2010 NBA Free Agency: LeBron Chooses Miami
M.D. Wright
7.10.10
You know what? GOOD FOR HIM. You play ball in the NBA to WIN more than any other reason. And "legacy" and perception be damned, LeBron James went to the situation he thought was the best opportunity for him to do so. If it were only that simple, I wouldn't have a single thing to say about it.
However...
Oh, and for the people who claim I hate LeBron -- I am not Skip Bayless, who I am CONVINCED hates him, but you got me misunderstood. No one is solely pointing the finger at James. Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert, former Cavs' GM Danny Ferry, etc. were to blame (although they have been limited in what they could do the past 3 years being pressed against the cap due to the bad decisions after they made the Finals), but I'm not letting LeBron off the hook ESPECIALLY with the way he handled this and what it says about him that he chose to go to Miami and not New York, when, if his crew of yes-men faggots had any wisdom and long-term foresight, they would've known that the Knicks offered the better long-term situation than Miami. Miami is championship or bust in the next 3 years (he's most likely going to have an out-clause after the 3rd year once they don't win anything and he's frustrated again). They're cap pressed already and will be for the duration of those guys' contracts.
See, given that they signed simultaneously and not staggered year after the next, the Heat's cap situation isn't going to get any better. They'll only have a mid-level exception and have to hit 100% on their drafts in 2011 and 2012 for it to work (and hope that these supposedly NBA-ready 2010 picks pan out immediately).
Yes, there were IFs involved in coming to New York, but there are FAR more in Miami. The prospect of winning now is alluring and I can't and won't knock him for that. At the end of the day who really cares why he chose and where he went? It's his decision and his future. But this whole thing was a PR nightmare, especially for the unbiased eye who will be objective enough to see through what was said and WASN'T said to see how full of shit everyone around LeBron and LeBron himself were about this. You have every right to leave Cleveland. But tell them that. Gilbert is an arrogant prick and I'm halfway glad this happened, because he was grand-standing like he just KNEW LeBron was staying no matter what. I loved seeing those press conferences last year and this year with him and his smug face making proclamations.
But LeBron shouldn't have done it this way. You run the league. Do it the way you want to. Not the way your hack ass "marketing team" and "managers" tell you to.
There was NO NEED to go to Greenwich and have it at the B&G. Why? Stans speculated it was because of Carmelo's wedding today -- July 10 -- here in New York. But LeBron has been in Miami ever since the announcement on Thursday night. Why use the charity angle to assuage the guilt and lessening the blow so people would say "well, he IS doing it for charity, after all, so lay off" (which is what they undoubtedly hoped people thought). CUT THEM A CHECK AND KEEP IT MOVING.
If it were me, I would've just said "too bad, I'm outta here" and not gave a fuck what people thought. The whole farce was constructed BECAUSE LeBron cares about how he's perceived and it BACKFIRED, because now he has a whole state hating him for leaving and HOW he left, and the entire tri-state here (save for a few die-hard fans of his) who either were ambivalent and now hate him or were like me, liked watching him play, cynical and saw through the bullshit and am calling bullshit again with this -- who are turning against him after being supportive for 7 years. Contrary to what people like you claim, I don't hate him. Not even. I don't WORSHIP him like the stans do, but I hate overhype for someone who hasn't achieved anything, stars aligned or not. And before I even hear Kobe being brought up, that discussion can FOREVER be put to rest, now. No one is allowed to compare LeBron with him anymore. It wasn't a viable argument before, anyway. LeBron is huge no homo. He's 6'8" 265 and faster than almost everyone in the league. Stature-wise, Kobe is built like 100 other guys in the NBA at 6'6" 210. Kobe's footwork is impeccable. Hell, Hakeem personally taught him some of the moves he uses and Jordan nods in approval at his pivot moves. LeBron does none of that. As a student of the game and a miniature version of the thinking-man's player (I love using pivot moves, step-backs, Reggie Miller catch-and-shoots, triple threat, etc.) I give more credence to someone who does that better than anyone over someone who bulls over players and gets the benefit of the whistle 90% of the time. Across the board in terms of a polished game, Kobe is better. Notice I said POLISHED. People are in awe of LeBron's athleticism, thundering dunks and mesmerizing antics on the court. Hell, I love 'em myself. But POLISHED is what Jordan was and POLISHED is what Kobe is. I watch LeBron to be entertained, I watch Kobe to see perfection on the court.
