If it isn’t a metaphor for what will get us out of this economic mess, I don’t know what is. Wade sets up LeBron for an alley-oop.

To supplement this fiscal analysis, see Morgan Kelly in the Irish Times.

In Race of a Lifetime — the ripping account of the thrilling 2008 US presidential election — we’re taken inside Barack Obama’s campaign tour bus hours ahead of a potentially game-changing debate with Republican hopeful John McCain.

The scene fizzes with activity. Nervous aides push last-minute notes into the nominee’s hands, Democratic party gurus peek in the door in an attempt to gauge his mood, Blackberry devices buzz in anticipation of the night’s televised action.

Asked how he felt, a visibly-relaxed Obama, sitting back in a baseball cap while watching a basketball game replies: “I’m LeBron, baby.”

The 44th president was, of course, referring to the then-Cleveland Cavaliers star (he’s since switched controversially to Miami Heat) — the paragon of cool and guile.

Obama later took the court and dunked the debate.

Sport inspiring politics — it’s nothing new. And there’s a lot of it around at the moment. While another Ponzi Scheme of consensus is constructed, we’re encouraged daily on the airwaves and in print to ‘pull on the green jersey’. On Wednesday, while inside Leinster House, Brian Cowen was preparing to host talks between his government and the two main opposition parties — the latest tactical move in this soul-destroying economic match — An Taoiseach could’ve taken inspiration from a team not too far from his own desk.

And they were very much wearing the green jersey.

“We were victorious again today,” says Senator Mark Daly from Kenmare, after he answers my call on Wednesday evening, “the Oireachtas won again.”

Just like last year, the parliament fielded a team with plenty of width; politicians from both left and right wing backgrounds, some would argue, laced up the boots in Irishtown Stadium in a lunchtime friendly match between members of the Oireachtas and representatives from a range of embassies based here.

The game was part of an admirable European-wide initiative, aimed at tackling discrimination and racism, which is supported by FIFA and promoted by the FAI.

But though the expenses are good in politics we believe — we’re a few rungs below Premier League-level bling here.

“In the day that was in it with Brian Cowen meeting the other parties for discussions, we came together as a coalition ourselves and performed very well,” says Daly.

“We had (Fianna Fáil TD) Niall Blaney as captain; our colleague in the Greens, Paul Gogarty, played — he’s very fit and plays a lot of football; Deputy Michael D’Arcy of Fine Gael; and Chris Andrews (FF).

“And Gerry Steadman represented the Taoiseach’s office and in fact scored for the Taoiseach’s office,” adds 37-year-old Daly.

Though Cowen comes at these international problems from a GAA background, having played football with his club Clara and, indeed, Offaly in the 1980s, he might take heart in the soccer performance from those he files into the chamber with three mornings a week.

“We togged out because all across Europe today there’s initiatives going on to highlight racism in sport and working positively to stamp it out really. It’s organised by FIFA and we took part last year too and its a very worthwhile initiative,” says Daly.

“There’s certainly lessons to be learned from the experience. We all performed very well together and when you’re representing Ireland — as we are — you take it seriously. Today, we were literally on the same team.”

And for those optimistic Labour supporters amongst you (or indeed pessimistic Fine Gaelers) hoping that there might be scope for a rotating Taoiseach arrangement in the next government there was some solace to be taken in the arrangements in a hard-fought victory for our elected representatives this week.

“We all took turns in goal — because everyone knows that’s boring as hell,” said Daly, before running through the performances of those around him.

“I played in defence. I was playing in a Kerry Barrett Cup final recently at corner-back and I did the same (on Wednesday). But I was in defence mostly and I had a few lads afterwards from the embassies come over pointing at their shins and saying ‘look at that’. So we got stuck in.

“But, of course, I think the Fianna Fáil lads performed the best — though everyone did their bit.

