By Julie Buehler
Fact is; I don’t have THAT many brain cells to spare.
I’m not willing to waste them speculating where Carmelo Anthony is going to land since he’s optioned out of his contract with the New York Knicks.
This week, LeBron James’ decided to “opt-out” of his final 2 years with the Miami Heat, but, according to sources, that doesn’t mean Bron Bron is moving, just that he wants a new deal.
Well, here’s my new deal: I don’t care.
Carmelo and LeBron are the latest big names who can choose the city they’d like to play in, the fan base they’d like to play for and hijack the sports news cycle with their whims.
Except, I won’t allow it.
Why should anyone care where Carmelo is house shopping? Why should anyone care what LeBron James’ wife is posting on Instagram? Why is there a ticker at the bottom of the screen outlining the latest development in these frivolities?
The San Antonio Spurs just won the NBA title, easily, over James’ Miami Heat because they had a team of players that executed their individual jobs for the collective good. Spurs leader Tim Duncan decided he’d “opt-in” to another year with his team.
Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony was considering whether he’d like to leave New York for greener pastures. Forget the fact that he never made the Knicks a better basketball TEAM. Yes, he got them to the playoffs and he scored A LOT of points, and somewhat rejuvenated the franchise because of that. But if he leaves, what are they left with? Memories and old jerseys, I guess.
The NBA has some great teams, from the Spurs to the Clippers to the Warriors and the Thunder and the Bulls, just to name a few… yet the constant narrative for NBA storylines seem to be dominated by the individual players that strike big marketing deals but don’t always deliver in the post season.
And I don’t get it.
As sports fans we aren’t that dumb. We know one man doesn’t bring a championship. We know it requires team chemistry, a balanced attack, sound defense and precise execution to actually change the course of a franchise’s history. One guy doesn’t do that. Period.
One guy can help do that, but not if he’s only looking out for his own interests.
It’s not that I disagree with the players’ right to seek opportunities beyond their current contract situation. I don’t have a problem free agency, or the idea that they’d like to make as much money as possible. Great. Go get it!
But I do have a big problem with sports media and sports fans getting pummeled by constant coverage of where LeBron or Carmelo or “fill-in-the-blank athlete” will land every summer.
In 2010 when LeBron James and Jim Grey hosted “The Decision,” I called it the worst case of oozing media kiss-ass I’d ever seen. And fan reaction was just as scornful.
You’d think the media and athletes would learn from that.
Yes, the Heat played in 4 straight NBA Finals once LBJ put on his jersey and that’s an accomplishment that hadn’t been done since the late 80’s by the Celtics. But Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade needed to “opt-in” to their own contracts to offer LBJ his running mates.
Now this summer LeBron will have another opportunity to take his talents elsewhere, as does Carmelo Anthony, but rather than “opt-in” to the drama and speculation, I’m going to watch real sports and real teams and reality.
I’ll be watching the Oakland A’s enjoy the best record in baseball. I’ll watch Mike Trout tear the cover off the baseball before tearing up the base path. I’ll watch the fantastic World Cup action and enjoy a steady dose of NFL training camp.
So here’s The Decision: “Opt-in” to the mind numbing chatter about meaningless speculation or “Opt-in” to what sports are meant to be about, individuals coming together to pursue excellence as a team?
Your brain cells will thank you if you choose the latter.
Julie Buehler hosts the Coachella Valley’s most popular sports talk radio show, “Buehler’s Day Off” every day from 3-6 on 1010 KXPS, the valley’s all sports station. She’s an avid gym rat, slightly sarcastic and more likely to recite Steve Young’s career passing stats than American Idol winners. Tune in M-F 3-6 pst at www.team1010.com or watch the show on Ustream.
