Why I Hate LeBron James--And I Don't Care If You Do Either

In the wake of the Miami Heat's second consecutive NBA Championship, I had prepared a very nasty post concerning one LeBron James.

And although I am going to tone down some of that rhetoric, I will explain why I don't like the so called 'chosen one.' Not that I need to defend myself to the LeBron Apologists, who believe everyone should be a fan. That they should bow before his greatness, as if he has somehow found the cure for cancer or AIDS.

No, to me LeBron has become more hated than the Pittsburgh Steelers, John Elway, Art Modell, and Ray Lewis combined. Anyone who knows even the slightest about Cleveland Browns' football understands why that is such a huge statement.

LeBron Apologists will say get over The Decision, it's more than time to move on. I say LeBron Apologists get over yourselves. Basketball is a team game, and LeBron has chosen himself over the team. Drafted by Cleveland at the age of 18, he was expected to lead the Cavaliers to greatness they had never seen before. And although he didn't get them there, it wasn't for a lack of trying.

Or was it? A Cavs team that had been hand picked by LeBron himself--the decision to let Carlos Boozer go, the acquistion of first Damon Jones, then Mo Williams, and later Antwan Jamison--were all moves that had been rubber stamped by the 'King' (makes me sick even saying that) himself. Even the decision to hire Mike Brown as head coach--essentially a James yes man--was an indirect sign of the influence this man had over the Cleveland front office. Yet, at the end of the day, the only thing the Cavs would have to show for themselves was a 0-4 NBA Finals sweep by the San Antonio Spurs in 2007.

LeBron Apologists will point to the fact there have been other great players to earn championships after leaving their original teams. Shaquille O'Neal, Clyde Drexler, Kevin Garnett are three of the most recent examples. Yet none of these players left their original teams with nearly the fanfare that surrounded James. I'm also pretty sure that before they left town they also thanked the fans for supporting them--something the 'Chosen One' has yet to do for the city of Cleveland (an apology would be nice, too.) And once they got to their new destination, they didn't talk about the number of rings they would win---they just went out and won them.

Then there is the whole  post game interview where James emphatically states " I'm from Akron, Ohio (the inner city)--I'm not even supposed to be here." Give me a break. You're six foot eight inches tall, blessed with natural quickness and a leaping ability that most guys would die for, and have been told you would be great probably since you were 10 years old. I don't think you'll get an ounce of sympathy from me. There are a lot of other people in the world that have overcome a lot longer odds than you have.

But the biggest issue I have with LeBron is the way he helped form the current Miami Heat team. Got together with his buddies Chris and Dwyane and asked them in the middle of the night if they all wanted to play together. Of the three aforementioned individuals who were also high profile free agents, I am certain none of them got to rubber stamp their teammates before they moved to their new location. In fact the struggles between Shaq and Kobe in Los Angeles have been well documented. But each player put aside their personal differences, at least for a little while, in interest of the greater good of the team. To me that is the true definition of being the ultimate team player. Do you honestly think Michael Jordan agreed with every decision that the then Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause made?

LeBron Apologists will say this is all stupid, I need to get over myself. I say get a life. Quit putting hero worship on an individual who clearly values his own legacy before the team. A man who, despite making millions upon millions of dollars doing something he loves, needs an entourage of yes men calling him 'The Chosen One' and 'King James.'  Do you honestly think the man really cares if you root for him? I don't remember him thanking the fans once during the whole Game 7 post game interview that has since circled the internet a million times over.

I'll acknowledge that what he has done is impressive. And if he wins another title next year, he may be among the top five players all-time, maybe top three. But he has a long way to go to win my support back. In fact, I am not sure there is much he could do at this point that would change my mind.

Most Impressive Streak in Sports History?

A topic of discussion that has created a lot of buzz around the sports world lately is who has the more impressive streak, the Chicago Blackhawks (National Hockey League) or the Miami Heat (National Basketball Association.)

To be honest, I am not sure the two are totally comparable. For starters, the Blackhawks streak includes games that earned them a point to their record (and thus include several overtime losses), whereas the Miami Heat's streak only counts wins.

