The Chosen One

The Early Years:

Flashback to June 26^th, 2003, the NBA Draft. With the number one overall pick the Cleveland Cavaliers took a 6’8”, 18-year old phenom from Akron, Ohio named LeBron James. I was in sixth grade and had really just started to get into basketball and und
erstand the game and I remember watching James in his high school dunk contest and being amazed that someone could jump that high. I saw a couple of those high school showcase games featuring Saint Vincent Saint Mary’s and the amount of talent James had was mind-blowing even for a sixth grader.

I didn’t truly understand what I was witnessing but 12 years later I realize that I was watching the best basketball player since Michael Jordan. But why do we have to label him as the best player since Jordan? Can I not say he’s the greatest of all time without being shunned?

If you think about all the athletes that have entered their respective sport at the age of 17-18 very few of them have had the same hype that James had. A 2002 Sports Illustrated article labeled the 17-year old as, “The Chosen One”. It would be an understatement to say that title carries weight. Very few athletes have had the pressure that James had, but since his first game against the Sacramento Kings, James has carried that weight and done so with ease at times.

It’s ironic that the Cavaliers drafted James; a team that had never sniffed an NBA title drafted him in hopes he would save them and bring that title to a state that looks to Columbus as it’s bread winner. LeBron has always expressed his love for the city of Cleveland as well as his hometown of Akron, a town that’s roughly 45 minutes from Cleveland. He would eventually capture that title, but it was about 1,200 miles south.

The ‘Decision’ Part 1:

In 2010 there was a decision to be made, and it was THE Decision. LeBron James sat on a chair at across from Jim Gray at a Boy’s and Girl’s Club in Connecticut. Was he going to stay in Cleveland? Or would he join forces with Dwyane Wade and fellow free agent Chris Bosh? We all knew the answer and in the now famous words said by James, he would be taking his talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat. Those words would haunt James until his return four years later.

The option to play college basketball was never a real possibility for James. He was too good and too ready to pass up going to the NBA. The four years he spent in Miami were his “college years” if you really think about it; he needed those years to mature both on and off the court and boy did he ever. Over those four years you saw him emerge from a great player to an all-time great player.

The first year in Miami saw the season end with a bitter Finals defeat at the hands of Dallas Mavericks. The criticism grew and grew and would continue to grow until the following summer when James would lead the Heat to that first title he desperately wanted by knocking off Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games. The next two seasons would see LeBron and the Heat match up with the San Antonio Spurs. The first go around saw the Heat come away with the Larry O’Brien Trophy after Ray Allen hit what was the greatest shot in Miami Heat history. A three pointer with five seconds remaining would send the game to overtime. With the Heat looking to three-peat, and likely the only way LeBron would stay in Miami, San Antonio would dominate the Finals in five games. Exit stage left for LeBron.

The ‘Decision’ Part 2:

Fast-forward to July 11^th, 2014, the Sports Illustrated article that would change the city of Cleveland, again. The King announces he is coming home. Coming back to the city that saw him grow up, the city he brought so much life to and so much hope to, and the same the city that saw fans burn his number 23 jersey when he decided to head south for the winters. The city of Cleveland hasn’t seen a championship since 1964, but when LeBron made the announcement to come home and come back to the place that he says his relationship with is “bigger than basketball”, that hope was restored. The jerseys were brought back from the ashes and Cleveland was back on the map.

Many believed that the duo of two number one picks in Kyrie Irving and LeBron James would be enough to get the Cavaliers back to the promise land. But there was another name on the free agent market in the summer of 2014 and his name was Kevin Love. The former first-round pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves decided to join Irving and James for the chance to capture something he hadn’t even known existed while playing in Minnesota, an NBA Championship. The new “Big 3” was created and suddenly it was the Cavs title to lose. Sound familiar?

They started off slow and 39 games into the season David Blatt was already on the hot seat. That seat cooled down quick as the Cavs reeled off 12 straight victories following the subpar start, and although they weren’t the best team in the league the season, many believed the Cavs to be the favorites when it came time for the playoffs to start.

