Truth About It » lebron james

Picking Dirk, Picking On LeBron

Kyle Weidie — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:28:24 +0000

In early mid-April (the 12th to be exact), when asked as part of an ESPN.com 5-on-5 roundtable which NBA star would have his legacy enhanced the most in the 2011 Playoffs, I wrote:

“The health of Andrew Bynum won’t affect Dirk Nowitzki’s hunger, but Nowitzki’s stomach did just growl. One could argue that Dirk’s legacy has the deepest hole from which to climb. Since blowing a 2-0 series lead on Miami in the 2006 Finals, the Mavericks have been bounced in the first round of the playoffs in three of the past four seasons. A championship isn’t wholly necessary to repair Dirk’s playoff legacy, but if Dallas fails to make the Finals, he may have to live with the label of a regular-season MVP who can’t come through in the postseason.”

Now, I’m not here to exactly toot my own horn as a prognosticator of all things basketball — seeing as I predicted last year’s Wizards to achieve 34 wins (only off by 11 wins), and the bastardly 2009-10 Wizards to achieve 55 wins (yes, I was off by a whole 29 wins here… like I said, “bastardly”) — however, in the same ESPN poll, in reponse to a query on the most surprising thing that would happen in the Western Conference playoffs, I wrote:

“It won’t be surprising when each of the top four seeds in the West move into the second round with relative ease. Nor will it be surprising when the conference semifinals and finals all get pushed to seven games. What will be surprising is when the Dallas Mavericks come out on top in the West and Mark Cuban holds a party for all his friends in the media.”

OK, so I was wrong about the top four seeds advancing to the second round (thanks to the San Antonio Spurs), and about each of the conference finals going seven games (both went five), but hey, Dallas, right? I am still, however, wondering if Mark Cuban will hold a media party. At least he shut his mouth during the latter stages of Dallas’ run, thanks to Nowitzki suggesting that he do so.

None of this is to exactly say that I “picked” Dallas to win it all, although I do have a $20 ticket on the Mavs to do so at 25-1 odds that I got in Vegas during the NBA Summer League last July (I also put money on the Spurs and Nuggets, FWIW). So there’s that:

But what about the Heat? In regard to potential surprising Eastern Conference events, I wrote:

“Miami will handle Boston with relative ease in the second round — we’re talking sweep or a 4-1 series win. Sure, the Celtics were 3-1 versus the SuperFriends during the regular season, but two of those wins came within Miami’s first nine games and the third came with Kendrick Perkins still a Celtic. Perhaps more surprising is that Boston won’t be as affected by wear-and-tear old tires, but rather by the inability to produce points.”

Yep, sorry Boston, but I’ve never been fond of you. But enough of my semi-lucky, semi-basketball semi-predictions, where does LeBron leave us after this NBA Finals loss? Well, pretty much right where we started…

This is what he said after the game (as you’ve likely read):

“At the end of the day, all the people that were rooting for me to fail … at the end of the day, tomorrow they have to wake up and have the same life that [they had] before they woke up today. They got the same personal problems they had today. And I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things I want to do.”

Disregarding LeBron’s assumption that everyone who dislikes him leads much shittier lives than him because he’s rich and good at basketball, he is at the same time giving himself too much credit, yet not enough. People are happy to see him lose. Well, let’s get this straight, it’s not all about LeBron, as his Highness the Oblivious One seems to believe.

Dallas’ win over Miami was also a victory over instant gratification, over-abundance, and non-humble, self-absorbed obnoxiousness (not about who on which team celebrates when). And that is more than enough reason for many of various demographics to rejoice, LeBron’s snobbish assumption of regular-people problems be damned.

Sorry dude, it’s not totally about you, but it is. Thanks for being involved and everything. Thanks for making rooting against you go down so smoothly, but if not you, likely someone else. We all need our villains, especially those of legenday proportions. You’ll be back LeBron, don’t worry… And we’ll be waiting.

All of this begs the question, is anybody today thinking about poor Mike Bibby and the $6.2 million he gave back to the Wizards so he could chase a title with Miami (the same Bibby who was replaced by Mario Chalmers and Eddie House in the lineup for game 6)?

The Camouflage King

Ben Standig — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 17:08:17 +0000

[Editor's Note: Before we all complain about the inundation with all that is LeBron -- with coverage good, bad, overall, and everything in between -- consider the fact of how such a unique character provides an opportunity to relish in how influential sports figures have become. That is to say, at least all of this is not boring. Ben Standig (Twitter: @BenStandig) writes about DMV sports all over the web, CSNWashington.com amongst them. In a TAI guess piece below, Ben breaks down a commonality between LeBron and Mike Tyson, who, by chance, is being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame today. -Kyle W.]

Once upon a time, Mike Tyson was legitimately the baddest man on the planet and in that era he delivered one of the best quotes – both figuratively and in his case, literally – depicting the nature of intimidation in the world of sports. When told before a fight that his opponent had a plan to beat him, Tyson brashly countered that “everyone has a plan, until they get hit in the mouth.”

This quote is pertinent to the NBA Finals because up until a few days ago, most of the basketball world surely would have slotted one LeBron James into that role of baddest of the bad. Not that he would land an actual haymaker to an opponent’s cranium or was the one guy in the league you wouldn’t want to cross, but his physically imposing ways surely put fear into the hearts of opponents. That physicality certainly blinded the observing world.

As it turns out – and as I suspected – James is showing that his persona indeed resembles some aspect of that quote. But not as the harasser, rather the foe to whom Tyson was referring.

For some time I’ve felt alone in the wilderness when it came to witnessing James as a great talent, but not a player with a elite crafted set of skills. Forget that James is the next Michael Jordan talk; to my hoop-loving sensibilities, he’s not Kobe Bryant nor Tim Duncan, and as we can clearly see in these finals, not Dwyane Wade. Even during these Finals I’ve been scolded on Twitter for not appreciating the beauty of his game and if that were the case, clearly the issue was mine.

Let’s be clear, James is one of the best in the world, nobody is knocking him – at least not athletically. When it comes to pure speed combined with the ability to jump out of the gym, nobody’s better.

Using such simplistic terms is not meant to demean those attributes; when LeBron gets a full head of steam racing down the court, it’s like trying to stop Adrian Peterson in the open field without the ability to tackle. When a ball is above the rim and you don’t get a body him, I hope you like the taste of jam because that’s what about to go down.

But like Tyson, James’ skills are fairly rudimentary. Boxing purists didn’t go to watch a Tyson fight to see him cleverly layer combination after combination or to game plan his opponent into a winning decision. They came for the spectacle, they came for the knockout. This is why they come for LeBron. That’s fine, but it’s not Mozart either. In the case of Tyson and James, we’re talking about Fezzik from the Princess Bride, not the learned flair of Inigo Montoya exhibited by Bryant, and in these Finals, Wade and Dirk Nowitzki.

That latter is my particular brand of Vodka, because it gives you options should your first desires fail. Yet, when I’ve made that case over the last few seasons that James is simply not the best player in the planet for these reasons, many clearly thought I was drunk. Even in scenarios when I thought I was preaching to the choir, it often turned out that I was getting agreeable nods from members from the church of the we don’t like LeBron James.

For me this hasn’t been all about rooting against the so-called King – though I had DeShawn Stevenson’s back during his days with the Wizards – for emotional reasons, or simply because of “The Decision,” the party, the boasting, the witnessing. I was going beyond that, even if I too can relate to that faction’s mission statement.

After reading Bill Simmons’ Friday column at Grantland on LeBron and the NBA Finals, I’ve figured it out: even the most discerning observers still can get swept up in our highlight culture and confuse athletic prowess with high-end skill. Simmons seemed almost surprised to see that there was no “Plan B” to LeBron’s game, which surprised me to no end. He noted that James didn’t have the post game of Duncan or the one-on-one skills of Wade and Bryant. Again, how has this not been blatantly obvious?

James is Niagara Falls; he’s an unreal spectacle to watch, but once you are done looking at awesomeness of nature’s power, then what?

Since there are so many factors that go into any LeBron breakdown, let’s move away from that world for a moment and talk about the player many would say is the most exciting in the league today, Blake Griffin.

The NBA’s reigning Rookie of the Year had a beastly first season, flying over players and cars alike. It’s fair to say that almost the entirety of Griffin’s game during his first pro season was based on pure athleticism which led to thunderous and soaring dunks or animalistic forays to the bucket. Rebounds and free-throw attempts came in abundance as well, but again, athleticism (he shot .642 from the free-throw line). No knock on athletic dominance, the complete opposite in fact. For now.

Barring injuries, Griffin should still be at his flying best eight years into his career, the same amount of time James has currently spent in the league. That gives Griffin ample amount time to hone his craft. It also gives opponents room to find chinks in the armor.

So if over the next seven seasons he doesn’t develop a post game, an up-and-under or a consistent 15-footer, what then? Over time, the awe and fear will dwindle, even if the highlights remain impressive. Even if we are still enthralled with the dunking, wouldn’t we be a bit disappointed by his failure to evolve as a player?

Simply maturing as a person can help, especially if over time a killer instinct is crafted, In Griffin’s case, it’s still a bit too early to tell if he has one, what with the Clippers and their losing ways. Should that mental aspect not be honed, should the expansiveness of his game grow up but not out, it still wouldn’t make Griffin a failure. It would make him LeBron James, circa games 3, 4 and 5 of the 2011 NBA Finals.

Back to Simmons. Notice that the Sports Guy – who is easily one of my favorite writers; there is no hater-ade here – mentions those other creative scorers and includes the Big Fundamental, but not the Big Aristotle, a.k.a. Shaquille. O’Neal.

