LeBron is ready for prime time

[HawkTodd]

LeBron is ready for prime time (5-22-03).

http://www.sportingnews.com/voices/sean_de...y/20030522.html

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to this installment of The Drafting Game, the annual reality program that finds the most eligible basketball bachelors in the country -- er, world -- and matches them with the hopeful dregs of American professional basketball. Three (very) young men have been selected among hundreds of hopefuls, and soon a contestant will be chosen to pick among these three. That contestant will be carefully selected through a well-monitored and entirely honest system (we would never, ever condone rigging The Drafting Game, of course). Now, ladies and gentlemen, let's meet the bachelors!

Fun and excitement are not terms usually associated with the NBA's draft lottery -- try "mundane" and "nap-worthy" -- but, without question, 2003 will be different. This year, there is hoopla. There is hullabaloo. Usually, the lottery is harmlessly wedged into the halftime show of a Sunday afternoon playoff broadcast, but this year it has been stretched into a half-hour, prime-time show, a drama (working title: The Elgin Baylor Chronicles) that ABC will put up against Thursday night staples Friends and CSI.

There's only one reason this lottery has landed in prime time: It's the LeBron-a-thon, and the TV slot serves as Exhibit A in the case for Ohio prep star LeBron James as the No. 1 pick in the draft. The sports-loving nation is so intrigued by his potential that ABC thinks it can knock off the small-screen heavyweights with 30 minutes of David Stern opening envelopes. Such is the hype and delusion around James that there is not much chance of there being any rational thinking when it comes to making the first pick.

Imagine the team with the top pick taking someone other than James. It can't happen. James has played in three high school all-star games and sold out all three. Where the EA Sports Roundball Classic drew 5,712 fans to Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., two years ago, it drew 19,678 to Chicago's United Center in March. That's the power of James.

"Who knows how good he is?" says Michael Lane, the managing editor of Team Marketing Report. "But it does not matter. It's impossible to put a number on his impact until after next year, but whoever has him is going to see season ticket sales jump. They're going to sell out games. They're going to sell parking, concessions, club seats, merchandise, everything. You will sell all that before the season; then, if he is any good, it will just mushroom from there. It will be close to Michael Jordan coming back for Washington."

Thus, the possibility of a fair shake for picks 1a and 1b -- in no particular order, Syracuse freshman Carmelo Anthony and Yugoslavian forward Darko Milicic -- is out the window. There is too much money to be made from James. But Milicic and Anthony deserve better. James may be the clear No. 1, but what is not clear is whether that choice is based on athletic potential or marketing potential. "You'd have to work out all three, at least, to compare them," says one college scout. "And my best guess would be that it would be close, but James might not come out on top."

Thus, we at TSN have put together The Drafting Game -- plain evaluations of the top three prospects, unencumbered by accountants, free of hype and assembled with the belief that the draft should not be a popularity contest.

Meet Bachelor No. 1:

He says he is a sucker for old-fashioned things (especially sports jerseys) and even owns his own SUV -- though he points out that he is much better at driving the lane than driving near parked cars. His hobbies include a headband collection, participating in lively debates on shoe contracts and referring to himself in the third person. Folks, let's meet LeBron!

LeBron says: "My last year in high school, we played the best teams in the country. I played 6-8, 6-9, 6-10 players all my senior year. If I play my game and just keep the work ethic that I have, I'll be successful at the next level."

Best-case scenario: Magic Johnson meets Tracy McGrady. Worst-case scenario: Darius Miles meets Ricky Davis.

The skinny: At this point, James has more ability than any prep player who previously has made the jump to the NBA, with the possible exception of Kevin Garnett. Even at 6-8, 240 pounds, James can handle the ball, cross up defenders and blow by anyone with his unpredictable first step. He is a first-rate passer with a flair for the exciting, and he ranks with McGrady and Kobe Bryant as this country's best finishers at the rim.

