Jack’s Blog

Heading to work at Michael Jordan’s Flight School in Santa Barbara tonight.  These blogs will return on Thursday, August 12 and if past history is any indication, there will be several interesting posts that will come out of the fortnight there.  In the meantime, check out some of the more than a thousand archived posts.

OK, maybe the TO deal was only because it was his only choice but, according to no less a prognosticator than Chad 85 (I can’t find the toolbar for Spanish) claims that winning the Super Bowl is now a probability - or something to that effect.

What does it mean for the NBA that Wade, James & Bosh will be playing in the same uniforms?  Watching the Lakers make their off-season moves, as well as a few of the other elite teams in the league, can only send the message the pro game will be incredibly more exciting, right?  Same for the Texas Rangers, now that they have Cliff Lee and the Phillies who just acquired Roy Oswalt.  We can all get caught up in watching someone take on - and have a chance of actually beating - the Yankees.

Not to throw a wet blanket on all the excitement that is sure to capture our attention, but think about it from the other end.  How many bad teams (in most cases, that means small market clubs) will there be in professional sports?  If we were worried that super conferences were going to widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots in NCAA football, won’t that be the identical result for the three major professional team sports?  (My excuses to those who feel slighted I didn’t include hockey and soccer, but having been raised in this country many years ago, I can’t shake childhood prejudices).

Won’t at least half the NBA teams be irrelevant?  And because baseball and football require more players, won’t that make the percentage of “teams with no chance of winning” (much less winning it all) even greater?

The term “level playing field” has been used to describe fairness in team sports in this country seemingly forever.  Maybe now, in order to ensure equity, the fields should be unlevel, i.e. make football fields and basketball courts like swimming pools in which the “loaded” teams are forced to defend the goal at the deep end and score at the shallow end.  In baseball, how about placing “1st-and-a-half base” in shallow right-center field and “2nd-and-a-half base” in shallow left-center?  Make the heavily favored team have to really “touch ‘em all” in order to score.

I’ll let the readers decide whether the term “competitive balance” still applies because according to the Financial Times, the definition of competitive balance is:

“A market situation where no business is too big or has an unfair advantage.”   

    Â

Before readers start wondering whether I understand the magnitude of Wade’s remarks, let’s take a look at Wade - from several different perspectives. 

First of all, would what he said have caused such a stir if it had come from a random rabid Miami Heat fan (of which many have sprung up recently)?  A fan who, upon being asked by a member of the media if he thought the Heat were going to go undefeated, said, “If we (as any fan refers to his team) lose two or three in a row, you all (meaning the media, as Wade did) are going to make it like the World Trade Center is coming down again.”  Would that statement have caused as much of an incident as when Wade uttered it? 

Examine the speaker in this case.  As cool and stylish as any of today’s athletes, Dwyane Wade was born to a couple who did more than dabble in the drug culture, especially his mom, who spent time in prison.  Google Dwyane Wade’s name and you’ll read about how he was sent to live with his dad and his new wife (who also began having marital problems).  While Dwyane, Sr. played ball with his son (hour after hour) and taught him how to deal with adversity on the court, the son apparently didn’t receive the same guidance in the academic world.

He was a Proposition 48 casualty, meaning he wasn’t eligible to play his freshman year in college.  The story is similar to many such scholastic stars - OK grades, but missed the necessary standardized score (in Wade’s case, the ACT) by one point.  Whether that was the case or not, missing academic eligibility isn’t like narrowly missing the Dean’s List.  With his academic and social background, it’s amazing Dwyane Wade grew into the type of young man he is.  But let’s not make him someone we should turn to for social commentary. 

Wade fell in love early in life and married his high school sweetheart - after she gave birth to their first child.  They stayed together for quite a while, but I remember coaching friends making comments that, with the temptations professional athletes were presented, especially the high profile, rich, good-looking ones, it was only a matter of time before the Wade romance hit the skids.  As has been reported, i.e. publicly dragged through the mud, a nasty divorce and child custody battle is now taking place.