I’ve always thought that if a LeBron comparison was desired, then Shaq was the way to go. Like James, O’Neal was a physical freak for his position – though in Shaq’s case, really all mankind. At their physical best, where James currently is, they could envelop their opponents simply by getting square to the basket. And since they began playing basketball they could do exactly that, their overall game never truly expanded. (Which, if you are in a hurry, never engage me in a debate where you say Shaq is better than Duncan. No matter how busy I am, I’ll make time for this.)

The difference is that by position – not to mention girth – Shaq’s game was best served within five feet from the basket, and he rarely ventured from that domain. O’Neal never turned into Ralph Sampson or Chris Webber, big men who often let the inner 6-4 guards control their thoughts.

Shaq was also the biggest man on the court. James is a freak of nature, but there are others who are bigger and stronger. He plays like he knows this which is why despite being built like Karl Malone, James rarely ventures in the post. It’s because James is not a bully, it’s just the role he’s been cast into. Put that radar the government uses to track Santa’s path on Christmas Eve on James during games and you’d see his movements are more of a perimeter shooting guard than a power forward.

When Iron Mike Tyson ruled the heavyweight ranks, his game was power, his game was intimidation and he rode that combo to the mountain top, the championship belt. But once he was knocked down by Buster Douglas and the fear factor was diminished, so was his game. Tyson won some more fights before and after jail, but was never the same.

Over the years the softer side of Mike Tyson has emerged, almost like he’s trying to show the world that he shouldn’t be feared. He was doing what he was told, he did what was needed to survive, but he can now just be… the guy who raised pigeons, perhaps.

Right now the Dallas Mavericks are Buster Douglas, not fearing the self-proclaimed Chosen One, the wanna-be bully, just like the Boston Celtics have done in the past (because the Celts had older, better bullies, and James didn’t have help… until this year).

Like Tyson, LeBron’s game is built on dread and bullying. The game has come so easy for James since his high school days that he never developed a fallback plan. Maybe the flow in games 6 and 7 will allow LeBron to produce, but you can’t conjure up post moves overnight (imagine if LeBron had a baby hook).

LeBron knows this. His fear has been that everyone would see the emperor has no secondary clothes. This is why he fled to Miami to be with Wade and Chris Bosh, to help camouflage this flaw. He’s not ready to be exposed, certainly not before he wins it all.

This is what I’ve suspected for some time. It’s now what everyone has witnessed.

LeBron… But He’s ‘Our’ Villain

Kyle Weidie — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:00:13 +0000

{image via Internet/Aaron Josefczyk – Reuters}

The Miami Heat may very well win the 2011 NBA Finals, but regardless of triumph or defeat, LeBron will still be the villain. It’s OK.

Washington Wizards fans almost like to gloat that they were amongst the first to whom LeBron exposed himself to — the epitome of privilege that always asks for more and will resort to less-than-savory tactics to get what it wants. So what.

LeBron is a villain, and I’ve spent a lot of pixels communicating this. And I will continue to do so. LeBron is a fact of life.

Of course he’s making you love him as a basketball player, passing exuberantly, rebounding above all, defending with no restraint, astounding with power that compresses rim paint to the point of cracking. He’s no basketball dummy. The only thing that really dwarfs his instinct for the game is what he can do with that freak of a Karl Malone-sized body that he’s in.

Yes, we know LeBron seemingly “checked out” of game four, according to DeShawn Stevenson at least, but does that mean all other memories of amazing are stricken from the record? In a contribution regarding LeBron on HoopSpeak.com (last entry at the bottom), I essentially opined that the hubbub over game four might be a tad premature. But if the Heat don’t win the championship, memories of LeBron’s basketball excellence will certainly be vastly muted.

LeBron is a villain and that’s OK. Sports needs villains. Maybe life does. Maybe all of this is just natural. The fact that LeBron, of all people, is a fan of the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys isn’t a coincidence. It’s indicative of his front-running nature, and what should make us more comfortable is that LeBron is a too-good-to-be-true story that’s already been written, nay, a movie. But whatever the case, we are getting to watch it unfold in real time. Lucky us. And by ‘too-good-to-be-true,’ I mean, ‘Hollywood unreal’.

“They’re great, great actors and they sell it,” Stevenson also said about both LeBron and Dwyane Wade in recent days. Yes, they flop, and it’s disgusting because of the advantages they already have.

Maybe the rightly-so stigma surrounding acting/flopping and the NBA, as it has become, is the root of this particular complaint, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that LeBron, and by default, Wade, will do whatever it takes to win.

Flopping, whining, crying, politicking, whatever (as villains are wont to do). Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t to shade the hypocrites on all the other teams who do the same thing. They may be villains too, but they aren’t the best villains. LeBron is.

Beautiful to watch and easy to dislike, and in some cases the former makes it harder to do the latter unless the former leads to a championship, which certainly could bring the latter back to the forefront, i.e., you know Miami is having a gaudy and gluttonous parade if they win.

We get caught up with the amount of silliness and zest at which the media might go at LeBron because he scored eight points and took one fourth quarter shot in game four. The thought of the furor whets out appetite more than the paltry numbers themselves (while not circumventing the fact that the Heat losing allows this to happen).

With so much of today’s media narrative resulting in creamed pants over comeback stories, while the steady, straight and narrow gets no credit, maybe we should rest assured in the fact that some villains are here stay, and they just might win every once in a while. And they just might have fans who are oblivious to their villainy.

Rooting for the defeat of a villain brings balance to life, as unrealized as that may be due to a potentially changing NBA landscape, to the detriment of fair sports, which was likely contributed to by said villain.

“In a comic, you know how you can tell who the arch-villain’s going to be? He’s the exact opposite of the hero. And most times they’re friends, like you and me!,” -Elijah Price, played by Samuel L. Jackson in the movie Unbreakable

I don’t read comic books and movies don’t always take with me, in that I know they are scripted, but this quote adds nothing wrong to seeing this world as a general place of equilibrium that can slightly sway in either direction for an undetermined amount of time. Sports is not scripted (for the most part, we hope), and I love it. Love. It. To the point where I snobbinlgy hold sports superior to the movies and reality shows that we all must “tolerate” because our girlfriends (or whomever/significant other) are entertained by them just as we are sports. It’s different I tell them, but they don’t understand.

Rooting against the villain isn’t hating, it’s simply experiencing a different tingle of excitement by taking an interest in an act opposite to our inherent comfort zones, rooting for the hero.

Win or lose, LeBron is our villain, and that’s OK.

Big Bad LeBron Contributing To A Soft NBA

Kyle Weidie — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 16:27:09 +0000

When LeBron James complains about fouls, it’s not about his size, as he would gladly have you believe. Neither is it about there being a presumed double-standard from imposing basketball specimens like himself and Dwight Howard. Sure, there are reasons to take notice, but let’s be honest, it’s about politicking through the gladly willing media.

Said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra after Wednesday night’s game versus the Wizards:

“He absorbs a lot more contact than people realize. He’s big and tough enough that he shrugs it off. But you go in there and see him in the locker room, and he’s got ice on pretty much every part of his body.”

So do 5’11″ guards who live in the lane. So do a lot of NBA players. It’s a tough game. And when someone like LeBron, who has the sixth highest usage rate in the NBA at 31.4-percent, gladly uses his abnormal physique to gain an advantage, it certainly is going to feel like he’s being handled more physically, at least to him. But it’s all relative.

It’s hard not to take whining for what it is, whining, but LeBron is doing more. He (and Spolestra) are preparing for the playoffs. He’s peppering the subconscious of referees and league officials. He’s doing the same thing superstars who feel entitled have been doing for years. LeBron and Spolestra want whistles in their favor, simple as that. It’s no different from the incites of Phil Jackson every season, except Jackson can be funny.

It’s not about Mo Evans and the Washington Wizards, as LeBron would have you believe from his post-game quote last Wednesday:

“I don’t know if Mo Evans intentionally wants to be dirty. I watch a lot of basketball. I see a lot of basketball every day, and anytime when someone gets grabbed around the neck, it’s an automatic flagrant-1. If I’m wrong, tell me I’m wrong. Sometimes it’s unfair, because of how strong I am, you know. I can take the punishment of course, but at the same time, I think it’s unfair sometimes.”

LeBron watches a lot of basketball. He knows what the NBA is becoming — overly-sensitive to hard, acceptable fouls from the good ol’ days — and he wants to take advantage of the changing environment. He wants to further propel the league into the age of softness. Because when you are as big and imposing as he is, rigging the system to tip-toe around the physicality of the defense works to your advantage.

NBA players used to be allowed to do smart things. Like when LeBron tucks the ball into his side like Jerome Bettis and charges with reckless abandon toward the basket, the smart move is to foul him. Nothing easy, but nothing dirty. Wrap him up around the shoulders to make sure he goes to the free-throw line without getting a shot off. Don’t undercut anyone in a vulnerable position.

This is exactly what Evans attempted to do on the play in question, a LeBron run-away train fast-break. As the picture below clearly indicates, Evans tried to wrap-up James around the shoulders. Yet LeBron is whining about his neck, his back, and all areas in between.

And almost surprisingly, the referee called just a regular old foul. Poor LeBron. At least Dwyane Wade came to the defense of his neck.

James proceeded to get a technical foul called on him (Jordan Crawford made it), and missed both free-throws, prompting a free Chik-Fil-A sandwich to all those in attendance at the Verizon Center. No lies, not from the ball, not from the boos of the fans after LeBron missed the first from the charity stripe, putting a chicken sandwich in the balance.

But before you think, ‘You’re just some biased Wizards blogger,’ what do you think Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald is doing when he writes a column called, “Strength can be a detriment to Miami Heat’s LeBron James“? He’s slurping off the talents brought to South Beach. No biggie, we all are what we are.

