Sports Sense

Yes, LeBron James’ ESPN special Thursday night was overblown, self-indulgent and maybe even cruel. But I couldn’t help watching it. And I’m fairly certain that when the ratings come out, it will be clear that millions of others watched too.

What we learned during the hour-long prime time “Decision” is that Cleveland will never be the same again. But neither will LeBron. The city’s native son is finally leaving home. He is taking his basketball to Miami where he will join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to become the newest and perhaps best Big Three of all time. That’s the basketball and business part of this. The rest is personal.

The hurt and anger over LeBron’s “betrayal” may never subside in Cleveland. Even Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert weighed in with some of the most classless, gutless and angry statements I’ve ever heard about a player. But like the onion that makes you cry, there are a lot of layers to this melodrama.

Cleveland is easily the most disrespected, misunderstood and luckless city in team sports. But for seven glorious years Cavaliers’ fans had hope and the eyes of the world on their town because basketball’s most talented and athletically gifted player was on their team and was actually one of them. LeBron made Cleveland matter. But LeBron leaving means the party is over. It is now midnight in northeast Ohio.

But the other side of this are the enormous expectations placed on a prodigy. Not many athletes have ever been under the pressure and microscope that LeBron has. Because of his precocious talent he has been expected to be the best, to win championships and save a city all while becoming the games most legendary player. It is indeed a heavy burden.

Did LeBron really betray Cleveland or was he just looking out for himself? Its a matter of how you look at it. Does he have the right to do what he feels is best for himself? Absolutely. Should he have stayed? Well the fairy tale certainly would have read a lot better if he had. But LeBron’s story requires a championship. And it became increasingly clear that it might not happen in Cleveland.

And that was the problem – a huge problem and an on-going burden for a guy we all expect to be one of the greatest players of all time. Sorry Cleveland.

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Finally the right job for Michael Jordan!

Jordan was formally approved the other day as the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Jordan bought controlling interest in the Bobcats from Bob Johnson for nearly $300 million.

Jordan now becomes the first former NBA player to own an NBA team. Let that sink in.

Jordan has been the president and general manager of two NBA teams, most recently, the Bobcats, and before that an unpleasant stint with the Washington Wizards. But those jobs didn’t really fit Jordan.

The fact is he is not into the details and day-to-day administration of a team like presidents and general managers should be. And Jordan is often not around the team or the office. No, Michael Jordan is not the guy who should manage the daily operations of a pro basketball team… But he is the icon who should Own one.

Being an owner is a completely different role. It can be very complex with an important civic component tacked on to it. Owners are taking in millions of the public’s dollars to field what will hopefully be an entertaining and competitive team. They also have the responsibility to provide a positive diversion for the community that supports the team.

So while Jordan’s basketball knowledge can be valuable to the Bobcats, his longtime image as the face of a sport and his understanding of corporate business deals will be even more important as he tries to build interest and economic support for a team that has never really been embraced in Charlotte – and is losing lots of money.

Team owners can and do impact a community for the good. Dallas has two such owners in Jerry Jones of the Cowboys and Mark Cuban of the NBA Mavericks. Both men have been extremely successful in making money and improving the image of their teams and sports locally and nationally.

Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins, might be the best example of how not to relate to a community or his sport. While Snyder has made millions from Redskins supporters in his decade of ownership, his tactics have often alienated the team’s huge fan base.

That said, I have very high expectations for Michael Jordan in this new role. Anything less than a total transformation of the Charlotte Bobcats should be considered an enormous failure. Jordan is an international icon. There is no bigger name in basketball outside of a couple of well-known active players than Jordan. On the business side, Jordan’s image literally transformed a fledgling company (Nike) into a worldwide sports powerhouse.

As an owner this level of power is what Jordan ought to bring to the Bobcats and to basketball. His elevation to team owner is symbolic, significant and needed. If Michael Jordan does not and cannot leverage his name, image and impact for the good in Charlotte, a city not far from where he grew up, then Jordan cannot do it anywhere.

Owning the Bobcats should be the perfect move for this one of a kind basketball legend. I hope it actually will be.

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It would be easy to say that the Washington Wizards’ Gilbert Arenas is an idiot, a manchild who has not come close to growing up. But that overlooks troubling issues and many unanswered questions.

Understandably the hammer had to come down on Arenas, who was suspended indefinitely without pay by NBA commissioner David Stern on Wednesday, ironically on his 28th birthday. Arenas was suspended for admittedly bringing several handguns into the team’s locker room, storing them there, and perhaps according to some accounts, pointing one of them at a teammate.

Now, according to a report in the Washington Post, that teammate, Javaris Crittenton, also brought a gun into the locker room and actually loaded it in front of several other Wizards players.

