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A King in Name Only
 

Midas Mulligan Magoo's picture
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 12:00pm
stfu

In the wake of the Dallas Mavericks seemingly improbable NBA title run I feel compelled to do a little preaching. For the credential part of my presentation I will say that I was never very good... at anything that is. I never got a job people would envy. I never made a team anyone would root for. I never had the looks, the brains or the personality. But what I did have and what I do have and what I will always have is heart. Having heart is the only skill every one of us can fully develop. Loving life and loving yourself enough to give a shit. That is how I define it.

LeBron James has no heart. He has no guts. He has all the talent I never had. In a game of one-on-one hoops LeBron would tear me apart. But in the game of life I am a far bigger baller than he will ever be… and so are most of you. As we have all heard, read and said a lot about the man already, I want to emphasize that this is not about the King, who (paraphrasing the expression)… has no clothes. This is about you guys trying to make it in the jungles of Wall Street and in life.

LeBron is the perfect example of why no amount of money, power and popularity will automatically make a man out of you. His failure on the basketball court is a mirror image of the failures of the financial industry in recent history. Privileged, paid and about as pure as bucket of piss and puke. Don’t play the game the way he does guys. Here are a few reasons why…

...Or You Got A Wicked Jump Shot

These were the words that my generation of young city kids lived by. I grew up with guys like Kenny Anderson, Stephon Marbury and the legendary Lloyd Daniels. I played basketball and I not only loved it… I lived it. I was a forward adept on the wing and more than willing to bang on the low block. I could have been one of the greats, like Bird and McHale in the same body. The only problem was that that body was missing a good foot in height in order to trouble defenders past the early years of high school ball. That is why I took an obscene amount of pleasure in watching LeBron James fail miserably this past weekend. Someone with so much more talent than anyone in the history of the sport, but still too cowardly, arrogant and pathetic to do something with it.

Before I drift too far into my own hate for this media concoction who is realistically not even a top 100 player in the NBA all-time, I want to highlight the real purpose of this post. It is to make an analogy to the financial industry of today and its players … you guys. Whether you are the silver spoon kid like LeBron, a doofy hard working nerd like Dirk Nowitzki, a brooding genius like Kobe, a waste of good genetics like Mike Dunleavy or the reason why marijuana is indeed a cheeseburger gateway drug like Eddy Curry…you are playing in the top league on the planet.

Don’t fuck up.

Don’t sulk. Don’t give in to pressure. Don’t give in to temptation. Don’t shy away from responsibility. Don’t rely on teammates by hiding behind them. Don’t speak in clichés. Don’t be afraid to take criticism. Don’t be anything but your own worst critic. Don’t have an entourage. Don’t sell your hometown or your team or your friends out for a bigger payday…there will always be money in this game. Don’t talk about winning until you’ve won. Don’t allow others to shower you with praise you know you don’t deserve. Don’t shy away from conflict. Don’t shy away from contact. Don’t pass the ball in tight situations unless it is to help someone else score. Don’t pass the ball in tight situations because you are afraid or don’t know how to score. Don’t bully those who are weaker if you cannot stand up to those who are tougher. Don’t count on talent. Don’t think your reputation will get you the crucial call in a pinch. Don’t ever underestimate a German. Don’t be a bitch. Don’t ignore this.

For anyone that did not get the point. This is not at all about LeBron James.

Where I unload on Twits and take verbal S***s
Tags:

Comments

derivstrading's picture

You dont just need talent,

ST
(King Kong, 1,351
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 1:12pm

You dont just need talent, but you need to be confident in your talent and hard work.

Ive never actually watched a whole game of Lebron James until these finals, and so I believed he was a great player off of highlights and basically third person accounts. I was shocked at how timid Lebron looked in these finals, it was unbelievable.

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hot1590's picture

Everyday I wonder why I'm not

 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 1:20pm

Everyday I wonder why I'm not as smart as that guy, but this is just what I needed to hear today. Thanks Midas.

kvkenyon's picture

Great post

AM
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 1:20pm

Great post

Dr Barnaby Fulton's picture

I think the problem with

AM
(Orangutan, 329
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 1:27pm

I think the problem with LeBron and a lot of the wiz kids on Wall St is they've never dealt with adversity. A lot of kids were at the top of their class in high school, aced their classes in college and got showered with praise when they landed their analyst gig. Once they enter the real world they get kicked around a little bit and find themselves at the bottom of the totem pole.

This is what we've seen with LBJ. Since leaving behind his public high school for St. Vincent-St. Mary, he's been called the King and constantly reminded how great he is. When he failed in Cleveland we blamed his teammates. Now he's failed in Miami and he doesn't have the "lack of help" excuse to hide behind.

