That's Mr. King James to you...

You ever watch LeBron James play, watch him in an interview, or see him in a commercial, and realize you just don't like him? Can you explain why?

Maybe it's the talent. Hate those "team photo-ops" before a game. Maybe it's that smirk. Can't look at a magazine without seeing his face on the front. Might as well be ESPN's mascot. Hate driving past those "Witness" billboards. Or maybe it's because you hate the reality that he's just that smart.


As an 18 year old kid coming straight out of high school, he had the world waiting on their knees by the time he entered the NBA. Criticised constantly for not even attempting a college career, the young star quickly began to divide the people into fans and foes. The icing on the cake came with the 90 million dollar Nike endorcement waiting for him when he made the jump. From his entrance in 2003 to now, he has become one of the main faces of Nike, the embodiment of the NBA, and an icon in the world of sports.


Seven years later, he is no longer "that kid". At 25, he has become the epitemy of an entrepeneur and dissected the limelight of the NBA for all it's worth. He has slowly begun to realize that he is no longer living in the era of "The player", but living more in the era of "The player-business man". Make no mistake about it, success in the NBA today means not only having success on the hardwood, but off of it as well. This may be the very reason some resent him as being someone who has taken the focus off of basketball, and used it simply as a stepping stone. Having now started his own marketing agency in LRMR Innovative Marketing & Branding, LeBron has been enabled to have a front row seat to the direction of his brand. Partnering up with long time friends from Akron as well as with other corporate partners, he's managed to keep a certain "best of both worlds" mentality. Beginning as the first and only client of LRMR, he has now helped to guide both Chris Paul and the #1 pick of the 2010 NBA draft, John Wall, to LRMR representation. Now while that's all well and good, you and I both know that this has just been the tip of the iceburg.

In 2009, LeBron earned roughly 15 million on the court. Off of it? The man earned 28 million in endorsements alone, behind only Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Not too shabby for a 25 year old with no college education. Anything from Nike, to Bubblicious, to State Farm, you name it, he's endorsing it. shall we run down the list? No, because it's too long to even fit on here! But here are just a few of his off-the court achievements, just to give you a preview:

-Ranked #1 in Forbes Top 20 earners under 25 (2007)
-Influential figure on the committee to elect President Barrack Obama (2008)
-Became the first black male to appear on the cover of Vogue (2008)
-Starred in Lions Gate film "More Than a Game" (2009)
-Teams with ESPN to produce "The Decision" (2010)

And speaking of "The Decision", quick question: did you watch? Because I'll guarantee that you did. I know I did. Like the man or not, we all know we tuned in to see it because we know who LeBron James is, and we know how influential he is. Frustrating as that may seem, it's the God-forbidden truth. Putting personal opinion aside, you'd be foolish not to acknowledge the genius behind it. He single-handedly took over "The Worldwide Leader in Sports"(ESPN) for an entire hour to reveal an eight second decision. While some of you spited ESPN for allowing such a thing, it's what you have to do when you're the first resource in the world for sports. If it wasn't ESPN, it would of been some other network. But it goes to show exactly how self-aware LeBron James really is. He understands his value and he understands the clout that he's gained with that value.

But before you decide to label him as "the corporate puppet", you must remember that from the very start, Plymouth Rock landed on LeBron. No matter what we say or hear, his first passion has always been basketball. It would be unfair to say that he's not a special athlete, because he truly is a phenomenal talent. MVP's, scoring titles, youngest to do this, youngest to do that, the list can go on and on. But know that it's only from these accolades on the court, that has led him to his accolades off the court. Because of his work, he's been given other opportunities to round out his legacy as a superstar. This is something that many athletes get, but few choose to take. LeBron has taken it, and now he's running with it. So run with him, or run against him, doesn't matter to him either way.

But the next time you drive past that billboard or see another commercial, before you roll your eyes, consider the possibility that even though he's an older, more intelligent business man now, that maybe there's a part of him that still holds that "18 year old kid" mentality. You know what I'm talking about. Living out realities that used to only be dreams. Making a career out of what you love, working with the president, getting endorsements from everybody and their mother, starting a business with your best friends, and laughing all the way to the bank while you do it.

Guess it's pretty good to be king.

...oh excuse me, Mr. King.

Act As If...

Didn't your teacher ever tell you that? Act as if?

