I know you don't get it Lebron, but you screwed up again.
Lebron is at again. The player who continuously waffles between being a villain and a cherished superstar with a unique skillset never before seen in this league, cannot prevent his mouth from continuing to make him look like a complete jackass. I’ll openly admit, I do not like LeBron. From his public comments that express an almost incomprehensible lack of self awareness, like his initial bafflement as to why people didn’t like “The Descision”, to his outright dismissive arrogance, like mocking Dirk Nowitzski’s flu during the NBA Finals last summer. That being said, I am often in awe of what the man can do on a basketball court. He is a freak specimen that has begun to work on his deficient low post game to become a more complete player.
Yet it is his insecurity as a player, his overwhelming desire to somehow get everyone to love him, that is his biggest hurdle to becoming a complete player.
Just yesterday, LeBron told reporters, “You can’t predict the future…If I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me.” Earth to LeBron: You proverbially cock teased about 4 major franchises 2 years ago in the most ridiculous off season ever, left tantalizingly vague suggestions you were considering a potential move, and left your hometown franchise in one of the biggest media debacles and PR/image assassinations ever seen. I may not be able to predict the future, but I have an inkling you won’t exactly be welcomed back with open arms. Dan Gilbert (who’s an immature, whiny shitstain in his own right) has publicly excoriated Lebron numerous times since his departure, fans were publicly burning his jersey in the streets, and is soundly boo’ed every time he touches the ball. Is LeBron really so oblivious that he can’t realize he napalmed his bridges in Cleveland by shattering a collective fan bases heart?
Now, would most Cleveland fans welcome him back if this were a sincere suggestion? Probably. Maybe it would be begrudgingly, resentfully, and hesitantanly, but you don’t pass on one of the most talented players in the league. But the fact this statement was made, in my opinion, with ZERO intention of returning to the Cavaliers in a desperate attempt at garnering affection comes off as ridiculously patronizing.
LeBron is developing a damaging habit of promising the world to a fanbase, then coming up short when it matters most. In numerous interviews during his time as a Cavalier, he firmly promised his ultimate goal was to bring a championship to Cleveland. Although he didn’t always have the best supporting cast, he had more pull in personnel decisions than any other player, hell, most front office guys have in the league. As we know, that never happened. During his absurdly self promoting “Pre-Season Pyrotechnic Parade” He guaranteed something like 6 or 7 titles.
While he is only in his second year and having the most efficient NBA season of all time (shit that’s kind of amazing, when you consider it), it’s almost like he learned nothing from the fall out after “The Descision.”
As a free agent, it was absolutely within his rights to offer his services to another team. It’s the manner in which he publicly handles his NBA career that rubs a great deal of people the wrong way. If I were a Heat fan (a real fan, not these bandwagon assholes who jumped on when 3 of the best players in the league were acquired through collusion…uh, I mean “trades.”) I’d be pretty pissed LeBron is openly pining for his scorned fanbases affection. It’s this overwhelming desire to be cherished for the talent he is that I think well prevent LeBron from ever realizing his true potential, like Kobe has done over the course of his career.
Kobe, despite his caustic attitude towards his team mates and his haughty dismissal of questions he doesn’t like, has never wavered from the player he is: A cold blooded villain who thrives, hell maybe even ENJOYS, in the face of the collective hate of fanbases outside of L.A. Kobe has proven, even with Shaq, that he has that killer instinct that allows him to completely take over a game, even if it comes at the expense of his team mates happiness or fan’s approval. At the end of the day, Kobe is a winner. LeBron may get there someday, but until he stops his incessant cries for love and focuses on what he is paid to do (play basketball) I doubt he will ever achieve what he is capable of.
