The Championship of Me comes crashing into a primetime cable infomercial that LeBron James and his cronies have been working to make happen for months, a slow, cynical churning of manufactured drama that sports has never witnessed. As historic monuments go, this is the Rushmore of basketball hubris and narcissism. The vacuous star for our vacuous times. All about ‘Bron and all about nothing.
James is throwing a few foosball tables at Boys & Girls Clubs, an empty gesture out of the empty superstar. He’s turned free agency into the title of our times, a preening pageant of fawning, begging and pleading. Hard-working people are dragged into municipalities and told to hold signs, chant scripted slogans and beg a diva who doesn’t care about them to accept a $100 million contract.
Privately, Dwyane Wade(notes) and Chris Bosh weren’t pleased on Wednesday morning with the belief that James’ camp was responsible for leaking their plans to a television partner, but then again it makes perfect sense: This isn’t about Wade and Bosh choosing the Heat. It’s about LeBron getting the stage to himself on Thursday night.
One front-office executive whose team made a presentation to LeBron James told Yahoo! Sports that he believes James is choosing between Miami and Cleveland. And yet, if James wants to deliver the biggest kick in the gut to his hometown, he’ll pick the flat-lined New York Knicks. Whatever the decision, he’s made clear that the teasing and tormenting of the loser isn’t his concern.
Team LeBron is having the time of its life, but has no idea the repercussions of what it’s done here. All that comes to James now is the biggest burden to win a championship that sports has ever seen. They aren’t making James a bigger star with this big-top, but a bigger target. All those teams that marched into the presentations and listened to some of the foolish and naive questions asked of them believed these kids had no idea what they were doing, or what they had gotten themselves into. They’re all feeling more validated every day. From beginning to end, this process has been a farce.
On James’ new website, under the headline dubbing this TV debacle “The Decision,” there come these words: “Maverick Carter, CEO of LRMR Marketing said…” This explains everything. Carter’s marketing company isn’t doing so well trying to get its one client Jonny Flynn a used-car dealership endorsement in the Twin Cities, and now Carter’s going to try to justify all that plush office space, staff attorneys, private planes and resort hotels by translating the Championship of Me into the making of his reputation.
Carter’s pushed one agent – Aaron Goodwin – and one advisor – William Wesley – aside because he wanted to be the voice in James’ ear and the one getting credit on the masthead. So far, Carter’s been a superstar at spending James’ money on LRMR, but now he’s getting the company name out there and turning LeBron into Mr. July after LeBron didn’t have the stomach to be Mr. June.
Team LeBron had discussed a documentary on the free-agent process, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported, but the narrative changed after James’ Game 5 meltdown in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Carter says there was never a plan for a free-agent tour, but this is what he means: There was never a plan for James to get held accountable, to have his motivations and priorities called into doubt. There was never a plan for the blame to shift from Danny Ferry, Mike Brown and his Cavaliers teammates. There was never a plan that real-world rules applied to the self-proclaimed King.
They scrapped the tour, the documentary and set sights on hijacking the network for an unprecedented special they believe will elevate James’ brand. Only, James has never looked smaller, never more insecure and unsure of who he is and what he wants to be. He won’t look so much like Kobe Bryant and David Beckham, but rather a three-star linebacker from Shaker Heights picking Bowling Green over Kent and Ohio U. on local access television.
Team LeBron has known all along it was going to do this, and the cushy, protective relationship with that television network culminates with a basketball player commandeering his own coverage on his own terms. Now James and his buddies spoon out misdirection plays on his possible destination – feeding everyone for days and weeks that the Knicks were dead, only to say now, “Well…who knows?” – to build back drama for the infomercial.
This is some plan they’ve hatched and some game they’re playing with those Cleveland fans who’ve been so relentlessly loyal to James. First, he marched the biggest suitors in the sport to come court him in downtown Cleveland with those pointless presentations. He wanted those people out there creating a visual public push-and-pull for him, and because James needed to be told something that probably isn’t completely true anymore: Cleveland loves him.
Well, Cleveland craves him. Love is a strong word, and it ought to be unconditional, but loving a sports hero is the most conditional kind of love there is. Only, it was different with Cleveland. He’s one of them, but you still have to wonder: Are they one of him?
James never shared that town’s angst with the Browns and Indians. He wanted winners in his life, and rooted for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees. He doesn’t feel the pain of a city’s broken heart. Shaquille O’Neal(notes) leaving the Orlando Magic for the Los Angeles Lakers 14 years ago was a hard hit, but LeBron bailing on Cleveland is far more devastating on a different level.
