LeBron Goes Down...and It's Awesome

Before I get started, I just want to point out in the above picture that even though it looks like LeBron has six toes, he really doesn’t…I think…

When LeBron James came into the league, the hype around him was nearly nothing like anything that had been seen before when it came to a pro basketball prospect, especially one that was just right out of high school. The nicknames and titles bestowed upon him were many:

King James

The Future

The Franchise

The Chosen One

and more besides…

The one nickname however that James has earned is nowhere near as endearing however:

The Fourth Quarter Choke Artist

Yes, LeBron has undergone a lot of criticism and disdain since he announced he was “taking his talents to South Beach” last summer after spurning his hometown Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, and all of it has been deserved. With “The Decision” and all the media hoopla that led up to it and subsequently followed it well into the NBA season and playoffs, watching LeBron and the Heat melt down in the finals to the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks was simply wonderful to watch happen. That’s 2 NBA Finals appearances that LeBron has made with zero rings to show for it. And oh yeah, this is also the guy who criticized his critics who have “little lives” compared to him and showed no sportsmanship whatsoever on the court. This is the guy who, along with Dwayne Wade, made fun of Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki’s case of being sick. This is the guy who has been compared to Michael Jordan…and the truth of the matter is that this is a guy who will NEVER be Michael Jordan.

A few weeks ago, Scottie Pippen declared that LeBron was in some ways better than Jordan and could be an all around better player than Jordan as well. Yes, this was said by Scottie Pippen, the guy who was Jordan’s wingman for years, and will probably go down as being one of the best wingmen in the history of the league. Thankfully, fellow NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabar told Scottie to shut his fucking mouth in so many words, which is what EVERYBODY else who heard Pippen’s remarks were already thinking. Say whatever you will about Jordan’s off the court antics and controversy, but on the court he at least had a degree of class about him. He hated to lose yes, but at least he stuck around to congratulate the opposition when he did lose, and he only lost rarely when it mattered too. Unlike LeBron, there was no quit in Jordan; he played all four quarters, and had a better all-around game than anyone else in the league during his heyday. And when it mattered, when the chips were down and the clock was ticking away, Jordan never looked tired or sluggish; he came out swinging. That in itself is something we’ve NEVER seen from LeBron, and probably never will.

Watching LeBron break down and come down with a case of being an ultra-sore loser is almost sad to watch in a way. Was it really all that long ago when he was the darling of the NBA, had the adoration of every fan whether they lived in Cleveland or not, and garnered the cheers for the Cavaliers to succeed no matter what? It wasn’t that long ago, but it honestly feels like it was. Since then, he’s become the league villain everywhere but Miami, and that sound you heard Sunday night was the sound of every Cavaliers fan in the country laughing at LeBron’s continuing playoff futility; the fact that he just can’t be there when it really matters.

Loads of talent? Totally.

Walking pile of shit? Definitely.

Fuck you LeBron, and it was fun seeing you lose. True, you get to go back to your mansion and millions while the rest of us have to go back to our “little lives”, but that will just make us enjoy watching you fail all the more so.

LeBron joins the Heat

Okay, scratch what I said last time around about it being record time for quickness between blog entries, but this is something I'm doing at spur of the moment and just can't fucking ignore.

Who in the holy fuck does Lebron James think he is?

I had said before that the NBA is more or less loaded with nothing but prima donna athletes who make big money for doing little to nothing on the court, with only a handful of true superstars around, Lebron being one of them. I had also mentioned how this summer's Free Agency period was nothing like the NBA had ever seen before. Well, it hasn't been. Never before had a group of free agents (Lebron, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh) practically held the NBA hostage while they grouped together and formulated their playing destinations. All three have chosen to play for the Miami Heat, of which Wade has played for his whole career and won a title with a few years back.

My question as to just who does Lebron think he is relates to the fact that tonight he held an hour long press conference on ESPN to announce his decision on whether or not he would stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers or sign elsewhere. That's right, he held his own prime-time special on worldwide television, and we all ate right out of his hands in return. I'll grant you the fact that he is by and far the biggest Free Agent prize that perhaps the NBA has ever seen, and may very well be one of the best players to take to the court in the past decade, but seriously now, who would really take it upon themselves to take themselves so seriously to the point that they feel the need to broadcast live on TV their intentions and decision as to where the fuck they are going to be playing next season?

Take these things into consideration before any Lebron supporters bash me here: just this past post-season, we witnessed Lebron flat out quit on his team in the Eastern Conference semis, and the passed couple seasons we've witnessed similar playoff meltdowns. The Cavs tried their best to keep him, and considering the fact that this guy is their only bread & butter, they damn sure better have tried. From firing a coach he was tired of playing for (Mike Brown), just hiring the coach he said he wanted to have (Byron Scott), and attempting to lure in a supporting cast of players over the past couple seasons to try to actually win a title (Ilgauskas, Shaq, Ben Wallace, etc.), look what it got them in the end. Lebron always knew he was going to bolt Cleveland, granted I figured it would either be for the Knicks or Nets, but now that Bosh and D-Wade are with the Heat, Lebron joining them makes sense if a title is truly what he wants.

Back to the point I'm attempting to make in asking just who the fuck Lebron thinks he is, take this into consideration as well. He wears (or at least wore) 23, and has been compared to Jordan quite a bit during his career. And while Jordan had his share of moments of publicity (multiple retirements aside), he never believed himself to be bigger than the game. His post-career attitude aside, Jordan was the best in the business and he knew as such. Lebron knows he's practically the best in the business with no ring to show for it, and now here's the best opportunity he could ever get to win a championship.

All that aside though, this act tonight shows that Lebron believes himself to be bigger than the game and the league as a whole, and while he may want to win it all now more than anything else, his legacy will truly be written on what happens in the upcoming seasons he's signed his name on the dotted line to participate in. And if Lebron ends up coming up on the short end of the stick, this night will be remembered as nothing else but a whole lot of flash, and little more than a dog and pony show.

...and before anyone says anything, yes I may be a Knicks fan, but I'm not bitter that we didn't get Lebron...much