Some questions: Why did it take so long for Wizards’ management, coaching staff and players to acknowledge the incident that happened last month in front of numerous witnesses? Where was the coach and general manager in all of this? Why did the NBA only suspend Arenas and not Crittenton? What about the thousands of dollars in gambling on the team plane that apparently precipitated this?

That said, Gilbert Arenas showed his immaturity in numerous statements, tweets, and ill-advised actions on the basketball court over the last week. Arenas initially made jokes about the incident. Only when the authorities got involved did Arenas, team and league officials appear to take what happened seriously.

But before we get all crazy about this, the fact is no one was hurt – thank God for that. So let’s not lose perspective about what’s really at stake and the much larger issue of players feeling that they must be armed wherever they go, apparently not understanding the consequences of their actions.

This is not just a Washington Wizards issue and it is not just a sports issue either. This is also about a society that often cherishes the right to keep and bear arms without proper controls in place. And it is about foolish young men who despite wealth and fame feel empowered to do whatever they want, when they want, without concern for decorum and decency.

And yet – we fans often cheer these guys on if they play for our team, but vilify them when they play for the opposition. The hypocrisy is appalling.

The Reverend Al Sharpton was harshly critical of the NBA, African-American leaders and others who he believes have tolerated the behavior of boorish, foolish athletes for far too long. He called for a harsh penalty to be levied against Arenas. While I do agree with Sharpton that more has to be done to police players, all of us need to take some responsibility for this too.

The athletes we cheer on one moment and revile the next, take most of their cues from us – the fans.

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The other day NBA superstar LeBron James said that starting next year he would no longer wear number 23. Further he says all NBA players should relinquish wearing number 23 – out of respect to the greatest number 23, Michael Jordan. Actually I have no problem with that.

But young Mr. James, don’t go around saying that you will likely wear number 6 instead. That, young Mr. James is an insult to history, and an insult to a man who I think can never get enough credit for what he accomplished in the NBA.

LeBron James and too many other history addled people seem to forget that the NBA’s all-time greatest winner and perhaps greatest player wore number 6 – his name is Bill Russell.

So if LeBron wants to honor Michael Jordan and number 23 he damned sure ought to respect number 6 and the great Bill Russell too by picking another number to wear! Bill Russell will always be the greatest number 6.

I do understand the need to recognize Michael Jordan, but there should be no recognition like that for Jordan unless Bill Russell’s number 6 is also permanently retired. At his best Jordan was beauty in motion. And a winner. But even with six titles to his credit Jordan can never be the winner that the original number 6 – Bill Russell was. Russell won 11 NBA titles. Many people also forget that Russell made history as the first modern-era African-American head coach in a major sport in 1966.

More importantly, as a player-coach, Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to two NBA titles.

Perhaps LeBron is just too young to realize that in recognizing Jordan he “forgot” about Bill Russell.

I haven’t forgotten.

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We have entered the home stretch of another long NBA season.  Actually it has been one of the league’s best seasons.  But with the season winding down it is now time to start casting votes.  And my vote for 2009 NBA MVP goes to – drum roll please – the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade.  For me this vote is not even close.

Wade is the league’s top scorer, and has been all year.  He is his team’s most important player and has been all year.  The Miami Heat would barely win 10 games this year without Wade. With him they will win more than 40.  This to me is an open and shut case for MVP.   Well its open and shut unless you are from the school of thought that believes that there are only two choices this year and Wade is not one of them.

It has become popular, even cliche, these days when discussing the next MVP to mention Kobe Bryant and LeBron James and stop there. This is to take nothing away from either Kobe or LeBron, both of whom have had fabulous seasons and have led their teams to the league’s two best records.  But how can most commentators and fans not even place Dwyane Wade in the discussion?  How is that possible?  I don’t know the answer to the question.  But one way to stop the lunacy is to re-define what constitutes an MVP.  There are some who suggest that the MVP must come from a team with one of the best records.  Or come from a team leading its division or conference.  Okay fine.  But what about the player who singlehandedly turns a team around, even if the team does not win its division or conference?  What about the player who is responsible for taking a team that won less than 20 games one season to more than 40 wins the next?

Well that player is Dwyane Wade.  Further, Wade does not have the same kind of supporting cast that Kobe and LeBron have.  And more importantly – and this is the clincher – he doesn’t have a cute first name.  In fact his first name is misspelled. Maybe that’s the real problem.  Perhaps if he had a quotable, catchy, easy to spell first name, one that simple-minded voters could use and play with other than his stale nickname D-Wade, or the more ridiculous nom de plum, Flash, given him by former teammate Shaq, he would stand more of a chance.  But no – his name is Dwayne – I’m sorry – Dwyane.  Damn his family.