And did Paul Gogarty — a man who forged a reputation in the wider public consciousness with a now-infamous expletive-filled rant at Emmett Stagg in the Dáil — pick up a booking for foul and abusive language?

“No, there was no yellow cards for remonstrating with the referees,” Daly confirms.

Now that’s inspiring.

adrianjrussell@gmail.com Twitter: @adrianrussell

Waiting for flight home, but saw this cool infographic at the Hoop Doctors.

Here’s an understatement; by now, LeBron James’ DECISION has been well raked over.

I don’t need to add to the white noise. But I thought the above front page from the Cleveland Plain Dealer (great newspaper title) was worth a post. Print media still does some things right.

For those who can’t read the small print linked to his right hand – it says “Seven years in Cleveland, no rings”.

For some great analysis of his move to Miami, the way it was handled and the Cavs owner’s public meltdown check out this piece by Joe Posnanski, where I also first saw the above image.

And there’s some fan reaction here. and here

As well as some class Twitter reactions here.

I haven’t blogged about The King in a few hours, so here you go…

Via Joe Posnanski

If you were shaken from your slumber early last Friday morning by the walls rattling and the sound of a distant crash, it was probably just a giant falling to earth in a land far, far away.

Until now, Lebron James – or The King to you and me – has danced out a fairytale career in professional basketball, in a swoosh-ified world bubbling with expensive champagne. Though without a title, his was a career viewed under the soft lighting of that wonderful commodity: promise. Until now.

White-hot favourites to see off the rough magic of an old Boston outfit, the best-of-seven play-off series ended late on Thursday night, sensationally, after Game Six, with the Celtics winning 94-85, almost beneath a green tide of raw emotion. James seemed to stand alone from the madding, shamrock-wearing crowd.

Seemingly distilled to a hand-on-hips silhouette, it was like studying an unbeaten and seemingly invincible heavyweight in the very instant he drops to the canvas after shipping his maiden knockout blow. As a veteran Buster Douglas threw his arms to the bleachers in unlikely victory, this was Tyson on all fours pawing the canvas for his lost gum-shield, like a short-sighted man searching for his spectacles.

The cameras trailed James into the locker-room. Perhaps on purpose, he generously offered us the glib image we craved as he peeled off the claret-and-gold vest of his hometown club the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s unlikely he’ll pull the colours over his head again.

Writers often quote a celebrated line of Guy de Maupassant (the 19th century French writer, obviously) as an example of sharp characterisation in fiction.

It goes: “He was an elderly gentleman with ginger whiskers who always somehow made sure he was first through the door.” It works, right? We get the picture. Though not sporting red facial hair, Lebron fit that description in Boston last Thursday night as he exited hurriedly, through stage left.

In July, he becomes a free agent and a lengthy queue has formed outside his door – as New York, Chicago, New Jersey et al carry with them briefcases stuffed full of expectation, pressure and parochial repercussion.

The Boston fans had not been shy in using the native Ohio boy’s reticence to discuss a move in the summer, as an advantage. Throatily singing Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York and chanting slowly ‘Knicker-bock-ers’ ironically, he was embarrassed between each buzzer.

Asked afterwards if he was indeed to bid farewell to those who needed him most – the town of Cleveland which has earned the unwelcome label of ‘choking-est town in America’ through a pattern of failure in a broad spectrum of sports – without bringing home the title that once seemed inevitable, James offered what Woodward and Bernstein would’ve called a ‘non-denial denial’.

But it does now seem that he will hastily pack his bags, reverse the car quietly out the driveway and leave town late at night like he owes his landlord a month’s rent. And it started, like the best hard-luck stories I suppose, so well.

Particularly as Tiger Woods remains caught between sitting shoeless on a shrink’s chaise-lounge and tugging on a set of spikes, it’s easy to say that James is the outstanding athlete now under the earth’s sun. And it’s probably true.

