ESPN’s all-LeBron-all-the-time coverage has me pining for a simpler era.  One in which the coverage was more understated.  Like the O.J. trial.  The sports network talking heads have been dissecting every rumor out of Cleveland as if they were rabbis parsing Talmud.  At this point I am exhausted with the hype and will almost certainly be rooting against whichever team he signs for.  
  

I realize that summer is a slow time for television but this is ridiculous.  I’d rather watch reruns of The Brady Bunch.  You know the one:  Joe Namath guest stars and throws a touchdown pass to Bobby.  Now that was riveting drama.

Can anyone even recall Magic Johnson and Larry Bird ever having being free agents?  There certainly wasn’t Academy Awards style TV specials back then to mark the event.  Nobody would have watched.  What, miss Hill Street Blues and Cheers to see Bird re-sign with Boston?  You’ve gotta be kidding! 

The thing is that Magic, Bird, Kareem, and Julius Erving were, at the very least, the equal of LeBron.  Hell, Kobe is better than LeBron and he didn’t get a made for TV special.  I’ll tell you what, he never got a dinner!  Not to take anything away from Akron’s finest but who would you rather build your team around?  I’ll take any of the aforementioned. 

So what if James signs with Miami along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and goes on to win four titles?  Ho hum.  It won’t be news if he goes to the up and coming Bulls and joins Carlos Boozer, Derrick Rose and the rest of that fine squad and tries to equal Jordan’s feat of six titles.  Big deal. 

Now if he stays with Cleveland and helps that city to its first professional title in 46 years, that’s a different story.  I will tip my cap to him.  But if he really wants a challenge he should consider donning the blue and orange of a little team called the New York Knickerbockers.  Then, and only then, will he be worthy of the moniker of King.