LeBron, LeBron, Are you LOST?

Now I know LeBron is not on some kind of freak island sponsored by ABC, but on Thursday night he will be on an ABC owned affiliate, ESPN, telling us where he is going.  My question is simple – ARE YOU LOST LEBRON?

LeBron James is possibly the most talented player in the National Basketball Association today.  If you are from the west coast and argumentative (New York does not have the market cornered on that quality) you would respond that LeBron has zero, count them, zero, rings and that Kobe Bryant has five; and counting.  When a basketball player gets to the talent level of Magic, Kobe, Larry, Lebron, Michael and Kareem, a conversation can be held as to who is the greatest ever.

Realistically and factually, Bill Russell has ELEVEN, yes 11, part of 7-11, rings.  Do you hear Bill Russell’s name in the greatest of all time conversation?  I have not.  Russell’s name should be in this conversation but I have not seen it in print or uttered by others.  So why is this ‘conversation’ so exclusive?  Why is this ‘conversation’ so important to Kobe and LeBron these days?

To continue this thought stream, why is Michael Jordan, owner of six rings, predominantly called the greatest basketball player ever?  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has 19% (6,095) more lifetime points and Bill Russell has 83% (5) more rings.  Even Karl Malone, a name never uttered in the ‘greatest ever’ conversation, has 14% (4,636) more points than Michael.  So why are Kareem, Bill and Karl never in that conversation with Michael that talks about “Greatest EVER?”

The answer is simple – ECONOMICS!

Michael was not just an amazing basketball player but he was a good looking guy with an electric smile and he was the first person to grasp the idea of two magical words; corporate endorsements.  Not only did Michael make amazing play after play and win rings like candies out of a bubble gum machine, his face was plastered everywhere.  He sold Gatorade, Coca-Cola, sneakers, underwear, fast food and more.  Chances are if you lived in the United States, or in most any nation on the planet Earth, you have consumed one product or another that Michael was a salesman for.

Michael sold the shit out of everything from every company with enough money to get a few hours of his services for a commercial.  Larry and Magic supposedly vaulted the National Basketball Association back into being a ‘major, major league’ sport, but they never fully grasped the concept called CORPORATE ENDORSEMENTS.  Michael made a movie with Bugs Bunny as a co-star!  What other human being has done that?

I moved to Manhattan from upstate New York in 1993.  That year (1994) the New York Knickerbockers and the New York Rangers went to the Finals.  I would be sitting on the Municipal Bond trading desk at Cowen & Company in the afternoon and some trader or other would pound his fists on the table and rythmically start shouting over and over “Let’s Go Knicks, Let's Go Knicks” or “Let’s go Raaaan-gers” and the whole floor would join in.  It was magical and fired me up.  That year, Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, Allan Houston, Larry Johnson, John Starks and Latrell Sprewell took the Knicks to game 7 and lost to the Houston Rockets.  That year Mark Messier brought the Stanley Cup home for the Rangers.  It was magical and I ate it up like someone that might want to buy Gatorade or Nike sneakers or Coca-Cola.  New York loves a winner like no one else.

Before those great days I was (and still am) a Los Angeles Lakers fan.  After those days the Knicks had a place in my heart.  They are my home team.  I still love the Lakers but I want more than anything in the world of basketball dreams to see an LA-New York Finals.  Seven games please and if New York wins I get to go to a parade! If the Knicks lose, let's do it again next year and the year after! Lakers got a lot so the Knicks need to get some. LeBron, bring it home! Basketball fans think about it - Knicks vs. Lakers and Kobe vs. LeBron. What could be better?

The New York Knickerbockers pulled a masterstroke with their presentation to LeBron last week.  Their pitch was simple – come to New York and make a BILLION dollars.  Hello!  This pitch carried a subtle subtext.  This subtext was “come to New York and become known as the greatest basketball player EVER.”  Oh, and by the way, make a billion dollars.

If LeBron wants to be in THE, THE, THE conversation – the one about the greatest basketball ever, first, he not only has to go win a fistful of rings minimum, but he has to market his face into the consciousness of every fan of basketball on the planet.  This marketing can be done on the court of course (kinda).  If Bill Russell won 11 rings and he is not in the conversation why would LeBron be the undisputed greatest ever if he wins just six? 

Ask Kobe about how hard it is to win five.  If a teammate gets hurt or splits for another team, three rings is no small feat.  Four is a great accomplishment and five is in no way easy.  This is a team sport by the way.  LeBron should know this after multiple 60 win seasons and ZERO rings in Cleveland.  How many role players are you going to keep in Cleveland for a decade after they win a ring or two and want to get out of the big man’s shadow?  I have a brother that lives in Cleveland and a roommate from college that grew up in there.  I have been to Cleveland many times.  Not a great place to visit and I in no way want to live there.

So here is the bottom line as far as I am concerned; if LeBron wants to be known as the best basketball player ever…

Miami is out – win rings there and you have to share the credit with Wade and Bosh.

The Clippers are out – that is Kobe’s town, he did it first and do you want to hear that for the next six years minimum (and maybe even after that).

Chicago is out – Do you really want to play in Michael’s shadow for the next ten years? Even if you do win more rings, make it like three more because Michael did it first and you will be a follow on.

The Nets are out – Why come to New York and NOT play in the Garden? Please!

Cleveland is out – staying home is cool but the money and the ability to get into every basketball fans home to brainwash them with marketing is just not there.  Oh yeah, neither is the money.

THE NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS!

Seriously LeBron, are you LOST?

Seriously?

ECONOMICS LeBron!  It is economics and exposure that, if you are that good and can go get those rings, will put you at the top of THAT conversation.  Until then, take a number, get in line.

PS – LeBron, until you live here you have no idea how great the City that never sleeps is.

Thursday, July 8, 2010 - 1:15 a.m.