The Heat have looked absolutely dominant during their latest run, with LeBron James making yet another case why he should be the league's MVP.  Miami has also been able to do this while not taking themselves too seriously, as evidence by the filming of their very own Harlem Shake Video.

Yet I would argue that Miami's streak should come with an asterisk, if only because they are one of the few elite teams in the league. There isn't another team in the Eastern Conference that has been able to give the Heat a consistent challenge.

On the other hand, Chicago's streak, even if it has taken place in the midst of a shortened season, should not be taken lightly. That they have been able to score 45 points in only 24 games is nothing short of amazing, especially given that the team with the best record last season (Vancouver) amassed 111 points in a 82 game season. Certainly, over an 82 game schedule, the 'Hawks would not match the 180 point pace their current record suggests, but it is a fair assumption to say they might have scored in the 130-140 point range.

That is not to say the Blackhawks streak is by any means more impressive. First off, one must take into account that, due to the lockout shortened season, they are playing teams in the Western Conference only. And it should also be noted that, as a casual observer of hockey (watching the Columbus Blue Jackets will do that to you), I am far from an expert on the matter.

But I digress. All of this fuss leads me to the central question of this post:  who holds the most impressive streak in all of sports? Is it the Philadelphia Flyers (who scored a point in 35 consecutive games)? Or maybe it was the Los Angeles Lakers, who won 33 straight games way back when. Or how about Joe Dimaggio's 56 game hit streak? And let's not forget Cal Ripken's 2,632 consecutive games played for the Baltimore Orioles. Maybe it isn't even someone in the professional ranks. How about the UCLA Bruins' 76 consecutive wins in the 1970s? Or Oklahoma football's 57 consecutive wins?

So, whom do you think holds the most revered streak in all of sports? I'll be waiting your answer.

Memo To David Stern: Please leave Pop, Spurs Alone

So in case you've been living under a rock for the last 24 hours, NBA commissioner David Stern has threatened to impose some sort of sanction against the San Antonio Spurs or their head coach, Gregg Popovich, in light of recent events.

And, in case your not familiar with what those events were, I will be happy to refresh your memory. Popovich sat starters Manu Ginobli, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker in last night's game against the Miami Heat. Popovich was trying to give his stars, who had just played four games in the last five nights, a breather before their home contest Sunday versus Memphis. Although San Antonio would eventually lose the game, the 105-100 result was more than likely closer than expected.

So now Stern and his cronies want to punish the Spurs for an action that was clearly the coach's discretion. I mean, come on, I understand the fans pay good money to see a quality product on the court. But I was wondering if someone could please explain to me how a five-point contest isn't a quality product?

Look, if we're going suspend/fine/otherwise punish coaches/teams for doing what is in their best interest, I have a few other suggestions. About 10 years ago or so I went to a Lakers-Celtics contest in Los Angeles but I didn't get to see Shaquille O'Neal play because he was hurt. How about giving me and the rest of the people who bought a ticket that night a refund? No? Well, I also went to see the Spurs play the Wizards a few years before that, but David Robinson didn't play because he was hurt. C'mon commish, you need to punish the Spurs for that, too. I'm pretty sure if Pop wasn't the coach he was at least the GM at that point.

What's that, Commissioner Stern, cat got your tongue? That's what I thought. The proposals I made are just as ludicrous as the proposed sanctions you are about to levy on today's Spurs. I will admit, I am not a huge pro basketball fan, but if I do watch I sometimes root for the Spurs. Most people don't like them because they aren't flashy enough, but, as I have said before, I like the fact they play fundamentally sound team ball for the most part.

And yes, as a fan, if I was in Miami (not entirely out of the question, as I spent the last week two hours northwest of South Beach. Of course, I didn't get a ticket, as I was unaware the two teams played) and I had gone to the game, I would be upset that some of my favorite players were not even dressing. But at the end of the day, I would be happy that my team was in a position to possibly win the game.