"You have to remember that he was one of the top high school football prospects in the country as a wide receiver last year," says draft expert Chris Monter of Monter Draft News. "He is a great athlete. He can play point guard, shooting guard or small forward, and it's that versatility that makes him the No. 1 pick."

Two aspects of James' game that most often are questioned are his shooting and his defense. But playing against high school competition, he never has had to play the defensive stopper's role against someone with comparable skills, so his defense is an unknown, not a negative. He has the physical tools to become a very good defender, just as Garnett, Bryant and McGrady have. His shot is subpar, and because of that, he probably will struggle early in his career. He must work on it.

That's the other unknown about James: his willingness to work. It's going to take many practice-court jumpers to improve his game. Never has there been as pampered a top pick in the league, and whether James finds time in his off-court schedule to improve as a player remains to be seen. But it's work that separates a guy such as Bryant from a guy such as Miles.

Meet Bachelor No. 2:

He was a big man on campus last year, and though he is laid-back, he certainly is not 'Melo when it comes to big-time performances. He promises he would never stand you up, unless it was in the post. If he were to give you a gift, it would be a ring -- just don't ask for that big gold one he got from the NCAA. Now, let's meet Carmelo!

Carmelo says: "Of course I would take me No. 1. What kind of player would I be if I didn't?"

Best-case scenario: Chris Webber on the wing, only without that timeout. Worst-case scenario: A skinnier Glenn Robinson.

The skinny: They call him Mellow, and not just because of his first name -- Carmelo Anthony really is a laid-back guy. So laid-back, in fact, that some scouts weren't sure he had the fire to succeed at the next level. "Then came the tournament," one front-office executive says. "He made a lot of people into believers."

With the 6-8, 220-pound Anthony leading Syracuse's run to the NCAA championship in April, whispers around the NBA were that he could, perhaps, displace James as the league's top pick. He earned name recognition but also earned a reputation as a player who had guts and chutzpah. Teams can only hope Milicic and James have those qualities. The No. 1 chatter has faded, though Anthony is not sure why.

"To me, I had the chance to play on the big stage," Anthony says. "Everybody saw me. And we won."

The biggest disadvantage Anthony has is that he is a pure small forward, not possessing the versatility and explosive burst that James has and not wide enough to be a low-post banger. But so what? Look around the league, and there are few true small forwards, players who have the size, athleticism and shooting range to play 15 to 20 feet from the hoop, combined with the skills to operate in the post when mismatches come. Players who have those abilities -- Antoine Walker or Tim Thomas, for example -- often mismanage them.

Anthony can hit the midrange jumper much better than James. He is an underrated passer and could one day play a halfcourt, point-forward role, like Jamal Mashburn or Webber. Like James, his defense should be called an unknown, not a negative, because Syracuse played a 2-3 zone.

And don't forget that when Anthony was in high school two years ago at Oak Hill Academy, he put up 34 points on James and the St. Vincent-St. Mary squad. "I remember that like it was yesterday," Anthony says. "I mostly remember that we won, though."

Meet Bachelor No. 3:

Now, folks, Bachelor No. 3 is tall, Darko and handsome but does not say much -- in English, at least -- which only adds to his status as an international man of mystery. His hobbies include eating cevapcici (don't worry, it's just sausage), putting on weight and correcting people who mispronounce his last name. Let's hear it for Darko!

Darko says: "I have not seen LeBron James play, but he is playing against kids his age or younger. I am going against 30-year-old men every game."

Best-case scenario: Garnett, 2003. Worst-case scenario: Garnett, 1996.

The skinny: Take everything you think you know about European big men -- a little awkward, soft defensively, slow -- and toss it aside. That's not Milicic.

"He's the real deal," says former Ohio State point guard Scoonie Penn, now playing for Crvena Zvezda in Yugoslavia. "I have seen LeBron, and I have played against Darko. It's a tough call, but Darko is a legit 7-footer who can shoot the ball. He is tough, and he is only 17. It's hard to describe the kid to you unless you see him."

