LeBron James: Why the Negative Press Won't Affect the Miami Heat Star's Success
Every day you can find at least three new articles blasting LeBron James for his recent comments on CNN. I've read 20 variations of the same interview and every writer is consistent in excluding the actual context of the interview.
Some of their comments makes me wonder if they actually watched the interview at all. I'm sure most have so the only obvious explanation is no matter what he said in that interview it wasn't going to receive a positive response. Despite every effort to discredit him as a human being and alienate him from basketball fans he is still soaring to new heights.
Instead of short-circuiting his career, the media is actually helping it.
LeBron James Hasn't Done Anything Wrong To His Fans
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For obvious reasons, antagonizing LeBron James is the sure bet to get reads on our articles and get hits on YouTube. The major sports networks are leading the way in the LeBron bashing, and using his decision to leave Cleveland as their credible character witness.
Although he admitted he could have handled his decision differently, he never apologized for doing what was best for him and I applaud him for that.
No one denies the power the media has on shaping our perception, but what is sad is we seem to forget that's what they are doing. Any rational person that watched his CNN interview and didn't notice he actually downplayed the race issue, didn't want to see it. The interviewer made a stronger case than LeBron did, but somehow that was overshadowed by negative headlines.
I also noticed CNN updated the interview two days ago which included the unedited probe for a controversial response and he still downplayed it.
The worst thing that he has done is changed teams after giving Cleveland seven years. He announced it on a television and at least 10 million people were interested to know. He answered questions about the media backlash boldly and confidently in his own opinion.
He also raised $3 million for charity from sponsors of "The Decision." Of course, "Boys and Girls Club of America receive $3 million from LeBron James," didn't make any headlines.
If this is a crime equivalent to the punishment he is receiving then we need to be crucifying (literally) a lot more athletes.
The Media Can't Hurt Him and Can't Afford To Shut Him Out
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I can almost guarantee that the Miami Heat will be the most talked about team this NBA season. What is equally obvious is they will probably be the most ridiculed team in the league, and so what. None of that will hurt LeBron James' popularity. Why? Because he will play hard and be exciting every time the Miami Heat touch the court.
It doesn't hurt to have Dwyane Wade as a teammate. No matter how much you hate his decision he is still on the team with one of the best players in the league. So unless the media wants to boycott the No. 2 and No. 3 best players in the world assuming Kobe is No. 1 then feel free. No way will ESPN and Fox News let the local media receive the headline stories.
Even if somehow he has a terrible year the media will surely be all over that. Sometimes the media will play a part in overrating or underrating a player in this case they can take know credit. It's a reason LeBron James was the hottest free agent this league has seen in recent history...his game speaks for itself.
This Year He Will Turn Up the Heat
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If you ever saw LeBron James play you cannot deny his dominance on the court. He has won scoring titles and MVP awards and the Cavaliers were destroying opponents during the regular season.
At the end of the day, however, no one respects anything more than NBA titles, and in Cleveland he didn't produce any.
Whether he takes the last shot or not, every game the Miami Heat win LeBron James' signature will be on it. His expectations for this season are probably at their highest in his career. One thing LeBron has proved is he knows the game of basketball.
He might not win a scoring title this year or even receive any MVP awards but he will make his team better. Any given game King James can light you up for 40 points, but what makes him even more dangerous is this season he can average 10 assists a game. This season will have playmakers around him who will finish after the pass.
The Miami Heat may not have an impressive bench at least in the eyes of the critics. They do have Wade, Bosh, and LeBron and in my opinion that makes every player better. You imagine working out with three of the best players in the NBA...if that doesn't help your game nothing will.
The Fans Will Decide If LeBron Is Liked, Not Media Polls and Sports Writers
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LeBron James obviously upset some people with his recent decision to join the Miami Heat. New York, Chicago, Cleveland and many of the other NBA teams jumped through hoops trying to lure King James to their franchise this offseason.
Unfortuanately he could only pick one and no matter how distasteful "The Decision" was, the scrutiny would have been the same. He will get booed every time he walks in the opposing team's arena, and no decision would have changed that.
In my opinion the media has led the charge in burying LeBron James' popularity because he kept them at bay until his announcement. Since the decision, it's been media polls on every sports website trying to make the case that the LeBron craze is over. Those polls don't represent the millions of fans who enjoy watching LeBron James dominate opponents night after night no matter what jersey he has on.
I would venture to say he won't have problems getting votes for the All-Star team this year.
The Heat Is Built To Win and the Media Is Fueling the Fire
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One of the main questions was will Pat Riley put together a reliable supporting cast? On paper this looks like a very good basketball team. Despite all the upside, they still have to prove it on the court, but what's in this team's favor is the motivation.
I could only imagine how competitive their training camp has been. We know the effect a superstar has on his team, but now you have three on one team. I expect the whole team's level of play has risen. You don't think Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, Chalmers and Anthony haven't heard the negative criticizing of their abilities.
No one thinks they are ready, despite all their talent. This team has an all or nothing mentality and hasn't played one regular season game together. What is also overlooked is the amount of playoff experience the Heat have on their roster.
Haslem, Magloire and Wade were a part of the championship team in 2006. Eddie House has a championship with the Celtics. Ilguaska followed LeBron from Cleveland and both have been to the Eastern Conference Finals. Charlmers, Orroyo, Anthony and Jones were a part of the Heat's playoff run last season.
I'm not saying the Heat will definitely win a title this season, but if I have to pick a team to win it all, it won't be the Lakers.