LeBron is no more than a politician looking out for self-interest. And are you really going to believe what he says/whines about anyway? Not likely. No need to listen. The King has big shoulders, maybe he should worry about carrying his court on them instead of complaining about his neck.

ShareBullets: LeBron’s Dunk On Jeffers & The Grunfeld Pot Stirs

Kyle Weidie — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:25:43 +0000

Links, pictures and commentary… (Worth noting: I’m not into April Fools’ Day jokes, in case you were wondering.)

Sure, new media darling Othyus Jeffers got dunked on by LeBron James on Wednesday, but…

…Othyus took it like a good sport, getting a good smile out of it before LeBron even landed on the ground. Ask Jeffers about it (I didn’t), and I bet he’d honestly say, “It’s just basketball.”

And in that, he is right. Getting dunked on is bound to happen, no biggie (if you’re comfortable with being immortalized on the Internets). Life needs good sports, and Jeffers is just that. Can’t say the same about the perpetually crying and bitching LeBron. Can’t believe Ted Leonsis let him endorse his book with a quote.

And watching the video, the dunk obviously came after LeBron fouled Jordan Crawford. Good one, refs.

LINKS.

The Wizards are like Ewoks? Check out Rashad Mobley’s column.
[DCist]

Unbeknownst to me until it was posted, my Twitter account, @Truth_About_It is up for best “Washington journalist on Twitter” at TBD.com (shakes fist at Steinberg).
[TBD.com]

Peter Vecsey is back to popping Viagra and boners over Gilbert Arenas, saying he feels sorry for Arenas like he does for stray animals. Vecsey also says that Ted Leonsis “thought about changing leadership [Ernie Grunfeld] but couldn’t find an appealing replacement.”
[New York Post]

Rashad Mobley also took part in a “Who has the most to prove?” panel about the NBA playoffs on the ESPN website.
[ESPN.com]

Sean Fegan on Othyus Jeffers:

“During our time on BF, there have been many lunch pail heroes who have come and gone and briefly won the hearts of the community. Dominic McGuire, Alonzo Gee and James Singleton are some of the more recent examples, and while I have liked all of these players, none has perhaps captivated me as much as Othyus Jeffers. Some people just know how to go and get the basketball and Jeffers is one of those players. It would be a shame that if the Wizards didn’t at least explore giving Jeffers the minimum next year, because he is that glue guy that I think the Wizards have searching for all year. Plus, Jeffers is a really funny dude.”

[Bullets Forever]

John Wall threw a punch thing, Sam Cassell and Eddie House mock started a fight, and Verizon Center fans won free a Chik-Fil-A sandwich … a lot happened in the Wizards-Heat game on Wednesday.
[NBC Washington]

Gilbert Arenas:

“I feel like it’s like I’m scared to go in and jump off my left leg but I know I can. I can see whenever I go for a rebound, I’m at the rim but if I try to make a layup, I don’t even try to explode up for some reason.”

[SLAM Online]

A picture of Antawn Jamison and other NBAers as kids.
[NBA Hoot]

If anyone can tell a good story about Seattle SuperSonics history, it’s Beckley Mason.
[HoopSpeak]

Dan Snyder hates trees.
[Washington City Paper]

Juwan Howard needs to retroactively chill out for pretty much his whole career.
[The Basketball Jones]

Wale is sending some Foamposites back home to Nigeria.
[Nice Kicks]

Cool stuff done to Van Gogh paintings.
[Web Urbanist]

Quote Mix: Ten good minutes with a mumbling LeBron James

John Converse Townsend — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 01:37:09 +0000

{flickr/Keith Allison}

I managed to catch up with LeBron James in the visitor’s locker room before tonight’s Wizards-Heat game. He had plenty to say, on topics ranging from the Orlando Magic, to Justin Bieber, and even Yao Ming.

His most interesting answer was just one word — two letters. When asked if winning games will ultimately change people’s perceptions of both LeBron and the Miami Heat, LeBron responded:

“No.”

Well, I guess not everybody loves a winner. What can he do? What should he do?

Here are more sound bites from the King himself….

On Orlando’s roster shuffle:

“I’ve thought that it was surprising when Turk (Hedo Turkoglu) wasn’t brought back the year after they beat us [Cleveland Cavaliers]. I just thought what Turk created for their team, that point-four created everything. He always created a mismatch and that was part of the reason why they beat us. There were times I would switch off onto Turk and they would go to Rashard (Lewis). Sometimes I would go on Rashard and they would go to Turk. We were too small on the perimeter during those years … I know they’re happy to have him back. It’s gonna be different, it’s going to be a different transition because I know when you break up a team and bring guys in it takes a while. We’ll see what happens.”

“They’re a much different team. It’s going to be a much different team when we see them the next time . Especially for me, having gone through a playoff series with them, going through regular season games with them will be different. But, I guess they felt they needed a change.”

“I don’t know. It’s still early. I’d love to sees them play first before I make an assessment on their team. I never like to judge a book by it’s cover first.”

“It’s going to take time [for Orlando to find its form] — any time you add new guys. They added a lot, so it’s going to take time for them to come together. They’ll be able to do it, but it will take some time. It won’t be easy early.”

On the Heat’s newfound success and their chances in the playoffs, considering that Orlando will go through an adjustment period:

“I feel better about our team the way we’re playing now. Didn’t matter [what Orlando did] before last night and now that I know they’ve made this deal, today. The way were playing basketball right now, we can beat any team in this league. We have to continue to get healthy and continue to play at a high level, and I put our chances up against anybody the way were playing.”

On Gilbert Arenas and getting booed on the road:

“Just a few years back, he was an MVP candidate. Injuries and off-the-court issues have plagued his career the last few years. Do we know if he’s going to get back to an MVP-type feel? We don’t, but he’s a great player and we had some great battles, definitely. Me in a Cavs uniform and him in a Wizards uniform. [Laughs] All those moments we had against The Wizards in those playoff series — Classic.”

“We felt that as a team, even though when we walked down the court [at the Q] and heard the shower of boos, and everything that came with that game, we didn’t let that stop us from doing what our task was: To win a basketball game and try to dominate the whole game from start to finish.

“We love being home. We call ourselves road warriors. We love being on the road and feeling the negativity of a building, when we go into a building we feel like it’s us against everybody. It’s helped us play some good basketball on the road.”

“Every city I go into, I get booed. It won’t be nothing different tonight. The playoff series I had with Washington, tonight wont be worse than those.”

On Bieber Fever:

“I’ve met him a few times. Cool kid, man.”

On the league’s great point guards:

“It’s probably the best group we have seen in a long time, if not ever. As far as the group, there’s some huge variety of point guards: Chris Paul, D-Will (Deron Williams), (Rajon) Rondo, Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose … I hate to leave guys out. Steve Nash and Tony Parker are still doing great things. Every night, there is really no night off for a point guard in this league. If you’re a point guard, you have to suit it up. We have some great ones.”

“I’ve been watching John Wall since he was a freshman in high school. I’ve kinda been mentoring him ever since high school and his one year in Kentucky. And now, in the league. You talk about point guard variety in this league, and he will be in that mix very soon. He’s gonna get healthy. He’s young, he’s gonna get healthy. He has a lot of time, but Washington got a great point guard. He’s a great kid and his speed and athleticism is something that only few point guards in this league have, à la Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose. He’s good, he’s really good and he’s going to continue to get better. I met him personally after his sophomore or junior year [of high school]. He came to my basketball camp. He was the best player there, even as an underclassman.”

On missing an opportunity to play in front of Barack Obama:

“It would have been great. I had an opportunity to go to one of his events this summer and play on the same court as him, but to have him actually see what I do live, it would have been great. But, he’s a busy man.”

On the Los Angeles Lakers:

“If you know basketball and watch basketball, the Lakers can never be quiet. They’re two-time defending champions. They’re 20-7 right now, they’re playing some good basketball, but they can never be quiet. [...] It’s too early [to say they can't win title this year]. It’s an 82 game regular season, lots of games left to be played. A week can change a whole season. Two weeks can change a whole season — look at us two weeks ago!”

On Yao Ming’s brittle bones:

“I think it’s horrible. When you have a great talent, a great teammate like that … I think it’s horrible any time the game is taken away from someone. I’m not saying his career is over, but I have a teammate who went through multiple foot injuries, surgeries in Z (Ilgauskas). He was able to come back and have some of his best years after he came back from his injury. Z had his last operation when he was 25, I know Yao is 30, but there’s still a chance he can play. We’ll see. Same with Greg Oden. We don’t want those things to happen, especially to those people who love the game so much, that that’s all you ever thought and dreamed about was playing this game at a high level.”

ShareBullets: John Wall’s Bobble-Head, LeBron’s Return To Cleveland & More Wizards-Heat Tickets To Give Away

Kyle Weidie — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:31:48 +0000

A D.C. pic, links, commentary and tickets for free ….

The Portland Trailblazers are in D.C. tonight to take on the Wizards … and guess what? They’re giving away John Wall bobble-head dolls to the first 10,000 fans. So if you want one, you best show up on time. What else are you going to do on a cold Friday night in D.C.? Watch Miami (Ohio) take on 25th-ranked Northern Illinois in college football? Sure buddy. Plus, if the game sells out, there’s a chance you could see Ted Leonsis do the “Dougie” … which would most certainly be better than Wolf Blitzer’s “Dougie” (who did it on ‘Soul Train’ of all places? Weird).

In any case, check out my column at the DCist this week where I ponder if the Wizards are still worth watching?

And from the other side, Portland fans have it pretty bad too, Wizards fans — just admittedly not as bad as Wiz fans, at least according to one Trailblazers blogger. Check out what the Portland Roundball Society has to say about tonight’s game.

