The Spanish Prisoner: LeBron, Wade, Shaun
Back in the Dome, catching up on what’s going on…
Hola. So I missed the last few days around here because I was out of the country. Specifically, I went to Spain. Even more specifically, I went to Barcelona, among other places in Spain, working on a story for the next issue of SLAM. Can’t tell you why exactly, but I can tell you that I’m pretty pumped up about the story. You’ll find out plenty about it in the next few weeks. I’m excited about the story, about the unprecendented access we received, everything.
And really, is there any better place to be traveling for business than Barcelona? If you like seeing the world and you’ve never been, you should go, asap. Gorgeous, gorgeous place, with really, really cool people. And Ronaldinho plays there. How cool is that? I wish I could’ve stayed longer. Alas, SLAM was calling…
Catching up on what happened while I was gone…
• Apparently everyone decided LeBron isn’t playing all-out, which is interesting since that was one of the themes in my LeBron/SLAM 106 cover story that came out a month ago. People are trying to figure out if LeBron is coasting right now…and the answer is absolutely. He said it himself.
As LeBron told me in the story, “I think we’re a team that’s gearing more toward the playoffs. That’s the first time for me that we’re geared more toward the playoffs instead of gearing towards the regular season. I think we’ve got a good enough team now that we know we can make the playoffs. We’re not…we’re not going to write it in right now, but we know we’re a good enough team where we can go out there and win enough games and make the playoffs. But we have to win down the stretch in the playoffs and win on the road. So we’re pretty much geared toward the playoffs, just like some of the better teams in the league.”
The bigger question is, Should he be coasting? I think it’s the smart move. He’s played for the last two years in a row without a significant rest period, and he doesn’t want to break down like D-Wade.
(By the way, anyone else notice that Wade, LeBron and Melo all have pregnant wifeys with babies due in the next few months? Now they won’t need a excuse to sit out the Tournament of the Americas this summer.)
• OK, are people still talking about All-Star Weekend? Seriously? Jason Whitlock wrote a post-All-Star column that got everyone riled up, and then our man Dave Zirin went on the attack right back. (Henry Abbott is all over everything here.) Look, I was there for the entire weekend. I slept about 6 hours the entire weekend. I was with 3 co-workers the entire weekend. And none of us were scared, none of us thought we were going to be attacked by gangs. Yes, there were a lot of young, drunk people there. Yes, a lot of them were black. But there were a lot of white people there, too. Can we move on now?
• I got a 2-way message from Russ about Shaun Livingston’s knee injury while I was in Spain, and I am choosing not to watch the Youtube clip of the incident. As a journalist I probably should watch it, to have some historical perspective and a reference point. As a human being, I don’t particularly want to see Shaun Livingston dislocate his leg “like, to Rhode Island,” as Russ so delicately emailed me.
It’s too bad for Shaun, who consistently shows flashes of brilliance but can’t stay healthy long enough to prove himself.
• They’re doing it very, very quietly, behind an oddly silent Mark Cuban, but the Mavs are now established as the team to beat in the NBA. The Finals go through them. Phoenix, step your game up.
60 Responses to “The Spanish Prisoner: LeBron, Wade, Shaun”
Feb.28 at 2:59 pm
rob stewart says:
Is Lebron married? What is the difference between a wife and a wifey?
Feb.28 at 3:00 pm
TONIO says:
spurs!!!
Feb.28 at 3:00 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
If you have to ask Rob, then its obvious you have neither.
Feb.28 at 3:03 pm
Troy says:
American players, or at least the media covering American players, need to stop using international play as an excuse for sub-par performances. If they got hurt while playing (like Gasol) that would make some sense, but James, Brand, et. al. didn’t get hurt–they just played basketball. Dirk Nowitzki plays for Germany practically every summer. And unlike the US team where multiple superstars are propping each other, Dirk is EVERYTHING to the German team which he repeatedly lifts to respectability. And then he comes back and plays at the top level in the NBA without ever needing to make an excuse that he can’t play at maximum capacity because of what he did over the summer.
Feb.28 at 3:10 pm
dpak says:
finally. new links.
livingston’s knee bent how a normal knee should bend.
except it was to the side.
forget him being the next magic.
he’s not even the next penny.