Everyone ridicules Cleveland, makes it a butt of jokes, but LeBron James has the chance to change all of that. And even then, it has to crush Cleveland’s sporting psyche that James could still walk out. If one of our own won’t stay, what does that say to the rest of the country?
That’s the hardest part here, and that makes the possibility that James would go on national television – with those split-screen shots of stunned fans in Akron and Cleveland – and completely crush those people so impossible to believe. He couldn’t be that cold, that callous, that cunning? Or perhaps, maybe this is all a rollout – the website, the Twitter page and the infomercial – to introduce a new LeBron, a new city, to the world.
Whatever happens, James and the television network will hide behind some money going to the Boys & Girls Clubs. But this isn’t about kids and sports, and it sure isn’t about the credibility that comes with winning championships. Something’s changed here, and LeBron James has gone a long way to devaluing winning and losing in the NBA. David Stern has long pushed the individual over team, marketed showy over substance, and LeBron James represents the manifestation of it all.
Greatest talent to ever walk into this league, the self-proclaimed King, and now everyone gets a front-row, primetime seat for how it means to live without self-awareness, without restraint. The vacuous star for our vacuous times, live on Thursday night and fitting himself for a ring as the undisputed Championship of Me. All about ‘Bron and all about nothing.
If Miami gets rid of Beasley or Chalmers that leaves them with three players on their roster once Wade and Bosh sign, so they would also have 9 roster holds at a shade over $473,000 apiece, right? Plus contracts for Wade and Bosh in the neighborhood of $16 million apiece, plus Beasley/Chalmers. Two of them are going to have to take paycuts, or one is going to have to take a sizeable paycut ($15-20 million over 5 years). I would like to think that no exec out there would take Beasley or Chalmers off Miami's hands knowing that it would set them up to create a roster with Wade, Bosh and LeBron, but I don't think they care that much.
The thing on espn says that the plan is for LeBron to make the announcement in the first 10 minutes of the show, which is good because then either way, I can turn it off.
I don't know if it warrants that much venom, just yet.. but if he leaves, that will look like a love letter compared to the things that will be written Friday and onward.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
I don't know if it warrants that much venom, just yet.. but if he leaves, that will look like a love letter compared to the things that will be written Friday and onward.
It is scathing and I do find just a bit of irony in the fact that this comes from a guy who has written how many pieces on LeBron over the last few weeks/months? Now that it is coming to a close, all of the sudden LeBron is a me-me-me media whore? Really?
Why do I have the feeling he's going to be like Peyton Manning? Easily the most talented player in his sport but comes up short in the biggest games. You could also compare Kobe Bryant to Tom Brady. A guy who did get it done but is still put behind Manning because Manning has the MVPs and better stats. All I can say is thank God Manning got at least 1 ring.
The cap number is set at $58 million. Three max deals to the Heat would leave them with $1.4 million to fill out the remaining 10 spots on their roster, assuming that they were able to move Chalmers and Beasley.
not that i think they're gonna get lbj, but even if they tried to, i think it would be wiser to split that money among 2 or 3 decent pieces. maybe even save some of that space for next year.
JC My response to Wojs peice on LeBron. Sent to him in an e-mail. A lil personal, but I think most of us feel the same way.
Mr. Wojnarowski,
Thank you for your commentary on LeBron and his tasteless usage of ESPN, The NBA, all of the cities that have courted him and especially MY ADOPTED HOMETOWN OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.
I am 33 years old and have been a Cleveland sports fan my entire life. I have never felt more used, angry and helpless than I do now. I grew up in Findlay, roughly 2 1/2 hours away from Cleveland. I grew up instilled with the notion that hard work, dedication, loyalty and respect would get you far in life. I graduated from a class of 65 kids that all had similar upbringings and am now happily employed working a job that some would love. All of those tenents paid off for me. I CHOSE to move to Cleveland to be closer to my beloved sports teams out of blind loyalty to them, not fully thinking my decision over. I struggled for a while finding my footing, but became more and more enamored with a city that personified all of the things that were instilled in me from a young age.
After five years in Cleveland, I find myself becoming more and more entrenched. Not only as a citizen, but as an advocateto the city of Cleveland on behalf of a job that takes me to different states and different opinions of Ohio, and in particular, Cleveland. You hit the nail on the head of the pride this city has, but also the dichotomy of heartbreak and ridicule that we suffer from nationwide. To think that one of our "own" would so callously turn thier back on us is beyond devastating. Cleveland is a city that is teetering on the brink of financial extinction, dealing with corrupt government and a tremendous brain drain and job loss. Yet, we still continue to hammer away in the hopes that we can get back some of that swagger Cleveland so rightfully had back at the turn of the 20th century.