GIVEAWAY: Wizards-Heat Tickets, December 18, 2010

A big congrats goes to Sarah Cook of Arlington, VA for winning TAI’s first ticket giveaway to the Wizards-Heat game on December 18th. Sarah writes about her Wizards fandom:

“I’ve only been a fan since 2003, when I moved here after college, but the Wiz quickly filled the NBA-sized hole in my heart (I grew up in the post-Jazz, pre-Hornets era in New Orleans). Admittedly, it’s been a little rough these last few years, but who can’t be excited about this team now? Among other things, I love the return of the Hibachi, J-Wall (and his Dougie), and the sweet, sweet vocal stylings of Phil and Steve, and am rooting for JaVale to keep rebounding and eat more and Andray to work on his D and eat less.”

Now, Truth About It.net (with a big thanks to StubHub) wants to send more of you to the Wizards-Heat game on December 18th. These next tickets won’t be as good as the seats Sarah won, but we will be giving away more of them (eight tickets total, two sets of four) … plus, they’re still free.

Each set of four seats will be located in Section 418, Row K. We will be selecting two (2) winners, who will receive four (4) tickets each, from all those who answer both questions below. The best answers (judged by the staff at TAI — being funny helps) will determine the two winners … and keep in mind that your answers will be posted on this here blog.

Question No. 1: Ted Leonsis is big on his 101 Signs of Visible Change, much of which has to do with the game experience of fans. Whether it involves Leonsis’ list, player or coaching personnel, team management, or just about anything, tell TAI what you most want to see changed surrounding the Wizards.

Question No. 2: Remember the mid-90s Washington Bullets promo video, “You The Man”? If not, you can watch it via YouTube here. Seeing as the mid-90s was a very long time ago, give TAI a very brief update (2-3 sentences) on why you are now a Wizards fan.

Please send your responses to truthaboutit@gmail.com with the subject line: ‘Wizards-Heat Ticket Giveaway’ by 5 pm on Monday, December 6 — and thanks again to StubHub, where you can fill all your ticket needs (when we’re not giving them away for free here).

Good Luck!

LeBron’s Return Home.

So LeBron went “home” last night. I barely got to watch the game, but turned it on in the beginning, of course, to peep the scene. Saw Paw-Paw Antawn Jamison appear to be one of the first Cavaliers to greet LeBron at mid-court before the game. That ‘Twan, such a good cat. If there’s one guy who I wish could get traded to the Lakers or Spurs …

Anyhow, I feel for Cavs fans. Out of all the off-beat ideas for his return — cheering LeBron to show him what he’s missing, laughing at him, buying every ticket and not show up, thus making LeBron play in an empty arena — fans just resorted to what seems like natural sporting instinct … boo the man every time he touched the ball. That was effective to the tune of 38 LeBron points and a 118-90 Heat blowout of Cleveland.

At the same time, I don’t really feel for Cavs fans (via that rivalry that they ‘kind of’ had with the Wizards a couple years back). I think my ‘Moment of Zen’ came last night when LeBron assumed his usual role of crying because of a call that didn’t go his way. Cleveland fans were used to irrationally defending the man in this regard until their teeth were bloody. Now, all they can really do is say, “Man that dude cries a lot.” Funny, to me at least.

Wizards-Raptors Top Quotes.

[Ted Leonsis - Ted's Take]

My expectations are quite simple; the team needs to forge an identity that we are energetic; have young legs– we are tough to play against–and we have upside. And that we play tough and that we play together. We are tight–we are well coached.

We didn’t show any thing like that last night– and to not have one road win yet this season is unacceptable.

[Michael Lee - Wizards Insider]

It’s a little troubling that less than 20 games into the season, the Wizards are constantly talking about how their job is to play hard and compete after a disappointing performance. Of their nine road losses, six have been by double digits.

[CJ Hempfield - Bullets Forever]

Yes this team is young and I buy the argument of building around a young nucleus. However, isn’t it then critical that the organization ensure that they play the right way? It is important that young players aren’t allowed to establish bad habits, like not boxing out, drifting up court before securing rebounds, not paying attention to detail on defense, generally playing as if they are uninterested, etc. If young players, even those with potential, are not playing properly when on the floor, then you must find ways to communicate what is expected in a way they receive it loud and clear.

[Jay Glassie - ESPN 980]

No more “we had an unfocused shootaround.” No more “we’re a young team.” No more “we’ve had some injuries.” These excuses can only explain so much. No more. The complete lack of competitiveness away from Verizon Center is not absolved by these excuses. There is a deepening and troubling pattern developing here, and without immediate action to avert it continuing, this franchise may not be able to recover.

And Finally …

Caron Butler chair-dances on the bench in Dallas, DeShawn Stevenson kind of joins him.
[via The Two Man Game]

CyberMonday Giveaway: Win Tickets To See LeWho and The Miami Heat Play The Wizards in D.C.

Kyle Weidie — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:15:47 +0000

The Washington Wizards play the Miami Heat in Florida tonight, and the division rival will make a return trip to Washington on December 18th. Read below to win tickets to that game.

I’m relatively apathetic toward LeBron James. It’s not that I no longer don’t like him in a double negative manner. It’s just that after he further exposed to the national scene what Wizards followers knew the whole time, his villain status lost value in my eyes. LeBron is not really worth caring about, although one would most certainly rather him lose.

So, in honor of CyberMonday … and LeBron’s first trip to Washington, D.C. as a member of the Miami Heat coming up on Saturday, December 18th, Truth About It.net would like to send you to the game. And because you are likely shopping online today, why not get something for free (courtesy of the good folks at StubHub)?

>LeWho? The Miami Heat

>LeWhen? Saturday, December 18, 2010 – 7:00 pm

>LeSeats? Two (2) tickets, lower bowl, Section 117

- [Map] (Row F, Seats 3 & 4)

>LeWhere? Verizon Center, Chinatown, Washington, D.C.

>LeHow?

All you have to do is ‘Like’ Truth About It.net on FaceBook, AND write what you think of LeBron, or John Wall, or Gilbert Arenas, or any number of things related to the Wizards on the wall of the TAI FaceBook page. (Write, “I want to win Wizards-Heat tickets!,” if you want.)

Stipulations:

I. One (1) winner of both (2) tickets will be chosen at random from all those who do the above before the cutoff time.

II. Crude messages that you wouldn’t want your mom to read will be eliminated.

III. If you’re not a true Wizards fan/reader of the site/local DMV person, you are not eligible

IV. If you’ve known the editor of TAI for a number of years, or if you are another member of the media, a person associated with the TAI staff or part of the staff of the Washington Wizards, you are not eligible.

V. Cutoff Time: You must ‘Like’ TAI on FaceBook and write something on the wall by 7:30 pm EST on Monday, November 29 (TODAY) when the Wizards face the Heat in Miami.

VI. Stay tuned because two (2) more tickets to the same Wizards-Heat game in D.C. on December 18 will be given away via a trivia contest soon.

Thanks for playing!

(And thanks to StubHub for providing the tickets that will be shipped to the winner.)

While the Washington Post’s Michael Lee writes of LeBron’s “villain” status in Washington along with his current ties to the franchise, LeBron’s Heat have recently called a “players only” meeting. Oh, and there’s been a hubbub over LeBron bumping shoulders with his coach, Eric Spolestra, via Michael Wallace of The Heat Index.

But regardless of present issues and the future, and the fact that on Monday evening the Wizards could drop the Miami Heat to a .500 record on the year at 9-9 (and not tie the Washington franchise-worst mark with an 0-8 start on the road to begin the season – just over 9.2-percent of voters recently said the Wizards would notch their first road win in 2010-11 against the Heat), let’s take a look at just a few of the past memorable pictures of when LeBron has faced the Washington professional basketball team.

{via flickr/Keith Allison}

Speaking of the past, a former participant in pseudo rivalry between the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers isn’t doing so hot in his new locale. Brendan Haywood was recently suspended by the Dallas Mavericks for getting in an argument with head coach Rick Carlisle (via ESPN Dallas). Oh man. Sounds tough. Anyhow, he’s a vintage video of Haywood commenting on LeBron’s style of play:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGRzk_duhj4

ShareBullets: The Return of Josh Howard, The Partying of LeBron James

Kyle Weidie — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:16:36 +0000

[Links and a D.C. picture ... keep scrolling ...]

[Skate or Door -- 500 block of Florida Avenue, NW - Washington, D.C.]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Links!

First … Josh Howard is back in D.C.! Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports the details, and Mike Prada puts down some thoughts on the signing at Bullets Forever. I’ll have some more in-depth thoughts soon … but until then, I’ll say I love the move (especially at $4 million for one year).

Second … 17th pick Kevin Seraphin has signed with the Wizards after a buyout agreement was reached with his team in the French pro basketball league.
[Wizards Insider]

Joe Glorioso of Wizards Extreme wonders where Gilbert Arenas has been and thinks that Arenas should be making a public apology to the DMV during this basketball dead period. I’d have to agree.
[CSN Washington]

By now you’ve heard of the story about LeBron James by ESPN’s Arash Markazi which surfaced yesterday, but evidently was not supposed to be published to ESPN.com. If not, then both Trey Kerby of Yahoo!’s Ball Don’t Lie and Matt Moore of CBS’s NBA Facts & Rumors can fill you in with some details and commentary.

Bethlehem Shoals has a good take on the LeBron “story” … if you want to call it that.
[NBA FanHouse]

And while you’re at it, might as well check out a dramatization of LeBron partying in Vegas from The Basketball Jones.
[The Score -- Act I, Act II]

The best Tweet to arise out of all this comes from Jake Whitacre of SB Nation DC and Bullets Forever (@jakewhitacre):

LeBron’s thoughts on Eric Spoelstra coaching the Heat: “I wish they’d have one of these girls with no panties do that instead of this guy.”