Speaking of Shaq, let’s clear something up.  When Miami won the NBA title a couple of years ago, it was Wade and Wade alone who lead them to a championship, not his overweight supporting cast mate, Shaquille O’Neal.  Wade had what was arguably the greatest overall performance in NBA finals history. Someone please debate me on that point – I’m waiting.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that Wade is averaging nearly 35 points per game since the All Star game, I think the votes are already in.  Media members who vote for MVP will select either Kobe or LeBron.  Yes, media acclamation will decide the outcome.  Not common sense.   I’m wondering will someone in Wade’s situation ever be eligible for MVP?  What more does he have to do?   Is he too short?  Is he too nice?  Does he play in the wrong city?  Does he have the wrong endorsements?  Or is it simply that Miami didn’t win enough games?  Or didn’t win them entertainingly enough?

My closing argument is that this year’s case for MVP should be decided by imagining how many games would the Lakers win if Kobe were injured like Wade was last year?If you think the number is greater than 15 you must vote for Wade.  The same goes for LeBron James.  How many games would Cleveland win if LeBron was hurt?  If the number is greater than 15 then you must vote also for Wade.   Finally how many games would Miami win this year if Dwyane Wade were hurt again?  If the number is greater than 15 then vote for whoever you want.   I say the guy carrying the greatest load with the least talent hands down is Wade.   That should close the book on this – but it won’t.

That’s my case to the MVP voters, most of whom have already decided, like me, who they believe should be MVP.  Knowing what I know about human nature and the screwy ill-defined voting criteria, I don’t think Mr. Wade has much of a chance this year.  As a consolation prize I predict he will come in third.  Still, he is an absolutely magnificent player, who should be getting MVP votes just for coming back even better than he was before he was injured.  That’s my definition of an MVP.

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Just about all of us would like to get a second chance at something.  If life was fair do-overs would be a mandatory part of it.   But the reality is some of us get a another chance to fix a mistake, but most of us don’t, forcing us to live with the consequences.   Which brings me to a guy who is getting a second chance to redeem his reputation, re-connect with a long lost teammate and win a championship.  

Stephon Marbury, last of the New York Knicks, was finally released the other day.  He quickly signed with the NBA champion Boston Celtics.  Marbury now gets another chance to play with the Big Ticket aka Kevin Garnett.   More than a decade ago, both players were young, almost certain to be superstars, in Minnesota.   But Marbury who seemingly never played for a team he didn’t try to tear down, apparently felt that two superstars in the Twin Cities was one two many.   Never mind that a guy as talented as he was then, paired up with a phenom like Garnett, could have played for an NBA title years ago, and may have won it.

Marbury got his wish and left the Timberwolves, taking with him lots of talent but a burdensome me-first attitude.  And his reputation for selfishness has stuck with him over the years.   Meanwhile, Kevin Garnett, who stayed in Minnesota for for what seemed like way too long, only once advanced past the first round of the playoffs.  Nonetheless Garnett became a hard luck NBA icon, who won an MVP award once, but nothing else.  Known for unselfish play, great defense, leadership and losing in the playoffs, Garnett was mercifully allowed to leave the Timberwolves, traded last season to the Boston Celtics.   He was a hit right away.  And the rest as they say – is a championship.  Kevin Garnett, the great lovable loser, at long last was finally rewarded.

Now, Garnett is paired again with Marbury, who was forced to sit out the entire season in New York in a nasty contract dispute.  Marbury refused to settle for a buyout of his $21 million contract, and the Knicks in turn refused to play him.  Three quarters of the way into the season the two sides finally reach a settlement and Marbury becomes a Celtic.  In his debut with the Celtics against the Pacers last night, literally hours after joining the team, Marbury scored 13 points in a Celtics victory.

Marbury’s reunion with Garnett for now is only symbolic.   Garnett is out for a few more games with an injury.  He’s expected back soon, which will formally reunite the once star-crossed tandem.   Second chances are precious and Boston players and fans can only hope that an older, wiser and perhaps more charitable, Marbury buys into the team-first chemistry which was inspired by Garnett.   But if Marbury continues to play like he did last night in his return, no worries, his second chance will be good for everyone.

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Its hard to dislike Charles Barkley.  He is refreshingly different from any other celebrity.  What makes him unique is that he never seems to be afraid to speak his mind.  He will say just about anything.  And say it usually without the typical PR/BS filter that most sports stars and entertainers employ.  Often what the man sometimes called Sir Charles says is powerfully insightful, with no worries about who he might offend or what endorsements he might lose.  Other times what he says can be foolish and stupid.  But I’ll take the occasional stupid stuff, because I’ve never gotten the impression that he was maliciously trying to hurt the targets of his barbs.  Most times Charles is funny and charming while speaking his truth.  Which is also unlike most celebrities. 