Going into the 2015 NBA Playoffs the Cavaliers were looked at as the favorite with a healthy team, but that quickly changed in the first round against Boston when forward Kevin Love would be lost for the rest of the post season with a shoulder injury. Even without Love the Cavs were still looked at as the favorite. The Cavs pretty much rolled through the playoffs on their way to the Eastern Conference Championship and then onto the NBA Finals.

Game one of the NBA Finals was a loss on many levels; not only did the Cavs lose the game in overtime, but they lost their starting point guard Kyrie Irving. Irving went down late in the game with what would turn out to be a fractured kneecap. Now, like always, it was on LeBron’s shoulders.

The NBA Finals ended in Cleveland but not with a Cavaliers win. Despite LeBron averaging 35 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists, the Cavs would lose to the Warriors in six games. It was arguably one of the top Finals performances in NBA history even with it being in a losing effort. The fact that guys like JR Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Matthew Dellavedova missed shot, after shot, after shot, after shot shouldn’t take away from how truly amazing James was. I’m aware of the fact that winning is everything but as a sports fan, we should appreciate how great LeBron James is.

The ongoing opinion, and one that will never end, is that LeBron will never be as good as Michael. The only thing that seems to matter is the titles and James only has two to Jordan’s six. I get that. But I also get the fact that what LeBron is doing and what he’s been doing since he got in the league is something beyond special. An athlete, not just a basketball player, but an athlete like LeBron is so rare, so unique, so misunderstood at times that we are blind to his greatness. He isn’t trying to be the next Michael Jordan, he isn’t trying to be the next Magic Johnson, what he’s trying to do is create his own legacy. His legacy might end up being that he has a losing record in the Finals, but that’s OK. LeBron is such a rare “thing” that we should marvel in overall ability rather than his failures in the Finals.

I’m one of the biggest LeBron supporters there is and I always will be. I’ve watched the tape, I’ve seen the highlights, I’ve heard the arguments and I respect it all in terms of the all-time greats. But if you’re putting a starting five together and LeBron James isn’t in there, you’re stuck in the past and not ready to let go and realize that he is one of the greats.

Wake up people, greatness has arrived.

WAY Too Early Heisman Watch

Much Too Early Heisman Watch:

 While the college football season is still 87 days away, we can still talk about it like it’s happening next weekend. Last season saw the first College Football Playoffs with Ohio State coming away with a 42-20 victory over Oregon in the title game. This season has Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes as the early favorites to repeat. The Buckeyes could run the table and collect many pieces of hardware this season; the Big Ten Championship, the National Championship, and there could be two members of the scarlet and gray in New York as possible Heisman Trophy candidates. Here’s a list of 4 early Heisman candidates and a dark horse pick. 

Ezekiel Elliot, Running Back, Ohio State: Coming off a season which saw him rack up over 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns, Elliot goes into the 2015 season as the heavy favorite to hear his name called in December. Although the Buckeyes have three other possible Heisman candidates at quarterback, Elliot will likely be the focal point for an offense that totaled 511 yards per game last season. He looks to become the first running back to win the award since Alabama’s Mark Ingram in 2009 and the first Ohio State player to win since Troy Smith in 2006. 

Miller (Left), Barrett (Middle), and Jones (Right) have
to battle for the starting spot and a potential Heisman spot. 

Cardale Jones, Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett, Quarterbacks, Ohio State: I’m counting all of these guys as one. The defending national champs don’t have many concerns heading into 2015 but they do have to worry about who is going to line up under center September 7^th when they take on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. And if that's their only concern, then good for them. Cardale Jones started the final three games of the season when backup J.T Barrett went down with an injury, Barrett had replaced starter Braxton Miller when he went down with an injury prior to the season. If Jones can build off his final three games (742 yards and 5 touchdowns) he could very well hear his name called in December. He will have to compete against Miller and Barrett before he gets that chance.