Doc Funk writes in regard to the Markazi article:

We learned that Maverick sits at the head of the table, even if that table also seats LeBron James and Chris Paul.
We learned that Maverick finds the top 25% of a bottle of Grey Goose to be so unpalatable that he pours it on the ground.
Lastly, we learned that Maverick will often dance around James like a totem-pole. Presumably, this is how Maverick earns his allowance.

Click the link for more Maverick Carter confessions.
[Brain On Funk]

This year wasn’t the first time LeBron and his cohorts made a “decision” and were considered “traitors.”
[Free Darko]

Dude in a Miami Heat LeBron James jersey goes to a Cleveland Indians game, tries to heckle Cleveland fans, gets thrown out of game.
[FanHouse]

The most 1977 Redskins photo ever.
[Mr. Irrelevant]

Bloggers in the TrueHoop Network composed their offers for Chris Paul and sent them to Ryan Schwan of Hornets 24/7 for judgment. Mine didn’t even get considered.
[Hornets 24/7]

The perfect photographic take, with commentary, on NBA free agency 2010.
[Brain On Funk]

A story about former Wizard God Shammgod … I knew him as Shammgod Wells from when I saw him play in high school (at Gonzaga’s D.C. Classic), but didn’t know that he had to stick with his legal name, God Shammgod, when he got to Providence. Also, Shammgod says the Olympics really changed the landscape in China … to the point where he wants to return there to play basketball.
[The Dagger, Yahoo! Sports]

Keep working on that jumper Josh …

Antawn Jamison ‘Disdains’ Twitter (oh yea, disappointed in LeBron too)

Kyle Weidie — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:55:58 +0000

Antawn Jamison doesn’t get Twitter. Neither does my 70-year old dad (okay, he’s 69, will be 70 next June).

He, my dad, was recently in town and Twitter came up in the dinner conversation. I tried to justify its relevancy by citing how it provides those in the media, bloggers, such as myself, the ability to extend personal branding (as HRO would call it), and even more so, how it’s great for late-breaking news, especially in the sports world. I trailed off and cut the list of merits short after seeing the look on my dad’s face, not mentioning how I’ve actually made friends with people via Twitter.

My pops, mind you, is not completely tech oblivious. He does have a ‘net book’. And I suppose Antawn is in the same boat.

Tom Sorenson of the Charlotte Observer has the first Antawn Jamison, ‘Here I Am’ article of the summer. Sorenson recently caught up with the Gentleman Jamison at his basketball camp in North Carolina. You should read the whole piece, but here are a couple select quotes:

But the Cavaliers crashed and burned in the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston and crashed and burned again two weeks ago when LeBron giddily announced he was leaving Cleveland for the Miami Heat.

“I was disappointed,” Jamison says Thursday at his basketball camp at Carolina Courts in Indian Trail. “I only got to play with him two months.”

Okay, so Jamison wasn’t disappointed in LeBron as much as he was disappointed in his actions.

There was also this dubious quote in the article regarding Twitter:

He is universally well-liked and, even though he’s a Tar Heel, disdains Twitter.

Are Tar Heels usually relatively amicable toward Twitter? I’m not sure. And Jamison isn’t even quoted. Oh well.

One thing I can say is that D.C. misses Jamison, for many of the reasons outlined in Sorenson’s article. He’d probably play in Washington for less than half of the $28 million remaining on his 2-year contract, and Wizards fans would gladly oblige.

But back to “disdaining” Twitter for a second. Now why would Jamison do that?

Oh yea …

A Clevelander speaks about LeBron, his name is Flip Saunders

Kyle Weidie — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:50:33 +0000

“Having been from Cleveland and everything we’ve gone through, you’d like to see your hometown do well, so I’m disappointed from that standpoint.”
-Flip Saunders

Yep, ol’ Flip is from Cleveland. But you probably already knew that. The high school All-American and 1973 Ohio Class A Player of the Year averaged 32 points per game during his senior year at Cuyahoga Heights, a school located in the burbs of the Mistake By The Lake.

Actually, my bad. I shouldn’t make fun of Cleveland. Even though Cavs fans lined up by the miles to witness and laugh at the Wizards after the Arenas gun fiasco and the rest of the implosion (including gladly taking the Gentleman Jamison), I cannot laugh at them at this moment. I feel very, very bad for those guys. And with that I say, ‘Join me people of Cleveland, in your distaste for Lebron.’

One quick question … who’s now more indefensible, LeBron or DeShawn Stevenson?

What? Too soon?

Meh, here’s video of Flip Saunders talking about Cleveland and the whole James ordeal.

John Wall on LeBron’s Decision: “It was a shocker.”

Kyle Weidie — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:02:02 +0000

Dammit. I did it. I used that LeBron fella’s name in the title of this post. I know, I know … I shouldn’t have.

If it’s any consolation, I refused to watch the “decision” when the option was offered to the awaiting media to do so in the Wizards’ family room (the usual press lounge was unavailable).

Oh, the “awaiting” media part … well, yea, we were all waiting to speak to John Wall after he’d gone through his first day of mini-camp with the Wizards. The team’s opening session went from around 6:30 to 8:30 pm on Thursday; it was well after 10 pm before Wall spoke. Can’t blame him, he had to watch his buddy Bron Bron and then ice down some sore muscles.

Which makes me step back and think … back in February, would you have ever imagined that by July Cavs fans would (likely) want to trade places with Wizards fans?

Okay, back to Wall and mini-camp. He looked impressive during last 15 minutes of scrimmage the media was allowed to watch, or at least several notches above whomever was guarding him (okay, that was mostly Sun Yue and Abdulai Jalloh). On defense Wall struggled to fight through a couple picks, but Flip Saunders said he has a chance to be an “outstanding defensive player.”

Afterward, Wall mentioned listening and working with Sam Cassell a lot, cited the speed of game as something he needs to get used to the most, and says he needs to get in shape [game shape]. I’ll have some video highlights of the scrimmage to come, but for now, Wall’s post-session media interview is below.

Oh yea … “LeBron” … Wall said his decision was a “shocker,” thought he was going to New York.

Dear LeBron Raymone James…

John Converse Townsend — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:00:49 +0000

Flickr/next2landon

OVER THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, you’ve accomplished some incredible feats.

You are a two-time league MVP; you won NBA Rookie of the Year; you’re a six-time NBA All-Star; a NBA Scoring Champion; one of five players in NBA history to average over 25 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in a season – which you have done four times; one of just three players in NBA history to average at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists in a postseason series; and you hold the record for the most consecutive points scored for a team in a playoff game with 25 straight hero-points against the Detroit Pistons in 2007, just to name a few.

(For additional ego-stroking, click here)

If you would allow me to speak freely, you should stay far, far away from Miami.

For starters, oil from the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe (surely, you’ve heard of this) is likely to keep moving east because of the so-called “loop current,” according to NOAA officials. To make matters worse than they already are, the likelihood of the Gulf oil spill hitting the Keys and the southeastern coast of Florida is greater than the likelihood of you making a free throw (80 percent)! I know.

And then, there is Bosh. John Krolic of CAVS: the blog reminded us that he has fewer player of the month awards than you have MVPs. You’re not even in the same league as Bosh. In fact, he has become part of the “LeBron-Wade-Bosh” trinity, triumvirate, chimera, in large part because he doesn’t have Amar’e Stoudemire’s baggage. Bosh has also been adamant about his desire to play power forward, but on this Heat team, he is the default center. Oh, and Brendan Haywood has been locked up by Dallas for years.

Dwyane would make a pretty good sidekick. But, he is almost as old as Joe Johnson. He’ll probably get hurt, too.

But I’ll make this curt. I don’t want to keep you from making fashionably late appearances at basketball camps, or throwing up smokescreens, or boarding your private jet fueled by playoff tears and poor sportsmanship.

Sign with Chicago.

Chicago can offer you a stud point guard in Derrick Rose, a reliable inside scoring threat in Carlos Boozer, a maniacal double-double machine in Joakim Noah, a soft-spoken cerebral wing in Luol Deng, and an open roster spot for you! It’s a perfect marriage.

You can find an Anthony Parker-type, a one-dimensional three point shooter in free agency. Mike Miller is a big fan of yours. I know that your main concern on the basketball court is finding a solid supporting cast – the Bulls definitely give you that, at least a more complete package than the Heat do.

This way, you can pick up an NBA title (or two), the Wizards will have a chance be crowned Southeast Division Champions before 2015, and winning the John Wall lottery won’t have been for naught.

I ask you, humbly of course, to consider this request. Miami is D-Wade’s house; you would just be a witness.

Best,

John Townsend

All your fan base belongs to Wade

Was LeBron Conceived in D.C.?

Kyle Weidie — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:26:06 +0000

I get it. You’re just about tired of hearing about LeBron James. Blah, blah, blah.

Nonetheless, you’re still reading about him and the whole ordeal still makes for fun conversational fodder. So deal with it. And besides, this post isn’t about free agency and LeBron’s “decision.”

So there’s a report out there today (via TMZ, of course … but I first saw it on Ball Don’t Lie) about how some dude filed a suit in Federal Court against LeBron and his mother, Gloria James, claiming that he’s the father of LeBron. The guy, Leicester Bryce Stovell, is trying to sue for millions.

As the story goes, according to Stovell’s suit, Gloria, from Akron, Ohio, was visiting a cousin who lived in D.C. in 1984. At the time she was 15-years old, but going to the club and telling dudes she was in her early 20s … at least according to Stovell, who was 29 at the time.

The club where they allegedly met was called “D.C. Space” — more on that in a second — and on the March night in question, Stovell took Gloria back to his home in Annandale, Virginia where the magic was supposed to have been made. So, LeBron wasn’t conceived, conceived within the boundaries of the District of Columbia, again, allegedly, but you get the point.