Then there’s the story of how D-Wade walked into a tattoo shop, as seemingly all the great ones do, turned around and left because he knew his father would disapprove.  That’s a rather major statement in this day and age.  Parents guide in different ways.  I recall a professor I had in a child psych class in college lecture us one day that there were three theories on how to raise children.  “Unfortunately, none of them work,” he ended the lesson.

Granted, Dwyane Wade makes big money.  10% of that (before tax) is donated to his church.  It’s easy to say, “If I had that much money, I’d be giving it away too,” but exactly how much are of your own money is designated to charity?  Regardless of your views on Wade, Sports Illustrated saw it fit to name him their Sportsman of the Year for 2006, an award they don’t give away lightly. 

So who is Dwyane Wade?  In this instance, it’s a case of walking a mile in another man’s moccasins.  Shouldn’t he have realized that that comment would set off a frenzy of disbelief that someone could be so insensitive?  Sure - if he had your social awareness, intelligence, upbringing and, yeah, common sense.  Just like you wouldn’t be such a klutz when you play your weekend hoops game at your local gym if you had his basketball skill.

Dwyane Wade’s talent in basketball has given him fame, fortune and some powerful friends (not just LeBron and Bosh).  Yet, as difficult as it may be to understand, it doesn’t mean he fully comprehends the magnitude of an event that took place when he was nineteen.  That’s not an excuse, just what I believe happens when people with a platform are ill-equipped to discuss certain issues.

This reminds me a little - and just a little - of what brought down Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder.  In 1988 I was associate head basketball coach at the University of Toledo when Jimmy made his infamous remarks that got him fired from CBS and happened to be a guest on a Toledo radio station .  When asked for how I summed up the story, I said:

“The guy was a bookmaker and now people are making him out to be a geneticist.”

Loyal reader - and friend - Clarence Gaines posted a comment regarding my lesson #3 of what we can learn about LeBron’s decision.  I said, “He simply doesn’t realize that a true superstar has the courage to take whatever hand (or roster) is dealt him and make them into not only big winners, but champions, a la MJ and Larry Bird.”

My point was that, although MJ and Larry joined down franchises, they stayed with each until they won multiple championships.  Clarence’s research revealed that, while the Celtics won only 29 games the year before Bird got there, they won 61 games in his rookie season - and then acquired McHale & Parish which ignited their championship runs.  His comment was that Bird didn’t really suffer through several seasons with inferior talent.  Point made.

His comment jarred my memory of a quote I heard a couple days ago, but had forgotten until it was replayed last night on SportsCenter.  It was by Dwayne Wade regarding all the criticism directed toward the newest Big 3.  Before repeating his quote, let me bring up another statement made by D-Wade.

During the Rachel Nichols interview, Wade made the rather bold statement that he LeBron and Bosh are “arguably the best trio who ever played the game of basketball.”  Whoa!  A little too much Miami heat?  How about 1) Magic, Kareem & Worthy, 2) Bird, McHale & Parish, 3) Russell, Cousy & (pick one of the Hall-of-Famers: either of the Jones, Ramsey, Sharman, Havlicek, Heinsohn), 4) West, Baylor & Chamberlain?  Sure, the last trio never won a championship but that wasn’t the question.  Plus, Wade’s nominee hasn’t won a game yet.  Putting Rodman in with MJ and Pippen might be a stretch, just as including Duncan, Parker & Ginobli might be reaching, but to anoint the Heat threesome to number one all-time is quite premature.

Oh yeah, Wade’s quote regarding the “haters”?

“I just don’t like false reports . . . At least get it right.”    Â

For starters, Cavs’ owner, Dan Gilbert’s reaction is completely understandable.  He made as many concessions to LeBron as the King requested, e.g. from obtaining Shaq and Antwan Jamison to the incredibly foolish move of allowing James’ cronies/posse/leeches to travel on the team plane.  Still, c’mon Dan, making all the accusations you did - and going public with them - made you sound like a spoiled, rich kid and made your open letter rival the worst owner blunders since . . . Ted Stepien.

