LeBron James. New York. Jay-Z. Brooklyn. 2010. Yada. Freaking. Yada. We've heard all about the possibility of James bouncing out of Cleveland (and we're guilty of promoting the media hawking too!) and you're probably tired of it.
"This is not LeBron James saying this stuff, this is just a media phenomenon here that will pass in time," Gilbert said. "We're focused on this year and you know what, so is he, and he's focused on this year and next year and hopefully a long career in Cleveland, Ohio. We believe that and we think we have a great situation here and we're off to a great start."
And well, despite the fact that Gilbert doesn't have a fantastic history with trusting particular athletes, he's kind of right on this one -- most of the fuel on the LeBron to New York fire is directly a result of media types being perfectly willing to accept the fact that a corporate behemoth like Bron would never sacrifice money, fame and the unwieldy power of being a Knicks superstar for sticking with his homegrown team that somehow managed to backdoor into drafting him.
Well, that and a totally coincidental circumstances that has every team in the L dumping salary in anticipation of 2010 faster than the King dumped the Indians in the ALCS two years ago.
Much has been made about the possibility of LeBron James bolting Cleveland for the brighter lights and bigger exposure that the New Jersey Nets would have to offer in 2010. All the signs are there, including the team moving to Brooklyn right around the same time (give or take a year), which would place King James in prime position to play in the biggest city in the country, in a brand new arena, and for partial Nets' owner and bestest buddy Jay-Z. The gossip is rampant for good reason. But if LeBron himself is to be believed, at least by virtue of his comments here when he was finished urging the fine people of Ohio to register to vote, he loves Cleveland, and has no plans to go elsewhere.
Now, was that just a throw-away line at the end of a little pep talk at a political rally, or was there some substance behind it? Could be a little of both. I'm sure LeBron does love Ohio and, maybe right now, has no plans to go elsewhere. But if the fortunes of the Cavs over the next few years don't change, the attraction of playing in NYC is going to be extremely difficult to pass up.
If the New Jersey Nets are sending out press releases, you know something important must be happening, and it is: Jay-Z, a minority owner in the team and LeBron James' BFF, will be representing the team at tomorrow night's Draft Lottery.
[Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter] will be one of 14 team representatives to be seated on the stage when NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver announces the winning order of teams participating in the Draft Lottery.
"This is very exciting and I hope my nickname 'Lucky Lefty' holds up," said Carter.
That's funny, I thought his nickname was "Jay-Z." Anyway, Lucky Lefty will join the likes of Dwyane Wade and some random fan from Sacramento in trying to will their respective teams into defying the odds and taking home the number one overall pick in this year's draft.
"Someone from Interscope Records called me and sent me the quote," Way said. "I looked and didn't really think much about it. LeBron said something like he was Jay-Z and DeShawn [Stevenson] is Soulja Boy. I took that as [disrespectful]."
I know you're just dying for James' reaction to Soulja Boy's reaction, right? When asked about it following Friday's practice, James simply said he meant no disrespect. Considering Stevenson laid an egg (three points, 1-for-9 shooting) while James was his typical awesome self in Game 1, we can count on this silly little feud dying a quiet death, right?
If you thought for a second that might be the case, you're incredibly naive.
"I hope we play Cleveland. I'm going to get Soulja Boy courtside seats and have him wear a DeShawn Stevenson jersey. Maybe (James) can have Jay-Z there since LeBron's all on his (shorts) anyway. And tell LeBron to cut that beard off and stop copying me."
Apparently this all goes deeper. LeBron said something to Drew Gooden, one of Stevenson's boys, about Stevenson once and Gooden passed it along (I don't think this makes Drew a favorite in the LeBron world, either).
"We're all in the same profession," Stevenson said. "We don't need to talk bad about one another. So, that's how it happened. I was ticked off and that's why I said something to him at tip-off. So, it goes back further than people think."
I think it's safe to assume "all on his (shorts)" is the family-friendly way of saying "all on his jock," right? If so, point DeShawn -- I've always thought LBJ's sycophancy for Jay-Z was a bit embarrassing given his arrogance toward everyone else. And if he actually gets Soulja Boy in his jersey, well, double point DeShawn. The beauty of this feud is that it has to take place in the papers since Stevenson is so far out of LBJ's league talent-wise that no one in their right mind would expect it to be settled on the court, despite my misleading choice of photos above.
You've obviously seen, or at least heard, about LeBron Jamesdropping a 50-spot on the Knicks while telling Spike Lee about it, talking with Jay-Z about it, and dealing with crazy-pill riddled fans running up to him for high fives while the game is still going on. That's just a standard evening in New York though. And while it is crazy, it is also exciting. And when you're arguably the most famous current basketball player in the world, crazy/exciting is a good thing many times.
One thing Cleveland, Ohio is not usually classified as is "exciting". So it is with great disdain that Clevelanders and Ohioans see LeBron even get a whiff of the excitement and celebrity surrounding Madison Square Garden. And with even less excitement that they hear his sometimes guarded answers regarding the possibility of him playing for the Knicks.