So, commissioner Stern, leave Pop and the Spurs alone. There is no rule that says a NBA head coach can't sit his stars if he feels its in the best interest of the team. This is just another attempt by you to unnecessarily throw your weight around, and another reason why once avid fans like myself are becoming more indifferent by the day.

Why Lebron James isn't or will ever be a true Champion

So Lebron James finally won his first NBA Championship last night, as the Miami Heat easily dispatched of the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106 in game five to win the best of seven series 4-1.

As the confetti and trophy presenation to James, Dwyane Wade, and their Miami cohorts began, it got me to thinking: Is Lebron James one of the best players to ever play the game of basketball?

If you look at what he has accomplished to date, all the accolades would indicate that he is, in fact, among the best to ever lace them up. Multiple regular season MVP.  MVP of the all-star game. And, as we all saw last night, he can now add another title to his resume: NBA Champion.

But does Lebron really deserve to be called a champion?

No, and it's not even close.

Do champions run away when the going gets tough? No. Lebron felt that it was ultimately too hard to win a championship in Cleveland, and decided the alternative, moving to Miami to team with the Heat's Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, was what he needed to get over the hump. Never mind that in the history of the NBA, only one other person has ever won a championship leaving the team that drafted him in his prime: Shaquille O'Neal.

O'Neal, unlike James, did not make a spectacle when he moved from Orlando to Los Angeles. He also did not claim he would win multiple titles upon arriving in LA even before he had his first ring. He went out and played ball, and would go on to win three titles with Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant with the Lakers. It was never about him, just about the team.

That was the big thing that angered me last night and prompted me to write this post today. It seemed that last night was less about the Miami Heat winning, and more about Lebron James getting his first title. Even ABC decided to get in on the act, paying homage to the struggle that Lebron had to finally become an NBA Champion.

But was it really that much of a struggle? Lebron had been pampered throughout high school, playing on the best AAU teams during the summer. He would go on to put his school, Akron St.-Vincent-St. Mary, on the basketball map with his stellar play.

Then it was on to the NBA. Within a few years of joining the Cavaliers, he had them in the playoffs.  A couple years after that, he even had them in the NBA finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Despite getting swept by the Spurs in that series, 4-0, it was assumed the experience he gained would allow him to take the next step and bring Cleveland its first ever NBA title.

However, three years later Lebron and the Cavs still were without rings. The time had come for James to make what would be the hardest decision of his career to that point. How would he handle it? With the humility of a champion? Hardly, unless you consider an hour long special dedicated to a decision that could have been issued via a 30 second press release humble. But at least there was the glimmer of hope that the greatest athlete state of Ohio had ever seen would tough it out to bring his hometown a championship.

Yet there's the rub. James decided, in fact, it wasn't going to be easy to win a title in Cleveland, and thus bolted for Miami to team up with his buddy Dwyane.  Of course, there are many who felt that David Robinson would never win a championship with the Spurs. Robinson's loyalty would be rewarded, as he would finally get his first ring in 2003.

And everyone thinks that all this hatred for Lebron revolves around his decision to leave his 'hometown.' Certainly that has something to do with it. I mean, at the very least he could have thanked the city of Cleveland for its support after he left town, but did he do so? No, to this day he has hardly acknowledged the role Cleveland and the Cavs played in his development as a player.

Then there is the infamous pep rally held in Miami that would lead the rest of the nation (save for south beach) to pile on the list of the king's haters.

But the real reason Lebron isn't, or will never be, a champion? He took the easy way out. He could have stayed in Cleveland, and tried to make it work with the team that drafted him. Even if he had never won a title at least he would have gone down as one of the all time greats. Yet he left his former team, one that bent over backwards trying to make him happy, for one that had amassed a collection of superstars built to win a championship. So the question then wasn't if he would win a title but when. Sure he has worked on his game, but maybe not as much as if he stayed on the Cavs.  He has also made his teammates around him better players as well. But it is much easier to do when you team up with two other all-star players.

So Heat fans(including those who joined the bandwagon in 2010) you can rejoice that Lebron has finally won his first title.  Because he is definitely one of the great players. But a champion? Not necessarily.