While he may not have heard of the decision until it was made, LeBron’s not returning his phone calls nor responding to any other forms of correspondence had to be a hint-and-a-half.  Plus, if all those nasty things Gilbert said about him were actually true, why would he even want someone like that to be the face of his organization?  And promising that the Cavs would win a championship before LBJ does, well, judging from the Cavs’ roster, his best hope is for a tie. 

As far as classless moves go, LeBron, in the ultimate oxymoronic gesture, has raised the bar to new depths.  Of course he has the right to select whichever team he wants, but at least he should have shown the common decency to personally inform to his former employer who, by all accounts, did everything humanly possible to keep him home.  He compared all of this to ending a long relationship with a girlfriend.  Doing it through an hour tv special isn’t exactly page 23 of the “How to Break Up.” manual.

Another observation is that we have seen the “athlete of today.”  First, Dwayne Wade met with the Bulls, he made the statement, “I will make the best decision for me and my family (a divorce has his kids in Chicago).”  Yet, in an interview with Michael Wilbon, he answered the question, “What was the deciding factor in re-signing with the Heat?” his response was, “Playing with Chris (Bosh).”

James’ comment on selecting Miami was, “I’m taking my talents to South Beach.”  Isn’t it strange he’d phrase it that way? Did he say it that way to ID his new home or because the location was a reason.  Maybe it’s just the “today’s athlete’s” way of making a statement.

The lessons we can learn from LeBron James’ decision are numerous:

1) His character is in inverse proportion to his talent.   We would be hard-pressed to find a more self-absorbed athlete (mostly because Barry Bonds retired).  As uncomfortable as it may be, your former organization deserves to hear that you’re not returning - from you.  Then, if they can’t deal with that, so be it.

2) His business acumen parallels his character.  When several powerful businessmen want to show you their plan to make you a billionaire - with a B - you don’t make them come to you (when you have your own Gulfstream) nor do you show up to the meeting in sweatpants and a t-shirt.  Imagine Michael Jordan - one guy LBJ wants to compared to (what other reason for the “chalkdust in the air” pregame routine) showing up to a business meeting in sweats and a T?  Never happen.  Arguably, the most successful NBA star-turned-businessman is Magic Johnson.  Think Magic would dress down for that meeting? 

3) He simply doesn’t realize that a true superstar has the courage to take whatever hand (or roster) is dealt him and make them into not only big winners, but champions, a la MJ and Larry Bird. 

4) As far as comparing James to other NBA megastars, Allen Iverson is more like The King than either MJ or Kobe.  LBJ and AI were born out-of-wedlock to teenage mothers and have taken their underdog squads to an NBA Finals but come up short.  Doing an hour-long special displays an attitude of tremendous self-importance.  Iverson’s rant of “Practice.  We talkin’ ’bout practice!” also illustrated that what norms that apply to others don’t apply to him.   Neither guy gets it.

A couple unanswered questions are:

1) Is the rumor true that the Boys and Girls Club got $2-3 million (a tidy sum), rather than the $5-6M that the extravaganza allegedly hauled in?

2) Of greater interest (except to the B&G’ers) is whether Pat Riley, who fined guys for helping up fallen opponents and banned talking to the other team’s players during pregame warmups, let LeBron’s “extra baggage” on the team charter and how will he react the first time he stages one of his famous make believe picture sessions just before a game? 

The best quote to wrap up this blog would be a humorous one and for that, I turn to Conan O’Brien, who was quoted as saying:

“I don’t care where LeBron James goes - as long as it’s not at 11 pm on TBS.”

Theories, gut feelings and “inside information” (usually by that famous, all-knowing anonymous source) about which free agent is going to pair up with whatever other free agent or whatever current all-star(s) to form a formidable team have been running rampant for quite some time.  Well, at least since last Thursday.  Listening to the talking heads, whatever combination-of-the-day that eventually becomes reality ensures that franchise of not only next year’s Larry O’Brien trophy, but multiple “rings” (which used to be called championships back in the day when people spoke more about team accomplishments than the jewelry that was given to the individual).

