LeBron James - Basketball's A-Rod

They began their careers as two 'can't miss' prospects. Talents that would transcend generations and be the faces of their respective franchises for years to come. From the time they arrived on the scene, they were compared to the all time greats of their sport. So, is it any wonder how closely the careers of Alex Rodriguez and LeBron James mirror each other at this point?

Rodriguez spent the first seven years of his career in Seattle, where he was a four time All Star, and finished as high as second in the MVP voting. He then left Seattle as a free agent, signing what was the richest contract in MLB history with the Texas Rangers. Along the way, the left the fans in Seattle feeling betrayed, and the animosity towards him began to grow.

LeBron, likewise, spent his first seven seasons in Cleveland. There, he was a six time All Star, and a two time MVP. Being from the area (he grew up in Akron), he quickly became the face of the franchise, the savior that could lead the team to prominence. However, like A-Rod, after his seventh season he left, spurning the city of Cleveland in a nationally televised production for the Miami Heat. This departure began to fuel anger towards LeBron.

Both have serious questions about their abilities to perform in the clutch. A-Rod is remembered for his atrocious showings in the playoffs from 2004 through 2007 for the Yankees, and the infamous 'glove slap' as he attempted to evade Bronson Arroyo's tag attempt. LeBron infamously quit on the Cavaliers last postseason, as though he had mentally left there following Game Four, and was protesting the perceived 'lack of talent' surrounding him.

Both players are exceedingly image conscious, to the point of narcissism and egomania. A-Rod infamously has a picture depicting himself as a centaur hanging over his bed. There was the picture in Details Magazine where he was kissing himself in the mirror. He interrupted the 2007 World Series to announce that he was going to opt out of his contract and file for free agency. LeBron did manage to upstage A-Rod's announcement by having his one hour special called 'The Decision', where he ripped the heart out of Cleveland in front of a national audience. LeBron is considered to be egotistical to the point where someone actually created a Twitter account that claims to be LeBron's Ego.

And yet, despite how image conscious these two are, they are completely incapable of understanding why people dislike them. A-Rod does not understand why people consider him to be a choke artist, a fraud, an egomaniac, and a mercenary. LeBron is unable to understand why people turned on him for going to Miami, why Cleveland burned his jerseys in effigy, and why he is also thought of as a fraud and choke artist. For the money these people spend on promoting their 'brand' and trying to, in their mind, do the right thing, it would make sense to have someone there to tell them when a concept is simply a terrible idea. Yet, they continue to surround themselves with 'Yes Men', and refuse to accept the consequences of their actions.

Along the way, A-Rod has managed to pick up a championship with the 2009 Yankees. Despite actually having a good run through the American League playoff series, he is still considered to have picked up his ring by riding the coattails of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and other True Yankees. LeBron may, in time, gain his own championship in Miami. However, like A-Rod, he will be considered to have ridden the coattails of someone else to get there.

These are two all time greats in their respective sports. Yet, they are completely unable to be identified with anything tangible other than their own egos and the hatred that fans everywhere have for them. This could have all been prevented, if they only could get out of their own way.

Not-so-lovable losers

With their 103-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons last night, the Cleveland Cavaliers matched the Tampa Bay Buccaneers mark with 26 consecutive losses. As horrible as that mark is, there are certain things to remember here. First, the Bucs were an expansion franchise when they lost their 26 in a row. The first ever draft choice of their franchise became a Hall of Fame player in Lee Roy Selmon. The Cavs have been around since the 1970-71 season, so they definitely do not have 'expansion franchise' as an excuse.

Second, the Cavs have a legitimately good head coach in Byron Scott. Scott led the New Jersey Nets to back-to-back finals appearances, and led the New Orleans Hornets to the playoffs twice. After the 2007-08 season, he was voted as the Coach of the Year. This is not some clueless excuse wearing a suit who is manning the sidelines in Cleveland. The situation, and losing streak, cannot be placed solely on him. He did not just wake up one day and forget how to be an effective head coach.

Third, the continued struggles of the Cavs actually make LeBron James look better. One of LeBron's chief complaints was that the Cavs front office was not putting enough talent around him to permit a legitimate shot at a championship. Jordan had Pippen. Kobe had Shaq and Pau Gasol. Bird had McHale and Parrish. Every star needs that second option. Cleveland gave LeBron a washed up Shaq, Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison, and J.J. Hickson. No one on that list is going to be the second option for a title contending team. The fact that LeBron even got them to the finals once is looking more and more amazing as this season unfolds.

Going forward, the Cavs are not going to have an easy time of it. To quote Tracy McGrady: "You don't want to be the team that loses to them." Every team that goes out there and has the Cavs on their schedule is going to give them their best shot. Nothing will come easy for this squad.

Looking at the upcoming schedule, Friday night the Cavs face the Clippers. LA has played well as of late, and with the right moves, could end up being a playoff team in the next couple of years. This will probably be a loss, and set the record at 27 games straight. However, on Sunday, they face the Washington Wizards, who have not won on the road. If they are going to end this run of futility, this is where it will happen. One way or another, one of these streaks will come to an end.

As bad as this losing streak has been, the Cavs are not at an all-time worst record level. Presently, they sit on eight victories. One more lets them be no worse than the 9-73 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers. At least they are not in jeopardy of reaching that mark. Yet.

In the end, it's going to be a long painful journey for any fans of the Cavs. This mess is going to take a long time to dig out from.