Ballin'

Ballin's Date With LeBron

By Randy Boyd
For Outsports.com

No, not that kind of date. What, you want LeBron should call Tom Cruise’s lawyers and start a defamation lawsuit? 

Ballin’s date with the next Jordan/Kobe of the NBA (or so the state of Ohio hopes) was not about light banter over a candlelit dinner, followed by a drive to Make Out Point (although it did include the sweaty, 18 year-old multi-millionaire going topless—more on that later). 

Instead, Ballin’ opted for the next best thing, a road trip to Cleveland for a first-hand report on the phenomenon known as King James. 

The occasion was an early season match-up between the recent high school grad’s new team and the Philadelphia 76ers. Even for the most gifted of teens, it’s a quantum leap from not being allowed to buy a Hummer to being able to afford several fleets of them. And if you believe the media hype, the city known as “The Mistake by the Lake” is awash with hoop fever like never before, as if the townfolk have suddenly discovered another local team other than their beloved Browns and Indians. 

So just how are things in C-Town in the infancy of their first coming? 

The future is bright, but no need to wear shades just yet. 

Even before LeBron relocated to the big city from his hometown some 35 miles away, the franchise was already beginning to get a clue. Two years ago, the process began to jettison those pasty, patsy pastel uniforms for darker colors more in line with the team’s look from decades past. It’s simply a mere coincidence or act of divine fate (or the league office, for you conspiracy theorists) that the team’s new hues arrived at the same time as their hopeful savoir. 

But any way you fast break it, the new dark red/burgundy (or “wine” as it’s officially called) and gold colors are a jillion times better and actually make for a jersey you wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear on a city bus. 

Can you imagine anyone taking King James seriously in those silly azure swashes? Think his would be the best-selling jersey in the league right now had they not gotten some good fashion sense? Doubtful. 

Even the basketball court itself looks better. Gone are whimsical paint brush effects and frilly ribbons, replaced by a more classical hoop look. A baseline done in wine says, “this is serious ball,” not “welcome to the pee wee league, brought to you by Nickelodeon.” 

OK, so there’s still the problem of Gund Arena’s glaring sky blue seats (making every empty seat an eyesore on television), and yes, they’re taking things a bit too far by insisting no one refers to them as the Cavs anymore (these are the Cavaliers!). Still, you have to admire the transformation, done without a single ounce of input from the Queer Eye guys (thank God for big favors). 

So how is LeBron fitting in with all this makeover madness? Just fine, thank you. This is a kid who seems as poised as any kid could be in his situation. He speaks calmly and with thought. He carries himself like a young man who knows he’s in the midst of something big, but is still a youngster with a long way to go in life. He also seems unlikely to steer so far off track that he’ll end up burning bridges like another young athlete in his state, (former?) Buckeye Maurice Clarett. 

Even when not creating highlights, LeBron moves like a pro baller and looks as if it were a role he was destined to fill. Watching him run the break reminds one of Jason Kidd. You never know what he’s going to do: make an impressive dish, drive or shoot (at this point, in that order of likelihood). OK, so he’s bigger, darker and in our humble opinion, better looking than the New Jersey Net, but the threat is similar. Perhaps in a few years, King James may remind us more of Magic Johnson, another tall guard who seemed to enjoy assists as much as scoring. 

But has the city with the Dawg Pound and a permanent grudge against Baltimore Ravens owner Art Modell caught on? 

To LeBron? Yes. To Cavs--excuse us--Cavaliers fever? Well, yes and no. 

LeBron’s #23 jersey accounted for 99% of the jerseys worn by the home crowd. LeBron paraphernalia accounted for a huge percentage of the items sold at the arena’s souvenir stands (including a mini-statuette of him in his cream-colored suit, holding up a Cavs uni on draft day). LeBron anticipation soars to unprecedented heights when he gets a breakaway opportunity (he had at least four spectacular opps that night alone). And when he dunks, the joint goes off, and you get the feeling that the city just might forget John Elway’s heartbreaking drive or the Charles Nagy’s ill-fated last pitch against the Marlins in the ’97 World Series, if only for a while. 

But there’s evidence to the contrary. One local sports fan told Ballin’ that, although attendance on opening night was announced as a 20,000 plus sellout, only about 13,000 asses actually filled those sky blue seats. And for Ballin’s Saturday night visit vs. the Sixers, we saw plenty of sky blue. In addition, tickets remain for future games. 

Moreover, even with all the excitement, Cavs--sorry, Cavaliers--fans still don’t know how to behave like sixth men. Unlike at places like Dallas and Sacramento, there was no sense of urgency among the fans, no feeling that this game on a cold November night against a playoff caliber team had any implications come May. One got the distinct feeling that “home court advantage” was not the buzz phrase among the crowd (which, by the way, had to be one of the least attractive in all of Ballin’s sports travels). 

Granted, the low-key, wait-and-see nature of the fans is to be expected. The franchise has never been known for much other than some Michael Jordan posterizations, and the city is behind only Chicago and Boston in the broken sports hearts department. Perhaps it’s best not to get too geeked up just yet on what this kid from down the way can do beyond creating some SportsCenter Top Plays of the Day. After all, this is not the roster that will lead them beyond the second round of the playoffs and who knows if they’ll ever obtain the right supporting cast. 

Still, as Ballin’ attended the Browns routing of the hapless Arizona Cardinals the next day (sitting an aisle away from the infamous, beer-bottle throwing Dawg Pound), one couldn’t help thinking: if the Cavs--sorry, Cavaliers--could harness a fraction of the enthusiasm for their football counterparts, Gund Arena could become a fun place to watch basketball. And an intimidating stop for opposing teams.  

You get the feeling LeBron is going to do everything in his power to make that happen. After his courtside Player of the Game interview, he promptly removed his sweat-soaked jersey and handed it to a young female fan. Things are a lot more fun in Cleveland already. 

Randy's Outsports archive

Nov. 21, 2003