LeBron better than Jordan? Hardly. Here's why King James will never be as great as "Air Jordan."

As the Dallas Mavericks put the finishing touches on last night's 112-103, taking a 3-2 lead in the best of seven series of the 2011 NBA Finals, a few things stood out to me.  First and foremost is that Dallas will not go away, and if they can keep up their hot shooting, there is a good possibility they can take at least one of the final two games in Miami, thus becoming NBA champions.  Then there was the play of Miami without Dwayne Wade, a team that at times looked worse than last year's LeBron James led Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics. 

The story of the night, however, is that LeBron James is no Michael Jordan.  In fact, LeBron is not even in Michael's area code when it comes to basketball, and, despite what happens in the future, King James will never be as good as the one they dubbed "Air Jordan."

All pregame talk centered on whether LeBron would be able to bounce back from what was the worst playoff perfomance in his career. To his credit, he did notch his first triple double of the series.  Yet he couldn't help lift his team to the victory, and now he and his Miami teammates head home on the brink of elimination.

Lebron apologists will point to the fact that Miami was without D-Wade for a majority of the game.  During Michael's prime, however, had Scottie Pippen been hurt Michael would not have made excuses, he would have found a way to win without Scottie.

In addition, Michael Jordan may have also been unofficially known as "Mr. Clutch",  because when it came to the fourth quarter, and the game was on the line, Michael took over.  LeBron's recent struggles in the fourth quarter of playoff games are well documented, with one fan even posting this on twitter:

" RT @damienwoody: If u ask @KingJames for a dollar, he'll only give u 75 cents; he never gives you the fourth quarter."

There are other reasons, though, that James will never be in the same stratosphere as Jordan, even if the Heat end up winning this series(and possibly another four or five titles).  The first is that LeBron complains way too much.  It's become pretty pathetic, actually, to the point you almost expect him to cry 'foul' every time he misses a shot.  At least it seemed that way last Sunday while I was watching  game four at a friend's house.

Jordan never made excuses, he just won ball games.  And, if he ever talked any trash, he was always able to back it up.  Lebron hasn't even won one championship yet, and he's already looking ahead to the day when he has more titles than Michael.

And what if Lebron does bounce back and leads the Heat to the championship?  Or five? Or six? Or seven?  The answer is he'll still never be as good as Jordan, primarily because he thought it was too tough to win in Cleveland. So he decided to "take his talents to South Beach."   Why couldn't he persuade Wade and Bosh to join him in Cleveland? Oh, yeah, that's right, LeBron is much more marketable in Miami than he would have ever been in Cleveland.

Think Michael Jordan gave a rat's a-- about his marketability while he was on his way to winning six NBA Championships with the Bulls?

I rest my case.

LeBron has made it to the finals, and made a believer out of me.

So an interesting thing happened last night during game 5 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals.
And no it wasn't the fact that the Chicago Bulls blew a double digit lead on the way to be eliminated from the playoffs.  Although their late game meltdown was disappointing, even if you aren't a Chicago fan.

Nor was it that the Miami Heat are headed back to the finals to play the team they beat to win their only championship, the Dallas Mavericks.  Dirk you'll get your chance in a few days, don't worry

No, there was one thing that stood out more than the others for me about last night's game.  LeBron James was finally able to close out a quality opponent.  And in doing so he made a believer out of me.
James saw that the Heat were in danger of losing  game 5 and heading back to Miami for game 6 and he stepped up in a big way.    His hitting two crucial jump shots, including the go ahead basket, plus his block of Derrick Rose's  three pointer with time expiring in regulation, show he has become a clutch player.

Once again we are all witnesses to King James.

Now this does not mean I have become a rabid Miami Heat fan.  But being a former Cleveland Cavaliers fan, I was a little bitter about the way James left the Cavs.   His play in this series against Chicago, especially his defense, has me convinced that he was sincere when he said he wanted to win championships.  He could have handled "The Decision" a little better, but I no longer hold that against him.

Should the Heat go on to win the Championship, and LeBron wins Finals MVP, I don't think anyone will be able to question that he is indeed the leader of that team.