The Return of Royalty in Cleveland

After four straight NBA Finals appearances, two championships, and two Finals MVPs, the best basketball player in the world returned to his hometown team, where his career begin. I didn't think he'd consider a return until later in his career. It surprised me because the Cavs have been the worse team in the league since he left. But as I read his masterfully written article "I'm Coming Home" explaining his decision, I realized it was a perfect move in almost every way. First, let's talk from a basketball point of view. Ironically, LeBron's departure - which allowed the Cavs to go from the NBA's best record to the worst record - actually facilitated the infusion of young talent (Kyrie Irving, Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett...kinda) that made them more appealing; and may serve as trade chips to get a big fish like Kevin Love. That team, as currently constructed without Love, doesn't look like a contender right now. But assuming Irving and Wiggins develop, they could be a contender in 2-3 years and remain there for a decade. Can you imagine the legacy boost of winning a championship in CLEVELAND? That's like winning 2 or 3 for a winning franchise. From a business standpoint, he was saavy enough to fund his lifelong friends' educations and empowering them to become his agent and advisors; they now have businesses, all based in Cleveland. His best friend and agent, Rich Paul's, second biggest client now plays for the Cleveland Browns; some guy named Johnny Manziel. Imagine the marketing opportunities for two of the most polarizing and popular athletes both in little Cleveland represented by the same agency; and they're friends. That usually doesn't happen outside of big marketing locations like New York and Los Angeles. And hell, LeBron might want to own the Cavs one day; and he seems business saavy enough to be in position financially one day. But most importantly, it made sense from a personal perspective. For someone who had to watch his hometown fans burning his jersey, I can't imagine a better story than righting that wrong and returning your hometown team to glory. Now those ppl are rushing to buy new ones, since the popular Google search, "how to un-burn a jersey" probably isn't getting ppl too far. As much as he's done with his charitable foundation in Miami, he really wants to help and inspire the youth of his hometown above all else. Plus his wife wants to raise their kids there. Overall, as much Miami hates it and LeBron haters try to use it against him, this was a hell of a move on all counts. Congrats Cleveland, after all of your sports heartbreak, the King has returned.

