The Era of LeBron Is Over

UPDATE: In 2020, this headline was proved to be premature.

I have a tendency to reject things that are shoved into the public's face by the media, no matter how good they might be.

It's why I still don't listen to any music by any former member of NSYNC or One Direction, no matter how many people say that Justin Timberlake is incredibly talented (Spoiler alert: He's good-looking and can dance, but that's it, he's the male Madonna) or that Harry Styles is soooo hot... (as if that does me, a middle-aged straight man, any good).

LeBron James has been shoved in our faces since he was in high school, in 2002 -- 17 years ago. Yes, it's been that long.

Many of us laughed at his failures before he finally won an NBA Championship in 2012. Many of us ripped him for the way he handled his hometown of Cleveland before that. Then, he finally won 2 titles in Miami, and went back to Cleveland, and got the city its 1st World Championship in any sport in over 51 years. Now, with the assistance of playing legend turned executive Earvin "Magic" Johnson, he's trying to turn the Los Angeles Lakers back into a champion.

All along the way, NBA Commissioners -- first David Stern, and now Adam Silver -- have pretty much let him have his way. On everything. As they previously did for Michael Jordan.

Now, I applaud LeBron for what he's done for humanity, especially calling Donald Trump "U bum."

But, in a reversal of the usual line, I'm going to say, "LeBron, stick to politics, leave sports out of it."

*

Yesterday was the NBA's trading deadline. LeBron and Magic wanted Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Now, let's get something out of the way: The rant in this post has nothing to do with Davis. As far as I can tell, there is nothing wrong with wanting a healthy Anthony Davis on your team, and he is not injury-prone, although he has sat out much of this season with an injury.

In 2012, the native of the South Side of Chicago helped the University of Kentucky win the National Championship. He was named National Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Winning one of those could be a mistake by the voters, but a player doesn't win all 3 unless he deserves all 3. Then, he was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team, captained by LeBron, that won the Gold Medal at the Olympics in London.

He was just a freshman. He had a title. Aside from an education, which he could still pursue while playing professionally, there was absolutely no reason for him to stay in Lexington.

He was the 1st pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, taken by the Pelicans, about to start their last season under the New Orleans Hornets name. In 2013, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, although Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers was named Rookie of the Year.

In 2014, he made his 1st All-Star Game (he's now been to 6) and led the league in blocked shots for the 1st time (of what's now 3 seasons). In 2017, he was named Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game. In 2018, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the 1st time.

He has never been involved in a scandal, on the court, in the locker room, or in his personal life. The only bad thing anybody can say about him is that he has a "unibrow," and he's even turned that into a marketing tool.

Given that Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning and Chris Paul didn't stay long, he may already be the greatest player in the history of the Hornets/Pelicans franchise. He turns 26 on March 11. He should be just entering his prime. He could be in the NBA for another 15 years, injuries permitting. He looks like a serious candidate for the Basketball Hall of Fame.

One problem, though: He plays for the New Orleans Pelicans. That franchise began in 1988, as the original version of the Charlotte Hornets. In their 1st 30 seasons of play, they've won exactly 6 postseason series. The Lakers, on occasion, have done that in just 2 years.

And, given the size of the New Orleans market, which still hasn't fully rebounded from Hurricane Katrina, 14 years ago, and the State of Louisiana's obsession with football, the Pels are considered one of the major league sports franchises most likely to move. In other words, if Davis isn't traded by the Pels, and stays with the organization his entire career, he doesn't know where he's going to end his career. And he has no control over that, unlike in a trade, where he would have some say in it.

So Davis has requested a trade. I don't think he can be faulted for that. He has said that, failing that, he would play out his contract, to the end of next season, and leave via free agency. In other words, if the Pels don't trade him before Summer 2020, they will get nothing for him. And they want something for him. As well they should.

*

LeBron wants to win, and he wants the glory that will come from winning in L.A. He might have preferred the glory that would come from winning in New York, but the Knicks are so dysfunctional. (How dysfunctional are they?) Their NBA Championship drought began in 1973 -- 11 1/2 years before LeBron was born -- and nobody has been able to save them.

LeBron didn't want to risk his reputation on saving them, as had such legends as Willis Reed (the Captain of their titles, but a bad coach), Red Holzman (the coach of their titles couldn't do it again), Spencer Haywood, Marvin Webster, Bernard King, Rick Pitino, Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, Don Nelson, Larry Johnson, Lenny Wilkens, Dikembe Mutombo, Penny Hardaway, Larry Brown, Isiah Thomas, Tracy McGrady, Chauncey Billups, Jason Kidd, Derek Fisher, Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose.

So when LeBron's 2nd contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers ended, there was only one option that made sense: The Lakers. L.A. Hollywood. Showtime. The team of Mr. Clutch and Wilt, of Kareem and Magic, of Shaq and Kobe. If he led the Lakers to a title, he would be seen by history as being the greatest player in the history of basketball, ahead of Michael Jordan.

Yeah, Wilt Chamberlain demands an explanation for that bullshit.

So LeBron signed with Magic and the Lakers. LeBron has been used to getting what he wants since 2002. He was born in 1984. By that point, Magic had already been used to getting what he wanted.

As of right now, the Lakers are 27-27. That's .500. If the current NBA standings hold until the end of the season, the Lakers would not make the Playoffs -- and the 8th and last seed in the Western Conference would go to the Los Angeles Clippers. That would be humiliating. The Lakers are currently 2 1/2 games behind the Clips for that last slot.