We, as a city, offer unconditional love and adulation for the atheletes and celebrities that refuse to bow to the outside perception and proudly wear Cleveland on thier sleeves because each of us, if given that stage and chance would love to show the country how twisted and untrue that outside perception is. We constantly struggle upstream to right the wrongs, to erase the "mistake on the lake" moniker, to help dissipate the notion that we are a miserable and wretched community just waiting to be put out of our misery. We look to community visionaries like Michael Symon, Matt Fish, Derek Hess, Jonathon Sawyer, The Conway Brothers and Dan Gilbert for inspiration, similar to the inspiration they find within us and the city of Cleveland. We try to hope that those of us fortunate enough to find even a few fleeting minutes on the big stage do right by Cleveland and help dispel our national image.
And now we have our self titled "King" to turn to, to see if he will empower us to feel good about the strides we make or to knock us back down to wallow in the muck that our fellow Americans have placed us. Will he join the likes of Jim Brown, Ausitn Carr and Omar Vizquel or will he fall like Anakin to the dark side of sports just as Art Modell, Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome and Carlos Boozer before him? How embarassing and humiliating will it be when those cameras inevitably turn to our beloved city and the national perception is reinforced by ONE OF OUR OWN?? Is there a knife sharp enough so as to dull the pain, a hand steady enough to ensure that the beating heart of a city on the brink can be removed before a live audience, a brain calculating enough to know that all along he had an entire nation baited and on the hook, only to switch at the last possible second...
"If you need two yards, I'll get you two yards. If you need four yards, I'll get you two yards!" Ron Wolfley, Special Teams Madman
We need less panic, bitterness, doom and gloom in this thread. I think who we need is no other than the king of hyperbole and adjectives.
Forget Lebron because with all that hyperbole you could rule the universe with just a basketball organization. We could most likely grab Diaw from the Bobcats to complete the ruling of the universe.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—Kevin Durant(notes) didn’t go for a spectacle in announcing where he’ll be for the next five years.
Instead, Durant simply posted an update on his Twitter page Wednesday, saying he’d agreed to a five-year contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant can’t sign the deal until Thursday and team spokesman Brian Facchini said he could not confirm the deal under NBA rules.
“Exstension for 5 more years wit the thunder….God Is Great, me and my family came a long way…I love yall man forreal, this a blessing!” Durant tweeted.
Related Video Coach Brooks interview Coach Brooks interview
More NBA Videos Another post soon followed, presumably about the contract: “First time i cried n a while … RIp Chucky, we doin wat we dreamed about..i swear i love all my bros!! yessir!!!
“Chucky” is one of Durant’s former coaches, Charles Craig, who was shot to death in Maryland in 2005.
The reigning NBA scoring leader is signed with the Thunder through next season under his original rookie contract, which would pay him about $5 million next year. Oklahoma City, which is well under the salary cap, could offer Durant more than two times that much, depending on where the cap is set for next season.
Durant’s spokeswoman, Mary Ford, said he will receive the maximum deal possible, $85 million over five years. She said the contract has no opt-out clause after the fourth year.
“Kevin wanted a five-year commitment,” Ford said.
Durant said last month he wanted to stay in Oklahoma City, one of the NBA’s smallest markets. Ford said the long-term deal should put to rest any concerns about Durant’s loyalty to the Thunder and Oklahoma City.
“He is obviously committed,” Ford said. “The small-market talk has never meant anything to Kevin. That kind of stuff is not important to him. What is important is his team, his teammates, growing, getting better and hopefully bringing a championship to Oklahoma City. He’s been very consistent on his feelings. Small markets don’t mean much to him. This is proof that things still happen for individuals in those markets.”
Ford said the contract negotiations between Durant and the Thunder went “really smoothly.”
Durant was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 draft and won the Rookie of the Year award. Last season, he was selected as an All-Star for the first time and averaged 30.1 points to become the youngest player to lead the league in scoring.
He led the Thunder to a 50-32 record—a 27-win improvement over the previous season—and the first round of the NBA playoffs. Oklahoma City fell to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
Quote: Chris Bosh would have been great for Cleveland. I mean, this guy would have put fear into any defense
Nice,...Aliens is one of my favorite all-time favorite movies,...weird though, because I like it because The Marines get their rears handed to them,....
I just think the way he's approached it and dragged it out has been ridiculous. I mean, his "people" contacted ESPN to create a 1 hour special to announce his decision?
it doesn't mean it's a done deal, but i really didn't think they were in this..
doesn't add up. lbj is gonna leave the cleveland money, go to a team that will be wade's team, make less then him and play second fiddle? i think that'd be cowardly. he'd leave cleveland and go into florida with his tail between his legs.
those guys have huge egos and that would be such a hit to his...