Real Talk: Using Athletes to Break Down the Barriers of Racial Understanding

Thank you Richard Sherman, DeSean Jackson, LeBron James, and so many others, you've helped me to start some conversations that our great nation needs so many more of. Racism still exists, but I argue that it's not the biggest problem between anymore, the biggest problem is unconscious discomfort and dismissiveness due to misunderstanding. I'm a young Black man who went to middle and high school in the hood (although my parents were able to move us out of that) and has friends from all walks of life; by being around different people you understand different people and learn how you fit into things. I now work in somewhat of a corporate setting and some of my co-workers are from the most affluent and least diverse upbringings imaginable. I get along with everyone and they see me as a peer, but from time to time I'm reminded that they just fundamentally do not understand much of what I've been through, much less what those truly from less fortunate backgrounds deal with in life. When such a subject comes up, I feel an obligation to speak for speak for a population they shun and will never willing be within 1000 feet of that they're acting bigoted towards because they don't understand them and have dismissed them as lost causes; even when they're completely wrong. For instance, it was laughable that Richard Sherman was being called a thug (and other worse racial epithets) after his emotional interview in the immediate aftermath of making essentially a game-winning play to send his team to the Super Bowl. With the exception of those who immediately went racial, I'd assume those who haven't been around young Black males or around football players were largely uncomfortable with this level of aggressiveness and decided he had to be a thug. No, he's a football player, who plays a position that all but requires over-confident, in the heat of the moment. He's was a young man strong to beat the odds and make it from a very bad neighborhood (between Watts and Compton, in South L.A.) to Stanford (where he had a 3.9 GPA) and then the NFL. He's hired by Sports Illustrated as a writer on the side. This isn't a bad apple; those who dismissed him were unequivocally wrong. But they wouldn't call the hockey players who started off a game by throwing down their sticks as fighting such a strong word when they fit the definition. Upon cutting DeSean Jackson, someone in the Eagles organization apparently told the media that part of the reason was his ties to gangs or gang members. My co-worker tried to convince me that if he was from such a bad neighborhood, he'd move his family away from there and never go back. He went as far as to say he'd take off running the other way if he ever saw anyone from his old neighborhood. Really? No giving back to your community? No trying to help more kids make it out? No going home...ever? Taking off running from a high school teammate? Furthermore, isn't instantly moving and paying for dozens of people one of the major ways athletes cited as going broke on the "30 for 30" special "Broke"? That's not a sound financial decision. When life hands you a raw deal as a kid, those who help you navigate and make it through that form a bond with you that should last a lifetime. Like I said, I lived in a decent area but went to school with "undesirables" and I tell people that they were part of the reason I didn't get involved in anything bad; despite teenage curiosities, they shielded me from that because I had the potential for much more. I'm sure DeSean Jackson has similar more dramatic stories. I have former teammates who went the wrong direction and friends behind bars or dead. Like me, he has to be careful about exactly how he interacts with them now and it might not be appropriate for you to be rolling with them how you once did. But if I was a celebrity and I ran into them, I'd dap them up, if they wanted a picture, I'd take a picture with them, I might let them sit at my table at a restaurant and chat it up. But that would be it. You show love. But those raised among the rich don't get that because A) the rich are quick to shun or forget someone else if they fall of the pace of their rich peers, and B) they may never have to deal with someone from DeSean Jackson's background. I have these conversations because even if they don't agree, even if having their perspective makes them mad, I want them to physically hear the other perspective from someone they respect as a peer. Then I use the LeBron example. LeBron is a kid from the projects of Akron who became the best ball player in the world, did he turn his back on his childhood friends? No, he kept them close and put them to work. One of his teenage friends, Rich Paul, is now his agent and quickly becoming one of the most powerful agents in the NBA. They don't get more famous and successful than where LeBron is now, but rather than shunning Akron; he brought them to the top with him. And they're not ghetto, they're not freeloading leaches, or just a useless social entourage, they're legit, they're earning the place they were given at the table. So he's allowing others from a less fortunate situation to make it because he has made it; he's opening up new avenues, which is powerful. That doesn't happen if you're quick to turn your back to them. So even if my coworkers don't agree, I want them to hear it said by a peer and it bouncing around in their minds, because that's at least a step towards understanding. And that also is powerful and we need more of that everywhere. Real Talk...

