THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS: I DON'T NEED YOUR LOVE

By now I'm sure you're aware of Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilberts diatribe following Lebron James announcement that he's going to play for the Miami Heat.

On surface level it may appear as courageous and honorable for those who advocated for Lebron to remain in Northeast Ohio. But if you step back and deconstruct the incendiary remarks made upon the hometown hero, it's nothing short of a borderline racist tantrum.

I could examine every line in Gilbert's statement and extrapolate venomous racist sentiment and undertoned suggestions. And before I note certain things that contradict Gilbert's enabling accusations, let's look at the facts.

From the moment Lebron commenced his professional career 7 yrs ago, James has been the ideal superstar. Not once has this young man (with all the weight of the world on his back and undeserved pressure) been involved in any nefarious behavior, actions or been arrested. If you want to be technical, the one little occurence James managed to get in was an indirect scuffle involving a friend of his and a jealous , former Cleveland Brown (Braylon Edwards).

Before he was drafted, I must admit that I pre-judged Lebron and wrote him off as a posse-having, Hip-Hop jersey wearing thug who could play ball. But those assumptions were short-lived and based on a then high-school kid who was just perpetuating trends (the jersey incident) and wanted to have a car just as nice as the rich kids who came from opulent households (the Hummer).

Ever since David Stern called his name to the stage as the first pick, and he stood before the world in a classy all-white suit, James has continued to do things the right and professional way despite encompassing mountain tops of scrutiny and pressure. From his first game against Sacramento when he put up veteran numbers (25/7/7), he was dubbed as "The Chosen One." And how prophetic that title would come to fruition, as all he did for 7 years was heal basketball fans in Cleveland that were starved for a winner, and then crucify him in the end.

Playing the part of Pontius Pilate of course is Dan Gilbert. Almost as soon as Lebron announced to the world his intent, Gilbert was on a mission to assasinate this man's character.To me, that's a direct indication that it was pre-meditated and a sneaky form of damage control. Naturally if one felt scorned by the decision, Gilbert took on the position as spokesman for the fans. But is it really that, or was he deflecting responsibility and blame for dropping the ball in keeping the city's Savior home?

If he was so critical and opinionated with Lebron's transgressions and behavior patterns (specifically "giving up in games 2,5,6") then why wasn't he more vulciferous during the playoff season? Gilbert sounds like a scorned lover and better yet a slave owner. A slave owner who lost his most profitable slave and his dramatic monologue was a national bounty. In my head, this was the implied meaning: "Dear bounty hunters, my best slave has escaped. I don't know what to do, but I want him back. Dead or Alive."

I believe it's partially that and genuine disappointment. But instead of taking the high road and saying something along the lines of "We tried our best to keep Lebron, but it didn't happen. We want to take this time right now to thank Lebron for all the years of service, memories, and economical contributions. We wish him the best." No, he sounded like a guy who had a wife that was out of his league, and when she decided to leave him, he was incensed because he knew inside he would never have a girl as fine, smart and sexy.

Gilberts words and actions did NOT come from a space of love. It came from a space of ownership, because if it came from love, you'd want that person to be happy even if it wasn't with you. But Gilbert isn't the only one to blame. Just like the original Pontius Pilate, he was pressured by the people.

And to blame the Cleveland fans as those "people" would be wrong. The "people" in this case is the national media, specifically ESPN. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm the ultimate Skip Bayless fan. I may not always agree with the man (but I do 80% of the time), but I always respect his angle because he has a method to his madness. But when I caught him and noted journalist Jackie McMullin slam Lebron on "1st and 10", I took it personally. Why? Because I'm intolerant of injustice, inconsistency and blatant contradiction.

The blatant contradiction in this case concerns all the pageantry surrounding Lebron's decision making process and the route he took. The route he took was to broadcast his decision via ESPN on primetime. How can you criticize this man for making his announcement in an unprecedented way when ESPN were the perpetrators and offered to pay this man to make said announcement? Hey Skip, criticize your boss (ESPN)!

It's like the movie "Little Shop of Horrors" starring Rick Moranis. In case you're not familiar, in this movie Moranis stumbled upon and decided to take care of a peculiar alien plant who could talk and eat. But the plant's hunger wasn't for insects or water, it was for human blood. Moranis knew murdering and feeding the plant Seamore was wrong, but he continued to do it anyway. Then one day the plant got to big for Moranis to control and even attempted to eat him. That's what were witnessing with the Lebron situation. Lebron started out as a small plant in 2008, and by the time 2010 came, this whole media frenzy concerning his decision became out of control.

I've heard so many things as Lebron being narcissitic and callous with his actions, but what was he supposed to do. The Baltimore Colts are infamous for packing up their belongings and sneaking off in the night of a Mayflower truck and Cleveland's own Art Modell left the city in a disloyal manner. At least Lebron had the decency and courtesy to be a man and announce his decision to the world. He didn't run!

Speaking of running, when the Cav's had their press conference to talk about Lebron's departure, the GM showed up as well as new coach Byron Scott. Most noticeably missing was the man who spewed so much venom on the man the night before. Say what you say about Lebron, but you can't say he isn't a standup guy. He ain't never scared! Mr. Gilbert, you said Lebron cowardly left town. I saw Lebron last night and today at Miami's player welcoming. I've got a blackberry, but like Boost-Mobile would ask, "Where you at?"

Decision Making Process

As time approaches for Lebron James to finally make a decision for which NBA's team he will commit his services, one can't help but get swept away in the unprecedented amount of media attention and hoopla surrounding this free-agent.

From a fan's stand-point, you get the feeling that you're witnessing history in the making. You sense that in 4-5 years you'll be asking your friend "Do you remember where you were when Lebron signed to----?" in either a proud or regretful tone. To his credit, ever since he entered the league the only thing Lebron has done is exceed expectations and conduct himself professionally. So why should this be any different? Most sports networks news have been dominated if not infatuated with Lebron conjecture. We're all witnesses, but what exactly is this 'history in the making' that were witnessing?

In a generation that is enjoying the pinnacle of an information age couple with the country's addiction to drama and theatre, Lebron came at the right time. America isn't a stranger to celebrating and putting celebrities on a pedestal, but these recent transgressions have become climatic.

Not since Michael Jordan was winning championships in Chicago have we seen an NBA stars' moves been this closely monitored. Granted MJ didn't live in the black and white television era and made one or two SportsCenter highlights, but even when Jordan signed those 1 year/$35 million contracts, it wasn't an event.

And tonight at 9 pm, that's clearly what it will be: an event. You can't be mad at Lebron for his off-court business savvy. The young man is very aware of his image and his brand. It's as if he mirrored the off-court moves of Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan as well flashing images of them when he throw's a no-look pass or soars through the air for a punishing dunk. With alliances and partnerships with big corporations such as Nike, Vitamin Water, and State Farm to name a few, his brand will have no choice but to grow.

But imagine how global and opulent he could be with the on-court success. If you really trace the history of Magic and Mike, their off-the court success paralleled their success on the court. It seems like most athletes today (and rappers for the most part) are looking for gold the opposite way. They're "selling the sizzle and not the steak." Sometimes that smell can be too tempting and entices patrons to bite-pun intended.

Specifically, who are these patrons? You. Me. ESPN. The whole country for that matter. We're all trying to get a bite of that Lebron steak (*pause). We're hungry and demand to see what's next. Lebron has the supply and thus the control. The balls in his court and we're on his terms. You can't be mad at the player, only the game.