It’s funny how quickly the masses can change their perception of someone in such a short amount of time. Guys that were thought of as being able to do no wrong can easily go to being the biggest villain within mere minutes, only to resurrect and become a folk hero again. Michael Vick is the perfect example of this as he went from doing no wrong in Atlanta to being a dog-killer and in jail and is now doing no wrong again as an MVP candidate with the Eagles.
Someone who is stuck in the awful second stage of this three-stage circus is Lebron James. This time last year, he could do no wrong as the NBA’s brightest star with the Cleveland Cavaliers. There was a lot of talk about where he would end up, but no one could have expected the vitriol that was to come thanks in large part to his “decision” to go to Miami that was televised nationally and largely criticized.
Since that TV special aired, it seems like LeBron can do nothing right, except for win basketball games with the Heat. However, people still don’t respect the Heat despite the fact that they have three of the Top 25 players in the game in their starting five. No matter what he says now, because he’s the villain, everyone is standing up to him and are willing to disagree with just about everything he says.
His latest remark involved having the “Big 3” in Miami and that he would like to see the NBA get back to an era where all the teams had several all-star caliber players and the product wasn’t so watered down. He even gave specific examples of good players on bad teams and suggested that those teams should be contracted. Of course, that got people with the NBA community upset, but for once in the last 12 months, I agree with something that he said.
Of course the NBA should contract teams, much like the NFL, MLB and NHL all need to contract teams as well. It’s painfully obvious that each of the major professional leagues in North America have become too big for their own good and the talent level is watered down because of it. However, getting employees of those leagues to admit as much would be easier than dodging rain.
The owners will never want it because having more teams means more revenue. The players should never say it because more teams equals more jobs. Anyone within any of the organizations that has a chance to have their opinion put out for public consumption will tow the company line because there’s no reason for them to rock the boat. Yet again, Lebron has managed to put himself on an island. This time around though, more people agree with him, but will never publicly admit to it.
It’s easy to kick someone when they’re down and despite the fact that the Heat are starting to roll some wins together, Lebron James as a commodity is at its lowest point ever. However, I’m willing to give someone credit when warranted and he deserves it for being honest. It’s just a shame for him that his public perception is so bad that no one wants to listen or cares about he really has to say.