Stovell claims he next ran into James, again at D.C. Space, in June of ’84 at which point (after the club at Stovell’s new apartment within D.C.) she informed him that she was pregnant. The suit claims:

She then asked to see something with my name written on it. I gave her my business card, which read “Leicester B. Stovell.” She asked for confirmation of my middle name. I advised her it is “Bryce.” She then said words to the effect of “That’s what I thought” and “That’s perfect.” She then said, “I’m going to name him ‘LeBron’.”

Worth noting that one of LeBron’s sons is named Bryce Maximus James.

Stovell admits that Gloria James never directly told him he was the father. Later down the road in 2007, he and LeBron’s attorneys arranged for paternity test, but it indicated he wasn’t the father. Stovell claims the results were tampered with in some big cover-up. Hence, this lawsuit.

Stovell also says the first time he saw LeBron in person was when he attended a Wizards-Cavaliers game at the Verizon Center on December 5, 2007 (after the failed paternity test). Stovell claims in his suit:

[LeBron], who was not in uniform due to a finger injury, followed his teammates onto the court along with Daniel Gibson, another Cleveland Cavaliers player. Both looked directly at me behind the Cavalier bench at their first opportunity. At that time I read Mr. Gibson’s lips as he said to the Defendant LeBron James, “That could be your father.” I also noticed this angered Defendant LeBron James, who seemed to notice I could discern what Mr. Gibson had said.

But I really don’t care about all those gossipy details (LeBron’s side is claiming all of this is false by the way). Let’s just assume that it happened because I want to talk about this bar “D.C. Space” some more.

Don’t be disappointed, it no longer exists. But it was evidently a “legendary” D.C. nightlife spot … and it just happened to be located on southeast corner of 7th and E Streets NW, a city block away from the Verizon Center. A Starbucks stands in the spot now, which was also the original location of the 9:30 Club (another famed D.C. music haunt that still bumps today, just on 9th and V Streets NW instead).

D.C. Space, known to some as an “artists’” bar, opened in 1977 and ultimately closed in 1991. The “Going Out Guide” in the Washington Post had a write-up on a 2007 reunion benefit marking the 30th anniversary of the opening of the venue:

The d.c. space venue was “a rickety, crumbling building,” says journalist and former DJ and concert promoter Tom Terrell, chuckling at the memory. The building might not have looked like much, but between 1977 and 1992 it was one of the most important in the Washington arts community, housing a bar, a restaurant, artist studios and a performance space that welcomed everyone from punk bands to John Cage.

So yea, this post pretty much has nothing to do with the Wizards … and I apologize for that.

But for those such as myself who care about D.C., and the Wizards, it’s certainly interesting stuff (I’d never heard of D.C. Space before). Plus, that’s what blogs are for (sometimes) … relaying silly bits of info that could turn out to be total B.S.

Now just imagine if this information came to surface during the so-called “rivalry” between the Wizards and the Cavaliers. Blog-worthy times 1000.

It’s just one LeBron to the Wizards scenario, don’t think anything of it.

Kyle Weidie — Tue, 18 May 2010 18:45:55 +0000

John Wall is the Summer’s big move according to Bethlehem Shoals of NBA FanHouse. I agree … potentially.

If you eat and breathe the Washington Wizards as much as I do, you’ve considered the slim chance of crazy scenarios like the Wizards getting John Wall (via winning the draft lottery) followed by LeBron coming to play with his boy Wall in front of President Obama in D.C., along with Gil, ‘Dray, ‘Vale, Quinton, Nick and Al, and also joined by some veteran free-agents willing to sign for cheap within the remaining cap space*.

After all, LeBron is boys with Caps/Wizards owner Ted Leonsis (well, at least LBJ offered a testimonial on the back of Leonsis’ book, The Business of Happiness) and he just might realize the potential benefits of playing in an international city and forming a basketball/hockey MVP conglomerate with Alex Ovechkin. It’s not like these three parties have met or anything like that though … oh wait, the picture above.

Then again, Delonte West is from the DMV area — and I won’t even speculate what that means.

*How could this happen?

If the Wiz renounce Randy Foye and sign the 1st ($4,152,900) and 30th ($824,200) picks to contracts under the rookie salary scale, they will be around $21.94 million under the projected $56.1 million salary cap.

So let’s say the Wizards sign LeBron for the max (and we’ll estimate 105% of the $15,779,912 he made last season in year one of his new contract, but this number will likely change) — By the way, I’ve speculated that LeBron could sign with Cleveland for 1-2 years. He could just as well sign a 3-year contract with an option on a 4th year with another team in order to get a second, longer max contract earlier down the line. — James would make an estimated $16,568,908 in year one and the Wizards would then be around $5,370,892 under the cap.

Okay, clearly there are a ton of other factors to consider — whether Leonsis would be willing to pay the luxury tax in such a scenario (you’d think he’d have to), where the Wizards’ trade exceptions fit into the equation (or their high 2nd round pick) … and of course, who would be willing to cheaply sign with LeBron and the Wizards for about $5+ million a year (possibly two players at around that amount with the potential availability of the mid-level exception) — names like Amir Johnson, Al Harrington, Udonis Haslem, Brendan Haywood and Luis Scola come to mind, among others.

In terms of filling out the roster, I’m not even going to get into other intricate salary cap loop holes that I don’t fully understand. In fact, I’m going to end this whole silly, implausible charade all together.

These are the things you consider when you think about the Wizards way too much.

Besides, having to flip the switch and root for LeBron would soil the cost of winning.
(Not like I wouldn’t find a way though.)

{pictures via DC Sports Bog}

Salary/Info References: Sham Sports, NBA Salary Cap FAQ

A Brief History of Washington Wizards Wearing LeBron’s Shoe

Kyle Weidie — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:49:10 +0000

{via Ball Don’t Lie}

LeBron James likes wearing his own name-bearing shoes that fuel his ego. He wears MVP shoes. He wears New York Yankees shoes.

One upon a time Mike Miller wore LeBron James shoes to practice. This created a minor hubbub in Wizards Nation. In hindsight, the blog-worthy occurrence was probably a distraction. Not a distraction that amounted to much, but when added to everything else … exactly.

Sure, team captains Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler chimed in about not liking it. But DeShawn Stevenson … Mister 50/50, I Can’t Feel My Face … the Wizards’ protagonist in their rivalry with the Cavaliers (or antagonist depending on what side you’re on) … was the most vocal about Miller’s shoe selection, drawing scorn for his antics.

Of course, those were the days when the rivalry still had very faint signs of life. It’s over now. DeShawn Stevenson said so. Well, DeShawn in the past talking about a once unimaginable future.

Just watch.

But appearances, or at least the hype, can be deceptive. Stevenson once told me that as long as “someone” on the Wizards was wearing LeBron James shoes, he wasn’t going to talk to “him.” Foolish? Unnecessary? Posturing the rivalry for the media?

Who knows.

While DeShawn’s beef with LeBron was personal and catty, and fueled by Drew Gooden, there was never any real beef between him and Miller. Before the first home game without Gilbert Arenas in early February, DeShawn was joking in the locker room about Miller’s new short haircut and how they go back to their teenage days.

DeShawn relished in hyping up the rivalry. Somewhat fun when the Wizards were winning and he was hitting threes. Not so fun when his play was poor and the team was spinning out of control. But that’s life kid.

Then again, another hindsight might wonder why Miller didn’t suck it up and show solidarity/respect toward his teammates by wearing another pair of shoes. Instead, he gave lame excuses, saying, “When you’re unathletic and white like me, you got to have the lightest shoe out there. They feel good on my feet. I told them: ‘No disrespect. I didn’t know you guys hated each other like that.’ ”

Good one Mike.

A final hindsight is … who cares?

People certainly didn’t care as the Wizards’ season wore down to a nub. Miller’s LeBrons, combined with Stevenson’s departure, beget Shaun Livingston’s ability to wear LeBrons, which finally beget Cedric Jackson’s appearance in LeBrons. And now Antawn Jamison is playing for Cleveland.

Ironically toward the end of the year, Miller stopped wearing LeBrons in favor of just some plain ol’ black Nike Hyperdunk Lows.

Go figure.

Also worth noting that Miller switched to Nike shoes before the ’09-10 season after wearing adidas since his sophomore year in high school.

And that’s a brief history of Washington Wizards wearing LeBron’s shoe.

Shaun Livingston’s LeBrons:

(note: when Shaun first got to DC, he wore some Jordan Brand shoes)

Cedric Jackson’s LeBrons:

A prototype of Mike Miller’s Wizards-LeBrons:

Wizards Game 11 at Oklahoma City: What You Need To Know & Questionable Journalism From Denver

Kyle Weidie — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:47:20 +0000

The Wizards play the Thunder at 8 pm tonight in Oklahoma City. I’ll be Twittering and perhaps chatting a bit on ESPN’s Daily Dime.

We’ll see if the Wiz have the consistency, energy and focus it takes to win. Word out of Oklahoma is that the Thunder practiced their zone offense at shoot-around today.

Watch out for that Thabo Sefolosha cat. His on-ball defense is something to get excited about … when not playing the Wizards, obviously. It won’t be easy for Mike Miller or Caron Butler, whomever Thabo is guarding. That means … no dribbling around and trying to force things, Caron.

Brendan Haywood will also being going against his old buddy, Etan ‘The Poet’ Thomas. Wizards Insider has more on the game’s matchup.

Finally, it’s Zero vs. Zero tonight, as my fellow ESPN TrueHoop Network blog, Daily Thunder, points out. Russell Westbrook vs. Gilbert Arenas … hopefully it will be fun to watch (and Gil’s not throwing up stink bombs from deep).