Real Talk: Two Substance-less Arguments

I argue quite a lot, about a lot of different things. It's not because I'm just randomly argumentative or get off on being right. Many times it's to get a reaction from others or sometimes just to add humor to a boring situation. But even moreso,  I like seeing how people defend their arguments. I can admire a worthy opponent for providing valuable insight or perspective even if we disagree vehemently. You're not going to agree with everyone; you might as well gain something from the argument. But in the last few years, there have been two major arguments that continue to arise which have virtually no substance beyond the superficial. One of them is sports-related (by in large inconsequential) and the other is a much large human civil issue. The first is the "I hate LeBron, I'll never respect him after "The Decision", he's everything that is wrong with modern sports. The other is "I'm so disgusted by the idea of gay marriage, they're such sinners. I could never support that." Yep, I'm going there. But let's start with LeBron. Get over "The Decision" and the pep rally already. It was a "look at me" move - a "look at me" move that raised over $2 million for the Boys & Girls Club), but a "look at me" move nonetheless - and I understand how anyone from Ohio is heartbroken that he left and furious that he announced it on National TV. Everyone else, shut up. But why is noone mad at Dan Gilbert, the Cavaliers owner, who didn't put talent around him (Mo Williams, the 2nd best player on that team, became the 3rd string point guard for the Clippers the year after LeBron left)? Why isn't anyone mad at the other players in that locker room who hid from him the fact that one of his teammates was sleeping with his mom? I wouldn't trust teammates hiding shit like that from me.Why wasn't anyone mad like that when other all-time great players left small market teams to win in larger markets (Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem, Shaq, etc.)? You mad about what he said at a pep rally? Any high school football team makes outlandish promises at pep rallies. The point of pep rallies is to hype up the crowd, period. Professional athletes (all eras, all sports, men and women) are a bit vain. After all, ever since Bird & Magic brought the NBA back into the national spotlight, players (especially superstars) are praised by those who live through their successes vicariously. Many of the greatest players ever have personality traits much worse than LeBron's - Jordan's bullying competitiveness and gambling issues, Oscar Robertson's condescending obsessiveness, Wilt's selfishness, widespread infidelity across sports, etc. None of that matters to fans then, why does it now? There are professional athletes getting in trouble for drugs, guns, murder, rape, steroids, etc, where's all the anger then? If you don't like him, say you don't like him. He's the best player in the world and has dis-proven everything people said he couldn't do (win, hit jump shots, hit game winners, make clutch plays, etc). If you're a hater, say that, stop acting like there's any substance to your argument. Next, the homosexuality issue. Crazy enough, I'm going to keep this one shorter than the sports issue. Christianity is being used as a reason to oppose gay marriage beyond judgment. But look back, Christianity was formerly used to oppose interracial marriage, marriage across religions,etc. It was used to support slavery, segregation, the ugly process of colonization, and more. The KKK modeled their hoods after those once worn by European priests. The Bible was written in an age when marriages were widely arranged (between teenagers largely), hormones and mental makeup was not understood, there was no thought of equality or fairness towards women or many ethnicities. With caring for your fellow child of God being a key principle of the religion, the Bible was written in a time period which differed from that mightily. Although it recorded the actions and words of God, the Bible was written by men, each with their own flaws, prejudices, and biases. Religion is not flawed because of any flaws with God; religion is flawed because man is flawed, period. Homosexuality is sin...so is pre-marital sex, telling lies, etc. Why is homosexual monogamy seen as so much more sinful than a heterosexual casual sex and the lying that's often involved? I don't believe people are gay by choice, I believe they're gay by hormonal makeup. We now live in an age where marriages aren't arranged, you can marry who you're attracted to and compatible with. So naturally, if those who are gay don't have to deal with the burden of their families telling them who they're going to marry at age 13 during puberty, they have the choice to choose for themselves. If you're attracted to the same sex, you will probably figure that out soon after puberty and pursue that sex. Would you rather they fake it, leaving them unfulfilled and possibly cheating to satisfy their desires outside of the relationship? Deciding to be unhappily married to someone you're not attracted to may make for more comfortable family pictures to send your parents, but leads to much bigger problems. Heterosexual marriages have about a 50% success rate, do you honestly believe heterosexual marriage will do worse? And here's the big one, the question to end all questions before I end this entry. Let's say you're a preacher standing on the doorstep of your church as people walk up to your door, what is less Christian: A) the fact that that two God-fearing women approaching are in love and married? or B) you shunning away a couple trying to get closer to the Lord because you don't like the fact that they're happily married? Real talk.

Stop Me When I Start Lyin: A Crown for the King

The most polarized and scrutinized player in NBA history has won his first ring, at 27 years old. the hate level and salt throwing prevalent right now is otherworldly. You'd think Hitler was posthumously awarded the Nobel Peace Prize or something. Like Rush Limbaugh or Don Imus had been honored at the NAACP Awards. Particularly the Kobe fans who are clinging to the thought that the "Black Mamba" will be the best player in the league until retirement no matter how old and one-dimensional he becomes. Some of the arguments thrown out with the intention of discrediting the championship were crazy, like "The refs are so bad that I don't feel like this championship should even count. It gets an asterisk from me." I heard "the league felt sorry for him and gave them this one" despite that face that this would be insinuating that the NBA willingly gave up its most compelling storyline, LeBron's quest for a championship. Or funniest to me "He only won because D-Rose got hurt." I like Derrick Rose, he plays the game with passion, but has as many rings (and playoff victories against the Heat) as I do, and I'm not in the league. Did anyone discredit the Lakers championship in 2009 when Kevin Garnett got hurt for the defending champion Boston Celtics? Next Kobe fan who tries to play that "Yeah, but that's different" line is getting backhanded.  But let me back up and explain the root of all this...