Trevone Boykin, Quarterback, TCU: Boykin led the Horned Frogs to a Peach Bowl victory over Ole Miss, but that wasn’t what he expected. Having gone 11-1 on the season, TCU expected to see their names in the top four when the playoffs were announced, that wasn’t the case. Over the course of the 2014 season Boykin threw for 3,900 yards, 33 touchdowns, and was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. He looks to become the first TCU player to win the Heisman since legendary quarterback Davey O’Brien.

Fournette looks to become the first LSU player to win the
Heisman Trophy since Billy Cannon in 1959. 

Leonard Fournette, Running Back, LSU: Fournette entered 2014 as a freshman with high expectations being the nations top running back and coming into the 2015 season the expectations are very, very high. He set the school record for most rushing yards by a freshman with 1,034 yards along with 10 touchdowns. The Tigers had a mediocre 2014 season and finished 8-4; expectations in Baton Rouge are always high and if they’re going to make it back into the national spotlight then Fournette is going to be the guy.

Derrick Henry, Running Back, Alabama: This is the biggest running back Nick Saban has had at Alabama, coming in at 6’3” 242 pounds, Derrick Henry is a bruiser and doesn’t go down easy. Henry was just under the 1,000-yard mark but scored 11 touchdowns for the Tide. Tuscaloosa is another place where expectations are high and with the departure of quarterback Blake Sims, Henry should expect to carry the ball a lot. Roll Tide. 

I'll throw in Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg as another dark horse. Coming off a sophomore slump in 2014 which saw his touchdowns drop from 20 to 12 and his interceptions go from 10 to 15, Hackenberg looks to bounce back and put up the numbers that many believe someone of his caliber should. The 6'4" junior is by considered by many to be a top five draft pick when he chooses to come out. (Some project him as the top overall pick.) If by chance he stays for his senior year, his name will be right at the top of this list. 

NBA Finals Preview

It’s Finals week, not the one that ends with college students either being completely devastated with their grades or beyond excited with their grades, it’s the one that ends with fans either sitting at home after the season is over crying in the championship tee shirt they already bought, or fans lining the streets of their city waiting for a championship parade.

Either way, the 2015 NBA Finals is one that has been talked about a lot already and rightfully so. The storylines keep coming up; who is going to guard LeBron James? Who is going to guard Steph Curry? Where is Reily Curry going to be located during the games? Those questions can’t really be answered yet. No one can guard LeBron, no one (other than maybe LeBron) can guard Curry, and Reily Curry will be all over the place most likely. (That’s the only time I’ll mention Reily Curry during the Finals.)

Two first-year head coaches in Steve Kerr and David Blatt look to add an NBA title for their teams, the first ever for Cleveland and the first for Golden State since 1975. Much was said about Blatt taking over in Cleveland; the Cavs started off slow so naturally the headlines read David Blatt should be fired. The criticism was harsh for Blatt but it wasn’t deserved. As for Kerr, it was a relatively smooth situation to go into; Mark Jackson left him with a pretty damn good roster, and before I go any further I want to give props to Jackson for building Golden State back up and helping with the emergence of Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes, but Kerr who had never coached before did pretty well in his first season. Michael Jordan would be proud.

 

LeBron James is making his fifth straight appearance in the NBA Finals, the first player to do so since 1966, and looks to add his third title in five years. And his third Finals MVP award to go with his four NBA MVP awards. LeBron is averaging 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists in this postseason, while only shooting 17% from beyond arc. SEVENTEEN PERCENT. If the Cavaliers go on to win the title, this might be considered not only LeBron’s greatest season, but also one of the best seasons in NBA history. No Kevin Love after the Celtics series, Kyrie Irving went down in the Bulls series and hasn’t been 100%. LeBron’s leadership level has been an all-time high this entire season and it has clearly shown.

Speaking of MVP’s, Warriors guard Stephen Curry made a promise to Golden State fans that they’d get to the NBA Finals and this year he delivered that. There’s a difference though in actually winning the Finals rather than just getting there. No one on the Warriors roster has this type of experience. Curry led the Warriors to the leagues best record (67-15), while capturing his first MVP. He’s shooting 48% from the floor and 43% from beyond the arc. Not too bad. Curry looks to bring a title to Warriors franchise that hasn’t seen the Larry O’Brien Trophy lifted since Rick Barry in 1975.