A few days ago, it looked like Miami was going to have the Big 3 (Wade, James & Bosh).  Then, following Friday’s meetings, the front runner looked like the Knicks, after seeing and hearing an excited Mike D’Antoni.  Yesterday’s dynasty in the making was Chicago, who would be able to field a team, if all the pieces fell into place, of Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Joakim Noah.  No one mentioned who the fifth starter would be.  Possibly, those four would be enough for the Bulls to place an order with Josten’s.

Once everything finally shakes out and the superstars realize that, while all this attention is intoxicating, they can only play for one team, the next step will be for lesser players to cash in on contracts that, in “normal” times, no owner in his right mind (which includes nearly all of them) would dole out.  This syndrome is similar to the average guy who gets the prom queen because she was on the rebound.  In this case, “lesser” does not refer to guys like Carlos Boozer or David Lee - deserving players whose performances have earned them a big paycheck) - but more like Darco Milicic, Drew Gooden and Tyrus Thomas - guys who have already been offered contracts that are so vastly overpaying them that they ought to collect their checks wearing a mask and carrying a gun.

When this circus finally ends, the NBA will be left with the new superpowers, the  franchises with talent (not only the Lakers and the Celtics, but the Spurs, Magic, Thunder, Jazz, Mavs and probably a few others).  The newly formed mega-team (NFMT) against the Lakers will be must-see TV.  The Celtics vs. whichever other newly formed mega-team (WONFMT) will also peak viewers’ interest - at least the first couple times they face off. 

On the other hand, the teams that weren’t good before and weren’t able to improve will be fodder for the those the first two groups.  This has been the case in the past, but this year’s, for lack of a better word, collusion by the top free agents has not only widened the gap between the clubs that will be able to place a competitive squad on the court and the bottom feeders, but increased the number of those bringing up the rear as well.  Without help, e.g. rookie surprises or divine intervention, there will be some really bad, as in unwatchable, games next season.  

Should things stay as they are, Indiana or Toronto (or the Cavs if LeBron leaves - or, worse, Miami if DWade DParts) vs. NFMT or WONFMT (or for that matter, even the Lakers) will be watched in its entirety by only family members or those who placed a wager on the over-under.  Also, there will be more “bad team vs. bad team” games.  If those teams thought they had attendance problems in the past, be prepared to close about half the concession stands and lay off a great many ticket takers and ushers.

The players who are reveling in all this attention and reaping in the cash now ought to enjoy it because, unless I’m missing something, all that’s currently going on will come back to haunt the (highly paid) worker bees (that includes every NBA player) when the new CBA is drafted, as all this outlay of funds has to strengthen the owners’ case when bargaining time arrives.  A couple of superstars/per team will be highly paid, the rest of the guys - probably including starters - will be making minimum.   

In a battle of monetary attrition between owners and players, my money (however little of it I still have) is on the owners.  Although it was around a century ago that George Washington Carver said the following, it rings so true today:

“We have become 99% money mad.  The method of living at home modestly and within our income, laying a little by systematically for the proverbial rainy day which is due to come, can almost be listed among the lost arts.”Â

As the world knows by now, this is the “Year of the Free Agent.”  Never before has there been so much proven talent available to NBA teams.  Although LeBron James is the pearl of this free agent class, followed by Dwayne Wade and then Chris Bosh, there are several other players who have put up BIG numbers.  And those stats weren’t accumulated during high school, college or even in an overseas professional league.  These figures come out of the NBA office.

Some of the gaudiest totals belong to Amare (excuse me for excluding the accent, but I’m not nearly familiar enough with the fonts, etc. to figure out how to include it) Stoudamire.  Basketball people, media members and fans have often compared Steve Nash and Stoudamire to John Stockton and Karl Malone.  Each duo is composed of a crafty (relatively) little white guard and a physically imposing, skilled black forward - with both of the pairs executing pick & roll basketball to perfection, winning way more games than they lost, yet unable to win a championship.  The comparison is an understandable one.

