The King of Misinformation
No more breaking down, figuring out or analyzing. D-Day is here. Everyone will finally know the truth tonight at 9:00 PM, and Knicks fans will know whether this will be an easy road back to championship contention or a long hard one.
So before we all find out what this immature 25 year old kid has decided, a few thoughts:
- A warning about all these rumors about Miami and every other team that's flying around. Apparently, LeBron's inner circle was telling people overnight that he was heading to the Heat. Why would LeBron's people, who want more mystery and more eyes on their show tonight, tell people where he was going to go and make the show irrelevant? It doesn't make any sense. I think this is all a misinformation campaign to get more people and more markets buying in to get better ratings. Before the end of the day, another team will emerge as another favorite just to create more suspense. This is about television, attention, and money. The more mystery and suspense around this decision, the more people will watch.
- And doesn't someone at ESPN have to know where he is going? They are going to have 50 minutes to fill after LeBron makes his decision. Segments have to be produced and edited to fill that time. The only way that can happen is if they know where he is going. And at the same time, ESPN reporters are trying to break the story. It's just completely bizarre.
- I still don't think there's any way this kid tells his hometown to shove off on national TV. He's always proclaimed his love for Akron and this would simply be too cold.
- If he does in fact choose Miami, as the rumors say, I think LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh actually deserve a lot of credit. It will really be the first time a trio of superstars takes less money and an ego hit simply for the goal of winning a title. More people should think that way.
- It will kill Knicks fans to see Pat Riley once again get his dream scenario in place. The only solace will be that the hated Bulls were nearly completely left at the altar and had to settle for overpaying Carlos Boozer.
- If LeBron James chooses the Heat or Cavs, he will be persona non grata in New York and Chicago, two of the league's biggest markets. I wonder if this TV special will still seem like a good idea when that happens and his jersey sales drop.
- Finally – this entire spectacle is so disrespectful to all the teams that came out to try and convince this kid to sign with them, it's shameful. Is he even going to tell the losing teams before the show starts, or will they find out like everyone else? It's really a dog and pony show and shows exactly how amateurish LeBron's operation is. If I'm the Knicks, Bulls and Nets, I'm furious that I was treated like this.
- The contingency sign and trade of David Lee to the Warriors makes sense. It gets them a young and talented player in Anthony Randolph, a player with an expiring contract in Azubuike (or Radmanovic), and a rugged inside player with a reasonable 2 year contract in Ronny Turiaf. The Knicks get another young piece, maintain salary cap flexibility for next year, and still have money left over to bring in a guy like Luke Ridnour to play point guard.
