Loading ...Is #6 a Hint from The King?
Posted by HoopsAvenue on March 10, 2010 under General NBA | 
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With Lebron’s free agency less than four months away, everyone’s wondering what The King is going to do. He’s not going to tell us, of course, as that would ruin the suspense, but, like any attention-loving superstar, he’s enjoying the media’s endless coverage and speculation. Conventional wisdom has him either staying in Cleveland or heading to the Big Apple so where will he end up? Is there any way to know? We can analyze how much he says he loves New York and the Yankees versus how loyal he is to Cleveland, but that doesn’t really tell us much and, besides, he’s just intentionally adding drama to the story like any good suspense novelist would do.
So, it doesn’t matter that much what Lebron says, but what about things he actually does? The other week, Lebron filed paperwork to change his number to 6, his Olympic number. As others have suggested, it probably has less to do with paying homage to Jordan than it does with paying his bills (ok, more than just bills) via jersey sales. But, why bother changing your number to boost jersey sales if you’re going to be wearing new colors next year anyways? Hmm…could Lebron be telling us he might not be wearing new colors next year?
It’s hard to argue with the idea that Lebron is changing his number to boost jersey sales. Kobe did it and shot to number one on the jersey sales list and Lebron is surrounded by savvy business advisors who tell him to maximize his earning potential every day. It’s possible Lebron decided that with the Cavs being one of the dominant forces in the East and him feeling comfortable there, he doesn’t want to start over and, thus, he’s stuck with a Cavs jersey…so he’d better run and change his number if he wants to ever catch Kobe (in jersey sales or anything else).
Of course, we also have to keep in mind that Lebron has been dropping hints about this jersey change for a while (over a year, perhaps?) and this could mean nothing. He’s mentioned numerous times before that he doesn’t think anybody should wear #23. Then, some suggested he take the lead and stop wearing it (playing right into his hand) so he did. This has played out over some time so maybe he knew he was going to wear #6 regardless if it was Cleveland or New York. So, a jersey change doesn’t tell us everything, but, like everything else, you can read into it what you want. The timing sure is interesting.
Or, maybe you believe Lebron’s being completely candid about honoring MJ.