I'm a LeBron fan, have been since about 2005 when I first really really started paying attention. Not a Cavs fan, not a Heat fan, but a LeBron fan. My favorite player in NBA history (not the best, because that belongs to my home state's own Michael Jordan, but my favorite) is Magic Johnson. Magic was 6'9" with overwhelming court vision and the ability to play every position on the floor (see 1980 NBA Finals Game 6). The only player I've seen come along who could do that...you guessed it, LeBron James. And not only did he have that ability and court vision, he's a serious upgrade in athleticism and defense over Magic. He has a Magic skill set but drives to the hole better than anyone in history, what wasn't to love? The only knock on him was that he didn't have a ring for a myriad of reasons (most notably that he played with mediocre talent at best) including the perception that he wasn't clutch enough. Part of assessment was true (he did have inexplicable lapses in some big games), but part of it was a combination of two factors: he's not an indiscriminate shooter at clutch time like Jordan or Kobe, and people have unrealistic expectations based on the idea that he's not worth the hype. Before he learned the value of passing as he got older, MJ never saw a shot he didn't like, particularly at crunch time. Many times taking the shot was a horrible decision for the team; in his youth, he didn't care, he perceived shooting as his job as the team's best player. Kobe, a poor man's MJ through lifelong emulation, also perceived shooting no matter what as his job even when he wasn't the team's best player (Shaq) and he still hasn't learned to pass. Fans are enamored with shooting and often excuse abysmal last second shooting decisions because there's a chance they could see the stud player hit a game winner. If you take many, you'll make some and miss plenty. LeBron follows the Magic Johnson mold. Think about how many games, and close games, the Showtime Lakers won. How many game winners do you remember Magic hitting? One, the hook shot over the Celtics. But every clutch situation, he had the ball in his hands and was trusted to make the right decision, most of the time he would make the right pass and get the assist. Usually Kareem, Byron Scott, Big Game James Worthy, or Michael Cooper would take the pass and score, they'd win and all would be celebrated. With LeBron, opting not to shoot the last shot was seem as giving up and a disappointment. Times when he would take over and deliver in the cluth (last 25 Cavs pts to beat Pistons in 07 Eastern Finals, game winning 3 against Magic, numerous playoff game winners against the Wizards, big fourth qtrs to eliminate 2011 Bulls in Eastern Finals, etc) were quickly forgotten. Times he failed to peform huge crunch time numbered would be most highly scrutinized, even in the midst of overall monster games (losing a series to the Magic despite averaging 35, 8, and 9, losing to the Celtics with 29-14-10 final game, etc). And let's be reminded, he wasn't playing with Kareem, Big Game James, and the boys...he took a squad full of bums to the Finals in Cleveland (Eric Snow?? Drew Gooden???).In his summer of free agency, they did nothing to get him more help, so he left for South Beach. I wish he was still in Cleveland too, but I also wish they would have gotten him one of the 5-6 good big men that were available in free agency at that time. That's when a new level of hate (even jersey burning) started. Then the haters hit the lotto when he (along with D-Wade and Bosh) consistently and inexplicably went ghost at crunch time against the Mavs in the 2011 NBA Finals. I think that level of adversity and scorn was probably the best thing that ever happened to him. Instead of worrying about being liked, he finally could live his life with a little bit more "Fuck It", which I believe he needed; Lord know everyone will need some "fuck it" in their life at some point or another. U see what that allowed him to do, carry his partially injured team to the championship despite hitting hard spots along the way. Also, they had to beat a team that had beat 3 teams with championship pedigree (Mavs, Lakers, Spurs) and had a player seen as "the closer LeBron will never be" in Durant. You see what happened when LeBron turned on that "fuck it" and went beast mode. The rest is history. Honestly, all I want for him is this, judge him for how he plays and the array of skills he has, not what he didn't have. Stop hating long enough to be objective and I truly don't think anyone can honestly look at him as a player and dispute that he is special and will be an all time great. But as a wise man...well, a popular ass hole once said, "there'll always be haters that's the way it is, hater niggas marry hater bitches and have hater kids." Stop Me When I Start Lying...