Feb.28 at 3:10 pm
dpak says:
rob, prenups aren’t worth anything until you have some assets.
Feb.28 at 3:26 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Long Live Zirin. F*ck Jason Whitlock.
Sincerely,
Ryan Jones
State College, PA
Feb.28 at 3:33 pm
Max Airington says:
Co sign. And it must be nice to start coasting with the #2 seed in February.
Feb.28 at 3:36 pm
ZaZ says:
That stuff on Livingston’s leg is sick…like joe theisman and lt stuff….nasty…..
Feb.28 at 3:44 pm
Calvin Byrd says:
wow. i knew slam loves King James but actually sticking up for him coasting??? what ever happened to giving it your all… playing hard? i remember vince carter getting hammered in the press when he talked about taking plays off. even lang - “6. Vince Carter is playing out the string. Those of us who’ve watched him closely always wondered how Vince could play regular season games with such insouciance and then turn it up for All-Star Weekend. Well, this year he couldn’t even get it going during All-Star. He’s spent the year looking sour and throwing up fadeaway jumpers, and this in an opt-out year; Vince could opt-out of his contract this summer and become a free agent or stick with it and make $16.4 million next season. If anyone thinks any team is going to pay Vince that much scratch, you should stay away from the tables in Vegas.”
Feb.28 at 3:44 pm
Ryan Jones says:
MAX! Just read your blast on Big Wasteofsperm — fools need to check out Mr. Airington’s spot for edutainment at its finest. Keep doing the damn thing.
Feb.28 at 3:47 pm
Chris says:
If you haven’t seen the shaun livingston injury, don’t. I saw it, and I wish I could get the Hatian guy from heroes to erase that memory.
Feb.28 at 3:52 pm
DBlizzy! says:
Can we retire the whole “wifey” phrase, that’s like 1999-2000 lingo. And Rob, your “wife” is your legal companion or spouse. Your “Wifey” is your main girlfriend who you may or may not be totally committed to, but you definitely are not legally binded to. Wade has a wife, Lebron has a wifey.
Feb.28 at 3:52 pm
Max Airington says:
Much appreciated Ryan.
Feb.28 at 3:54 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
don’t talk about Heroes on one of Lang’s posts. He’s a rabid heroes hater.
I have so many questions about the hatian…
Feb.28 at 4:00 pm
Colin says:
Yeah Lang I am glad you did not watch Shaun Livingston’s knee detonate on the court because I wish I had not watched it now. This Willis McGahee but worse. Simply awful I feel horrible for Shaun.
Feb.28 at 4:01 pm
dpak says:
The Wire > Friday Night Lights > Heroes
Feb.28 at 4:05 pm
Kevin Wilson says:
I saw the clip, and inaction is definitely the correct action, Lang. Even the radio broadcast gave me the shakes, because the baskets are mic’d up and you can hear Livingston’s screams over the play-by-play guy.
Feb.28 at 4:06 pm
William says:
Good choice Lang, that video is so horrible it continue to haunt me till now.
You might also need to know another phrase “wifelette”. Wifelette is usually refers to the illegal spouse expats take when they’re working abroad.
Feb.28 at 4:06 pm
Jas says:
My guess is you’re doing a story on that Rubio kid.
Feb.28 at 4:06 pm
Nadav Mor says:
woah, you flew all the way there to do a story on Mario Kasun? awesome.
Feb.28 at 4:11 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
Dammit, who told you about the Kasun story?
Feb.28 at 4:16 pm
Nadav Mor says:
Europe’s a small place…
Feb.28 at 4:24 pm
h-wag says:
I heard Rubio is not allowed to do interviews until he is 18, but a story about him and/or Rudy Fernandez seems the most likely to me, because they both could be in the NBA soon.
Feb.28 at 4:27 pm
Bigi says:
Lang…You’re not planning to jump in FourFourTwo? Are you?…Soon you are callin’ it football and not soccer…Scary!! Dinho rulez…Peace.
Feb.28 at 4:42 pm
Peter says:
Coasting during the regular season is bullsh*t. Did Jordan ever coast?
Feb.28 at 4:42 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
I’m calling it football because I got the Canal+ Futbol channel in my hotel room and watched that pretty much nonstop.