BUT ENOUGH OF THAT, this article has nothing to do with Bryant.
I woulda been fine with him going to CHI or even NJ (and would've understood the latter much more with his supposed ties to Jay). But to do this in my backyard, under a farcical façade and then not choose New York, well, you can't expect me to jump on my arch-rival team's bandwagon, can you?
It's never been personal with me and that dude. If I saw him on the street, I'd give him pounds and I'm sure he's cool (minus the yes men handlers of his). Just like Jay. I hate how Jay rigged the game and got tight that Harlem dudes was getting more shine on his label, so he undercut them and did spiteful shit in order to sabotage their success. But if I met Jay in person and even did business with him, all that would be put aside. Haters aren't able to do that. So let's get that straight once and for all.
I have to re-emphasize this several times in a column, why? Because even after reading it (if the people who comment first EVEN DO SO), people will still claim it. If you haven't played, coached, refereed the game, and don't know the history of the game down through the years and a purist, then why try to tell me what to think here?
At any rate, I'm not like some of the people who I've heard talk lately. Everywhere I've gone the past three days in the city, I hear people talking about it. This one guy was homicidal today when I was down by Wall Street. He was furious that LeBron didn't come. Cavs fans and Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert have shown their asses ever since Thursday night. I'm embarrassed to be part of the same human race with such people. It wasn't that serious. I didn't hold candlelight vigil outside of Madison Square Garden hoping he would come and then flip out when he didn't choose us. The Knicks have been at the bottom of the totem pole for New York fans for a decade. It was funny to see "taunts" on my Facebook and Twitter pages from fans of teams that have won exactly nothing -- I might add -- as if I was someplace whimpering in a corner or ready to jump off the ledge like Cleveland fans. I wasn't. Far from it (in fact, I was tight about the MTA and its antics -- which I will write about later tonight -- more than LeBron could have EVER made me) You wanna know why I am ambivalent (now that the initial disappointment is over?)
I HAVE THE YANKEES AND GIANTS TO SUPPORT.
God bless and Good Night.
As politically incorrect as I wanna be.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
My Open Letter To My Friends
My Open Letter To My Friends
M.D. Wright
7.10.10
I feel compelled to write to my true friends for many reasons. Some of it, to clear up any assumptions that may be out there because of things that are said (and unsaid) or my lack of interaction outside of Facebook or my absence from all the events, parties and what have you that I have been invited to for the past few months. I feel disgusted because of my entire situation and shuttling back and forth between Harlem and Staten Island almost daily (and having to crash on SI when I'm not Uptown) just makes things even more unnerving.
There are some of you who are great at letting me know when things are going on, inviting me, wanting me to be in your presence and I greatly appreciate it. I am not aloof. Those of you who hang around me here in New York or those in other states who have known me for years know I am a sociable person and when I'm around good people, I love to have a good time and people feel good having laughs with my robust sense of humor and overall warm presence. I try to do what I can, but I am simply in an impossible situation and coupled with all the stresses that I have on my plate at the moment, making it to even 1 in every 10 things I am invited to is a daunting task.
When I graduated from UNCG, my plan was to go back Uptown. I would have been closer to any job prospects, landed a job sooner, had more available housing options and been able to do my real estate gig on the side much more easily. I had spent three of the four years at UNCG applying for jobs all over North Carolina, DMV and back here in New York and the tri-state (even applied for a few dozen in Jersey, Westchester and even Connecticut), along with Florida and Puerto Rico. I've expressed willingness to travel abroad to work if the opportunity presented itself and such an arrangement necessitated that sort of travel. I came up with NOTHING after submitting over 15,000 applications online between March 2006 and July 2010. I've hustled just as hustlers do, and had a few gigs here and there, but I haven't had a permanent, full-time, salaried job since August 2005. I have no idea how someone who busts their ass trying to find such gainful employment can come up short for FIVE STRAIGHT YEARS. It is beyond me. I don't care WHAT the economy looks like.