When You go up to do a speech in front of the class with a trickle of sweat rolling down your face. Whole class waits for you to utter something. Nothing comes our at first, until you remember what your teacher told you: "Act as if". That, alone, is enough for you to believe that maybe, just maybe, you really can. Maybe you really are ready.

Sound familiar? Throughout the 2010 World Cup that recently ended on July 11th, and in the days following the early exit of the United States, the talk continued to jostle around. You don't need me to tell you that what came from that was unexpected. Quite frankly, the rest of the world had them leaving right after they got there in day 2 against England. The head-turning started there. After a heart-wrenching run, the U.S. was finally eliminated by Ghana (again). While this tournament was essential in letting the world know about where we stand now, the action among the MLS has made us all look.

We had heard the talk, but didn't want to hold our breath. Suddenly, it doesn't look like we needed to. World renowned Thierry Henry has made the jump, and is now playing for the New York Red Bulls. And as I'm sure it's no secret to any of you by now, the talk has also stirred up again in the possibilty of Mr. "Joga Bonita" himself, Ronaldinho is likely to be moved to the L.A. Galaxy. Now before you start rolling your eyes (which I know you are), just know that in our case, the athleticism of these players is irrelevent right now. While it may sound like I just dug myself deeper, don't call me an idiot just yet. When I said "our case", I meant in the case of Soccer in the United States. Believe it or not, MLS is actually playing this one right. We all know that Henry, Ronaldinho, and probably even Becham are pretty much all past their prime now. But at this stage of growth in MLS, we need figures like these more than the rest of the world does. These guys are not done with soccer, their just disposable to the rest of the world right now. Other countries can afford to lose players like these (probably better), and still stay on top. What I'm basically getting at,is that not only do we need to act as if, but we need to look as if as well. Taking this league seriously, starts with landing serious players. Prime or not, if you recognize players like Henry and Ronaldinho, then you recognize U.S. soccer. Simple as that.

However, as ground-breaking as that was, that wasn't even the biggest news in the MLS this week. For the first time in a very long time, the world is reaching out to the MLS. Manchester City has made it publicly known that they want Landon Donovan, and they want him bad. Now while this isn't the first time Donovan has played internationally, having a good run with

club Everton, this is the most impressive invitation. How do we respond? Don Garber nips that in the bud without any hesitation. But why is that relevant? Because it means we're now forcing the other countries to find value in our product. The easiest thing would be to tell Man. City yes. Get MLS some exposure, make Landon look good, and the list could go on and on. But at the end of the day, we need to look like we value our product as well. We need to have something that they want.

So what do we do next then? Continue to act is if. Act as if we have that much talent. Act as if we are that great. Act as if we're ready to play with the best countries.

Even when it feels like they're not looking, act as if they are.


...because they are.

Mission: Don't Forget the Mission

Slump? Neh. Confused? Mmm possibly. Unfocused? You tell me.

Let's go back to the era of "Ready or Not, Here We Come", A.K.A. the "Jail-Blazer Aftermath" era. Slowly, but surely, we began the rebuilding process back to what we knew was true Trailblazer basketball. Tried employing young players like Sebastian Telfair and Zach Randolph to lead this new team. But as the saying goes: "Old habits die hard". Telfair also fell subject to the curse of the "Jail-Blazers", after being charged for bringing a gun onto the team plane. But this is not a history lesson, it's not about Sebastian Telfair, it's not even about the Blazers. It's simply about us.

Since the 2006 draft when Portland recieved Brandon Roy, our future began looking brighter with a new work ethic, new style, and new attitude. We had finally found the man we would build this new team around. The energy and excitement created from this notion of hope, pushed the Blazers back into the hunt for playoffs. As a team now being recognized for their heart and fundamentally-sound basketball, the Trailblazers are no longer a secret.

But more than anything else, this team has created a buzz in the NBA and in the city like no other. During '08-'09 season, 15,000 fans showed up at Pioneer Square to celebrate the Blazers first playoff berth in several years. I was there that day, and I could feel it. This was something special. The team has even asked, no, demanded, that we rise with them. However, today in the midst of an organization disoriented and indecisive, that old buzz is sounding like no more than a bee who just lost it's stinger.