Keep scrolling for what you need to know …

{flickr/Keith Allison}

Brendan Todd

Haywood is a key player for the Wizards who is having a damn fine season … he might even be besting the recognition of ‘Top Five Center In The East” I’ve been giving him since the offseason. Really, how could this guy be left off the All-Star ballot? The selecting panel of six should be ashamed of themselves.

Today, Michael Lee has a good profile of Haywood in the Washington Post:

Haywood said his increased rebounding, scoring and shot-blocking numbers this season are a direct correlation to playing a career-best 33.8 minutes. “That’s big because it helps me from a mental aspect. If I go out there and I know I’m going to play 30 minutes, it gives you confidence, because you feel your coach has confidence in you. You don’t have to go out there pressing,” said Haywood, who is averaging 10.9 points.

“Not trying to speak negatively about anyone, but in previous years, I was playing like I had to make something happen. If it didn’t happen in the first five minutes I felt like I had to do something or I might not play in the second half. That’s a tough way to play.”

Some have criticized that Big Ol’ Meanie Eddie Jordan for doing Haywood so, so wrong (your facetious meter should be going off) … but I don’t always buy the “I need a certain amount of time so I can be good” argument. Players, in my opinion, should be mentally strong enough and ready to play hard, smart basketball no matter how long they are in the game.

Clearly this current situation is working for Haywood, so everybody wins. The man deserves over 30 minutes so give him over 30 minutes. In other news, Haywood is heavy on Drake and listens to him to get pumped before games.

Agent Twitter

Gilbert Arenas technically “tweeted” but still isn’t “tweeting” as far as actually writing them. Mike Jones of the Washington Times has the scoop.

Evidently, JaVale McGee took footage from earlier this summer of Arenas whipping/belting Nick Young (which is odd in itself … is it a connotation that Arenas is Young’s daddy?), and added some voice-overs about Twitter (which invoke the name “Shaq” — intentional or unintentional symbolism slightly broaching a subject in Arenas’ personal life that has been covered by gossip rags. Mention Shaq and you will get whipped?).

The end result was the below homemade video posted to Arenas’ Twitter account.

Interesting.

The DC Sports Bog’s Dan Steinberg has more on Arenas and Twitter.

Irresponsible Journalism Makes Haywood A Denver Target

I don’t like having to call people out. But when a situation, or suggestion, arrives that’s so absurd and baseless … and it involves the Washington Wizards … for the sake of accuracy and justice, it can’t be allowed to slide.

Garrett Olsen currently has an article up on InDenverTimes.com (a site which was started by 30 former Rocky Mountain News journalists last March after the paper stopped publishing) called, ‘Nuggets should target Wizards’ Haywood’.

Olsen starts out innocently enough, depicting the rebounding woes of the Nuggets and how they need another big man. But he somehow nails down Haywood as a target. How does he come to the conclusion that Haywood is available in the first place?

Olsen writes:

With Antawn Jamison locked in for three more years at $15 million, and youngsters Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee looking to cash in once they are eligible for free agency, that leaves the older Haywood the odd man out.

Makes absolutely no sense. But please, continue …

Jamison is back from his injury, and the Wizards are expecting to start Blatche at center, with Jamison at power forward, and McGee and Haywood coming off the bench.

Uh … to rebut this simply, f*ck no. Haywood has been the starter all along. Jamison’s injury has nothing to do with his playing time. No one is expecting Blatche to start.

But I’ll let Olsen continue with his “ideas”:

The deal for Haywood sounds complicated, and it is, but it could be done. Would Washington bite on such a deal? I don’t know, but NBA.com had a blurb that Washington may be shopping Haywood now that Jamison is back from injury.

With 99.9% certainty, I can say that this is a flat-out lie. For one, Olsen doesn’t link this mysterious NBA.com blurb that does not come up in multiple searches.

Two, there is absolutely no way the Wizards are shopping Haywood. If this clown did any research, he’d know that the Wizards have a dearth in the front-court and are not looking to trade a big for … oh yea, you have to hear Olsen’s proposed deal, sheer comedy. But I’ll get to that in a second.

Back to the point of Haywood being on the trade block. I could send a text to a Wizards PR guy in search of an “official” response from the team that they are not looking to move Brendan. But doing so would lend a shred of credence to Olsen’s lie … and it’d just make me look silly for even checking.

I can say with 100% certainty, even though there is a risk the Wizards lose Haywood, an unrestricted free-agent, at the end of this year, Ernie Grunfeld is not looking to move him, especially not 10 games into the season.

Again, the Wizards don’t have a lot of front court depth, Haywood is valuable, and someone the Wizards likely want to keep this season and beyond. And remember, Haywood likes money. Holding his Larry Bird rights, the Wizards will be able to offer him more than any other team.

Ok, back to Olsen and how he thinks Denver can trade for Haywood.

The scenario I’ve come up with would have Denver trading the $3.6 million TPE to Cleveland in a sign-and-trade for Wally Szczerbiak. Denver then would send a second-round pick in a mini deal for a D-leaguer, who would then be cut.

Ummm … okay.

With that move, Denver would have a $3.6 million contract with Szczerbiak. Denver could then offer Szczerbiak ($3.6 million), Balkman ($2.2 million), Allen ($1.3 million), a first- and second-round pick to Washington for Haywood.

So the Wizards, in exchange for their number one center, who is second in the NBA in blocks per game and sixth in rebounds per game, …

Get …

The cadaverous Malik Allen who, in eight games this season, has a PER of 0.4 … ZERO POINT FOUR. Allen’s $1.3 million comes off the books after this season.
Renaldo Balkman, and undersized PF who can’t shoot or dribble and is owed $5 million over the next three seasons. (Uh, we already have Dominic McGuire, we like him much better).
Wally Effing Shizzleback. Has this Olsen dude even seen the Wizards lineup? The Wizards have no need for Szczerbiak, he wouldn’t get off the bench.
And a late first round pick and a second rounder that the Wizards would give away for cash.

Here’s the kicker from Olsen:

Szczerbiak brings another veteran leader for Washington and an insurance policy for Caron Butler, who is injury-prone. If Washington wants to make a serious run in the playoffs this year, it needs to add another player behind Butler for depth.

So … to make a “serious” run, the Wizards need to add the former Cro-Magnon known as Szczerbiak to an already crowded perimeter contingent while losing their starting center. WTF?

There’s a reason no team has picked up Wally World … not to mention that if he was traded from Cleveland to Denver, the Nuggets would have to keep him for two months before trading him again (if he’s part of a package in the second trade that includes multiple players — a window that could possibly be longer considering that Olsen’s proposal involves an initial sign-and-trade of Szczerbiak).

Face palm smack.

Was it really worth me using all these words to call out such a questionable piece of writing … such an idiotic theory? Well, of course … debunking the preposterously absurd is therapeutic for me. The internet has a plethora of information. Mr. Olsen, please … check the stats, do the research, put out an intelligent piece. That’s all I ask.

And Finally … LeBron

(I just gotta mention him, don’t I?)

Michael Jordan on Bron’s idea to change his number and retire #23? No thanks brah. And the best part is that Jordan suggests LeBron might be trying to sell more jerseys.

Stephien Rules wonders if LeBron has actually filed a number change request (via Hardwood Paroxysm). Matt Moore of HP writes:

Stepien’s Rules points out an interesting quirk to this ridiculous retiring of the number nonsense. If James files, that’s an indicator he at least THINKS he’ll be in Cleveland next year. If he doesn’t file, either he doesn’t really care about the number thing, or… you know…

Lastly, Comcast’s Ivan Carter weighs in with some knocks on LeBron:

Another word on James, who is a great player but also a bit of a phony in my book: Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey is not buying LeBron’s take that he’d make a good NFL player. Via twitter, Shockey said James wouldn’t even make a good “practice squad” player. I agree. The dude can’t even keep from holding his lip every time someone barely touches him on a basketball court. Again, he is a heck of a basketball player though. Give him that. One more thing: LeBron, before you demand that no NBA player should wear number 23 in honor of MJ simply because you think it’s a good idea (not to mention a good marketing ploy right? I mean, how many number 6 jerseys did you plan on selling just in time for X-mas with that stunt?) why not win, oh, maybe one ring first? Just a thought.

{flickr/Keith Allison}

A Simple Solution For Mike Miller and His LeBron Shoes

Kyle Weidie — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:01:52 +0000

Mike Miller is keeping his LeBrons …

Okay Mike, I get it and it’s cool with me. Although I may think what I think about LeBron James, I’ve got no beef with you. LeBron’s shoes are your most favoritest in the whole wide world … and you are BFF with the guy who chose to have a tattoo artist ink ‘Chosen 1′ on his back.

I’m not sure who LeBron thinks actually “chose” him to be whatever it is that he thinks he is (maybe Sports Illustrated is god to him — whatever the case, it’s kind of arrogant).

On a side, but related note: It’s funny … when an athlete is good and some sort of athletic freak-of-nature, he is said to have “god-given talent” (aka chosen). But when someone is born with a disability, it’s called a “being tested.” Oh well and whatever, I’m digressing way beyond my worldly means of comprehension.

The point is, Mike, you named your son after LeBron James’ friend and now you want to keep wearing his shoes. They are light and no other shoe will ever, ever hold you with the same embrace. You say you’ll wear them until they hurt you. Basically, LeBron’s shoes are like a girl you’re seriously dating (but not necessarily one who’s achieved ‘girlfriend’ status … yet).

But here’s the problem, this girl you’re dating (or what the shoes represent: LBJ and the team he plays for, the Cleveland Cavaliers), has had “issues” … not only with at least one of your current teammates/friends, but she has left bridges burning all over the city in which you live/play.