When asked how the Cavaliers are going to slow down Steph Curry, LeBron simply replied, “Well the same way you slow me down, you can’t”. He’s right. You can’t stop Curry, and you can’t stop LeBron for that matter as well, you can only hope to slow him down. It’ll be interesting to see who David Blatt puts on Curry to begin game one, will he go point guard on point guard and have Kyrie Irving try his luck? Will he put one of the better on-ball defenders in the league on him in Iman Shumpert? Or will he just throw everything at him and have LeBron guard him?

What about Draymond Green? Whose skin is he going to get under this series? If he takes the liberty of defending LeBron then he will try everything he can to knock him off the mountain he’s on right now. Maybe even this?

Finally, who will win? Now obviously we have to wait until the series is over for that question to be answered, but what’s the point in waiting when I can just type up an answer right now? I said at the beginning of the season that this title is Cleveland’s to lose and that LeBron is on a mission to bring Cleveland it’s first sports title since 1964. Now I know Golden State had the best record, the league MVP, and were the best team throughout the entire season, but when it comes down to it LeBron James is LeBron James and to bet against him in a seven game series just doesn’t seem practical. I’m going with Cleveland to take it in six games and of course, LeBron will be Finals MVP.

P.S.- David Blatt WON’T get fired if they win.

The Fight, and Beyond

There’s an old saying, “don’t judge a book by its cover”, that saying does not apply to Floyd Mayweather. The pound for pound best fighter in the world and the undisputed king of self-promoting has a domestic violence history that has haunted him for quite some time. But Floyd doesn’t seem to let that show. When asked questions about his history he merely brushes it off and uses a promotional tool to jab the question. Needless to say, Floyd Mayweather is not a crowd favorite and that was evident Saturday night in his fight against the “hero”, Manny Pacquiao. What was dubbed the fight of the century didn’t necessarily live up to the lofty expectations that were set six years ago when the fight first came into our lives. The idea that two boxers with as different of backgrounds as you will find slugging it out for 12 rounds would win over the hearts of millions of people and turn them into boxing fanatics seemed far fetched from the beginning, and if the fight was any indication, it’s going to stay that way.

Leading up to the fight the talk wasn’t about who had the quicker hands or who had the quicker feet, but who had the cleanest life outside of the ring. It wasn’t a split decision in any way; Manny Pacquiao is to the Philippines what Lance Armstrong was to the United States, someone that could carry an entire country and win over the hearts of people in other countries. It wasn’t hard for him to do that though, as Floyd Mayweather backed himself into a corner with his domestic violence history and with the way sports are handling those types of situations, he was never coming out of that corner.

Many people who know me know that I’m a fan of Floyd Mayweather. I’ve been a fan since before I knew ANYTHING about his history. I’m still a fan of Floyd Mayweather, but don’t label me as someone who is pro-domestic violence. Do I respect the things he has done, absolutely not, and if you think that I’m totally cool with dudes beating women, then you’re the one who needs to rethink some things. I’m a sports fan, I’m a sports writer, and I appreciate the greatness of certain athletes when they are in their atmosphere. When Michael Vick got charged and convicted in his dog fighting case, I was torn up; being a fan of Vick was hard at first because of the heinous nature in which his crimes were committed. But for those three hours when he was on the field, I put all that on the back burner and just watched him play football.

Let me ask you this, if Adrian Peterson goes into the last game of the regular season and is 10 yards shy of breaking Erick Dickerson’s single-season rushing record, what are you going to do? Are you going to cheer for him to break the record or are you going to boo him because you know his history of beating children?

Sports are a way out for us, they are what brings out incredible passion and brings so many people together who have a common bond. They are an escape for some people whose lives are filled with unthinkable tragedies and a way to let go of all the wrong in life and just be free for just a few hours.

I get the fact that some people might not root for certain athletes based on what they know about that athlete, but don’t cloud the minds of the rest of us who like to watch those athletes for the sole purpose of seeing them do some of the most incredible things a human being can do. Let us live in our own world where we think nothing is wrong.