But not so funny is the fact that Charles will soon be serving time.  News outlets are reporting that Charles has now pleaded guilty to drunk-driving charges in Scottsdale, Arizona and will spend five days in jail, sometime next month.  Charles was driving drunk last December and had a blood alcohol level nearly double the legal limit.   Look, a DUI is no laughing matter.  The consequences of getting behind the wheel intoxicated can be deadly.  And while there was no accident and no one was injured, a man of Charles Barkley’s stature had to be taken down a peg, if only for the message that it sends.  The thing about Barkley is, he understands that.  When he was arrested and charged he immediately took responsibility for his mistake and agreed to a six week leave of absence from his TV job at TNT.   

Upon his return to the air the other day Barkley apologized by saying, “I think that a DUI is unacceptable.  That can’t happen and I’ve got to challenge other people, not just celebrities or jocks. You have to really think before getting behind the wheel after you’ve been drinking.”  That is the straight, no chaser, Charles Barkley.  Right now you can believe, that he believes, he is telling the truth. 

So yes, even with a DUI now on his record, along with all the other ”mistakes“ he’s admitted to, like multi-million dollar gambling losses, I am going to cut Chuck yet another break.  I will not judge Charles Barkley because I like him and I feel like I know him.  No, I’ve never met him.  But he’s nonetheless been part of my life for a long time.  Which in fact he has for more than 20 years.  He was the one-time fat-boy who overcame his weight to become one of the greatest basketball players in history.  I root for a guy like that.  A guy once known as the Round Mound of Rebound. I feel that way because Charles has never employed a filter, which allows us to see Him – even if we are uncomfortable with what we see.

I know some of you may call Charles Barkley a fool.  A fool who doesn’t deserve second, third and fourth chances.  And you may be right.  And yes, I know he is 45 years old and should know better.  But the way I see it Charles is like a lot of folks we actually know and care about in our own lives who’ve slipped up. Slipped up big time.  People who have disappointed us terribly.  People we know who are trying but could slip up again any minute.  Still you root for them anyway and pray for them to finally get it together.  Because when they are okay, when they are on their game, as Charles Barkley often is, they are capable of saying and doing some really remarkable things.  That’s why I will continue to root for Charles Barkley, pinstripes and all.

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How the NBA honchos hand down penalties and punishment for the brawl between the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden the other night will go a long way toward determining what they learned if anything from the infamous Pistons-Pacers brawl of two years ago. Let’s start from the beginning. The Knicks Mardy Collins fouls the Nuggets J.R. Smith hard as he goes in for a layup/dunk. The ensuing confrontation led to a brawl that quickly got out of hand. But the brawl may have actually begun before the first blows were thrown, when Knicks coach Isiah Thomas allegedly “warned” Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony not to drive the paint. At that point the Knicks were being blown out and embarrased yet again at home with time running out in the fourth quarter while Denver’s starters were still in the game.

Athlete fights are always interesting in slow motion review. The replay allows us to opine from on high what really happened and how those angry players should have responded. The replay doesn’t take us into the huddle where perhaps the call for retribution for the embarrassment was demanded. What price should Isiah Thomas pay for allowing his players to mete out punishment? And why should Carmelo Anthony get singled out for increased punishment for sucker-punching Mardy Collins, when clearly, tackling and wrestling were going between several other players on both teams at the same time?

If this were ice hockey or major league baseball our view of this brawl might be totally different. In baseball when one player is hit by a pitch, invariably the “code” demands retribution by the opposing pitcher to hit the offending team’s first batter. This “code” is understood and accepted as being “part of the game.” The code is also sanctioned by the manager. Still bench clearing brawls usually follow despite the code. In hockey an unskilled “goon” is often called upon by his coach to put a “hit” on the opposing star who is scoring too much. Fights and occasional muggings are an accepted part of the NHL culture. Still, when the goon attacks the star usually a melee erupts and benches also clear. In both baseball and hockey though the fights and retribution come to an end and the next day the sun rises and fans return for more.

So what was different at Madison Square Garden? What is the “code” in the NBA? And why do so many people react with apparent shock and horror when basketball players “lose it”? NBA Commissioner David Stern has been tough on the behavior and etiquette of the league’s players. Obviously, Stern is keenly aware of the double standard applied to the players in his league. What makes the violence of basketball players so much worse? Its a retorical question. We really know why. Its still hard to take any sort of misbehavior from this still mostly black league. Black men out of control. Its an outrage. Let hypocrisy reign.

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