Lebron James Shade of Great

Compensation. Perhaps a better word is overcompensate. This is a word that we are all too familiar with. It is oftentimes used to describe various individuals in terms of their personality and/or reactions to various situations. It is referred to in terms of something the individual lacks and therefore attempts to make up for in another area, specifically one where they either excel or have some control. Short guys overcompensate for the height with weightraining or an aggressive attitude. People who grew up lacking financially tend to purchase more frivolous things once they are financially able. A woman who may not have the phattest ass may wear shirts that accentuate her bountiful bosom (provided she has one, of course).

We understand this concept of compensation/overcompensation and yet a massive group of people, including and perhaps led by Skip Bayless, still view LeBron James in comparison to great players such as Jordan, Bird, and Kobe. The consensus is the only thing Bron is missing that killer instinct, that will to crush your opponent at all costs. I must agree. LeBron is the most dominant player I have ever watched that did not possess a desire to utterly dominate the opposition. There are many theories on why this is and of all that I have heard, none focus on the obvious. Compensation.

Bron is 6’8” and 260lbs (though less now due to this diet. I am not convinced it will improve anything, but rather hurt him. That is a discussion for another blog post though.), all muscle, all coiled muscle fibers ready to spring on every lazy pass, ready to take every hard foul and finish anyway, ready to do what the “Akron Hammer” does. Herein is where the lack of mental toughness (to the level of a Jordan or Bryant) is explained. Let’s first give Bron that he has the mental toughness that exceeds your everyday human being. Let us also concede that he does possess mental toughness that most likely exceeds 90 – 95 percent of all professional athletes and it is probably higher in terms of the NBA players. So it is not that he does not possess such will, such desire to decimate but that he lacks it on an elite/superior level whereas, seemingly other greats had it in spades.

Consider his size, speed, and strength coupled with his basketball I.Q. This makes for a very formidable athlete. As we have seen throughout his already hall of fame worthy career, there are not too many situations that cannot be overcome by his ability. It has been said that if he possessed Jordan’s killer instinct he would be the greatest basketball player of all time, the perfect player. But there is no such thing as perfect when it comes to an individual. God gives as He sees fit but never completes the image in a singular individual. The goal is to create the perfect whole based on the sum of its parts. Imagine Jordan, Bird, or Bryant with LeBron’s physical gifts and ability. This is reason he doesn’t possess that killer will, he simply doesn’t need to. Jordan, Bird, Bryant, and many other players with an indomitable mindset required such a mindstate in order to realize their greatness because the physical abilities they possessed were not enough. In Jordan’s own words he has failed more than he has succeeded. So the goal of the exercise is not to win everytime, that is simply impossible. But the goal is to maximize your potential and there are many ways to do so. And these ways differ from person to person.

LeBron has the physical gifts and abilities that maximize his potential, therefore there is no need for his killer will. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying he shouldn’t have it. I am simply stating that forces beyond his control preclude him from having it. This is about natural selection, to an extent. So when thinking of LeBron in this context he is as great a talent as whoever is on your Mt. Rushmore of the NBA,though he may not match all the hardware. His greatness cannot be denied and therefore should not be overlooked simply because he does not possess a certain mindstate when he has other tools that compensate for that area of lack. Remember, Shaq, one of the most dominant athletes period never could shoot a free throw and we all know how important free throws are at the end of a game. There will always be something missing…unless you’re Jordan of course…lol.

Stephen A. Smith Suspended!! Lets be serious here!!

This Ray Rice issue has reopened the wounds caused by the domestic violence that takes place all too often in this country. However, the subsequent reactions to Stephen A. Smith’s comments is largely out of bounds and the backlash he has received is wholely inappropriate and misplaced. I will address both here. This may take a while…lol.

Note: We really should take gender out of this. It is no more ok for a woman to hit a man than it is for a man to hit a woman. Period….yet the discussion continues.

