Cory doesn’t mind admitting that sometimes the bad guys finish first. Maybe its time Lebron realize that. Or maybe, just maybe, he already has.
by cory hedgepeth
It was only a matter of time, some would say, until the Lebron Honeymoon came to an end. Its the natural cycle of fame, really. You become so beloved that you can seemingly do no wrong in the face of your critics and fans and it causes you to become more intrepid in testing your own imperium. The problem is however, its all a facade. And in some respects, its a trap. Its the power of fame baiting you.
2003 saw the coexistence of two very different careers emerge, the past few weeks saw them metaphorically collide.
In the early summer of 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers were coming off of a 17 win season. They had been the 28th ranked offensive team in the league and in contrast, they were the 24th ranked defensive team. Zydrunas Ilgauskas was their leading points per game guy. You can’t define gloom in more exacting terms than that, which is what made the draft selection of Lebron James even more meaningful than any culmination of current and potential stat sheets. His physique, his strength, his daunting speed and electrifying ability to pull down the rim after a multitude of varying air show maneuvers paled in comparison to the fact that a city recognized nationally as a hard-luck, losing sports franchise team city, was finally optimistic. In a matter of one transcendental summer, the Cleveland Cavaliers went from the worst attended team in the league to 9th most attended stadium in the league. A sheering path into a sun setting over an emblazoned widescreen horizon of Lebron James outstretched arms.
That same year, Kobe Bryant was in Colorado preparing for off-season knee surgery. He was nearing the age of 25, but his body was a stiff age 35 in NBA years. He was still reeling from the glory that three consecutive title runs bring with it. He was a star in a market chock-full of stars. But his fame, his successes and his legacy had become as fragile as both his knees and would eventually prove to be the more decrepit pillar. Three years of rumors that he and Shaq’s relationship was turbulent began to compound into a surging public relations nightmare for Bryant. The distribution of blame from critics and media alike began suggesting that Bryant was more the cause, as opposed to being the respective counterpart. The once sharply opposing views yielded from Bryant’s polarizing personality began to illicit more of the critical assertions and less the positive ones from teammates, media, fans and other associated sports factions. During that same summer, Bryant was accused of sexual assault by 19-year old hotel employee Katelyn Faber. As the story goes, the charges were dropped, then reinvented in a civil suit which ended in Bryant paying out an undisclosed amount of money. The trial took the wind out of the Lakers sails, which were newly assembled with the additions of Gary Payton and Karl Malone. The media was relentless and Bryant’s reputation was newly penetrable against the fury. The Lakers went on to lose the Title to the Detroit Pistons and although the team appeared to be the victim of the natural cycle of dynasties and age, the focus was mostly on Bryant. And when Shaq departed the team, rumors became more tangible, seemingly more factual, certainly more damaging, that Bryant was the cause.
By the time 2005 came around, Lebron James was the new NBA and in many ways, Kobe Bryant was an old haggard version of the NBA. A version intimately connected to more selfish times. To times associated to one dimensional scoring guards that viewed the hardwood as all a stage. James affable being was complemented with resounding teammate and opponent praise. Even when Bryant scored 81 points in 2006, critics were quick to qualify the performance as more fodder for the anti-Bryant campaign. The league also saw a surge of point guard play from guys like Steve Nash, Chris Paul and Tony Parker, all emphasizing a new league that put teammates and passing first. Bryant was now on the outside looking in.
In October of 2007, that all began to change.
In October of 2007, Lebron James attended The Cleveland Indians versus The New York Yankees opening playoff round wearing a Yankees hat. Being that the game was played in Cleveland only added to the insult. The incident, by in large, proved two things: James star power was resilent in way, the fans cried and moaned for the rest of the series on talk radio shows, however, the incident was swept under the rug. The incident also proved that James was willing to push the envelope. October was not a glorious month for counterpart Bryant either, he was just a few weeks away from being boo’d in grandiose fashion inside his own Lakers home on opening day of the NBA. Bryant had, just months prior, demanded that the Lakers trade him or bring Jerry West back to LA. He was now not only a bad teammate, a bad husband and a selfish scoring guard, he was now also a spoiled athlete willing to hold an entire city hostage if they didn’t give in to his demands. But if time is a healer, winning is a cure. The Lakers were winning. And winning big. And Bryant was hurting with what was described as a complete tear of the radial collateral ligament. Bryant opted to continue playing for the Lakers, rather than opt for surgery. He also postponed the surgery in order to play for the Olympic Team. Bryant was now winning. He was fighting through and injury and making sacrifice. He was putting aside a necessary surgery in order to play for his country. Furthermore, the Lakers began campaigning for Bryant to win the MVP Award. Had Bryant and The Lakers finally assessed the damage and realized that Lebron James was, by all intents and purposes, the face of a league? In the same year that Kobe had became the youngest player to reach 20,000 points, James had become the youngest player to reach 10,000. The writing was on the wall. The comparisons were being made. Kobe was losing. Kobe went on to lose the Finals that year and win the MVP Award. Another noticeable difference in Bryant was his relationship with the media and his on-court behavior. The once volatile on-court behavior had turned to fraudulent smiles and high-fives, the usually passive aggressive dealer of cheap shots at teammates and coaches had become an diet of verbiage such as “teammates” and “us” and “getting everyone involved” and even, “my family.” Had the Lakers and Bryant began a period of PR restoration? If they had, then Lebron James had done just the opposite. For the latter half of the 2008 season, whispers of Lebron holding the city of Cleveland hostage with his 2010 free agency had began to emerge. The Cavs front office, Danny Ainge included, were intent on keeping the rumors of a Lebron departure to more urban pastures at bay. They’d only be able to ignore the issue for so long.
A couple of weeks ago, on May 13th, Dwight Howard criticized his coach (Stan Van Gundy) for not giving him more touches down the stretch of a tough Game 5 loss to The Boston Celtics. You know, The World Champion Boston Celtics? The expected repeat team? Immediately, Howard became less of a heralded player by fans and media alike, and somewhat of a temperamental, spoiled athlete. Not only did The Magic and Howard go on to win the series, but they have managed to find a place in The NBA Finals by beating James and his Cavaliers. In the Final game 6 showdown between The Cavs and The Magic, Howard brutally scored 40 points and was as unstoppable as any playoff game I have ever seen Shaq in.
Kobe Bryant isn’t a good teammate. He’s not a like-able guy. But he is a winner. A winner with chinks in the armor. A seasoned veteran with thick skin. He wants to win at the expense of all things around him. Being disliked by teammates comes with being a great leader, just ask Michael Jordan. If everyone likes you, you aren’t doing something right.
Last week, Lebron James walked off the floor in Orlando without embracing former Olympic teammate Dwight Howard. He refused the post-game press conference, leaving his teammates to pick up the pieces. And now the critism is emerging. The once golden child of the NBA is finally showing real signs of personality wear and tear. The city of Cleveland now feels that he is just holding them hostage and might have no actual loyalty. Their are many reasons that you can cite for The Cavs losing to The Magic in The Eastern Conference Finals. But one thing I ask you to do is to never underestimate having a player that cares more about winning than he does having his teammates mad at him or the media critical of him. Sometimes you want to win so bad that you leave your team for a bigger market. Sometimes you call out teammates. Dwight Howard called for the ball, he called out his coach, and he walked the walk. Lebron James walking off the court in what some might describe as a childish manner just might be the start of a really great career for him.
Hate this column? Got feedback? Email Cory at coryhedgepeth@gmail.com.
