Clueless Obama: 'Is Cleveland Still Rooting Against Miami?'

I guess he's too dense to realize some folks are still holding a grudge against LeBron James.

President Barack Obama had an overall optimistic message for Northeast Ohioans Monday as NewsChannel5’s Leon Bibb sat down with him for an interview in Washington.

The topics discussed included the auto industry, the economy, the future of NASA Glenn Research Center, Osama bin Laden death on the impact of American troop withdrawal and urban education. But before everything got officially started, the president – unsolicited – brought up the topic most Clevelanders have chosen to forget, LeBron James.

“Is Cleveland still rooting against Miami?” asked the president as Bibb was taking his seat (and before the cameras were rolling).

“Yeah, we're working on that,” replied Bibb, laughing and asking his thought on the series.

The president said he expects the Heat to take it.

Way to go out on a limb.

His stupidity was exposed before video rolled. Video's at the link. Typical nonsense about electric cars and having already created millions of jobs or something.

'It’s Always, You Know, a Race Factor'

As if LeBron James hasn't already ruined his public image, now he's playing the race card. No doubt this will be well received in Cleveland.

As if on cue, LeBron James and his dunce of a marketing agent have proclaimed that his plummeting Q Scores have something to do with race.

“It’s always, you know, a race factor,” the noted sociologist/sneaker salesman himself told CNN interviewer Soledad O’Brien.

“It definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media, things that were written for sure,” said Maverick Carter, the rising star who conceived of “The Decision.”

Carter was a 22-year-old college dropout when James gave him a gig as CEO of something called LRMR Marketing and Branding. Neither the title, nor the intervening years, nor his audiences with such luminaries as Warren Buffet and Jay-Z, have taught Carter a thing. In fact, he may have gotten stupider. Or perhaps, just more cynical.

Race had a role? Stories and columns were race-based, or somehow racist?

Again: “For sure.”

For real?

Prove it. Go ahead. Show me. Show the world. Which things that were written? By whom? Why? How are they about race?

You want to bring race into this? Fine. Just the same, introducing it at this point in the story – and now I can’t help but wonder how long before someone invokes the “million dollar slave” cliché? – obligates James and Carter to provide a bill of particulars.

Short of that improbable development, the theme of this story doesn’t change. It only intensifies. Now more than ever, this is about arrogance, or rather, a particular form of hubris found in rich, young stars.

You see it in entertainment. You see it in sports. You see it, of course, in every race, creed and color. The problem is fame and wealth of a degree that leaves a young person hopelessly out of touch. It happened to Mike Tyson. It happened to Lindsey Lohan. It’s happening to LeBron James.

Here you have a manchild who we all thought was far more mature beyond his years, a savvy entrepreneur who know how to sell himself on Madison Avenue. He'll still sell, perhaps, but his target audience is shrinking by the day. Nonsense like this doesn't sell with people who aren't racists, those people who shell out top dollar to go see spoiled athletes play their games while richly rewarded.

James has more money than he can ever spend, but he doesn't have the slightest bit of class and decency. If he thought he would be facing hostile crowds on the road this year, he likely has no idea what's now in store. He'd be wise to shut up and play, then reconsider who's representing him.

“The Decision” instantaneously transformed him into a bad guy. Now, the more he tries to justify it, the more the trouble he causes himself. He doesn’t like playing the heel, but he can’t stop.

The introduction of race is merely the latest and crudest attempt to deflect the greatest backlash in American sports. Pretty much everyone but James and Carter could see it coming, a reaction in proportion to the hype.

I don’t know of anyone – certainly no one outside Ohio – who had a real beef with James leaving the Cavaliers or exercising his rights as a free agent. But don’t play hometown hero, and expect people to applaud when you leave. And don’t jerk them around.

Jesse Jackson: LeBron James a 'Runaway Slave' or Something

Leave it to the discredited race hustler to stick his beak into the LeBron James affair. Anything for some television facetime.