Anyway, that led me to reach out to my aunt who I used to live with in Newark many years ago. Back then, when I wasn't in Brooklyn in school or in Harlem -- either at her office, with friends or huggin' the block, I was out in Jersey and thankfully, she's always looked out for me. Otherwise, I would've been dead ass homeless. I have relatives in every borough, but at age 30 (last year), I shudder at the thought of not having my own place when I was accustomed to that for the past few years. Although the situation is less than ideal (even if it were Uptown and not Staten Island), I shant complain. She's been very gracious and welcoming and has made things a bit less stressful for me when I have otherwise been stressed out to the max for the past 14 months.
I managed to land a summer camp counselor job through a now-former friend last year and that was a train wreck from the get-go. I won't get into that again, as I wrote about it in-depth when it ended horribly last August, but that precluded me from interviewing for anything in Manhattan all summer. It eventually set me up for an awful summer -- couldn't hang with my friends for more than one weekend in a month -- and an even worse fall and winter; as I was broke, the commute is even more unnerving when it is cold and there were no job prospects nor any resources available to start a business (you know people who have never had to struggle to survive are quick to tell you to "create your own opportunities" when you've bankrupted yourself just to pay for college OUT OF POCKET for four years and spent three other years and tens of thousands of dollars on two other businesses that I never truly could dedicate any time to due to my ministry and academic requirements). To make matters worse, SOMEHOW, being an ideal candidate for the public assistance programs that New York City and New York State offer, I had been ineligible to receive anything (even unemployment before embarking on a 9 month BITTER FIGHT for my benefits and still only received 1/4 of the $10,000 that was due to me) that would enable me to 1) get my own place, 2) subsist and 3) be in position to be gainfully employed again. Thoughts of starting another business had to be put on the back burner, because I had to worry about having clothes on my back, a roof over my head and food to eat ALONG WITH the massive costs of transporting myself with the ever-maddening MTA cutting services left and right but always threatening fare-hikes at the same time.
I went on 63 interviews from September 2009 until March 31, 2010. I felt like I wasted a colossal amount of time doing so. I know for a fact almost all of them only brought me in so that they could fulfill a "quota" of "interviewing" a certain number of "minority" candidates so that they wouldn't be cited for discrimination (hey folks, bullshit "interviews" and hiring unqualified buddies of yours or sticking to those who are "unthreatening" -- read: Whites, Asians, females and uneducated Black yes-men does not constitute "equal opportunity employer" status).
I finally hit with Rapid Realty, and while it would otherwise be good -- especially if I had stacks; which you need for ANY commission job (reminder: I left Aetna in August 2005 with 12 stacks -- I always had money before wasting it all on a useless Bachelor's Degree that I almost regret going back to school to get -- what has it done for me???) it's not right now. I have to commute two hours to get to ANY of our 15 offices and the majority of my clients have been less than ideal with their lack of funds, credit scores, understanding of the market and willingness to come off exorbitant requests for little to no money . It's highly frustrating, because I have now spent three months and been more of a tour guide than a realtor. And some of these people are native New Yorkers who have been through the process before.
Side note: please explain to me why someone expects to spend less than $1,500 but want to live on the Upper West Side? Or only want to spend $800 but want not to be in or NEAR the 'hood in Brooklyn? Are we THAT out of touch with reality, folks?
It has depleted my funds and not having much to begin with -- especially after being short-changed by the Dept. of Labor for my unemployment -- that isn't sitting well with me right now. I'm back in that vicious cycle where I really don't care anymore and it's dangerous for me and for those who get in my way. Consider this a warning.
I am not a drunkard, but I would have liked to have gone to Nevada's every (or at least most) Thursday, or go to shows, house parties, Hip Hop festivals, events that I get invited to (Tisha Blu Moon, this is to you ha) and what have you, but again, if I'm not in Harlem, I can't fathom doing it. If I have drinks, the 2 hour commute isn't palatable to me. Most people have a 20-30 minute subway/bus/cab ride home after such an evening. I have a 20 minute walk, a subway ride (or two, in some cases), the ferry or the express bus and then ANOTHER bus (or a 20 minute walk on the tail end of it) to consider. Raise your hand if you feel like doing that after you've partied, had drinks, had some kush/haze, etc. I DIDN'T THINK SO.