As Shakespeare’s Henry V said before the Battle of Agincourt: We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. Anyone who ever read Darcy Frey’s The Last Shot or watched the wonderful Hoop Dreams documentary will realise that those 10 men who bounce onto the court every night under the harsh glare of arena lights are indeed the lucky few.
The climb to the NBA is a cruelly meritocratic road. Left behind is a hard shoulder of broken promises and wasted talent.

Clawing through the grades and jumping – almost literally – through hoops for scouts, was never James’ journey, however. Though they call the Orlando Magic talisman Dwight Howard ‘Superman’, it was James that seemed to crash in from Krypton, ready to go. He skipped college and announced he was instead to enrol in the school of moderately hard, on-court knocks – the NBA.

In doing so he set himself on track for silly $50 million contracts and billboard-filling endorsements with Nike.
In a twist that seemed drafted on a Marvel comic drawing board, his local team – the middling Cleveland Cavaliers – had first pick in the 2003 draft and, inevitably, they brought their new franchise guy home.

From that coronation, he has become the east’s counterweight to the LA Lakers Kobe Bryant. He seemed to be the
natural successor to his hero Michael Jordan. If I may hop a cliché off the backboard: the world was at his feet.

But, as well as selling more shoes than Jimmy Choo, Jordan won titles. That’s just what he did.

In fact his championship rings stretch to six fingers. James’ mercury-quick hands are yet to be weighed down by one.

The famous old Celtics – a team that speaks in a broad Southy accent to the traditionalist in all of us – march on. They lead Orlando at the time of writing. And, on Tuesday, the Washington Wizards won the annual draft lottery giving them first dibs on the best pretender to the throne.

The king is dead. Long live the king.

Contact: Adrian.russell@examiner.ie Twitter: @adrianrussell

Watching Kerry’s Kieran Donaghy pluck the ball out of the sky over Thurles today like he was under a backboard, Cork fans might have thought the Rebels could do with LeBron James in and around the small parallelogram this summer.

Luckily, it looks like The King is to leave Cleveland this summer for either New York (the Knickerbockers) or Chicago (Bulls).

If the Nike franchise guy does exit for one of the bigger markets, his last outing as a Cavalier will be a humbling defeat to the Boston Celtics. He has not yet won a championship.

Check out this cool ESPN retrospective on his career to date.

I came across this thanks to Emmet over at the excellent Action81 .

During CBS’s coverage of this weekend’s Final Four semi-finals in the NCAA tournament CBS, the American audience were treated to their president, Barack Obama, take on former NBA star and co-commentator Clark Kellogg in a one-on-one game of H-O-R-S-E – though they played P-O-T-U-S (which stands for President of the United States, as all fellow West Wing nerds will know, of course).

As Emmet explains, ‘the clever thing here is how Obama essentially suckered Kellogg into spotting him a couple of shots, watch and learn folks’.

He didn’t see off the Clinton machine by being a nice guy.

I sadly enough watched some of the anemic NBA All-Star game last weekend where one of the highlights of the celebrities’ court performances was the tigerish defending from hip-hop heavyweight Common.

I missed, however, the undisputed high-point, above, as it occured during a time-out and wasn’t televised.

In short, Benny the Bull – Chicago’s outgoing mascot – decided, quite reasonably, to perform the Single Ladies dance in front of Beyonce’s husband Jay-Z who was sitting court-side with his pal, P Diddy. They weren’t amused. Check it out from 40 seconds in.

Anyone who follows NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal on Twitter is lucky enough to have their mundane, work-a-day lives punctuated by lightening strikes of comic genius – intentional or not – from the Cleveland Cavaliers star.

Now – at last! – someone has made motivational posters for you, reader, from Shaq’s musings. I encourage you to print them out and paste above the office watercooler, next to the ab-crunching machine in the gymnasium or simply leave on the LUAS for random and demotivated commuters to pick up and find a morsel of inspiration.

If you feel you’re ready for the wisdom, you can find the rest here.