You don’t know if you’ll be teammates with these guys or live in the city forever. But you do know that the girl treats you right and it could get serious (as ‘man-crushes’ usually are heading in that direction).

Mike, you’re caught between two rocks of uncertainly and you can’t really push on either lest they roll back and crush you. You want to get along with your new teammates; the better the team unity, the better the chance of winning. But LeBron will also be a billionaire one day. That’s his ultimate goal. So it doesn’t behoove you to disparage the guy who “sonned” you [via Free Darko].

What to do, what to do? Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson can be intimidating guys. But so can LeBron.

The simple solution? A marker and some stickers.

You can continue to express loyalty to LeBron and his comfy shoes while saving face with your teammates by letting him know who you play for.

Easy as that.

Mike Miller’s Man-Crush on LeBron, the Megan Fox of the NBA

Kyle Weidie — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:41:59 +0000

Back in late May, Mike Miller professed his ‘man-crush’ on LeBron James via Twitter. When coming across this sometime in early September, I thought, ‘okay, let’s give this guy the benefit of the doubt.’ For one, his proclamation occurred way before he joined the Wizards. And let’s be honest, despite my hatred of LeBron, the guy is a damn fine basketball player.

Unfortunately, Miller just doesn’t seem to know any better. It’s kinda like the greasy-faced tween-age boys who have crushes on Megan Fox. Grown men know better. Sure, most so-called grown men wouldn’t kick Fox out the bed, i.e., wouldn’t mind LeBron James on their team. However, neither of these happen without compromising personal beliefs (and cheating on whomever you’re with/your team … especially if you’re a Wizards fans, but a distaste for LeBron is growing around the league).

My point: LeBron getting “Chosen One” tattooed on his back is just as douchey as Fox getting Marilyn Monroe tattooed on her forearm. (Cavs fans, I know you’re wondering, where does getting Abe Lincoln’s face tattooed on the front of your neck fit in? I’m not sure, and I won’t even begin to explain.)

Also, Fox’s hissy-fits on the set of Transformers easily compare to LeBron’s temper-tantrums when peddling his self-serving movie that essentially highlights the fact that the French translation of ‘team’ has an ‘i’ in it.

Ok, I digress … but spewing about LeBron James negativity is always worth it.

Back to Miller’s crush on James, he didn’t exactly help his cause on Monday’s media day by showing up wearing LeBron James Nike shoes. According to a Tweet via Mike Jones of the Washington Times, Miller had no idea that James was so unpopular in DC. But to Miller’s credit, he did seem game to reverse Wizards playoff futility against the Cavs.

So, we still welcome Miller with open arms, just as long as he doesn’t become the bro below.

{via some sort of ‘popular’ blog that’s supposed to be ‘relevant’ to people who matter}

Recommended Reading:

‘Randy Foye and Mike Miller are thrilled to be in a winning situation’ – Bullets Forever

Miller’s last season in Minnesota might have been his most painful of the three. After being acquired by the Timberwolves in the trade that sent Kevin Love to Minnesota and O.J. Mayo to Memphis, Miller was expected to provide leadership and potent outside scoring to compliment Love and budding star Al Jefferson.

Instead, Miller struggled through an ankle injury and literally stopped shooting. He attempted just 7.5 shots per game, significantly down from his career average of 11, and spilled his frustration to a Minnesota reporter that asked him about not shooting, saying “It’s called basketball. James Naismith invented it a long time ago.”

Miller declined to discuss last season in detail, saying only that “it is what it is right now, it’s in the past,” but when asked about what he could bring to the Wizards, he primarily discussed his ability to shoot.

It’s all good now, but I’ll get very suspicious if Miller cuts a lock of his golden blond hair and ships it to Cleveland.

Is LeBron A Chill Bro?

Kyle Weidie — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:27:33 +0000

Ok, if you’ve ever read this blog, you’re probably aware of how I feel about LeBron James. Hell, I’m a Wizards fan, you shouldn’t have to read the blog, you should just know. But I’m not going there (this time).

And oddly enough, my opinion of Dunk Gate is somewhat similar to Cavs blogger John Krolik. Here’s what he had to say:

….it’s obvious and it has been said before, but the coverup here is far worse than the crime. If nobody had said anything, there is no way that video ever becomes news. It’s not all that impressive, and you wouldn’t know it’s LeBron unless someone told you. Unless Jordan Crawford is on the cutting edge of viral marketing strategies, this thing would have gone away instantly if nobody had made a stink. Just another lesson in how turning the other cheek is pretty much always the way to go.

So now it comes out that at one point in high school LeBron smoked weed.

So what … big deal … why is this news? And who cares?

Well, the Main Stream Media cares. In the land of hits, unique users, and pageviews, the site with the top level placement of the most potentially sensationalistic headline is king.

Thankfully, most don’t seem to be making a big deal out of this … but someone searching for attention surely will.

A couple of blogs aptly addressed the issue:

Bethlehem Shoals of The Sporting News:

Who would’ve ever thought that we’d reach a point where being dunked on was a bigger PR problem than past drug use?

Krolik of Cavs: The Blog in response to the Associated Press entry:

I love how the meat of the article deals with how LeBron felt like the media and the fame was tough to deal with and he felt like he had a target on his back, then the AP headline is LEBRON TOTES HIT THE WEED!

Perhaps the worst/best treatment of the subject (so far) involves the usually oozing with douchenozzlery, The Big Lead (the ‘US Weekly’ of sports blogs … in fact, the ‘creator’ used to work for US Weekly).

TBL led with the headline:

“Book Claim: LeBron Smoked Weed Once in High School!”

And followed with (as the entire entry):

LeBron James: “LeBron James smoked marijuana during his junior year in high school. Three other members of the Akron St. Vincent St. Mary starting five smoked with him. Another drank alcohol.” This claim was made in a book. Author? Buzz Bissinger. Yes, that Buzz Bissinger. [Plain Dealer]

Trey Kerby of The BlowTorch adequately commented (via the Google ShareBro Network):

Is it a claim when LeBron is the co-author?

LeBron puffed and passed aka moved on … and everyone else should do exactly the same.

Random Posts

June 24, 2009 -- Wizards Trade React Quotes Part II
November 6, 2010 -- Wizards-Knicks Post Game Quote Mix
November 28, 2009 -- Wizards Game 15 Live Twitter Blog vs. Charlotte Bobcats

Truth About It » lebron james

Picking Dirk, Picking On LeBron

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The Camouflage King

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LeBron… But He’s ‘Our’ Villain

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Big Bad LeBron Contributing To A Soft NBA

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ShareBullets: LeBron’s Dunk On Jeffers & The Grunfeld Pot Stirs

LINKS.

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Quote Mix: Ten good minutes with a mumbling LeBron James

On Orlando’s roster shuffle:

On the Heat’s newfound success and their chances in the playoffs, considering that Orlando will go through an adjustment period:

On Gilbert Arenas and getting booed on the road:

On Bieber Fever:

On the league’s great point guards:

On missing an opportunity to play in front of Barack Obama:

On the Los Angeles Lakers:

On Yao Ming’s brittle bones:

Other reads from Truth About It:

ShareBullets: John Wall’s Bobble-Head, LeBron’s Return To Cleveland & More Wizards-Heat Tickets To Give Away

GIVEAWAY: Wizards-Heat Tickets, December 18, 2010

Good Luck!

LeBron’s Return Home.

Wizards-Raptors Top Quotes.

Other Links.

And Finally …

Other reads from Truth About It:

CyberMonday Giveaway: Win Tickets To See LeWho and The Miami Heat Play The Wizards in D.C.

>LeWho? The Miami Heat

>LeWhen? Saturday, December 18, 2010 – 7:00 pm

>LeSeats? Two (2) tickets, lower bowl, Section 117

>LeWhere? Verizon Center, Chinatown, Washington, D.C.

>LeHow?

Stipulations:

Thanks for playing!

Other reads from Truth About It:

ShareBullets: The Return of Josh Howard, The Partying of LeBron James

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Links!

Keep working on that jumper Josh …

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Antawn Jamison ‘Disdains’ Twitter (oh yea, disappointed in LeBron too)

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A Clevelander speaks about LeBron, his name is Flip Saunders

“Having been from Cleveland and everything we’ve gone through, you’d like to see your hometown do well, so I’m disappointed from that standpoint.” -Flip Saunders

Other reads from Truth About It:

John Wall on LeBron’s Decision: “It was a shocker.”

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Dear LeBron Raymone James…

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Was LeBron Conceived in D.C.?

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It’s just one LeBron to the Wizards scenario, don’t think anything of it.

*How could this happen?

Other reads from Truth About It:

A Brief History of Washington Wizards Wearing LeBron’s Shoe

Shaun Livingston’s LeBrons:

Cedric Jackson’s LeBrons:

A prototype of Mike Miller’s Wizards-LeBrons:

Other reads from Truth About It:

Wizards Game 11 at Oklahoma City: What You Need To Know & Questionable Journalism From Denver

Brendan Todd

Agent Twitter

Irresponsible Journalism Makes Haywood A Denver Target

Get …

And Finally … LeBron

Other reads from Truth About It:

A Simple Solution For Mike Miller and His LeBron Shoes

Mike Miller is keeping his LeBrons …

Other reads from Truth About It:

Mike Miller’s Man-Crush on LeBron, the Megan Fox of the NBA

It’s all good now, but I’ll get very suspicious if Miller cuts a lock of his golden blond hair and ships it to Cleveland.

Other reads from Truth About It:

Is LeBron A Chill Bro?

“Book Claim: LeBron Smoked Weed Once in High School!”

Random Posts

“Having been from Cleveland and everything we’ve gone through, you’d like to see your hometown do well, so I’m disappointed from that standpoint.”
-Flip Saunders