'LeBron,' [Andrew] Marchand started, 'have you ever thought about being a Knick?'
'No,' LeBron replied and then chuckled. The rest of the media then broke into laughter.
LeBron then said of the loaded question, 'That might have been worse than the fan running out on the court.'
Of course, he then immediately went on to describe the Garden as the "mecca of basketball" and the "greatest basketball arena in the world", at which point the entire greater Cleveland area may have gone into an epileptic seizure. The interesting thing though, is that I don't see LeBron going to be a Knick. Remember, Jay-Z owns the Nets. Not the Knicks. And they're moving to Brooklyn. But Cleveland is nice this time of year too ... no, seriously.
Did Jay-Z's presence have something to do with LeBron James going for 50 and 10 last night? (If so, the thought should send chills through the spines of Cavs fans.) I'm enough of a conspiracy theorist/armchair psychologist to think it did, though I'll admit the fact that he was facing the Knicks was probably more significant. Let's not forget, though, he has a history of stepping up his game following courtside chats with fans.
Coach Mike Brown pulled James with 23 seconds left, and during the timeout a fan in a James jersey sprinted onto the court and met James in the huddle. As security mobbed the fan, James reached out and shook his hand as the fan said, "You're my favorite player. I just wanted to meet you!" James said he appreciated the fan's gesture (even saying "I respect him") and that he wasn't concerned with his safety. "I'm 6-9, 260," he said. "I'm all right." The fan was arrested.
He was given a standing ovation from the Knicks crowd but abruptly shot down any suggestion he might want to play at the Garden full-time:
"No," he said, then scolded the questioner. "That might have been worse than the fan running out on the court."
I got a little excited last week when I heard that Jay-Z, part-owner of the Nets, was putting in a bid to re-name Continental Airlines Arena after his clothing company, Rocawear. Not because I actually wear Rocawear, I just liked the idea of an arena being named after a hip and contemporary company instead of a bland corporate name.
Well, and chance of Vince Carter lighting up the "Roca-wearena" was shot down today as the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority unanimously voted to award naming rights to Izod, the makers of polo shirts. Quality polo shirts, I'm sure, but boring, run-of-the-mill polo shirts. Sigh. From NJ.com:
The deal gives the authority $1.4 million cash for each of the next five years along with marketing worth $600,000 and employee uniforms worth $100,000.
Izod beat out sportswear makers Southpole and Rocawear.
Don't get too used to the new name, though, as the Nets are leaving in two years for Brooklyn, where they will play in the still-being-developed Barclays Center.
The Florida Marlins recently completed a sweep of the Cubs at Wrigley Field ... the first in team history. Of course, the only Marlins games that anyone will remember at Wrigley Field are Games 6 and 7 of the 2003 NLCS, when the Marlins defeated the Cubs to go on to the World Series ... which led to the team's second World Championship ... which led to this:
You may think that Juan Pierre, along with his backup dancer Dontrelle Willis, was acting quite the fool. But it was nothing more than marketing. You think it was coincidence that after this performance, Pierre's likeness was immortalized in a big billboard head (which now resides in the home of a Marlins beat reporter)? Or that Pierre moved on to play in the entertainment capital of the world and was mentioned in a Jay-Z rap song? Marketing, people.
It's hardly Dungy/Smith, but I'm thinking Nets/Cavs represents an NBA landmark of its own. With Jay-Z famously owning part of the Nets, and Usher having bought into the Cavs, it marks the first time two stars of urban radio have met in the playoffs.
The funny thing is, you might have some trouble getting whose side Jay is on. While he may have his money invested in NJ, his heart seems to be with the Cavs. From the Akron Beacon-Journal:
Sitting in seats owned by NBA powerbroker and James confidant William ``Wes'' Wesley in the first row next to the Cavs bench during the game, Jay-Z spent halftime in the Cavs owner's lounge near the team locker room. Introduced by Wesley, who was also at the game, when James was a teenager, Jay-Z and James have been friends for years.
This is at least as bad, if not worse, than players trying to grab dinner with the enemy. Sure, maybe Ben Wallace wanted to eat with Rip and Chauncey, or Parker and Diaw are inseparable even after an intense game one. The difference is, that's not during the game. And while players' team spirit can be judged based on on-court performance, all owners have is their courtside mugging.
Right, and when LeBron leads the Brooklyn Nets to a championship in 2011, I'll regret having ever written this.
LeBron James. New York. Jay-Z. Brooklyn. 2010. Yada. Freaking. Yada. We've heard all about the possibility of James bouncing out of Cleveland (and we're guilty of promoting the media hawking too!) and you're probably tired of it.
If the New Jersey Nets are 
When 
You've obviously seen, or at least heard, about 
I got a little excited last week when I heard that Jay-Z, part-owner of the Nets, was putting in a bid to re-name Continental Airlines Arena after 
It's hardly Dungy/Smith, but I'm thinking Nets/Cavs represents an NBA landmark of its own. With Jay-Z famously owning part of the Nets, and Usher having bought into the Cavs, it marks the first time two stars of urban radio have met in the playoffs. 