With a new headline for the Blazer's shortcomings showing up in headlines everyday, The city is beginning to forget. Make no mistake about it, we do not look good to the rest of the league right now. Quite frankly, we're being mocked. We don't look like the team who acts in unison on all fronts anymore. My point in these statements is this: Dont forget the mission. Do not forget why or how we got here. We can be as pissed off as long as we want at the decisions being made by team management, but at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the 16 guys that suit up for us every night. The 16 guys who will play with or without a GM. The 16 guys who will play with or without any assistant coaches. The 16 guys who will play only for you, not the front office. Every night, we count on them to show up for us, so why shouldn't we be showing up for them?

So in this very unclear and unfocused time in the Blazers organization, I ask that you remember not why you care now, but why you started caring in the first place. Stop worrying about how much the management decisions make you question your beliefs in this team, remember why you started believing. Forget the talk, not the team.

And if you ever need a reminder of what the mission is, go outside the Rose Garden before you walk into the game and look across the Rose Quarter. Look up at the at the old woodmill that stands alone in the middle of the city...

Mission: Rise With Them

To Win in Limbo, We Must Raise the bar...

Raise the bar to win? Since when? Aren't we all used to bending over backwards to make it under that bar? Aren't we used to trying to stay up on our feet, without falling, as that bar gets lower and lower? It's an old game we remember, and it's a game we're playing now; only the strategy has changed a bit.
As an organization, it's easy to say that the Trailblazers are "in limbo". That may be. But don't confuse limbo with the absence of direction. Don't be so quick to bail them out with terms like "in limbo", "strategic", "dark horse", etc. As people who truly love our team, we also have the obligation to call it like we see it, and not just as we want to see it. Let's not kid ourselves, the current direction of this organization is currently poor, simply because there in't one.
Dont get me wrong, I'm not telling you to lose faith in the Blazers, because anyone who knows this team and this city, knows better than to be so foolish. But you know as well as I do, that the front office and the team as a whole, can be a whole lot better right now. I want Chris Paul, you want Chris Paul, the team wants Chris Paul, so why can't we have Chris Paul? In a statement released by an agent close to the situation, it was made perfectly clear that agents aren't exactly encouraging their clients to make moves to Portland, due to the current turmoil of the organiztion. But with this "free agent frenzy", and players wanting to leave to be with more promising teams, you'd think we'd be doing more than putting our name in the hat. The Blazers I know would put their name in the hat, and then sneak nine more in, to ensure their chances of success. We're not cheaters, we're not unethical, we're just very, very creative. I dont know about all of you, but the firing of Kevin Pritchard was the beginning of the end to me...

Monty Williams: Gone
Dean Demopoulos: Gone
Tom Penn: Gone
Martel Webster: Gone

And in return, we recieve three draft picks (one waved), and probably Wesley Matthews from the Utah Jazz. In all fairness, Armon Johnson and Luke Babbit really do have a bright future. Wesley Matthews has all the potential in the world. That being said, that's all they have. From day 1, that's all the organization ever looked for. It was valuable to have that mindset 2-3 years ago. The guys we got then have now grown together. So why are we still building? We have already bread the potential into an army. It's now time to fill in the blank areas with raw, solid talent; not more potential.
No more lowering the bar just to see how far backwards we can bend without finally falling. Raise the bar. Stand up. Shoulders back. Head up. Eyes forward. Get back in line...

The Nosebleed Narrator

On this day, the birth of "The Nosebleed", I feel compelled to begin with a brief introduction, although overrated, of who this writer is. As a reader of a lot of other sports writers' work, I know that a big part of the attention they get, is from the readers knowing who they are. So we'll try it, if it's lame, well then we'll just skip it and get right to sports...

Name's Derek Harguth, I'm a marketing major at PSU with a focus of sports. It's universally known that I love coffee, but what most people don't know is that I like it a whole lot more with the sports page. Just a heads up, I'm not going to be that guy that tries to say they're a bigger fan than everyone else and blah-blah-blah-blah. But I will say that I am a very big sports fan. I will watch all sports (doesn't mean i like all of them) ,at all times. My soft-spot it basketball. Wanna make small talk? dont bring up basketball!! you'll be sitting with me a for a very, very long time. Football, soccer/futbol, track, baseball, tennis....all the way down to curling and rowing!! Forewarning: I do not believe NASCAAR is a sport, you will not sell me on it (please try). I will get updates on it simply because ESPN has them; other than that, it's a no.

So there it is. Post 1 of "The Nosebleed". Any questions?!?!

...GOOD!!! Time to get down to the good stuff...