So they need something. And LeBron said they need Anthony Davis. And Magic had no problem agreeing with that.

The Lakers offered the Pelicans package after package. The last one was as follows: You give us Davis, and we give you Lonzo Ball (their most-hyped player between the retirement of Kobe Bryant and the arrival of LeBron), Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and our 1st round picks in the 2019 and 2020 NBA Drafts.

Think about that: The Lakers get one guy, the Pelicans get 6 guys and 2 big draft picks. If you're an NFL fan age 35 and up, this will ring a bell: The Dallas Cowboys trading Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in 1989, for 5 players and 6 draft picks, one of which turned out to be Emmitt Smith. It was a big factor in the Cowboys becoming World Champions again, and turned the Vikings into a mediocre team.

LeBron and Magic were betting that the Pelicans would take the deal, and that both franchises would benefit. Betting that, in this context, the team giving away the draft picks would become "the Cowboys," not "the Vikings."

It could have worked. The Heat built a superteam in 2010, getting LeBron together with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Juwan Howard, Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers, and made 4 straight NBA Finals, winning 2 of them. The Boston Celtics built a superteam in 2007, bringing in Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Sam Cassell, together with Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo, and going from 24 wins to 66 in 1 year, and winning a title, and reaching the Finals again 2 years later.

On the other hand, you know who this didn't work for? The Lakers. In 2003, after a season in which they tried and failed to win a 4th straight title, they went for broke, adding Karl Malone, Gary Payton and Bryon Russell to Kobe, Shaquille O'Neal, Derek Fisher and Rick Fox. They won 56 games, and breezed through the Playoffs... and then got smacked in 5 games by the Detroit Pistons in one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history.

The Lakers then got broken up, as Shaq couldn't stand playing with Kobe anymore, and the team was rebuilt around Kobe. It took another 4 years for them to get back to the Finals, and an additional year to win another title. Meanwhile, the Pistons made their 2004 win look like less of a shock by getting to the Finals again the next season.

So the trade of 6 guys and 2 1st round draft picks for Anthony Davis could have worked. But we will never know, because the Pelicans turned the trade down.

Why? If Davis is going to play his last game for the team sometime in the next 14 to 16 months anyway (depending on how far they go in the 2020 Playoffs), why not take the best possible offer?

Because Pelicans general manager Dell Demps and owner Gayle Benson (who recently inherited the team, and the NFL's New Orleans Saints, from her late husband Tom) believe they can get a better deal this Summer, from the Celtics.

The names being rumored are Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford -- exactly which combination of these guys depends on who's spreading the rumor -- and draft picks. The Celtics currently hold 3 picks in this year's 1st round. If the current standings hold, they will have the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference, and home-court advantage in at least the 1st Round of the Playoffs, meaning they probably won't need all 3 of those picks. They have a lot of flexibility, much more than the Lakers.

So the Pelicanes refused the Lakers' huge, Herschel-type offer. Essentially, LeBron and Magic, 2 of the biggest names in NBA history, now working together at the most attractive (if not best) franchise in the NBA, were both told, "Take a hike, son." (Ball Four reference.)

This is the biggest F.U., the greatest humiliation, for the Lakers since that 2004 Finals loss.

At this point, LeBron's name, his pull, his clout are probably bigger than Magic's. Aside from a brief comeback in 1996, Magic hasn't been an active NBA player since before Davis was born. This isn't really on him. This is on LeBron.

And, as far as we can tell, Commissioner Silver did not lean on the Pelicans to take the deal. He could have. He didn't. In short, the NBA did not force anyone to let LeBron have his way.

Which means he won't automatically have it ever again. He might get it, but it won't be automatic. And even if he gets it, there's no guarantee that it will work.

For all intents and purposes, LeBron, not Jeanie Buss, is the Lakers' owner: Jeanie is just the lady with the money.

LeBron, not Magic, is the Lakers' GM: Magic is just the guy who hands the money out.

And LeBron, not Luke Walton (a guy with his own pretty good NBA pedigree, to which he has added), is the Lakers' head coach: Luke is just the guy in the suit who waves his hands and gives signals, which the players ignore, because LeBron runs the show.

Given that the Commissioner usually lets LeBron have what he wants, LeBron may be the most powerful man in the NBA -- the most powerful person in any sports league in North America.

And the New Orleans Pelicans, a team that has never reached the Conference Finals in 30 years, has told him, "No, you can't have that."

The Era of LeBron is over. If he ever wants to see so much as the Conference Finals again, he may have to pay his cable bill.

UPDATE: Four months after this, on June 15, 2019, the Lakers got their man: The Pelicans sent them Davis in exchange for Ball, Ingram, Hart, and 3 1st round draft picks, including the Number 4 overall selection in the 2019 NBA Draft, which turned out to be De'Andre Hunter, who led the University of Virginia to the National Championship -- and whom the Pelicans immediately traded to the Atlanta Hawks, with Solomon Hill, for draft picks that turned out to be Jaxson Hayes, Nickell Alexander-Walker and Marcos Louzada Silva.


So the Pels gave up Davis, and got 3 good players and 3 draft picks. Whether that ends up being worth more to them than 6 players and 2 draft picks, we shall see.