To briefly make my point (and for those who know me, being brief will be more shocking than had I put the accent in his first name), a major difference I’ve observed between the Stockton-Malone combo and the Nash-Stoudamire pair is that Karl seemed to appreciate John a whole heckuva lot more than Amare does Steve.  “Why?” you might ask.  Since I spent 30 years in the world of college basketball, I tend to overemphasize the importance of “the college experience.”

For quite some time I’ve felt that guys who made the jump directly from high school to the NBA (excluding Kobe Bryant whose “out-of-high-school” education came from growing up in a foreign country) haven’t been exposed to enough of a variety of people, be they of similar age (fellow students) or older (coaches, professors, secretaries, staff, etc.)  While it may not necessarily be the determining factor to greater maturity, in my experiences, those youngsters (for the scope of this blog, from the U.S.) don’t seem as socially ready for NBA life.  This is not to infer that attending a university will mean a college player who enters the NBA will be fully (or, in some cases, even partially) mature, nor will the year(s) spent on a college campus eliminate selfishness from a player.  The counterexamples to that statement would be a figure that could be expressed in scientific notation (with 10’s exponent being a positive number for those technical critics).  It’s just that the social experience, if nothing else, adds a little something extra to a person’s life.

I’m not saying that they learned it at Gonzaga and Louisiana Tech, respectively, but Stockton and Malone seemed to have a unique mutual respect for each other, kind of like, “Sure, I could go it alone and be successful, but I’d never reach the level of proficiency I have without you.”  Maybe it’s my personal prejudice against guys who made the leap directly into the league that’s obscured my hearing but I don’t recall Stoudamire being anywhere near that appreciative of Nash.  While I’m not saying Nash claims he can’t survive without Stoudamire, keep in mind that Amare isn’t the first player for whom Steve has gotten easy looks, i.e. while they’re dynamite together, I believe the big guy needs his current partner more than vice versa.

Stoudamire is reportedly miffed that no one (to date) has offered him a max contract.  Whether my theory is the reason he isn’t receiving the love (and money) he feels he has “earned,” it would still be wise for him to follow the advice of Dr. Christine Northrup:

“Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.”Â

I’m just not sure what. 

To have a countdown is good theatre but is it that important?  Unquestionably, LeBron James is the most high profile athlete to be on the open market, so to speak, yet where he winds up is limited to a handful of teams, each of which has its reasons why LBJ should establish residence there but anointing this newly formed squad as the latest dynasty might be a little (lot) premature.

Keep in mind that in 2003-04, the Lakers signed Gary Payton and Karl Malone to go along with Kobe and Shaq.  At the press conference, Payton made the classic comment, “You can’t double team all of us.”  On the flipside, I remember wondering how anyone was going to score on them.  In Payton, they had “The Glove.”  Kobe was a lockdown defender even that far back, meaning those two could match up with the best two perimeter players the opponent had, leaving the weakest of the three for whoever would be the fifth starter.  Karl Malone could defend any power forward in the league and just Shaq’s physical presence was enough to enable him to guard a center.  

Yet, not only did they not win it all, they only managed to win one game in the finals, losing 4-1 to Detroit.  Sure, there were injuries - but who’s to say this new superteam that LeBron and whatever other free agent(s) decide to join him, combining with that team’s nucleus, e.g. DWade, or Rose and Noah, or whoever’s left with the Cavs, Knicks, Clippers or even some mystery team - doesn’t encounter the same fate? 

Plus, even with all that megatalent, they won’t exactly have a corner on the superstar market.  I don’t see Kobe joining that bunch and rumor has it that he’s a rather competitive sort, someone who might cotton to the challenge of taking on all comers - especially a “stacked” team.  And, in the process, win his third straight title.  Lest we forget, wherever LeBron takes his talent (unless he fulfills Tiger’s wish), his new (or old) club will be attempting to dethrone the two-time champs.

