I am off to the beach this afternoon, so enjoy a little bit of TheFletch.....see you guys Monday!
LeBronmania surrounded last week to the point of nausea in that everyone was asking, “WHERE’S HE GONNA GO?” over and over and over leading up to his big announcement. Then LeBron James felt the need to go on ESPN for a one-hour television special (actually, ESPN ran a three-hour SportsCenter leading up to the announcement and then “broke down” what he said for several hours after he decided to go to the Miami Heat). Then the radio airwaves in Atlanta were a-go-go with nothing but reaction in the days that followed. Suffice to say that LeBron dominated the conversation in Atlanta last week and the Hawks were not even in the discussion of potential destinations for The Chosen One who calls himself King.
On his one hour special, James declared that he would be a member of the Miami Heat, joining up with Chris Bosh to sign with Dwyane (sic) Wade’s team in South Beach. Personally, I think James made the wrong decision and should have gone to Chicago because I feel the team is ready to compete for championships THIS SEASON and his talents would have put them into the Finals. In Miami, I realize that the Heat now has three (well, two) Superstars, but I’m not certain that Wade and James complement each other as much as Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose would have complemented James as a member of the Chicago Bulls. I had some support in this theory recently on Score Atlanta’s Sports Sunday aka The Block Party last week on 790 The Zone. While two co-hosts though James made the right move in leaving Cleveland (and don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge James for leaving the Cavs), Brian Jones of Score Atlanta believes that the Heat can win multiple titles and he said as much on the program. Several callers seemed a bit miffed that James would make the decision the way he did, and I tend to agree with them. Despite what James said on the one-hour show, according to Wade on another ESPN interview, this decision for all three to come to Miami sounded like a done deal weeks ago. Why go through the charade of a big show and making teams travel to you for a dog-and-pony show if you already knew you were headed to South Beach. After spending seven years for his home-state team I also think James should have at least informed the Cavs that he would not be returning opposed to letting them hear through ESPN. That is just something I would have done, but I’m not LeBron.
The Cavs owner Dan Gilbert certainly didn’t take the news well and made a fool out of himself and really makes it hard to feel sorry for the Cleveland organization. He came off like Urban Meyer: a crazy person, with his comments directed towards LeBron through the team’s website. Gilbert certainly tried to keep his fans’ faith but he cost his team the nation’s sympathy.
Last thing on LeBron, 680 The Fan’s Perry Laurentino couldn’t understand the next morning following the announcement why people were saying that this is “the easy way out.” He wondered aloud why any title he wins with Miami will be cheapened. Bottom line, the title, assuming he wins one or more with the Heat will always be Dwyane (sic) Wade’s titles with LeBron coming along for the ride in Miami. Did Gary Payton win the title in 2006 with Miami? No, Wade did, and Payton, who peaked back in 1996 with Seattle, just happened to sit on the bench. Same with Zo. Several members of the radio community have said that LeBron will have the greatest “Robin” to his Batman in Wade, but I spit on that theory. In Miami, aka Miami-Wade County as it was dubbed by the locals in an attempt to keep Wade in South Beach, Dwyane (sic) Wade will always be the headliner. If the three (Bosh included) had gone to Miami, then yes, James is the alpha while Wade plays Pippen. But in Miami, which will ALWAYS BE WADE’S TOWN, James is the outsider brought in to help out Wade. And that is how it will always be.
PS, Laurentino’s tune changed the following Monday as he seemed to have thought about it over the weekend or perhaps he wasn’t playing the villain-role that day with Chris Rude out on vacation and had to play straight-point man.
Perhaps Mark Bradley should start playing the lottery because it was semi-scary how right he was at the end of last week. The Tennessee Volunteers got into a bit of trouble and it was a pair of Georgia-natives in the center of the trouble up in Knoxville. Da’Rick Rogers of Calhoun, who infamously spurned Georgia the night before National Signing Day to pledge to the Vols, as well as Darren Myles, Jr., of Carver, who were involved in a fight in a Knoxville bar that left one cop knocked out in the street, having been clocked while trying to break up a fight and then kicked once on the ground for good measure. The AJC.com message boards were filled with all sorts of college football fans laughing and calling the Vols a bunch of thugs. Bradley sent out a warning of not to laugh too hard because kids across the country in EVERY program can get in trouble just as easily as these kids did. Less than 24 hours after he posted this warning, he was posting a “See, I tried to warn you!” blog because a pair of Georgia football players were sent to the pokey for an alcohol arrest. A fourth-string running back for the Dawgs was popped on six counts, including DUI and leaving the scene of an accident and receiver Tavarres King, expected to push for a starting spot, was nailed on an underage possession of alcohol charge less than 24 hours after the Volunteer football program received its latest black eye. Derek Dooley kicked Myles off of the team and has not yet made a decision on Rogers’ future with Tennessee. Georgia head man Mark Richt meanwhile was swift with a decision as well, giving Dontavius Jackson at least a six-game ban while announcing that King will miss at least the season opener. In the wake of the Damon Evans situation, Richt had to act swiftly to an alcohol arrest and did within 48 hours of the arrests.
Can you believe he said that?
“Instead of wearing a 2 on his jersey, (Joe Johnson) should wear a < (less than) symbol! Because he’s ‘less than’ every superstar he faces.” Brandon Adams was bringing it recently on Brandon & Woolvey on 790 The Zone. Adams was responding to an interview in the AJC between Michael Cunningham and Johnson, where Johnson promised that he would bring the “same effort” this season, and that wasn’t good enough for Adams, who pointed out that Johnson will make more than James, Wade and Bosh over the next six seasons. Johnson’s postseason numbers are certainly frustrating and Adams was hammering Johnson for not promising to do more. of
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