With the NBA currently in a lockout much like the NFL was for four and a half months before finally striking a deal in late July, some players have already begun seeking work elsewhere. While free-agent Delonte West who last played for the Boston Celtics is trying his luck like many other Americans by applying at his local Home Depot, other players have already signed to play ball overseas in countries like Turkey, Italy and Greece among others. LeBron James, however, is considering an alternative route.
The Akron native has had a lot of free time on his hands this offseason which has allowed him to make use of his extended vacation. Instead of hitting the court with his Miami teammates in preparation of the upcoming season, King James has hit the Twitter feed in search of a new hobby. And though he's joked about it in the past, the rumors of the two-time league MVP trading in his sneakers for a pair of cleats are once again surfacing with the recent developments that are threatening the possibility of a 2011-2012 NBA season taking place. NBA Commissioner David Stern made what was first thought to be a fantasy among sports enthusiasts become a little more realistic this past week when he announced to the public that the first two weeks of the NBA's regular season have been cancelled due to the continued bumping of heads between the league office and the Player's Association.
Having been named first-team all-state as a wide receiver during his sophomore year in high school, James is no stranger to the game of football. And if anything could help him restore his image in the city that has despised him since ditching the state he grew up in for the sandy beaches of Florida, it's playing for the Cleveland Browns. Then again putting on a helmet and pads and taking hits on the grid iron would also be a good way to put an early end to his Hall of Fame campaign in basketball. For that very reason I would call it a long shot. Besides, I highly doubt LeBron who's arguably the most criticized player to ever step foot on the hardwood would like to add yet another thing to his resume that people can scrutinize him on.
The talk of LeBron playing football again was brought up on Tuesday when he tweeted ESPN's NFL insider John Clayton, asking him when the deadline for an NFL team to sign a free agent was. Following Clayton's response, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll jumped in the discussion and began lobbying for James by sending him a photo of a customized Seahawks jersey with his name on it. It's too bad for Carroll that James wasn't a former quarterback during his playing days as his 1-4 team could definitely use an upgrade in the QB department with both Tavaris Jackson and backup Charlie Whitehurst struggling to say the least. But if such a move were to happen it would have to be done before 4 p.m. on Tuesday which coincidentally is a key date for progress to be made regarding the NBA labor negotiations.
According to Commissioner Stern, if nothing is worked out before then it could very well threaten a slew of games scheduled to be played on Christmas which just so happens to be one of the biggest dates on the NBA calendar as watching basketball on Christmas has become just as synonymous with the holiday as opening presents. For both the sake of the fans and the sake of the league, let's hope a labor agreement can be made in the next couple of days. Since taking his talents to South Beach in July of 2010, LeBron James has been public enemy number one not only in his native state of Ohio, but in many parts of the country. And I'm sure I speak for a large group of people when I say there's nothing I'd like to see more than King James being leveled by players like Patrick Willis and Ray Lewis who are among the hardest hitters in the NFL.
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