ESPN and Lebron James

[GravyTrain]

I watched Sportscenter this morning before coming to work....(i try to watch it every morning), and i watched it last night before the NBA games, and i couldn't get over how much they talked about Lebron James and how much they compared him to all the greats...already. I will not deny that I believe he will be a great ball player. it will take him several years to develop into a kobe bryant, tracy mcgrady, kevin garnett type of a player...obviously...but the emphasis they were putting on this first game was ridiculous. i can not remember how many times they compared his stats to those of other first round draft picks.

all of the stats they used were bent to make sure they made King James look like one of the best...like this morning for example, they used his line of 25 points 9 assists to compare him to past first game performances. there were only 5 people in history to score 20+ points and 9+ assists in their first game. but they didn't list magic johnson who had 20+ points and only 8 assists, not to mention the large number or rebounds and i believe game winning assist he was able to tally.

my point is that stats are so overwhelming in today's sportscasting, it drives me nuts, i'm very intrigued by it, but let the kid play at least a few games before comparing him to the likes of Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and others...heck the names Wilt Chamberlain and Lou Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) were mentioned during pre-game shows....

on a positive note, i spoke with ek3 this morning and he was in agreement i believe, the way lebron has handled the situation is incredible, the kid is only 18 years old and all these people are all over him about his own personal skills and in the post-game interview all he talked about was the team's loss...not how many numbers he put on the board....

i'll step down from my soap box now...

[superman251]

I agree man, they hype that guy constantly!! And I hope that he continues to deflect it like he did.

[TastinGood]

that new commericial he is in is gay. (at least I think its him, i dont really know what he looks like..correct me if im wrong)

but its the one where he get's the ball and just stands there and the arena goes silent.

gay gay gay.

everyone knows there is a shot clock.

also, is there a better country singer right now than kenny chesney? just look at the songs he has come out with in the last several years.

really catchy stuff. i would be willing to say that almost anybody would like his songs.

[superman251]

Yes, that is him and yeah, what about the freakin shot clock??? HELLO!?!?! That ad, like you said, is freakin gay.

[ek3]

I haven't really seen it...I saw it with the TV turned down...so I heard none of it but saw it...but what they are trying to show is that everyone is waiting for him to choke...and if you notice he was playing against the Kings and was guarded by Mike Bibby...who coincidentally is who he played against in his first game...and since he is playing point guard, Mike Bibby would be matched up against him...so I think the commercial was to make light of all those saying he will choke, by making a mock first game, which shows him freezing under the pressure...then he smiles at the end...to show the joking nature of the commercial...

[GravyTrain]

First, I did not realize that he is playing point guard. second, i agree with the fact that the commercial is somewhat gay...but to be honest, i kinda like it.

in fact, i'm going to go buy some nike shoes and apparel this weekend...hopefully getting a cavaliers labron james jersey....

[TastinGood]

yeah...that's what they say in the commercial, wes (about him choking).

and dj, i hope youre joking

[superman251]

ummm, I hope he is joking too...

[GravyTrain]

actually....i didn't even realize i typed that...it must be from seeing the commercial so many times that it has become engraved into my subconcious to purchase nike products which will in turn help to pay mr. james 100 million dollar paycheck.

to be honest, the last nike item i purchased was a golf glove about a year and a half ago.

[TastinGood]

i dont know anything about this guy...but if he hasnt played a pro game yet (or hadnt) then why did he get so much hype?

I bet its just like the rush limbaugh/nfl/black quarterbacks thing. Black guys are known to struggle in basketball so they had to hype this guy up to make sure white guys dont hog all of the attention in the nba.