The Sports Rotation

First, let me start this by saying that this is not a Lebron James apology fest.  He has embraced the nickname "King James" since his highschool days at St. Vincent-St. Mary.  He has already declared he wants to be the first billionaire NBA star.  And he thrives with the free publicity he gets from the NBA that adds to his public persona.  But try to get this through your thick skulls people.  He's 24, he's a human being, and he's going to make mistakes. And with NBA stars like Kobe Bryant having to restore his tarnished public image after his rape trial, as well as Finals MVP Dwyane Wade going through a very public and messy divorce, I'll give the face of the franchise a pass with just walking off the court refusing to congratulate Dwight Howard.  Lebron has been solid in all other aspects and very accessible to the media after losses before (everyone forgets the 2007 sweep against the Spurs where Lebron took the blame for the Cavaliers' shortcomings). And more than anything, he has made this team watchable, and made them matter.  Or are you running the the TV to see Mo Williams or Anderson Varejao?

But despite Lebron's accolades, he's now considered a soar loser.  And despite what you might think about his perceived "unsportsman like conduct", I applaud it.  First, I think Lebron more than anything came to the realization, at that very moment, that unless Cleveland drastically improves it's roster, there's no way they can match up the the talent level of Orlando, or for that matter a greatly improved Miami Heat team that will be back on the rise with the influx of talent and youth on their roster (Not to mention they have Dwyane Wade).  He needs help and he needs it now, and if you were to listened to his comments that he made to reporters yesterday, you could here him acknowledge that he thought they could have easily been swept in that series against Orlando. 

Second, too many NBA stars (and other athletes) have the same agents.  Many of them are chummy with each other on the court.  Many sing each other's praises in public, and it kind of makes me sick.  I don't like referencing players from the past like Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas or Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, their love for the game, their passion...ect, ect.  But I do miss the intense rivalries.  More to the point, I miss the bitter hatred the two sets of players had for each other (Jordan vs Thomas and Magic vs Bird).  It wasn't the type of hatred that led to them to wanting to see the demise of their opponent (at least not physical death) but the intensity of such a bitter rivalry that didn't allow for friendships on the court.  And call me crazy, but I think it just created a better more compelling product for TV. 

I'm sure Lebron will eventually do right in the public's eyes, make amends with Dwight, and make himself available to the slew of ridiculous questions asked by reporters (So how did you feel after Dwight Howard exposed how weak your team is offensively?). But embrace Lebron's antics, embrace his intensity.  And if the Cavaliers improve their roster, you just might be able to embrace them as well.