Most fans still have not, however, and that works against Milicic, who measures 7-0, 250 pounds. Milicic is not going to sell tickets, no matter how good he is. But as Pistons president Joe Dumars says, "If you took Darko and put him into an American high school for a whole season, it would be ridiculous. It would be a joke. That is how good he is."

Skill-wise, Milicic may be the best player in the draft. He is not the athlete James and Anthony are, but he is a good shooter whose game is more suited to the NBA than to the European leagues. He would be deadly in NBA pick-and-rolls, and he is athletic enough to create off of isolations, which are not common in European basketball. He also can run the floor and finish fast breaks.

Milicic has the inclination to play tough interior defense, but he does not yet have the body. He can be pushed off the block, though he often recovers to get a hand on shots. He has to work on some fundamentals, too, like holding the ball high after rebounds to keep from being stripped by stronger players. He'll need work, but the finished product could be every bit as good as James, only in a 7-foot frame.

There you have it, folks -- LeBron and those two other guys, our beloved bachelors. Now, all we need to do is select our contestant. Be sure to tune in Thursday for the stunning conclusion of . . . The Drafting Game!

[HawkTodd]

Swoosh dreams: Nike lands LeBron (5-22-03).

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/articles/2...521/474669.html

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James always idolized Michael Jordan, right down to his shoes. Now the high school star will begin his NBA career just like Mike.

Only with a lot more money.

James will go into the league with a swoosh after signing a multiyear endorsement deal on Thursday with Nike, which outbid Reebok and Adidas for the 18-year-old star, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in next month's draft.

"Nike is the right fit and has the right product for me at the right time," James said in a statement. "They are a good company that has committed to supporting me throughout my professional career, on and off the court."

Terms of the deal negotiated were not released, but a source close to James, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press the deal was worth more than $90 million.

The agreement came just hours after James signed an exclusive contract with Upper Deck trading cards. His contract with Nike is believed to be the richest initial shoe contract ever offered to an athlete.

When Jordan signed his first contract with Nike in 1984, it was for $2.5 million over five years. Nike signed Tiger Woods to a five-year, $40 million deal in 1996, but it was later replaced by a $100 million package from the sporting apparel giant.

Earlier this week, Nike signed Carmelo Anthony, the freshman who led Syracuse to the national championship in April to a shoe and apparel deal. Anthony, a close friend of James, is projected to be taken with the No. 2 pick next month.

"We are excited about our new partnership with LeBron James and look forward to a nurturing relationship with him," said Lynn Merritt, a Nike executive. "LeBron has great worth ethics on the court, tremendous basketball ability and a passion for the game."

Last weekend, James, his mother, Gloria, and agent Aaron Goodwin spent two days at Nike's corporate headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., where the company made its final presentation.

Adidas appeared to drop out of the running earlier this week, just days after it put up billboards and placed messages on buses in Akron directed at James.

James also signed an exclusive multiyear contract with Upper Deck trading cards Wednesday.

The 6-foot-8 James' selection of Nike over Reebok and Adidas ends a nearly two-year battle among the shoe companies to land the dynamic player, whose game has been compared to that of Jordan and Magic Johnson.

James has received unprecedented media coverage the past two years. He has appeared on the cover of national sports magazines, and last season two of his games were televised nationally by ESPN.

The shoe deal came less than a day before James was to learn where he'll be wearing his Nikes as a pro.

The NBA will hold its draft lottery Thursday night, and the winner gets the right to select James, a three-time Mr. Ohio in Basketball and the consensus national player of the year the past two years.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets, who tied for the league's worst record this season, have the best chance at getting the top pick.

Terms of the deal with Upper Deck were not immediately available, but company spokesman Jake Gonzales said James' contract is on a level with previous agreements signed by Jordan, Woods and soccer star David Beckham.

Boone said the trading card deal included a $1 million signing bonus.

Gonzales said James is the youngest person ever signed by Upper Deck, whose other spokesmen include Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui.