Dan Patrick made Mike Malone proud by calling out ESPN, LeBron James, and the Los Angeles Lakers for controlling the narrative unnecessarily.
Somebody had to say it. First it was Mike Malone of the Denver Nuggets, and now it's Dan Patrick, and the vitriol is aimed at one LeBron James.
Not just LeBron for that matter, ESPN too, and the vast majority of national media coverage towards the NBA — they all are culpable.
At the ESPY's Wednesday night, the Lakers superstar made a statement about his future in the league as he received the ESPY award for Best Record-Breaking Performance for breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time points record.
"The day I can't give the game everything on the floor is the day I'll be done," James said during Wednesday's ESPYs. "Lucky for you guys, that day is not today."
A far cry from what took place after Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. But more on that in a second. Longtime sports media personality Dan Patrick had an issue with James' comments and proceeded to let loose.
"I wasn't waiting for an announcement," Patrick said. "I got one. And then ESPN is treating it like its breaking news. And I went, 'You know what's breaking news? If he retired! Not that he's coming back. Who thought that he might retire?
"It just … it just is needy, and you don't need it," Patrick continued.
Hm, this type of salvo is very similar. But where have we heard this before? Oh, yes. Right after Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. In fact, all throughout that particular series. LeBron James pondered retirement after the loss. Additionally, after Game 1, Malone had something to say about how his team felt in terms of respect.
"You win Game 1 of the playoffs and all everybody talked about was the Lakers," Malone said during his postgame press conference. "Let's be honest, that was the national narrative, was, 'Hey, the Lakers are fine. They're down 1-0, but they figured something out.' No one talked about Nikola just had an historic performance (in Game 1). He's got 13 (playoff) triple-doubles now, third all-time. What he's doing is just incredible. But the narrative wasn't about the Nuggets. The narrative wasn't about Nikola. The narrative was about the Lakers and their adjustments."
Dan Patrick, Mike Malone did not hold back on LeBron James, Lakers coverage
Naturally, calling out a network like ESPN will trigger current and former employees/analysts as they come down on anyone who dares speak negatively from the outside that may not be "on their level". The same goes for other networks as well. If a supposed outsider calls them out, they must have facts to back it up.
So, let us provide proof that what Malone and Patrick are saying is true. There's plenty of material to work with. Let's go through a few of them.
Exhibit A: Brian Windhorst saying the Lakers looked good getting swept.
Whoever says a team looks good getting swept? That basically means that if you lose, you get more credit than if you win. Basically, the Nuggets did everything right except that they won the game.
Exhibit B: Mike Greenberg, Jalen Rose, and Michael Wilbon "The Lakers figured things out"
Figured what out? All of a sudden, the second half overshadows the game. Really? The team lost. And they proceeded to lose the next three games, including the last one where James failed to score in the waning seconds. Moreover, as the Nuggets were winning, ESPN cameras pointed squarely at James walking off instead of showing the Nuggets donning their WCF Champions gear.
Two instances and frankly, just one piece of evidence, hardcore evidence, is enough to show a jury that the case is presentable and valid.
But what Patrick and Malone are saying is absolutely true. The Lakers don't need to dominate headlines and LeBron James, calculating as he is, dropped the retirement hint to sway the focus away from being swept by Denver and keeping the Nuggets from getting the attention they fought so hard to deserve.
Skip Bayless has often called LeBron James a "master media manipulator". It has worked on some, but you can be assured that Dan Patrick won't be susceptible to the craft. He said what he said, and truthfully, he makes a valid point.