How can I put this nicely?
I guess I can't.
Rochester basketball fans: Quit whining.
Maybe you got ripped off, but you booed the wrong guy. LeBron James and the Cavaliers made it clear from the outset of training camp that he wouldn't be playing in the second game of back-to-backs in the preseason. I said on this blog page that his playing time would be less than the hang time of a Brian Moorman punt weeks ago, long before the Rochester D&C "broke" the story that he wouldn't be playing.
You got ripped off by the promoter who continued to advertise the event as "LeBron and the Cavs" up until yesterday morning, and the lazy media members who trusted the press release instead of doing leg work until it was too late.
Think of it this way: He shot around. He warmed up. He played with the crowd, pretending he was going to enter the game near the end. Would you rather have a someone who engages his fans, or five minutes of grumpy "where's the bus" play? (Think Mike Mussina and Albert Belle at the last Orioles exhibition).
So to summarize, the league's best player came to town--the first NBA game in Rochester in 25 years, and you booed him. That should get us another game real real soon. It'll probably be as effective as the no-show protest against the high prices for last year's Sabres game in Rochester. And hey...the Sabres didn't come back this year, did they?
Everyone whines about the NFL preseason. The starters don't play very long and they still end up getting hurt in their series of play from time to time. That's why LeBron wasn't going to "just play five minutes" on an unfamiliar court in an arena designed for minor league and small college games. Nothing against the Blue Cross Arena, but it probably doesn't feature the same state of the art player friendly features as some of the NBA arenas, or even the Carrier Dome.
Everyone also whines that the NFL makes their season ticket holders pay full season prices for preseason games. The NBA fixed that problem. Instead of raising the season ticket bill, they hit the road and play in small cities that otherwise wouldn't get to see NBA ball.
Sure, you didn't see LeBron, but you saw the top pick in the draft. You saw Drew Gooden, TJ Ford, Kris Humprhies, and most of the other top players on both teams. And every player you saw is better than any player on the teams that will play at Blue Cross for the rest of the year. As good as the RazorSharks were last year, they're still several levels below an invite to NBA camp.
The league gave you the chance to see a higher quality of ball than will be played in Western New York for the rest of the year. You booed. If you want to see it again, enjoy your drive to Toronto.