Alright. Let us begin with Ray Rice. This may actually be the easiest part of this discussion. Because the simple and obvious truth is that he was wrong. Now, we as the public, are not aware of what took place inside the elevator. All we know is that she got on the elevator conscious and when the elevator doors opened up he was dragging he unconscious body out of the elevator. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a psychic to come to the conclusion that whatever happened culminated in her being knocked unconscious. Is it possible he pushed her and she hit her head and fell unconscious? Its possible. Is it possible she tried to attack him and tripped, hit her head and fell unconscious? Again, it is possible. Hell, could she have passed out from too much alcohol consumption? Very possible! Did he strike her and knock her unconscious? Sure seems so as he has pretty much stated he did. So we are going to go with this one. Forgive me, I’m just dotting my Ts and crossing my Is (I hope the sarcasm is sickeningly obvious). Supposedly, there was alcohol involved on some level and they were having an argument where she became violent and he responded in kind and resulted in the shameful video we are now familiar with.

Of course Ray Rice was wrong. The fact that alcohol was involved or that she initiated the violence is no more a reason than it is an excuse. Additionally, him being a successful pro football running back for one of the most physical franchises in the NFL further diminishes any stance he may have in this case. He did not have to respond with violence, his life was not being threatened, and he was in a position to diffuse the situation, not escalate it. That being said we all make mistakes, some behind closed doors and some the world becomes privy to, especially when there is some celebrity attached to you. So we should be careful in our condemnation of Ray Rice who never had anything even remotely close to this come up previously. No one is perfect and we are all one bad decision away from being in the very same position he is in. However, Ray should expect this backlash and be more than willing to accept any and all repercussions that come with his decision to engage in such an action. Simply because he made the choice.

Now to the Stephen A. situation. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, was wrong with what he stated, pointed out, etc. You may not agree with the word provoke. But what if I told you my mother has been the victim of domestic abuse on multiple occasions during the course of multiple relationships and she has stated that in some instances she did provoke the man? Mind you she explicitly used the word “provoke” which seems to be the hot-button word that everyone is focused on. Now let’s really get into it. Stephen A., in understanding his audience, reiterated multiple times that regardless of the provocation it is in no way acceptable for a man to hit a woman. He has, in other episodes where this topic came up, went so far as to refer to men who hit women as, and I quote, punks. I agree. However, when he shifted the focus to understanding the elements of provocation, this perspective comes from a background in the urban community (I am in no way stating this is the only environment where this takes place or that it always happens in this environment) where there are women who go out of their way to get a rise or a reaction out of a man by berating him, demeaning him, threatening him, etc. Again, and this is so ridiculous that I have to keep reiterating the fact that I am not saying this make violence against women acceptable but I know so many of you will grab hold and run with it, with your simple selves, THIS DOES NOT MAKE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACCEPTABLE. However, the object of the exercise is to do everything in your power, that is within your realm of control, to avoid such a situation. This is all he was pointing out. This is a very real fact. Anyone who cannot see that either doesn’t want to or lacks the common sense, or real life experiences and therefore is unfit to debate the merits of his point.

There is something to be said for intelligence. There is something to be said for vigilance, street smarts, etc. No it is not ok for a man to hit a woman, nor is it ok for a woman to provoke a man. Both are independently true. And one does not ok the other. Period.

I am going to tell you a story. Just stay with me. While attending a nightclub I witnessed one of the most disturbing sights of my life. There was this beautiful young lady on the dancefloor and the floor was packed. She was just making her rounds, not really dancing just constantly rotating around the dancefloor. During her strolls, guys would reach out to her to ask for a dance or some conversation and her response was “stank”. She would yell and curse at the men, threaten them, in some cases she even took a swing. This happened a few times during her dancefloor strolls. Eventually, this group of about four guys got fed up and the next time she walked by them one of the men pushed her down and the four of them began stomping her.

Now, should men have been reaching out and grabbing her to get her attention? Probably not but do remember, we are in a crowded club with loud music and low lights. Not excusing, just painting a clear picture.

