LeBron James: The Mentalist

Why do the really dumb quotes stand out more than the smart ones?

Is it a statement on our society? Can we understand the dumb quotes more and that makes them easier to grasp than a smart, witty statement?

Is it that a really stupid quote is far more entertaining than a really intelligent one?

When Shaquille O'Neal let us all know that he had won on every level except for college and the pros, as sport fans we laughed ourselves silly because he had not won on the highest levels.

Then Shaq hooked up with two Hall of Fame coaches in Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, won four rings, and attained a level of redemption for his very silly quotes about his pre-championship days.

He did try to take that good will back with his free flow at a night club where he asked Kobe Bryant, numerous times, how his rump tastes.

A witty comeback I heard to that question was that it tasted like a couch, but I digress.

Patrick Ewing has found no redemption for his heroically stupid quote during the NBA lockout of 1999. You all remember this one, right? "We make a lot of money but we spend a lot of money."

Patrick Ewing: Hall of Fame center and consumer.

Now with Twitter, these dumb quoting athletes stand nary a chance.

So LeBron James is taking mental notes of everyone that has been honest about his behavior in the past few weeks.

We have all been duped by this physical specimen of an athlete. He is not college educated. He has been pampered since his first growth spurt and some guy saw that he could dribble a basketball. He is taking criticism for the first time in his life, and he is not responding well to it.

When his mom bought him a Hummer in his senior year of high school, he bought a radio controlled Hummer to show everyone he heard them.

He has been taking mental notes for a long time it appears.

I am glad that the Miami Heat are so loaded with talent. I like to root against the favorites. When LeBron was in Cleveland and they had the best record two years in a row, I felt kinda funny. My team was the team to beat.

Well sir, I didn't like it. Cleveland has never been good at being a frontrunner. They have also struggled as an underdog too now that I think about it.

It is tough being a northern Ohio sports fan, but I digress.

LeBron James, the mentalist, now has a mental list of everyone who has taken shots at him.

I have a mental image of the two-time MVP kicking the ball all around the court in the 2010 playoff series against Boston. I have a mental picture of a man with a Magic Johnson skill set, a Scottie Pippen mentality, and what I hope will be a Charles Barkley career.

Yeah, I want the Heat to fall short for the next three years. I want to see the circus when LeBron is a free agent again. I want to see the humility on his face when he chose to be the second-best player on his own team and it gave him no rings.

I want to see the slump that started in the series against Boston continue. I have seen that happen to stars before. As bad performances linger, one thing that has been revealed about LeBron James is that he is not mentally tough.

So take a mental note of this LeBron: You are weak of mind and are not very smart.

You call yourself a good businessman, yet are taking less money to be the Robin to Dwyane Wade's Batman. You have revealed your clay feet.

Your choice to go to Miami will be proven right if you win a ring. When you had that pressure on you in Cleveland, you wilted. Now when you fall on your face and start to kick the ball all around the court, you will have D. Wade there to clean up your mess.

Good luck Dwyane, you will be carrying two studs on your back, because what has Chris Bosh done in the league so far?