Then there are other factors that play just as big a role as where the King and his new court, eventually settle.  With the remainder of the talented free agents, how the draft picks perform, sign and trades, and other wheeling and dealing that inevitably will ensue, there are so many other combinations that could arise that one of them, possibly, on paper, could look just as formidable, if not a tad better, than the much awaited consortium, in the process making the new “Unbeatables” the underdog.

Next, throw in the coaching changes that currently exist.  It looks like a few of the soon-to-be co-favorites (Bulls, Cavs and Clippers) will be coached by assistants who have yet to call a time out or by a coach with minimal head coaching experience.  Include the possible (probable?) coaching changes to each of last year’s finalists and it makes for interesting barroom chatter. 

This blog has done nothing but muddle the picture, so the quote that will further confuse the reader.  It’s by that well-known basketball aficionado, William Butler Yeats, and has to do with those fans who dream of multiple championships when the smoke clears:

“But I being poor have only my dreams.  I have laid my dreams beneath your feet.  Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”

Each year, the NBA’s contending teams make moves they hope will pay off with a title.  This past NBA season saw a flurry of activity, with each move trumpeted as “the one” to push that team ahead of the others.

In San Antonio, the addition of Richard Jefferson was supposed to add offense and athleticism to the (aging) Big Three (Duncan, Parker & Ginobli).  The Spurs never have replaced the lockdown defense that Edison (Fresno) High’s Bruce Bowen gave them.  With Jefferson, a hard-to-guard three man, moving into the lineup, the thought was the Spurs would be a formidable threat.

The Cleveland Cavaliers picked up Shaquille O’Neal and Antawn Jamison.  People who praised the move said he’s still a beast (for brief periods) and one who could guard Dwight Howard.  In addition, the big guy wanted to show he’d gladly be regulated to sidekick so he could to bring a championship to the Cavs (mainly LeBron) like he did for DWade.  Critics of O’Neal said opponents would put him in pick & roll situations, a fact not denied by anyone in basketball.  Jamison was supposed to take some of the scoring load off of James.

The Orlando Magic, came so close last year to winning it all, but having lost Hedo Turkoglu, realized they needed serious help - which came in the form of Vince Carter.  Never have fans and pundits swayed to and fro when it came to assessing whether obtaining VC was a good move or not.  They’d win and - if Carter played well - the blockbuster move was brilliant.  A Magic loss, or a few in a row, and VC was the on the receiving end of brutal criticism.  One reason was that there was no move the Magic could have made that would have replaced what they lost in Torkoglu’s game.

Boston made a huge move when they acquired Rasheed Wallace.  Sheed gets a bad rap from fans, mainly because of his on court rantings and the number of T’s he picks up.  However, talk to any NBA insider and they’ll tell, to a man, what a great teammate and locker room guy Wallace is.  Then, late in the season, the Celtics picked up controversial and talented Nate Robinson from the dysfunctional Knicks - a move that paid off exactly as Doc Rivers had predicted.

However, the Lakers addition of Ron Artest, also a lightning rod for controversy, paid off the most.  Why?  Because LA won the championship and as the saying in professional sports goes:

“Winning isn’t everything.  It’s . . . Forget it, winning IS everything.”

 Â

Much has been made of the fact that in the last 20 years, only six coaches have claimed the NBA championship.  So what ingredients go into making a championship basketball coach on the professional level?

Great player?  Doubtful.  There have been many more great players who’ve tried their hand at coaching and haven’t won than those who have.  Of the six latest NBA championship coaches, Rudy Tomjanovich would probably rank as the best player, with Gregg Popovich being at the bottom of the list skill-wise (Doc Rivers, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson and Larry Brown are the others who’ve won titles in the NBA since 1990).

As far as coaching in the college ranks prior to taking on an NBA job, only Pop and Brown had done so, Larry having a great deal more success (winning an NCAA title with Kansas) than Pop (who struggled mightily at Pomona-Pitzer).  If I’m not mistaken, of all the coaches who’ve ever won an NBA championship, only Chuck Daly, Jack Ramsey, Dick Motta, Paul Westhead and Bill Fitch were collegiate head coaches before going on to win an NBA title. 