Royal Flush

Man oh man. Remember the movie "How to Make Friends and Alienate People"? I'm wondering when I'll see the book "How to Flush a Championship You Had in the Bag" authored by LeBron, D-Wade, and Chris Bosh, edited by Erik Spoelstra. I'll start by saying this, I am a LeBron fan, and not just because I can't stand Kobe (that snitching douchebag). I admire the man's remarkably diverse skill set and the youthful enthusiasm and intensity he has played the game with. I don't feel he had a team capable of winning a championship around him in Cleveland and I hope he makes it into that "Top 5 players ever" discussion where I think he can belong when it's all said and done. But he's raising more and more questions in people's minds now. The whole "The Decision" and the welcome party in Miami earned him (and consequently his teammates) several million haters instantly. He did his part to dispell the doubters by putting up nearly identical numbers to his previous MVP seasons on a team with another legit superstar in D-Wade and an All-Pro caliber star in Bosh. His status rose even more as he was a clutch as possible in playoff series against his biggest two East opponents: the Celtics and the Bulls, despite Wade playing awful ball in those series. Then the Finals came. And despite a great series (statistically) from Wade and a good series (statistically) from LeBron and Bosh, the Heat let what should have been a 4 game sweep slip through their hands for Dallas's first NBA title ever. in games 2 and 4, they blew large leads in the 4th quarter because Wade and LeBron stopped moving the ball and started playing inefficient 1-on-1 ball on a defense that was prepared for that to happen. Because of his name and relative quietness in the 4th quarters, we already knew LeBron would receive every bit of the blame. Although I don't think he deserves nearly all of it, he has got to realize that this is the reality of his position in the basketball world right now and he has to play like the greatest player in the world when the bright lights are on rather than just having 'solid nights.' After an 8-point performance, he followed with a 17-11-10 triple double night, which isn't bad at all. But the LeBron faithful and Heat faithful (although most of the Heat faithful joined the bandwagon after "The Decision") were yearning for a 35 pt night to punch the haters in the face. That's not what happened. Even the last game, he led the team in scoring, but they lost so it gets swept under the rug; like his 27 pt, 12 ast, 10 reb night against the Celtics when they lost the series last year. He's only 26 (Jordan was 29 when he started winning titles), but what he has to realize and deliver on to shut ppl up is that in crunch time he has to acquire that "I'm better that you, you can't stop me but I dare you to try" attitude. It's what we haven't seen since Jordan. Nobody has had it to the same level as MJ since, not Kobe, not LeBron, not even D-Wade in the '06 Finals (even though he was damn close). Until then, ppl (including myself) will always question his heart and demonize him rather than respecting his incredible talents. You're The King, The Chosen One, the spotlight is blinding for you, the question is: What are you gonna do now?