Feb.28 at 5:15 pm
Klobben says:
Lang…first of I like your work. But I can´t beleive you like Soccer so much. One of the reasons I love basketball so much is because you can control the ball. You can make plays. It´s exciting, there´s dunks, there´s 3 pointers. You can have a strategy. It´s so diverse. There´s fast breaks, there are buzzerbeaters.
So let me tell you a few things about soccer that I think sucks.
I mean in Soccer only a few players can acually make a “big” difference. Rohnaldinho is one. Maradona was another one. Take a look at my team Sweden. They have Zlatan, considered by many one of the best “strikers” in the game. He couldn´t score a goal in last years World Cup. You can´t draw up a play in soccer. You can´t call a time out. You can´t really coach. Most goals are of plays that reminds me of a game of pinball. I feel that soccer is like the emperors new clothes.
Just so you know I love your work here on the links and in Slam. But soccer??? Wake up man! 90 minutes of action and hardly ever more than 3 goals scored? BORING!
Feb.28 at 5:17 pm
Bigi says:
Yeah,no NBA on Canal+…That sucks!!! I want that ESPN…Not available in Finland!
Feb.28 at 5:22 pm
sush carter says:
Rohnaldinho makes nice nike spots, but Zindane would smash on him
Feb.28 at 5:36 pm
Julian says:
i think people are talking about Lebron’s coasting because its noticeable and a big story, not because it was in SLAM last month. but, i respect that yall were among the first to get it. im going to go look at the shaun livingston video now…i feel strangely attracted.
Feb.28 at 5:40 pm
Julian says:
…holy shit. that was graphic. his leg looked like a column of mercury.
Feb.28 at 5:44 pm
Tariq says:
Klobben:
1- “90 minutes of action and hardly more than 3 goals scored? BORING!” Would it make you feel better if every goal counted for seven points?
2- Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a world-class striker, but he didn’t have a very good world cup on an individual level. He did a lot better at Euro 2004 when he scored that sick back-heel lob against Italy. And I don’t even know what that has to do with anything… I mean the T-Wolves have had KG for a decade, what do they have to show for it?
3. No coaching in futbol?! You wouldn’t want to say that in front of Mourinho.
4. You can’t call a timeout? Seriously? Is this a critique of football? I can’t ever really get into a game of basketball until I’m reminded that the Toyota Avalon is available for 3% financing and no money down for the 37th time.
Feb.28 at 5:59 pm
deestarbuckz says:
My stomach gets tight and I have to hold down food at the mention of Shaun’s knee…
Feb.28 at 6:50 pm
DBlizzy! says:
Futbol sucks, get over it.
And if broken limbs are your thing, i youtubed (if nobody used that before I want ownership) livingstons injury and they linked to all kinds of video of broken legs and shit. It’s pretty horrible to watch but it made me think of how the Human body is really amazing to be able to recover from injuries like that. I heard he tore his ACL, MCL, PCL…8-12 months!
Feb.28 at 7:42 pm
Jake Appleman says:
Then you agree that the Madrid derby was one of the most exciting matches you’ve ever seen…
Feb.28 at 9:17 pm
oliver says:
the best thing about football is that there are no breaks- its a fluid game where everything is spontaneous- nothing is scripted, nothing is the same- thats its beauty not its downfall
Feb.28 at 9:27 pm
Bruno says:
hey klobben what are you talking about????
Feb.28 at 9:45 pm
Ron says:
I wish Shaun had Claire Bennett’s power right about now.
Mar.1 at 12:07 am
Chris O'Leary says:
Barcelona is dope. I haven’t been able to watch the Livingston injury without cringing. Knees shouldn’t bend that way. How does something like that even happen?
Mar.1 at 12:07 am
Lang Whitaker says:
Wait, is that a Heroes reference? Someone call Sam!
Mar.1 at 12:33 am
TripleDouble says:
Soccer / Football . . . . boring?? WHAT!?!?! Boring? No way man, only having 1 goal in 90minutes can be amazing! All that tension, suspence, the near misses, etc. etc. all comes out in this insane level of emotion as the winner goes in. Question: Would there be a better feeling on planet earth than scoring the winning goal in the World Cup Final?
Answer: NO.
Mar.1 at 1:03 am
Gnar Gnar Duckets! says:
Boggan of Oklahoma State had a Zidane tribute head butt last night against Martin of Kansas-State(yuck). He gets to sit out against Baylor for it.
