A Warped POV by A. Dacosta Brathway

February 24th, Friday... "Don't believe the hype!" Especially if it's about you!/ Now that Jeremy Lin has met the Miami Heat and had a sub-par game, maybe the media will stop creating the "super hero" they want Lin to be. Lin got the chance to be in the NBA... That's all! He can hang out but he is not going to dominate the thing. What has been proven so far is that there are a lot of bad defenders in the league or, for the sake of entertainment no defense is played to keep the game moving. Miami did not get that memo!
No fault of Lin's. He did not create the hype. He just went into the game, when told, and did what he does! ("Does what he do!" for you Ebonics readers!) He is a basketball player and he strengths and weaknesses like all players. It's the "ding-dang" media that is responsible for the (created) hysteria that surrounds Jeremy Lin.
What I like about the (personified) media is when they create something, then back off of it when called on the carpet. What is proves, to me, is that the media believes that everything that happens is a story and when it is not all that of a great story, they will hash it out until they think it is! Please!
Lin is an innocent bystander in all of this and now he may have to bear some pain because the Miami Heat exposed him. Hopefully he is of sound mind. But, no worries... The Knicks are corporate owned. They have plenty of cheese! They can hire a personal psychiatrist if Lin needs one. They can put him/her on a retainer and fly him/her out when needed!
Keep the faith Lin. You are in the city (Manhattan) where the fantasy becomes the reality! (If you lived in Brooklyn, reality would smack the shit out of you everyday!)

A Warped POV by A. Dacosta Brathway

July 9th, Thursday/ In the words of the rap group, Public Enemy, "Don't believe the hype!" Here is where those words apply... "King" James (basketball global icon LeBron James)apparently has used his (perceived) royal influence to disallow the viewing public to bear "witness" to him being "posterized" in a pick up game at the Skills Academy in Ohio, somewhere. It has been reported that a sophomore basketball player from Xavier University did the deed on LeBron and the "King" ordered his NIKE henchmen to confiscate the tape. BOOOOO!
Now, that particular incident does not make LeBron the bad guy. That opinion was solidified a while back when The Cavaliers lost to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals when LeBron would not shake his fellow Olympian, Dwight Howard's hand to congratulate him. Getting dunked on is just the exclamation point!
Whatever is being written about LeBron (even this) is just bullshit. He is, more than likely, nothing like what is being said about him. He has been spoiled long ago when the vipers got their hands on him, early. To have expectations that he is so loving and caring to the basketball viewing public is a knock on the viewing public, not "King" James. Those who bear "witness" hold out all hope that LeBron is a great guy and maybe he is. He is just not that to John Q Public. His money is not directly coming from the fans. I'm sure, if you ask him, he will tell you that. The public's deal with LeBron is a cash and carry deal. You pay to see him play and he plays. End of story. There will be no visits to your neighborhood and dinner at your house. He will not play with your children... When told, he will show up at an organized event, sign autographs, have light chit-chat with you then move on to the next scheduled appearance. "King" James is not the king! Hell, he doesn't even have the ring to prove it!