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Chris Bosh confronts Skip Bayless on “First Take”

Bayless gave Chris Bosh the nickname “Bosh Spice,” and Bosh came on “First Take” to talk to him about it.

Magic chimes in on MJ’s ill-advised LeBron comparison

DEARBORN, MI - JULY 15:  Former NBA player Earvin 'Magic' Johnson steps out of a Ford Lincoln Navigator at the Ford Headquarters complex July 15, 2003 in Dearborn, Michigan. Lincoln-Mercury announced today a multi-year marketing partnership with Johnson that will showcase the NBA champion in national broadcast and print advertisements focusing on the Lincoln brand.  (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

On Monday, I wrote a long piece about how Michael Jordan’s assertion that he never would have called Larry Bird or Magic Johnson up and figured out a way to join forces with them isn’t a fair comparison to Miami’s new Super Friends.

Now Magic Johnson is getting into the act, per Bloomberg News:

“We didn’t think about it cause that’s not what we were about,” said Johnson, whose Michigan State squad beat Bird’s Indiana State team in the 1979 National Collegiate Athletic Association championship. “From college, I was trying to figure out how to beat Larry Bird.”

“It was never a question in our mind because nobody has ever done that,” he said.

So which is it, Magic? You didn’t think about it because that’s not what you were about or because nobody had ever done it before? Because those are two completely different reasons not to do something.

While Michael’s comparison holds a little bit of water since the Bulls didn’t look like a championship-caliber team until after his fourth season (when he signed his eight-year deal), Magic Johnson joined a stacked Lakers team and won a title as a rookie. In fact, he won two titles in his first three years and went to eight Finals in his first 10 years (winning five titles total). What about that situation gives him the perspective to comment on LeBron’s decision to leave Cleveland to chase a ring? Of course he didn’t try to join forces with Larry or Michael — HE WAS ALREADY ON A STACKED TEAM.

Next up, Larry Bird. Let’s get this over with.

(By the way, I’m still trying to figure out who Chris Bosh is supposed to be in this comparison. He’s a good player, but Larry or Magic he’s not.)

Putting all of this ‘MJ would never have done that’ talk into context

UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 07:  NBA 97/98 CHICAGO BULLS; Michael JORDAN/CHICAGO BULLS  (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)

For at least a year now, we’ve been hearing people criticize LeBron for potentially (and now actually) leaving the Cavs to play with another superstar. One of the arguments they often bring up is how Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, or Magic Johnson would never have left Chicago, Boston or L.A. to form a dynasty elsewhere.

Now, even Jordan has said that he wouldn’t have called those guys up and tried to join forces.

“There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, ‘Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team,’ ” Jordan said after playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada. “But that’s … things are different. I can’t say that’s a bad thing. It’s an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.”

Skip Bayless, in his infinite wisdom, has been saying this for months, and took this moment to gloat a bit about what MJ said.

“Michael said, ‘I’m going to stay in Chicago.’”

In September of 1988, coming off his first MVP, Jordan signed an eight-year deal worth $25 million. (Soak those numbers in for a moment…the greatest player ever to play the game made about $3 million a season in his prime. Amazing.) The Bulls were 50-32 the previous season (Scottie Pippen’s first year in the league) and were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. So his playing situation was not unlike LeBron’s, though I don’t think too many NBA stars would choose the city of Cleveland over Chicago.

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LeBron James gets dunked on at camp, Nike confiscates tapes

Remember when Michael Jordan got dunked on by a camper in the summer? Yes, the video was grainy, but there it was, His Airness posterized by a high school kid. I forget the guy’s name, but I’m pretty sure he was from the Milwaukee area and that I played against him in the Easter Seals All-Star Game in high school. He had his 15 minutes of fame, and then I never heard about him again.

What’s my point? Well, LeBron James just got dunked on at his skills camp by Xavier’s Jordan Crawford, and according to Gary Parrish, the tapes were confiscated by a representative from Nike.

Turns out, there were at least two cameras rolling Monday night when Crawford dunked on James during a pick-up game here at the LeBron James Skills Academy. It was a two-handed jam, the kind that would’ve circulated quickly on YouTube. But Nike officials eliminated that possibility shortly after the dunk happened by allegedly confiscating tapes from various cameramen.

Worth noting is that there is no policy against filming at the LeBron James Skills Academy, and Miller said he had been filming all day without incident. Nobody ever told him to stop. Nobody ever said there was a problem … until after Crawford dunked on James.

“LeBron called Lynn over and told him something,” Miller said. “That’s how I knew his name was Lynn. LeBron said, ‘Hey, Lynn. Come here.’”

Minutes later, Miller said Merritt demanded his tape.

LeBron shouldn’t be worried about the tape ruining his image. He should be more worried how it looks to confiscate the tape. This is a case where the censorship is worse than the actual incident.

Until recently, James has always acted wise beyond his years. But this, coupled with his refusal to shake hands after the Eastern Conference Finals, indicates an underlying immaturity. He (or Nike) is so concerned with his image that he (or they) don’t think about the ramifications of confiscating a video that makes him look bad. This only makes him look worse.

Blogging the Bloggers: Tuesday

- Lil’ Wayne went head to head with Skip Bayless (ooooooooh!) and DEADSPIN has the video. On a side note, Dana Jacobsen (yes, the one that got drunk and cursed at a “celebrity” roast a while back) is fan of Weezy’s grill.

- Via SPORTSBYBROOKS, Gus Frerotte feels that the Vikings lost last Sunday’s game to the Eagles because he wasn’t the quarterback. Um…y’think?

- THE WORLD OF ISAAC has learned that Rob Parker — you know, the guy who asked Rod Marinelli if he wished that his daughter had married a better defensive coordinator — anyway, Rob Parker is no longer working for the Detroit News.

- A Mets fan over at BUGS & CRANKS wonders why they would want to sign Derrick Lowe.

- MIDWEST SPORTS FANS discuss today’s news that the Philadelphia District Attorney does not have enough credible sources to move forward with charges against Marvin Harrison.

Blogging the Bloggers: Saturday, 12/20

Yi Jianlian- The apparent evidence is in: Yi Jianlian is actually 24, not 21. That lying bastard… (AOL FanHouse)

- Bills fans are weird. Case in point, one male Bills fan told another male Jets fan that he was going to make him pregnant. Seriously. (SPORTSbyBROOKS.com)

- For ESPN’s First Take and Skip Bayless, it’s come down to ranking the top five best looking quarterbacks in the NFL to fill segments. Just ridiculous. (Deadspin)

- Here’s a top 10 list of shocking realizations for gamblers of the NFL. (Epic Carnival)

- Here’s an article to help ensure you get something nice for your girlfriend this holiday season. Just kidding, it’s actually a guide to help you better tailgate this college football bowl season. (The Love of Sports)

Kobe vs. Michael

You knew it would happen. Kobe Bryant has an incredible scoring streak, and now some idiot posing as an analyst writes the obligatory column saying that Kobe Bryant is a better player than Michael Jordan. What do you expect from an organization that employs Skip Bayless?

Super Bowl rants

On ESPN2′s “Cold Pizza,” sports analyst resident moron Skip Bayless predicted last week that the Bears would win. Rather than own up to his dumb prediction, Bayless made the claim this morning that the rain is to blame for Chicago’s loss. Yep, the cold weather team from Chicago was hurt by the rain and the dome team from Indy had the advantage.

We’ve reached the point where ESPN is trying way too hard to generate controversy and ratings. Bayless is an idiot and ESPN should not be giving him a forum. This morning he was matched against Greg Anthony, an excellent basketball analyst who made Bayless look like a fool by challenging his stupid rants.

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