When you get knocked down you can either stay down or come back stronger. Everyone fails. Everyone gets exposed. What separates the good from the great are those who come back stronger. I'm not a LeBron fan, but my guess is LBJ and the Heat win 3 of the next 4 championships.

lxwarr30's picture

Midas Mulligan Magoo

 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 2:10pm
Midas Mulligan Magoo:

Don’t sulk. Don’t give in to pressure. Don’t give in to temptation. Don’t shy away from responsibility. Don’t rely on teammates by hiding behind them. Don’t speak in clichés. Don’t be afraid to take criticism. Don’t be anything but your own worst critic. Don’t have an entourage. Don’t sell your hometown or your team or your friends out for a bigger payday…there will always be money in this game. Don’t talk about winning until you’ve won. Don’t allow others to shower you with praise you know you don’t deserve. Don’t shy away from conflict. Don’t shy away from contact. Don’t pass the ball in tight situations unless it is to help someone else score. Don’t pass the ball in tight situations because you are afraid or don’t know how to score. Don’t bully those who are weaker if you cannot stand up to those who are tougher. Don’t count on talent. Don’t think your reputation will get you the crucial call in a pinch. Don’t ever underestimate a German. Don’t be a bitch. Don’t ignore this.

That was pretty inspirational coach.

bonks's picture

.

CO
(Orangutan, 316
 
Points)
 on 7/5/12 at 11:23pm

.

Nothing short of everything will really do.

porsche959's picture

Jesus Christ am I the only

 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 3:00pm

Jesus Christ am I the only one that thinks this post is shit?

Seems like describing LeBron as a "failure" is just like us Ibanking hopeful's defining every other bank besides the Goldman Sachs as a "failure"

Hes still the best player in the nba, took a shit team to the playoff's multiple times, and is entertaining as hell

lxwarr30's picture

He didn't say Lebron wasn't

 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 3:35pm

He didn't say Lebron wasn't good (even though he really isn't that good, if he wasn't on every nike billboard you've seen in the past few years you wouldn't regard him so highly). "He has all the talent I never had." He was more pointing to his poor values. "LeBron is the perfect example of why no amount of money, power and popularity will automatically make a man out of you. "

I don't consider it shit and I thought it was well written. I do think you didn't read the whole thing and just wrote an opinion one paragraph into it.

SDBall22's picture

I don't think you can call

O
(Baboon, 161
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 3:47pm

I don't think you can call Lebron "the silver spoon kid" though. He grew up poor and without a father. He leveraged his basketball talent to get into a private high school the same way people here leverage contacts to get on Wall Street.

bfin's picture

SDBall22 wrote: I don't think

CF
(Neanderthal, 2,773
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 3:54pm
SDBall22:

I don't think you can call Lebron "the silver spoon kid" though. He grew up poor and without a father. He leveraged his basketball talent to get into a private high school the same way people here leverage contacts to get on Wall Street.

SInce the end of his senior year in high school he has been the silver spoon kid.. (See:100mm contract with Nike before he played one professional game).

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee

WSO is not your personal search function.

Nobama88's picture

SDBall22 wrote: He leveraged

RE
(King Kong, 1,676
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 3:55pm
SDBall22:

He leveraged his basketball talent to get into a private high school the same way people here leverage contacts to get on Wall Street.

Really? Really?.........

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txjustin's picture

porsche959 wrote: Jesus

O
(Neanderthal, 2,447
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 4:03pm
porsche959:

Jesus Christ am I the only one that thinks this post is shit?

Seems like describing LeBron as a "failure" is just like us Ibanking hopeful's defining every other bank besides the Goldman Sachs as a "failure"

Hes still the best player in the nba, took a shit team to the playoff's multiple times, and is entertaining as hell

I think this post went right over your head...

bfin's picture

txjustin wrote: porsche959

CF
(Neanderthal, 2,773
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 4:04pm
txjustin:
porsche959:

Jesus Christ am I the only one that thinks this post is shit?

Seems like describing LeBron as a "failure" is just like us Ibanking hopeful's defining every other bank besides the Goldman Sachs as a "failure"

Hes still the best player in the nba, took a shit team to the playoff's multiple times, and is entertaining as hell

I think this post went right over your head...

Way over...

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee

WSO is not your personal search function.

SDBall22's picture

blackfinancier

O
(Baboon, 161
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 4:12pm
blackfinancier:
SDBall22:

I don't think you can call Lebron "the silver spoon kid" though. He grew up poor and without a father. He leveraged his basketball talent to get into a private high school the same way people here leverage contacts to get on Wall Street.

