All Entries Tagged With: "LeBron James"

LeBron’s Media Circus

By Paul Sykes

Did you tune in to see the King James version of “The Bachelor” on ESPN? Or maybe I should ask if you sat numbly in front of the TV with 27 minutes of commercials and innuendo before LeBron James finally let loose the news that he was headed to Miami?

All we needed was a tearful girl crying (preferably in Cleveland) and a drumroll. Has professional sports come to this … an unprecedented hyping of where the third best player in the NBA is going to count his Benjamins?

I would have not wanted to be ESPN’s Shelly Smith. She had the ‘short straw’ luck of having to report from Cleveland, the jilted lover in this sordid affair. Did you notice the police behind her? To protect and serve, or more fittingly to keep the disappointed and irate fans of the Cavs from storming the camera with irate comments like “This sucks, dude” or “We got hosed.”

That could have been slightly more exciting than the frivolity of free agency. ESPN did manage to draw a ton of viewers to hear the verdict, though. I nearly spewed iced tea when I heard the booming baritone bellow at the start of the show: “At stake! The NBA’s balance of  power”

Tear down that wall, Mr. Gorbachev.

Please. Seventy-five percent of people polled don’t think the Heat will win the title next year.  And 56% aren’t certain that King James made the right move. They even had a chart of states showing where the residents thought the Messiah would end up.

James didn’t pick the largest media market. He didn’t even choose the best team vying for his services. What he did was follow the money trail, choosing a team that he figured he’d be comfortable with and win some games. Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh are talented players. They still have to get past Kobe’s Lakers, though, and Rajon Rondo’s Celtics.

So, in the end … we witnessed (those of you who finished the marathon and stumbled to the finish line) a one hour painful root canal on a player who won a high school championship. They’ll probably name a street and a bar drink after him.  Welcome to glitz and glamour.

Meanwhile, in Cleveland, the stench of burning basketball jerseys permeates the muggy air. Hey, they still have the Browns, right?

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Not So Fast With Basketball

Fans in a big rush to get to basketball season might want to bide their time.

Watch for some furrowed eyebrows after the Louisville-Bellarmine basketball game Nov. 4. The game will just be an exhibition. But Bellarmine will be hungry, and Rick Pitino’s U of L teams have been notorious for their slow starts.

Anyone remember a  94-92 squeaker over Georgetown College two years ago? Fans of the NAIA school sure haven’t. Georgetown will be back, too, on Oct. 28.

Scott Davenport

Bellarmine is a couple of notches higher, playing Division II basketball. A win over U of L would be a major milestone for the Newburg Road school. Former U of L assistant Scott Davenport’s team is ranked No. 1 nationally in pre-season polls.

Pitino, meanwhile, will be in the process of replacing three impact players. His team may be a little awkward getting out of the starting gate again.

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