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LeBron is on the 40 under 40 lists

LeBrone is the only athlete to make it in the 40 under 40 list of NBA Basketball as well as other sports. This list is compiled by the business world and tends to recognize the developmental efforts that are undertaken by the recipients. There is an element of entrepreneurship. First of all congratulations are in order for LeBron to achieve such an award in the economic downturn. It shows that he has been taking the tasks very seriously indeed. It also shows that not all sportsmen are busy frittering away their earnings. Some people are investing wisely and getting excellent rewards.

Working with the Miami Heat, he has been able to forge a formidable career in all the circumstances and that is something that is definitely commendable. He is also a two time reining NBA MVP. The list had him at a respectable number twenty. The earning power that is estimated at about forty two million US dollars per year played a role in his top scores. He is a celebrity in his own right and has been able to take the sport to the next level of recognition. That is the market of a true phenomenon in the industry. The game has been able to benefit from both his skills and the celebrity that he brings to the game. It is a combination that is irresistible in some ways.

The high profile that James enjoys is indicated by the fact that he was on the inaugural version of the list in the previous year. At the same time he is pioneering the youth presence on the list as the youngest person amongst the great and good. At just twenty five years he still has a long way to go in the age stakes. As a matter of interest the 2nd spot was held by Mark Zuckerberg who is the founder of the FaceBook website. The top spot was taken by Marc Andreessen who is a pioneer in web browsers. Of course Tiger Woods was removed possibility because of all the scandals that are unfolding in his personal life.

A scandalous resume for Arenas

A fine has been decided on Arenas for faking a knee injury in order to avoid a mandatory home game. Gilbert Arenas has been at the center of this disgraceful episode in the history of NBA Basketball. One can only imagine the devastating effect on the team when they realized that their team mate was not interested in supporting the team in all the areas where they needed support. The preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks was supposed to be in full attendance but the Washington Wizards were forced to fight it out without the support of one of their star players. The sore knee that was given as an excuse was a complete fallacy in keeping with the dramatic and controversial stance that is often taken by Arenas.

Of course we all remember the revelations from Arenas that he had pretended to have a knee injury so that Nick Young would be given the chance to start. Of course he said that he felt that he was only trying to give his teammate a hand. Other people might have a totally different interpretation on such things in a professional game. He confessed to lying to the coach. Such behavior means that when people have genuine injuries they are subjected to high scrutiny. Players that abuse the system end up causing difficulties for everyone in the industry. It is not a fair way of undertaking the duties of a sports personality.

The fine was not disclosed but one can only hope that it was significant enough to make Arenas to think about his actions in the future. This is a player that seems to have negative publicity following him. He had just come back from a fifty game suspension as well as a felony conviction for bringing arms into the locker room in the previous season. The apology that was offered seemed flippant at best and dismissive at worst. Clearly this is a player that does not understand the responsibilities that he has to the NBA Basketball game. These sorts of dishonest undertakings have a very detrimental to a game that needs all the support that it can get.

The Celtics need to get their act together

The Celtics are getting to grips with the new NBA Basketball rules. The particular issue that comes to mind is complaining. We are used to the prima donnas of soccer but NBA Basketball had not yet entertained such shenanigans. It seems that all that is about to change as the climate of complaining is finally being tackled by the authorities. It is not surprising that the most vocal people when it comes to complaining are the players. That makes one think that the complaining is not genuine but a ploy to change the terms of the game in a way that suits the team. If that is a tactic, then the authorities should come down pretty hard on anyone that attempts to pull this stunt.

In the decision at the moment Jermaine O?Neal had a run in with the referee and he felt that he still had the right to challenge the decision and throw his weight around if necessary. On this occasion it soon became quite clear that the referee remained the boss. This also meant that they would not tolerate any changes to the protocols that they were following at the moment. It was a cathartic experience for the people involved in the game. At the time that he realized that there was something wrong with that approach; Kevin Garnett was also facing woes of his own. It made for a chaotic and unpredictable game.

On the one hand some people might say that they should have known better and should have taken the precaution of understanding the way that the game is configured. On the other hand it is fairly clear that there was very little that they could do about the situation. They challenged thinking that it would all be water under the bridge. Unfortunately for them, the referee was not about to tolerate the encroachment on his territory. They challenged and were punished. The punishment took the role of reviewing the way that the issues were handled and it also followed the patterns that changed the configuration of the entire system.

Continuing the look at the Threesome in Miami and the surprisingly reaction by former NBA stars to their gathering?

One player’s criticism may be the least hollow. And that’s the greatest player of all time. Catering to Jordan was what the Bulls were all about. They ran the one scorer out of town, Orlando Wooldrige, because he was slow to take a backseat to the rising star. With no gunner having to support him for a time Jordan was little more than that. The question was could he even win without teammates ready to sublimate around him for his shots. Jordan’s well documented love of gambling and poker indicates he understands the odds, though his struggles with them also indicates his resolve in trying to overcome the odds even the fixed ones of a casino.
One of his Achilles heels is his effort to overcome the impossible. He did so by trying out baseball, and the White Sox owner is on record as saying Jordan probably would have made the majors if the threat of the work stoppage didn’t derail his interest in the National Pastime. Allen Iverson, one of the ultimate gunners ever, got to the NBA finals only once and that was when the whole team was carved around his shoot-first, pass second point guard mentality. The Bulls were always built that way around Jordan even when he matured into a complete player. It’s no surprise, Phil Jackson crafted teams around Kobe Bryant as easily as he did in L.A. because he had the template in Chicago.
Still, Jordan suggesting he wouldn’t play with Magic or Larry isn’t quite fair because as peers go, Scottie Pippen was closer to Jordan’s age and ability, when they started gathering momentum as NBA players, than Magic or Bird ever were. In fact, if you judge Jordan’s peers in the league, Barkley and Pippen were closer in age, with Dominique Wilkins, Isaiah Thomas, and James Worthy more bridges in the gaps between Jordan and Bird/Magic. So, Jordan and Scottie Pippen were probably the top two players to play at the same time, who knows how Pippen would have compared to those guys on his own team.
Jordan also had a supporting cast including versatile players that never demanded another star. For Jordan it rings truer when he said he’d never join up with his rivals. So what if the odds were against him being able to pass the Lakers, Celtics, or Pistons’ odds never got in his way before.
He wanted to catch Bird and Magic and his skill sets, unlike theirs, demanded different teammates. LeBron, the ultimate sharer, is far more like Magic and Larry than an unbridled scorer like Jordan. In fairness, you could argue LeBron seeking out better teammates is merely him catching up to the riches the Celtics and Lakers afforded Magic and Larry from the start of both their careers.
Charles Barkley is another guy that has chimed in on LeBron joining his peers, which is the argument that rings the most hollow. Barkley at the end of his career sought out the talents of Pippen, Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon in Houston in the failed pursuit of an NBA title which is little different than James’ quest except Barkley started his in the twilight of those stars faded careers. Karl Malone and Gary Payton also learned this rather harsh lesson when they chased a title to L.A. and were a little too old to win it. Though Payton did get is ring later in Miami.
LeBron, Wade, and Bosh are just the latest of three-of-a-kind superstar laden teams to probably contend for a title. They won’t run rampant over the NBA but besides they way they gathered themselves, nothing they are doing is any different that what teams before them did. Considering those teams rank among the top NBA teams of all time, the Heat may have found the magic number of three, and any former great’s critique of them ignores the supporting cast they had in winning their own titles.