I just want you all to know I am not being standoffish and "stuck up". I hate weekends. Most of you live for them, but they are the most uneventful times of the week for me. The MTA is at its worst on the weekends and the express buses run both more infrequently and don't go anywhere NEAR my house on weekends. I am going to put the MTA on blast in another blog coming up later tonight.
However, I am holding out hope that something will break soon. I have a promising interview on Monday in Herald Square and I'm still lining up appointments for real estate (but only by appointment-only and pretty much taking referrals from my friends and friends of friends; chasing down half-assed leads has me on icy terms with my company because they're expecting me to turn water into wine when I'm dealing with people with Section 8 budgets looking for a fucking Upper East Side penthouse with their ridiculous demands).
Nevertheless, it is what it is.
All I can say is, despite it all, I play hard every day trying to do my best to remedy the situation with ZERO help from anyone.
God Bless and Good Night.
M.D. Wright
7.10.10
I feel compelled to write to my true friends for many reasons. Some of it, to clear up any assumptions that may be out there because of things that are said (and unsaid) or my lack of interaction outside of Facebook or my absence from all the events, parties and what have you that I have been invited to for the past few months. I feel disgusted because of my entire situation and shuttling back and forth between Harlem and Staten Island almost daily (and having to crash on SI when I'm not Uptown) just makes things even more unnerving.
There are some of you who are great at letting me know when things are going on, inviting me, wanting me to be in your presence and I greatly appreciate it. I am not aloof. Those of you who hang around me here in New York or those in other states who have known me for years know I am a sociable person and when I'm around good people, I love to have a good time and people feel good having laughs with my robust sense of humor and overall warm presence. I try to do what I can, but I am simply in an impossible situation and coupled with all the stresses that I have on my plate at the moment, making it to even 1 in every 10 things I am invited to is a daunting task.
When I graduated from UNCG, my plan was to go back Uptown. I would have been closer to any job prospects, landed a job sooner, had more available housing options and been able to do my real estate gig on the side much more easily. I had spent three of the four years at UNCG applying for jobs all over North Carolina, DMV and back here in New York and the tri-state (even applied for a few dozen in Jersey, Westchester and even Connecticut), along with Florida and Puerto Rico. I've expressed willingness to travel abroad to work if the opportunity presented itself and such an arrangement necessitated that sort of travel. I came up with NOTHING after submitting over 15,000 applications online between March 2006 and July 2010. I've hustled just as hustlers do, and had a few gigs here and there, but I haven't had a permanent, full-time, salaried job since August 2005. I have no idea how someone who busts their ass trying to find such gainful employment can come up short for FIVE STRAIGHT YEARS. It is beyond me. I don't care WHAT the economy looks like.
Anyway, that led me to reach out to my aunt who I used to live with in Newark many years ago. Back then, when I wasn't in Brooklyn in school or in Harlem -- either at her office, with friends or huggin' the block, I was out in Jersey and thankfully, she's always looked out for me. Otherwise, I would've been dead ass homeless. I have relatives in every borough, but at age 30 (last year), I shudder at the thought of not having my own place when I was accustomed to that for the past few years. Although the situation is less than ideal (even if it were Uptown and not Staten Island), I shant complain. She's been very gracious and welcoming and has made things a bit less stressful for me when I have otherwise been stressed out to the max for the past 14 months.