Food for Thought: The NBA Summer of 2010

I'll be the first to say it: I'm disappointed LeBron left Cleveland. Going into this off-season, it was my hope that would get him a big man in his prime and he would stay and bring championship glory to a city that has been starving for basketball glory so long. But the Cavs couldn't get him the help he needed to stay, so he left to play with his friends in a potential dynasty in Miami. I'm not gonna jump into the Miami bandwagon, neither am I gonna thrown the Molotov cocktail to start the likely riot in Cleveland or Akron. I'm gonna take emotion out of it and reflect. Cuz I learned something from all this. For the first time in a long time, an athlete said "This had nothing to do with money. It's all about winning to me" and I believe him. Staying in Cleveland would've represented the biggest paycheck available and loyalty to his hometown despite not seeming like an immediate opportunity to win; Since Bosh turned down the sign-and-trade that would have brought him to Cleveland, your biggest competition has gotten better and the Cavs roster hasn't. Even if he left Cleveland, playing in New York or Chicago (which both acquired high level big men this off-season) would still represent a chance to win on a team where he's the only big dog and he could build his legacy into that Greatest Player Ever discussion with enough success. Going to Miami, fresh off verbal commitments from Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, will require bigs sacrifices (including likely taking him out of the Jordan, Magic, Bird category no matter how many rings he gets) but can mean several championships over the next 5-6 years. I know, "super team" and sacrifice don't sound like they should be in the same sentence, let me explain. Due to the upcoming collective bargaining issue, players below the level of LeBron and D-Wade are breaking the bank; whether superstars (Amare-$20 mill a year, Carmelo-$21.7 mill a year extension, Durant - $17 mill a year extension) or even second- or third-tier stars (Joe Johnson- $20 mill a year, Carlos Boozer-$16 mill a year, David Lee - $16 mill a year, etc), they are on track to be making more than Bosh, Wade, or James becuz they are all gonna take multi-million dollar contract concessions (if that's what you wanna call $13 mill a year instead of $20 mill) to fill out the Heats roster around them. Also, becuz the touches r going to b spread around, there will be less stats and glory to go around. Plus, I do believe LeBron when he says that he does truly love Cleveland and Akron. So, it has to hurt to forego any opportunity of going home again. Kobe got boo'd at the All-Star game back in his hometown Philly, but I think he can walk the streets of Philly without bottles flying his direction. LeBron is now right under Art Modell on the 'Cleveland's Most Hated' list. It's only been a few hrs, but the Cavs fan (expectedly) and the Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert (more surprisingly) are lashing out viciously at the former hometown hero; not with much class either. He may not get one restful night's sleep until he actually breaks through and wins a championship. I think that's the only thing that will fully put his mind at ease with this decision. But all in all, the biggest lesson learned was that if unselfish, superstars can sacrifice stats and money to win championships if it's important enough for them. The thought of being the biggest hometown hero but struggling with no big man to beat LA, Miami, n Boston seems to have taken its toll. Furthermore, this concept is so foreign that when it happens the media will have no idea how to respond to it. Jordan got Pippen without a pay cut, Kobe got Pau without a pay cut, etc. This is new territory. Despite how unfair it looks, he proved that winning was most important to him...

Now, to get ignorant for a moment. Forget the fact that the Cavs couldn't seal the deal to get Bosh or other help to Cleveland, the Miami Heat need to thank Delonte "The Mother Fucker, literally" West for getting LeBron also. Whether true or not, rumors about West sleeping with LeBron's mom are so shocking, so hurtful, so distracting that I honestly don't think they could've kept West on that Cavs roster and expected LeBron to come back. Dan Gilbert should'veI don't wanna be on the Cavs bench on the road when the opposing fans start singing "Ms. James, she smashed the homey" to get the Cavs off of their game. If LeBron is the franchise and West did (or even put himself in a situation where ppl might think that he did) smash his mom, Delonte has GOT TO GO. Period. There's nothing he can say to save that situation. And somebody should've called Dan Gilbert and said this "Ay Dan, lemme start by saying I love the Byron Scott hire. BUT, No new big man has arrived and Delonte hasn't left, we may be in deep shit right now." Where r ur friends when u need em?? Just sayin, it's Food for Thought...