LeBron James Calls Out Thunder Coach Scott Brooks In The Most LeBron Way Possible

As the Miami Herald reports, when someone asked about the other playoff series going on this week, LeBron said, “I don’t want to sit here and be the coach of OKC but I seen a lot of things that could have been done better.”

Now, be honest: Don’t you feel better knowing what LeBron thinks?

With anyone else, this might be harmless. Or even cool, since he’s being honest. But it’s LeBron, so instead of a harmless observation, this is a perfect example of what makes him so goddamn hard to love. Mainly because of how he said it. It’s not that he’s speaking his mind, but he’s doing it in the most passive aggressive way possible. It’s one thing to take shots at someone and own it.

What LeBron’s doing is different, though. He qualifies himself with, “I don’t want to sit here and be the coach...” before criticizing some other dude’s coaching. It’s classic LeBron. And even if he has a point on this one—Scott Brooks has looked awful at times—it’s still classic LeBron.

The whole, “I’m not saying, I’m just sayin...” method of saying controversial things. It’d be like telling the media, “I don’t want to sit here and run major league baseball, but I see a whole lot of things baseball could be doing better.” Or, “I don’t want to sit here and be in charge of elections, but I see a whole lot of things the Egyptians could be doing better.”

First of all: Who cares what you think?

Second: Thank you for weighing in with that bombshell of an opinion, Captain Obvious.

And finally, just for the record, saying “I’m don’t want to sit here and...” doesn’t soften whatever comes next. It’s like saying “No offense, but...”. In the end, that just makes you look lame for not sticking with whatever controversial opinion you feel like sharing next.

All of which is to say... He may be the best basketball player on earth, but he’s still the same ole LeBron. And I don’t want to sit here and pretend I’m LeBron, but I seen a lot of things that could be done better.