I managed to land a summer camp counselor job through a now-former friend last year and that was a train wreck from the get-go. I won't get into that again, as I wrote about it in-depth when it ended horribly last August, but that precluded me from interviewing for anything in Manhattan all summer. It eventually set me up for an awful summer -- couldn't hang with my friends for more than one weekend in a month -- and an even worse fall and winter; as I was broke, the commute is even more unnerving when it is cold and there were no job prospects nor any resources available to start a business (you know people who have never had to struggle to survive are quick to tell you to "create your own opportunities" when you've bankrupted yourself just to pay for college OUT OF POCKET for four years and spent three other years and tens of thousands of dollars on two other businesses that I never truly could dedicate any time to due to my ministry and academic requirements). To make matters worse, SOMEHOW, being an ideal candidate for the public assistance programs that New York City and New York State offer, I had been ineligible to receive anything (even unemployment before embarking on a 9 month BITTER FIGHT for my benefits and still only received 1/4 of the $10,000 that was due to me) that would enable me to 1) get my own place, 2) subsist and 3) be in position to be gainfully employed again. Thoughts of starting another business had to be put on the back burner, because I had to worry about having clothes on my back, a roof over my head and food to eat ALONG WITH the massive costs of transporting myself with the ever-maddening MTA cutting services left and right but always threatening fare-hikes at the same time.
I went on 63 interviews from September 2009 until March 31, 2010. I felt like I wasted a colossal amount of time doing so. I know for a fact almost all of them only brought me in so that they could fulfill a "quota" of "interviewing" a certain number of "minority" candidates so that they wouldn't be cited for discrimination (hey folks, bullshit "interviews" and hiring unqualified buddies of yours or sticking to those who are "unthreatening" -- read: Whites, Asians, females and uneducated Black yes-men does not constitute "equal opportunity employer" status).
I finally hit with Rapid Realty, and while it would otherwise be good -- especially if I had stacks; which you need for ANY commission job (reminder: I left Aetna in August 2005 with 12 stacks -- I always had money before wasting it all on a useless Bachelor's Degree that I almost regret going back to school to get -- what has it done for me???) it's not right now. I have to commute two hours to get to ANY of our 15 offices and the majority of my clients have been less than ideal with their lack of funds, credit scores, understanding of the market and willingness to come off exorbitant requests for little to no money . It's highly frustrating, because I have now spent three months and been more of a tour guide than a realtor. And some of these people are native New Yorkers who have been through the process before.
Side note: please explain to me why someone expects to spend less than $1,500 but want to live on the Upper West Side? Or only want to spend $800 but want not to be in or NEAR the 'hood in Brooklyn? Are we THAT out of touch with reality, folks?
It has depleted my funds and not having much to begin with -- especially after being short-changed by the Dept. of Labor for my unemployment -- that isn't sitting well with me right now. I'm back in that vicious cycle where I really don't care anymore and it's dangerous for me and for those who get in my way. Consider this a warning.
I am not a drunkard, but I would have liked to have gone to Nevada's every (or at least most) Thursday, or go to shows, house parties, Hip Hop festivals, events that I get invited to (Tisha Blu Moon, this is to you ha) and what have you, but again, if I'm not in Harlem, I can't fathom doing it. If I have drinks, the 2 hour commute isn't palatable to me. Most people have a 20-30 minute subway/bus/cab ride home after such an evening. I have a 20 minute walk, a subway ride (or two, in some cases), the ferry or the express bus and then ANOTHER bus (or a 20 minute walk on the tail end of it) to consider. Raise your hand if you feel like doing that after you've partied, had drinks, had some kush/haze, etc. I DIDN'T THINK SO.
I just want you all to know I am not being standoffish and "stuck up". I hate weekends. Most of you live for them, but they are the most uneventful times of the week for me. The MTA is at its worst on the weekends and the express buses run both more infrequently and don't go anywhere NEAR my house on weekends. I am going to put the MTA on blast in another blog coming up later tonight.
However, I am holding out hope that something will break soon. I have a promising interview on Monday in Herald Square and I'm still lining up appointments for real estate (but only by appointment-only and pretty much taking referrals from my friends and friends of friends; chasing down half-assed leads has me on icy terms with my company because they're expecting me to turn water into wine when I'm dealing with people with Section 8 budgets looking for a fucking Upper East Side penthouse with their ridiculous demands).
Nevertheless, it is what it is.
All I can say is, despite it all, I play hard every day trying to do my best to remedy the situation with ZERO help from anyone.
God Bless and Good Night.
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