A league insider who is African-American explained that Gilbert actually did James a favor by attacking him in a personal way.
Sports Illustrated Column No offense, Lilo, but playing the race card is fucking ridiculous. And in this case, quite offensive to the white fans, like myself, who plunk down hundreds of dollars for NBA tickets, year after year.
82% of the league is black, and that percentage will only increase with time. So if a white owner takes a shot at a player, there's an
EIGHTY TWO PERCENT CHANCE that player will be black. Pretty good odds, wouldn't you say?
Yes, Gilbert did cede the high ground, and I agree with you, he should have handled it differently. But making this a racial issue is just fucking ridiculous. Why not just bring out "Reverend Al" or "Reverend" Jesse to remind us that the half a BILLION dollars that Lebron will likely make in his career is actually just a slave wage?
So to the "African American League Insider," Shame on you for being a race baiter
.
The only thing Gilbert said that was not factually correct was that LeBron quit on his team for the last two postseasons. He did not quit last year, but he most certainly did this year. The Cavs excellent beat writer, Brian Windhorst, posted that LeBron hosted a huge party after the Game 4 loss in Boston that lasted until 6:00 a.m. That party preceded the worst game LeBron has ever played, his disastrous and completely disinterested performance in Game 5.
I have heard African-Americans on the radio here in Cleveland and one of my co-workers completely slam Jesse Jackson for his comments. It is quite insulting to compare a multi-millionaire to slaves. Whyisn't Jesse Jackson decrying racism for the arrest of Lawrence Taylor or when other black athletes get into trouble? How about because it doesn't always exist. Jackson has cried wolf far too many times to be taken seriously by middle America.
Dan Gilbert catered to nearly every whim of LeBron James in the past 5 years he owned the team. That was dumb on Gilbert's part because he enabled James and all of his handlers. So Gilbert's statement would have had more teeth if he would have enforced some discipline on James and showed stricter rules to James rather than granting free reign.
And lost in all of this, which is why I believe LeBron should be investigated for point shaving, is what happened to that mysterious "elbow injury" from the playoffs. I personally think he was full of shit and there was nothing wrong with LeBron physically. Rather, he mentally checked out of the Boston series after Game 3 and wanted to have an excuse as to why he wasn't playing up to his potential.
I'll tell Miami fans this. They'll be hyped and the glamour pick, but deep down you know Boston and L.A. are grinding their teeth waiting for the chance to play Miami. In 2004, the Lakers had the so-called "Dream Team" of Malone, Payton, Kobe, and Shaq. They couldn't put their egos aside and lost to a complete team - the Detroit Pistons. I hope that the same thing happens in Miami. I see the Heat much like the Tony Romo-era Cowboys. Every year the Cowboys are the "sexy" pick to win the Super Bowl and every year they fall apart in crucial playoff situations.
