LBJ needs new handlers

by Jeff Laboon

Last night, LeBron James’ former team the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, 112-57. The 55-point blowout marked the 11th consecutive loss for the Cavs, whose last win came on December 18 in an overtime game against the New York Knicks. James and the Miami Heat, however, are riding a nine game winning streak and James has scored at least 15 points in each of the Heat’s games so far this season.

(James played seven seasons with the Cavs before leaving in free agency.)

James and the Cavs sit on opposite ends of the Eastern Conference standings, which many expected. But it is so hard to not feel for the Cavs in this season. Any hope of sneaking into the playoffs is all but washed away – they are currently 7.5 games behind eighth place in the East – and, with the NBA Draft Lottery, there is no guarantee that the Cavs will have the first overall pick if they finish with the worst record.

But while the Cavs are warranting the media’s sympathy with their lackluster performance, James continues to warrant the nation’s anguish with his mouth. Following the Cavs’ loss last night, James tweeted from his account KingJames, “Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!”



Michelle Beadle from ESPN’s Sportsnation offered the best opinion on the matter from her account ESPN_Michelle, “Anyone making mad withdrawals from the karma bank might wanna relax. It DOES hit us all...#bestrongcavs#noideawhentoremainquiet.”

James’ comment comes only weeks after he openly supported contraction, a term feared by small market franchises in all sports. In an interview with ESPN on December 24 he said, “[Contraction] is not my job; I'm a player but that is why it, the league, was so great.” He went on to single out the Minnesota Timberwolves as bad teams with good players.

James is entitled to his opinion on both the Cavs and contraction. That is not the issue here. Where are his handlers in all of this, though? For someone who is already despised by fans all over the world, these comments only make matters worse. Not that it matters, he’ll still sell shoes despite this more outspoken persona he has adopted since joining the Heat.

(Beadle cohosts Sportsnation with Colin Cowherd every weekday at 4 on ESPN2.)

Meanwhile, Michelle Beadle deservingly earned some more fans by speaking out against the self-proclaimed king.

UPDATE: LeBron claims that the tweet was not directed toward the Cavs and owner Dan Gilbert, but actually was sent to James by someone else. Believe what you wish to believe.