Mar.1 at 2:03 am
Nastruthomas says:
you heard it here first…LeBron’s new nickname is “The North Coast”. wildfire.
Mar.1 at 2:59 am
John says:
what i don’t get about the haitian is that i thought he can control other “heroes’” powers (wikipedia says so, and we know wikipedia’s ALWAYS right), so why didn’t he stop nuclear man from givng everyone cancer and going bizurk?
Mar.1 at 6:41 am
Bigi says:
Flyin’ Petrelli,Clair-Bear,HOT-Momma…That is a one happy family…
Mar.1 at 7:08 am
James says:
I doubt it would be Fran Vazquez. Navarro…….nah. Hes getting on a bit. Mario Kasun story? Please! And Ricky Rubes is an option. Despite the media lockout til he’s 18. Could be an option, since Joventut play in Catalan, near Barcelona. Could be a story about the ACB League in general? Since its probably the best national League in Europe. Probably the 3rd best league in the world. But whatever it is im sure it will be good.
Mar.1 at 10:41 am
Sam Rubenstein says:
The Hatian seemed to be able to block other heroes from using their powers in the past, but he’s still a huge mystery. I thought Mr. Bennett knew he was conspiring with Claire when he saw the windchimes outside her window a few episodes ago.
My goal in life is to be like Sylar.
Mar.1 at 11:34 am
Lang Whitaker says:
Look, I’ll just say this: Kasun was a lot nicer than you’d expect.
Mar.1 at 11:36 am
Whistler says:
James, you wrote :”ACB League in general? Since its probably the best national League in Europe. Probably the 3rd best league in the world. But whatever it is im sure it will be good.”
If the NBA is first, which is second in front of the ACB? I’m curious …
Mar.1 at 11:40 am
rav says:
klobben, if you think zlatan is one of the best strikers in the world, you clearly know little - as do the ‘many’ who say this (and i have seen him play in the flesh before) - he’s just hype with occassional end product and the attitude of a spoilt child
Mar.1 at 11:51 am
James says:
I agree 100% with rav. Ibrahimovic is one of the most overrated players in the world.
Mar.1 at 1:11 pm
ktokyo says:
Lang, I think you cursed Shaun Livingston. Weren’t you just praising him before the trade deadline?? And then he goes and blows out his knee. Nice going…
Mar.1 at 4:37 pm
oscar says:
“The bigger question is, Should he be coasting? I think it’s the smart move.” And I ask myself, “What would Michael Jordan do?”
Mar.1 at 5:48 pm
Harlem_World says:
Ultimately the best plays/moments in sports come with the greatest athletes playing ‘in the moment’ football/soccer is all about playing in that moment. You have to have great instincts/feel to be a great soccer player. It’s not about drawing up plays. I like soccers fluidity and instinct. Also, if you like ‘plays’ you always have set pieces, which are diagrammed to death. To get soccer, you have to appreciate a feel for the game. I like it because it’s not something you can just pick up and understand fully straight away. Nothing good in life comes quick/easy.
Mar.1 at 7:04 pm
Tariq says:
No one would say that Ibrahimovic is the best striker in the world (that would be either Samuel Eto’o, who gets my vote, or Thierry Henry). Still, there’s no denying that Himo, as I like to call him, is world class. He has tremendous control and ball skills, he can beat his man easily (have you seen THAT goal he scored when he was with Ajax?). He also has incredible instincts… see the goal he scored this season with Inter against….I forgot, was it Catania? Maybe Siena? It was in January; a Bruce-Lee-type goal which temporarily paralyzes the mind (in a pleasurable way). Hey, I bet England wouldn’t mind having him in their team!
Mar.1 at 7:11 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
I’m with you on Eto’o, Tariq. He’s ridiculous.
Mar.1 at 7:57 pm
what says:
Pssshhh… Livingston’s injury ain’t nothing compared to Willis McGahee’s knee injury in the Fiesta Bowl.
Mar.3 at 12:44 am
Darksaber says:
C’mon Lang, who else would you go over there to interview but Kasun? Navarro? right….
Mar.3 at 12:44 am
Darksaber says:
By the way, Thierry is one of the most overrated soccer playas, play with it (sorry DP)