Jesse Jackson criticized Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert on Sunday, saying Gilbert sees LeBron James as a “runaway slave” and that the owner’s comments after the free-agent forward decided to join the Miami Heat put the player in danger.

Shortly after James announced his decision last week, Gilbert fired off an incendiary letter to Cleveland’s fans, ripping the 25-year-old and promising to deliver a title before James wins one. He called James’ decision “cowardly” and later told The Associated Press he believes James quit during a handful of Cavaliers playoff games.

“He has gotten a free pass,” Gilbert told the AP in a phone interview late Thursday night. “People have covered up for (James) for way too long. Tonight we saw who he really is.”

Jackson said Gilbert’s comments were “mean, arrogant and presumptuous.”

“He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers,” the reverend said in a release from his Chicago-based civil rights group, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. “His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave. This is an owner employee relationship—between business partners—and LeBron honored his contract.”

I doubt Gilbert's intention was to be viewed as a slave owner, especially when you consider he's in the business of paying many black players exorbitant sums of money. If as Jackson claims James was a "slave" to Gilbert he was the most highly rewarded "slave" in human history. I doubt he appreciates being called a slave.

Jackson just needs to STFU and mind his own business.

Cavaliers Owner Sends Best Wishes to LeBron

Here's hoping the Miami Heat gets to visit Cleveland on Christmas Day. I'm just sure LeBron James will be warmly greeted.

Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE"

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

He seems to be taking the betrayal well.

I must say James managed to turn himself from one of the most marketable commodities in America into a total douchebag in record time. He may now be a hot commodity in South Florida, but good luck selling that "brand" anywhere else.

Underexposed President to Appear in Back-to-School Special

Thank goodness someone finally got around to giving Barack Obama some face time on television. You so rarely get a glimpse of the guy, you get the feeling he's camera shy or something.

President Barack Obama will appear in a back-to-school television special with singer Kelly Clarkson and basketball star LeBron James next month.

Obama is appearing in a 30-minute documentary that will air at 8 p.m. Sept. 8 on BET, MTV, VH1, CMT, Comedy Central, Spike TV and Nickelodeon, all of them Viacom networks. Obama also plans to deliver a back-to-school speech to the nation's students on the same day.

Viacom owns CBS, so consider this a free commercial plug from one of Obama's networks. How kind of them.

I saw Karl Rove on televison last night giving advice to Obama on how to curtail his precipitous slide in the polls. One of them was to get out of people's faces on a daily basis. Never has a politician been more overexposed than this guy and people are sick of him. I doubt Obama's in the business of taking Rove's advice, but he might want to consider giving us a break.

Yeah, I know, wishful thinking.

The Sound of Silence

Maybe someone in the Knicks front office can clandestinely send LeBron James a number 23 jersey now.

Just to see how it looks.

Head down and shoulders slumped, LeBron James headed off the court as the Orlando Magic streamers shot off above him.

Dwight Howard was hugging Hedo Turkoglu, dreams of Beating L.A. dancing in their heads. James wasn’t bothering to stick around to shake hands, offer congratulations or pretend there was a bright side to the Magic ousting his Cleveland Cavaliers from the East finals with a 103-90 victory in Game 6.

James was off the floor before the confetti could hit his shoulders.

He later dressed in silence in a corner of the locker room then put on some gold, oversized headphones and headed for the door. Normally one of the last to leave, he was now one of the first. With anger and frustration evident in each step, he charged through the back halls of Amway Arena without greeting anyone, got on the team bus and soon was off to the airport.

There was no looking for his mother, Gloria. There was no talking with Nike executives. And forget addressing fans and media – Mo Williams was left to answer for the defeat.

LeBron was gone. The King was silent.

LeBron James Nails Game-Winning 3-Pointer Against Magic

The Cavaliers were staring into the abyss, facing an 0-2 deficit on their way to Orlando.

With just one second left.

Then King James stepped up big.

Amazing.