LeBron James Guarantees Gold; Not a Good Move
A quick cut to the chase. Per the Associated Press:
James made his guarantee in a Time magazine story that hits newsstands Friday. The Cavaliers superstar is featured on one of the covers of the Olympic preview issue.
After comparing the feeling of receiving a gold medal on the podium to opening a prized gift on Christmas morning, James was asked if that meant he would lead the Americans to the title.
“Absolutely,” James responded.
Asked if he guaranteed it, he repeated, “Absolutely.”
Now we will follow up with some thoughts. For starters, guarantees are a very dangerous tightrope to walk. If Rasheed Wallace were to guarantee what he was going to have for breakfast the next day, someone would be bound to say something about it. Gilbert Arenas had some lofty expectations during last season’s playoffs, and we know what happend there. What James did by guaranteeing a Gold simply laid the gauntlet down to his teammates without their prior knowledge, and anything short of epic prosperity will be ridiculed – and rightfully so.
Look, Lebron James is easily my favorite player in the league. I come to his defense in almost every situation, ranging from his mother rushing the floor to getting cheapshots from Brendan Haywood. However, he has an injured ankle and was on the same team that was an epic failure in the 2004 games. Granted, Larry Brown is no longer here to mess with James’ playing time, but who is to say that something drastic doesn’t happen? To guarantee something before the games even start?
I’m all for confidence, and frankly as the favorite to win it all, I do think that the U.S. will win the Gold. But to speak for the rest of your team – a team full of All-Stars and world class players that could have their own opinion - in a matter that would promise something that has a chance to not be delivered is a rough move to make.
There are several members of the current team that were there in 2004, and you can bet than they’re keeping their thoughts to themselves. If any other member of this team were to “guarantee” anything, there would be some sort of backlash. Alas, I’m fully willing to accept the same for the pride of Cleveland basketball. Feel free to disagree below.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Cleveland has a bad history recently with Guarantees. Anyone remember what Ryan Garko said last year during the Playoffs? Something about champagne and the road. I mean, granted its Team USA and not a Cleveland team, but still…let it be LeBron.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I disagree…when the world’s best player says something like this, his teammates better do everything they can to make him look good. Years from now we will see this stretch of time, from Kobe’s chokejob in the Finals to this guarantee from LeBron, as the period when he officially took the throne as best player on the planet from Kobe.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I hate these guarantee stories. How do you think somebody would answer if they had to be honest? In reality athletes usually give you the bland nonanswer which is the way to go because if they actually have a response they get jumped. They’ll either seem hesitant and lacking confidence or they’ll provide bulletin board material and set themselves up for failure. LeBron, eager to erase the “LeBronze” label, simply thought out loud before thinking to himself. Now just back it up and let’s move on.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I’m not a fan of guarantees in general. They’re so unnecessary, and you have nothing to gain from them and everything to lose. But, I too hate saying bad things about LeBron. So I just won’t say anything at all.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Well i guarantee you are all wrong, and I will bring home the gold!
July 25th, 2008 at 12:15 am
LeBron’s proclamation will only boost interest in the games. If anything, it’s a smart marketing ploy until the medal rounds where we get to see if he’s right or not. Can’t wait till August 10th and that first game against China, that should be interesting.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:30 am
I agree with Mike. Players cannot show true emotion anymore in their comments to the press because there will be PTI/Jime Rome/Around the Horn/Cold Pizza/etc… analyzing their comments for days to come. They have to be politically correct at all times which is impossible. Also, since the famous guarantee of Joe Namath, the press goes out of their way into cornering athletes to guarantee a win. The reporter went out of their way to not only corner him into giving a guarantee, but to make it sound like he was the one that would lead the team. I can’t wait to see the U.S. play. They will have a chip on their shoulders and destroy opponents. I can only hope that they play Greece in the tournament.