I would have loved to have gotten Lebron, and then S&T for Bosh. But i don't see us not getting Bosh as catastrophic. Our cap over the next few years will be in very good shape. We will also have very tradeable assets, with Jamison's expiring contract next year. This is the real difference b/w the Cavs and the Knicks/Heat. The Cavs have solid bench players and role players; they can pull off one trade for one big name and be that complete team (like LA did in 2008, and Boston did a few years ago).
The Knicks/Heat are going to be a rebuild. If Lebron signs with the Heat, there is little money to fill out the rest of the roster, and that cupboard is bare. The cupboard is largely bare in NY too behind Amare. With the right moves, the Cavs are closer right now.
I feel like this whole TV thing is just to build drama, and have a feeling tomorrow night will be very anti-climactic.
NBA teams found out Wednesday that the salary cap for next season will be nearly $2 million higher than anticipated, providing additional unforeseen cap space to several teams.
The NBA announced a cap of $58 million for the 2010-11 season, when most teams had budgeted a cap of $56.1 million.
The exact salary cap figure, according to league sources, is $58,044,000, up from $57.7 million in the 2009-10 season.
That means teams such as Miami, New York, New Jersey, Chicago and the Los Angeles Clippers have more spending room than anticipated to accommodate free-agent signings.
The luxury-tax line for the coming season will be $70,307,000, up from $69.9 million.
The midlevel exception for next season is $5.765 million.
The cap goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, ending the league's moratorium period and allowing free-agent contracts to be signed.
Well for one, everyone knocking the guy for making a spectacle needs to realize that all the proceeds from it (and they will be massive) are going to a good cause. More specifically, this one:
Boys and Girls Club of America 889 Jonathan Avenue Akron, OH 44306-3606 (330) 773-3375
So keep knocking him all you want but I won't.
And my bold prediction of the day (hey, all the "journalists" do it so why not?) is that LeBron trolls forums in his free time and one day he thought to himself, hey, wouldn't it be epic if I took this up a notch and did it to ESPN instead? Then he
That's just as plausible as any of this ... being reported by the media that you guys are buying into like idiots.
"All I know is, as long as I led the Southeastern Conference in scoring, my grades would be fine." - Charles Barkley
Notice I didn't knock him. Just said it was building drama. And in the end, more drama = more viewers = more money to the Boys and Girls Club. Not a bad end product.
Quote: Notice I didn't knock him. Just said it was building drama. And in the end, more drama = more viewers = more money to the Boys and Girls Club. Not a bad end product.
I agree. If all this hoo-hah means the Club gets a nice piece of change, then it was worth it, IMO.
And, FWIW, this is when I'm glad I never got into the Cavs/Lebron.
chris bosh is an -. I hope he doesn't win jack in miami, which is a shame cause I really like wade, but he turned down max money, and a chance to play with lebron?
It's funny to hear wade talk about the move was for nothing except championships when boshs motive is so painfully clear.
New Details on LeBron's TV Special 7/7/2010 3:52:43 PM | Aaron Coleman & Patrick Hahe, AkronNewsNow.com
New details regarding LeBron's announcement on ESPN Thursday night at nine p.m.
According to ESPN, LeBron James will be interviewed by Jim Gray and Michael Wilbon during the hour-long special. Gray's interview will reveal LeBron's choice.
The show will be called "The Decision" and will be hosted by Stewart Scott and will feature analysis from Wilbon and Jon Barry.
Advertising will be sold by LeBron's management group, and all proceeds will go to the Boys and Girls Club of America.
ESPN will anchor its LeBron coverage with a special three-hour Sportscenter before the special at six p.m., and an extended Sportscenter after the decision until midnight.
Its another of literally hundreds of examples of people just making crap up hoping to get attention. LeBron is here because his camp doesn't end until friday and he has obligations to those kids.
"All I know is, as long as I led the Southeastern Conference in scoring, my grades would be fine." - Charles Barkley
I'm done listening to rumours now. Chris Broussard says LeBron's going to the heat now. Damn this gets old, although if it's true. The NBA is screwed
Chalmers Wade LBJ Bosh Haywood...?
Beasley and a bunch of cheap vets who want an easy ring coming off the bench.
I think Kobe can kiss the 3-peat goodbye. Wade and LeBron together are too much for any team. Gilbert better realise if this happens we better tank like hell for awhile.
![[Linked Image from pic18.picturetrail.com]](http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL905/3216203/6567769/349897772.jpg)
