LeBron James And This NBA Free Agency Shit

A few years ago when the list of 2010 free agents became clear, I thought to myself "this is going to be the most fun shit ever".  Boy, was I young and dumb. This free agency period (spearheaded by LeBron) has been the most annoying, over hyped sporting event in the entire history of sports.  It has brought to light one reason I think the NFL will always overshadow the NBA when it comes to being the most beloved sport in the country.

Let me start this rant by saying yes, I am a Knicks fan.  Yes, I'm aware the Knicks have been terrible for at least 10 years.  And yes, I know this smorgasbord of free agents is the only chance we have at becoming a contender.  And THAT my friends is precisely the problem!  The Knicks have such a terrible front office and such a terrible draft history that they can only rely on landing high profile players who've developed their stardom elsewhere.  We're basically praying for another franchises sloppy seconds.  I know that's an extremely "glass is half empty" frame of mind, but it's true.  The Lakers (aside from Artest and Gasol) never needed to go crazy in the free agency market to win their last few titles.  They did it though developing young talent, smart decisions on keeping veterans around, and building around the superstar they got on draft day roughly 14 years ago.  The Knicks, however, have made terrible front office decisions ranging from questionable draft picks to foolish trades and contract signings.  Their only hope is for a megastar to come to the team and save them.

Remember when the New York Giants won the Super Bowl a few years ago?  What made that season so magical for Giants fans was the fact that they weren't necessarily supposed to win.  They were underdogs.  They faced a powerhouse team that, on paper, shoulda ran over them on their way to the title.  That's what makes sports fun and exciting and emotional for a fan.  If the Giants had stacked their team with superstar free agents from other teams, and were EXPECTED to win, their Super Bowl victory would have held a lot less weight.  It's a criticism the Yankees came close to facing after throwing half a billion dollars at free agents 2 years ago.  What saved them was the fact that their long time veterans wound up being the ones who REALLY came through in the playoffs and led them to the World Series.

I have no interest in seeing LeBron James "rescue" the Knicks.  I thought I did, but I don't.  That is todays equivalent of Michael Jordan leaving the Bulls to save the Clippers in the mid-90's when he was in his prime.  I would take far more pride in the Knicks putting together a team that could take out the Cavs or the Lakers.  Sports shouldn't be "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em".  Or in the NBA's case, "if you can't beat 'em, pay 'em $100 million to join your franchise".