Should she have been volatile in her reaction? That’s debatable, and I’ll leave it at that.

Should the four guys have stomped her out in anger because of her volatile reactions. ABSOLUTELY NOT.

However, could she have avoided this outcome? Now remember, yes the men should not have done it but was there anything she could have done to ensure her personal safety? She could have taken stock of the situation after her first stroll and realized, hey these guys out here are a bit aggressive. Maybe I should move to a different area of the club. Or maybe I should wait for a less energetic song. Or maybe she could have declined in a less hostile fashion. The point is in a perfect world, regardless of her actions she would not have had to endure such a beating. But we don’t live in a perfect world and there is a responsibility on each of us for our personal safety. That outcome could have been avoided by her and by the men. They could have just ignored her or moved to another area of the club if her strolls were annoying them so much. But in the end, decisions were made by both parties that resulted in the perfect storm.

I tell my wife and my daughter please be smart. Be vigilant. Because you never know who you are encountering and there are women who have not survived a single act of domestic abuse. There have been women who have been disabled for life because of a violent encounter with a man. So though we want things to be better I prefer to equip the women in my life with the skills and perspective that gives them the best chance of surviving to see that improvement realized. And I don’t work for ESPN/Disney so I really don’t give a damn if you don’t like my perspective and there will be no apology coming from this guy, mainly because it is not needed. Get your head out of your ass and realize we are striving for an improved society, we are not there yet. We may be moving in the right direction but the journey is not done.

Goodell Fumbles...

Ray Rice knocks his wife unconscious and he gets a 2-game suspension from a commissioner who has given out such suspensions as five games to Terrell Pryor for breaking memorabilia violations IN COLLEGE and four games to Big Ben for being accused of sexual assault in a bathroom, whole season suspension to Sean Payton for being the coach of a team that promoted bounties against other players and an indefinite suspension of the defensive coordinator. Now I am not saying these suspensions were unjustified. Rather, that the nature of the offense seems to pale in comparison to what Ray Rice did. I was raised in a home where my father beat my mother. I know of plenty of men who chose to violently “discipline” the women they have relationships with. I was taught that you don’t know what she may have said or done to him that led to her being beaten, etc. I subscribe to none of the above. I have had my share of encounters with girlfriends and my wife that could have resulted in my resorting to the last bastion of my manhood, the fact that I am bigger and stronger. However, I view such a reaction as childish, small-minded, and proof of a lack of manhood.

I am not stating that Ray Rice deserved a harsher punishment, necessarily. Only that Roger Goodell should have maintained the precedent he has set for offenses that are not quite on the level as what Ray Rice did. If it is all about protecting the shield and integrity of the NFL then a much harsher punishment should have been levied. I don’t believe in getting involved in relationships between a man and a woman except when their relationship becomes public, as was the case with Ray and his then fiancé. Once that happens all bets are off and you have chosen to include public opinion and views into your relationship.

I am one of those men who feel that you shouldn’t put your hands on a woman under any circumstances other than protecting your life or the lives of those you love. I say this even though I did hit a woman before in my life. She was not a girlfriend or family member. It was a random woman I happened to meet on a night where I was not at my best, things got out of hand, guns were drawn, etc. And yet I know I completely overreacted and not only threatened the life of the young woman but the lives of the people I was with, as well as my own.

I am sure the fact that Rice and his fiancé got married and that she made an impassioned plea that the league not ruin his career, and the fact that Rice has an otherwise exemplary record, played a huge role in Goodell’s decision to go about the punishment in such a light-handed fashion. And were it not for his precedence as such a hardass and intolerant commissioner makes this “slap on the wrist” seem all the more inadequate. He backed himself into this corner and now he will suffer because of it and I believe his tenure as commissioner will have the famed “asterisk” associated with it. And I imagine there is going to be ongoing backlash with each subsequent case that arises where a player crossed the line and Goodell has to yet again “protect the shield”. At what point is human well-being more important than the shield??