In fact, there doesn’t seem to be any blueprint for NBA coaching success other than the obvious: having a whole lotta talent.  And even with that, a championship isn’t guaranteed.  Within the past two decades, communication has become of vital importance in leading any type of organization.  The authoritative mentality, e.g. “He treats us all the same - like dogs” used so successfully by Vince Lombardi would meet with resistance (probably to a man) now, unlike in the heyday of the Packers.

The one common denominator each of those championship coaches had was a very focused leader on the floor, one who commanded the respect of his teammates.  Of course they all possessed overwhelming talent, but beyond that, each superstar had his own style of leading, some more vocal than others, but each displaying one common theme - leading by example.  From MJ to Hakeem to David Robinson and Tim Duncan to Kobe and Shaq (granted, it was difficult to follow Shaq’s example - he, among all of these guys, could truly be categorized as unique) to Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton to D Wade to KG, they were comfortable in their roles as the go-to guy and were, for the most part, players who set good examples.

So, to make one of the greatest understatements of all-time, it seems like the coach isn’t nearly as valuable as the best player.  As long as that player doesn’t flaunt the obvious.  In all, acceptance of leadership is what’s necessary for a championship club and in the words of Nathaniel Branden:

“Accepting does not necessarily mean ‘liking,’ ‘enjoying,’ or ‘condoning.’  I can accept what is - and be determined to evolve from there.” Â

This year is Larry King’s 25th anniversary with CNN.  There can’t be anyone with more connections than Larry King.  He gets nearly everyone he wants on his show.  His guest last Friday night was this (or any other) year’s most sought after NBA free agent, LeBron James.

LeBron, looking extremely relaxed, fit and comfortable (as well as completely recovered from the Cavaliers’ season-ending defeat in the second round of the NBA playoffs), answered the questions Larry (I’ll go to a first-name basis since they’re both referred to as “The King”) posed.  Naturally, a good many of those dealt with his impending decision regarding where he’ll be playing next, and likely, several more years to come.

When Larry brought a small sheet with notes and queried LeBron if he planned on getting together with the other free agents, this being the greatest assembly of talented free agents ever (Wade, Bosh, Stoudemaire, Johnson, Nowitzki, Lee, others) and plotting where each would play, LeBron joked about that being like a “Free Agent Committee.”  Larry agreed, stating that since they all were free agents, the league couldn’t prevent them from doing that - a suggestion I’m sure which was well-received by David Stern.  LeBron, who emphatically agreed with Larry’s crowning him the ringleader of such a group, seemed to think that, while it might not be “to that extent,” it would be intriguing.  I’m not certain LeBron used the word “intriguing,” yet for a guy who never went to college, he was remarkably poised, although he did occasionally butcher the English language as well as repeated the word, “absolutely” a seemingly infinite number of times.

“You go play here and I go here, . . . ” Larry hypothesized, to which LeBron answered something to the extent that it would be interesting for those guys to get together and do what they could to improve the league, another welcome idea for Stern and the league office to ponder.  Just for kicks, let’s say that these “power-brokers” in fact did decide to plot each other’s course - naturally, with the sole intention of making the league stronger. 

LeBron even mentioned that if it were baseball, they all could go to the same team.  (Hey, why not send Bud Selig to the asylum to give David Stern some company)?  Since they couldn’t, LeBron did propose that some guys could pair up while others would go to locations to be determined by this new cartel.  Since there are 30 NBA teams and, at last count, there aren’t nearly that many free agents who could improve all of the franchises, how, exactly, would this news be welcomed in one of the have-not cities?  Sounds like the makings of a sequel for George Orwell.

As far as where LeBron might wind up, does anybody else find it strange that the Cavs fired their coach and Danny Ferry, their GM, just resigned?  Could those moves mean that, in addition to being able to offer LeBron more money than anyone else, Cleveland might just let him have “considerable” say to who the new coach and general manager would be?  The Cleveland Cavaliers have taken after actress Gena Rowlands who once said:

“I can never have a poker face.  Anybody looking at me can tell exactly what I’m thinking.”        Â