watched "The Decision." We all did. The exposure was amazing.
Something like that had never happened before, but I bet it will again because you watched. And he even managed to get some publicity for the Boys & Girls Clubs. Don't hate him for the cameras, America.
I know the guy, and sure, he's arrogant -- especially about his status in the league. To be fair, though, he has basically carried the NBA by himself for seven years. Most of the time, he's polite and far more humble than people think. Humble enough to come back every season better than he was in the one before.
Arrogant players who steal money, then report to camp out of shape are a bigger problem. That happens way too often. But in the end, the fault for that belongs to the owners. After all, they're the ones shelling out the dough. They throw all that money away, and now they want to cut back salaries? That kind of thinking could cause a lockout. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Stay with me: I'm about to bring it back to LeBron. While the fans hate, the players applaud, because symbolically, the Summer of LeBron was a blow to the owners. And a blow to the owners is a win for us. We love that LeBron ran the show from start to finish, called every shot. That's a welcome change from the owner-player dynamic, which we all think should operate more like a partnership. It's about time the owners were forced to recognize that we are the ones bringing value to their investments.
Of course, as a wise person -- I think it was Spider-Man -- once said: With great power comes great responsibility. LeBron has the power. Sure, he didn't handle the details as well as he could have. His choice of words, for example, was brutal: "Take my talents ... " C'mon, man, you're from Ohio! Fans there supported you forever. Be a little more sympathetic. He was mad at management, but he took it out on the fans. I know he wishes he had a do-over on his delivery.
All the guys in the league I've talked with have been surprised about him joining the Heat. In terms of brand management, we all know New York would have been the better move. Think of Chicago and you think of Jordan; think of LA and you think of Kobe. LeBron could have been that guy in New York. Win a ring there and you write your own ticket. But at the same time, we recognize that Miami is the right basketball decision. More than anything, it shows how badly the guy wants to win a title.
Make no mistake: Miami gives him the best shot at that. You need two stars to win in this league. The Heat have three, plus a great supporting cast. Mario Chalmers and Mike Miller can play. We all respect Udonis Haslem; he's a warrior. And Z? What an underrated signing. He'll spread the floor and get bigs like Dwight Howard and the Lakers' twin towers out of the paint. It was a dumb move not to invite the rest of the team onto the stage at the first public introduction, though. The three of them dancing all by themselves -- talk about sending a bad message. I'll tell you another thing: I don't understand why people think free agents are going to flock there to play for less money. Not everyone is looking for a piggyback ride.
Yes, we're still trying to gauge the Heat's chemistry, but that doesn't mean we're not all scared of them. LeBron and Co. say they're keeping a checklist of haters. I know guys who refuse to say anything negative for that reason. If you talk trash, those guys will bust your ass with a vengeance. They'll be in the Finals this year, for sure.
One team that won't be? The Cavs. They are screwed. Dan Gilbert blasting LeBron in that letter definitely cost him free agents. Once we saw that, we knew LeBron had made the right call. Owners have to learn to sign players, chill in their box and let the team do its job. A guy like Gilbert, who gets too emotionally involved -- who wants to play for that guy? Blame ownership. Again.
I was shocked to hear he's now one of the most hated athletes in America. Shocked. You're all crazy. I watched "The Decision." We all did. The exposure was amazing.
Something like that had never happened before, but I bet it will again because you watched. And he even managed to get some publicity for the Boys & Girls Clubs. Don't hate him for the cameras, America.
I know the guy, and sure, he's arrogant -- especially about his status in the league. To be fair, though, he has basically carried the NBA by himself for seven years. Most of the time, he's polite and far more humble than people think. Humble enough to come back every season better than he was in the one before.
Arrogant players who steal money, then report to camp out of shape are a bigger problem. That happens way too often. But in the end, the fault for that belongs to the owners. After all, they're the ones shelling out the dough. They throw all that money away, and now they want to cut back salaries? That kind of thinking could cause a lockout. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Stay with me: I'm about to bring it back to LeBron. While the fans hate, the players applaud, because symbolically, the Summer of LeBron was a blow to the owners. And a blow to the owners is a win for us. We love that LeBron ran the show from start to finish, called every shot. That's a welcome change from the owner-player dynamic, which we all think should operate more like a partnership. It's about time the owners were forced to recognize that we are the ones bringing value to their investments.
Of course, as a wise person -- I think it was Spider-Man -- once said: With great power comes great responsibility. LeBron has the power. Sure, he didn't handle the details as well as he could have. His choice of words, for example, was brutal: "Take my talents ... " C'mon, man, you're from Ohio! Fans there supported you forever. Be a little more sympathetic. He was mad at management, but he took it out on the fans. I know he wishes he had a do-over on his delivery.
All the guys in the league I've talked with have been surprised about him joining the Heat. In terms of brand management, we all know New York would have been the better move. Think of Chicago and you think of Jordan; think of LA and you think of Kobe. LeBron could have been that guy in New York. Win a ring there and you write your own ticket. But at the same time, we recognize that Miami is the right basketball decision. More than anything, it shows how badly the guy wants to win a title.
Make no mistake: Miami gives him the best shot at that. You need two stars to win in this league. The Heat have three, plus a great supporting cast. Mario Chalmers and Mike Miller can play. We all respect Udonis Haslem; he's a warrior. And Z? What an underrated signing. He'll spread the floor and get bigs like Dwight Howard and the Lakers' twin towers out of the paint. It was a dumb move not to invite the rest of the team onto the stage at the first public introduction, though. The three of them dancing all by themselves -- talk about sending a bad message. I'll tell you another thing: I don't understand why people think free agents are going to flock there to play for less money. Not everyone is looking for a piggyback ride.
Yes, we're still trying to gauge the Heat's chemistry, but that doesn't mean we're not all scared of them. LeBron and Co. say they're keeping a checklist of haters. I know guys who refuse to say anything negative for that reason. If you talk trash, those guys will bust your ass with a vengeance. They'll be in the Finals this year, for sure.
One team that won't be? The Cavs. They are screwed. Dan Gilbert blasting LeBron in that letter definitely cost him free agents. Once we saw that, we knew LeBron had made the right call. Owners have to learn to sign players, chill in their box and let the team do its job. A guy like Gilbert, who gets too emotionally involved -- who wants to play for that guy? Blame ownership. Again.
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