SInce the end of his senior year in high school he has been the silver spoon kid.. (See:100mm contract with Nike before he played one professional game).

Nike gave him a contract based on what they thought his value would be to their products. He earned that contract by practicing basketball for countless hours. It wasn't a trust fund. God gave him athletic ability and a body but he had to work to become a good basketball player. He earned that contract. Do you think Nike would do it over again? They would in a heartbeat, probably give him 200M this time.

At the end of his senior year of high school he was 18 years old. Nike didn't give him the contract when he was born. That's what a silver spoon is. He earned that contract over the first 18 years of his life. You are an adult when you turn 18.

bfin's picture

SDBall22

CF
(Neanderthal, 2,773
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 4:13pm
SDBall22:
blackfinancier:
SDBall22:

I don't think you can call Lebron "the silver spoon kid" though. He grew up poor and without a father. He leveraged his basketball talent to get into a private high school the same way people here leverage contacts to get on Wall Street.

SInce the end of his senior year in high school he has been the silver spoon kid.. (See:100mm contract with Nike before he played one professional game).

Nike gave him a contract based on what they thought his value would be to their products. He earned that contract by practicing basketball for countless hours. It wasn't a trust fund. God gave him athletic ability and a body but he had to work to become a good basketball player. He earned that contract. Do you think Nike would do it over again? They would in a heartbeat, probably give him 200M this time.

How is it not silver spoonish to guarantee someone, essentially a child $13 million/year without playing a meaningful basketball game. High school prep basketball doesn't compare to the NBA at all. Also Lebron hasn't even done that well for Nike...

http://www.cnbc.com/id/32376185/How_Much_Is_LeBron...

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee

WSO is not your personal search function.

Aragorn's picture

SB Sir

(Orangutan, 335
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 5:25pm

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light." - DT

DurbanDiMangus's picture

Dr Barnaby Fulton wrote: I

HF
(Gorilla, 722
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 7:47pm
In The Flesh's picture

*applause* And, just for the

HF
(Neanderthal, 2,814
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 7:25pm

Head of Metal Website: www.headofmetal.com

https://twitter.com/headofmetal2012

Dr Barnaby Fulton's picture

DurbanDiMangus wrote: Dr

AM
(Orangutan, 329
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 7:44pm
TNA's picture

Not that I follow basketball

O
(Human, 13,543
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 7:56pm

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David_Puddy's picture

ANT wrote: Not that I follow

O
(Baboon, 154
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 8:06pm

"yeah, thats right" High-Five

SDBall22's picture

blackfinancier

O
(Baboon, 161
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 8:20pm
starhitswall's picture

A little bit childish, a

AM
(Chimp, 3
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 8:38pm

The time is now...

txjustin's picture

Ant's baaaaack! haha,

O
(Neanderthal, 2,447
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 9:10pm
Stan the Monkey's picture

Thank you Coach! I will

CF
(Monkey, 33
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 9:42pm
DurbanDiMangus's picture

Dr Barnaby Fulton

HF
(Gorilla, 722
 
Points)
 on 6/15/11 at 2:40am
EarTotheStreet's picture

A 90 Million dollar shoe

ST
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 10:32pm
Stan the Monkey's picture

his poor respond reminded me

CF
(Monkey, 33
 
Points)
 on 6/14/11 at 11:16pm
djr's picture

ANT wrote: Not that I follow

 
Points)
 on 6/15/11 at 1:10am
happypantsmcgee's picture

I find it funny that Lebron

O
(Almost Human, 9,621
 
Points)
 on 6/15/11 at 1:34am

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford

SonnyCrockett's picture

.

O
 
Points)
 on 10/22/11 at 10:21pm
DurbanDiMangus's picture

don johnson avatar FTW

HF
(Gorilla, 722
 
Points)
 on 6/15/11 at 2:41am
derivstrading's picture

saying Lebron James did not

ST
(King Kong, 1,351
 
Points)
 on 6/15/11 at 4:39am

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If you have any questions email them to me at [email protected]

SDBall22's picture

derivstrading wrote: saying

O
(Baboon, 161
 
Points)
 on 6/15/11 at 10:12am
SDBall22's picture

EarTotheStreet wrote: A 90

O
(Baboon, 161
 
Points)
 on 6/15/11 at 10:14am
Midas Mulligan Magoo's picture

To clarify for some of you

 
Points)
 on 6/15/11 at 10:39am

Where I unload on Twits and take verbal S***s

Dr Barnaby Fulton's picture

Midas Mulligan Magoo

AM
(Orangutan, 329
 
Points)
 on 6/16/11 at 1:07pm

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