Lebron James probably doesn't have a whole lot of friends left in Chicago after spurning the Bulls overtures for the Miami Heat, but he has at least one: The Reverend Jesse Jackson. 

The Reverend, whose fifteen minutes were up in 1973, reared his ugly head yesterday in a press release provided by his Rainbow/PUSH organization.  In an unnecessary and uninvited response to Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert's pointed comments regarding James betraying his hometown, the good Reverend did what he does best: Inject race into the discussion.  Saith Jesse "He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave. This is an owner employee relationship -- between business partners -- and LeBron honored his contract."

Jesse went on to call Gilbert's comments "mean, arrogant and presumptuous."

Really, Jesse, really?  Are you freaking kidding me?    Do you even know what went on here or are you so busy trying to get your name out there so you can get your face on MSNBC that you missed the point completely?  Perhaps I'll explain it to you, not that logic is something that resides in your bag of tricks.

Yes, Dan Gilbert's comments in his letter to fans was a little over the top, but it doesn't even come close to the smell test for being  racist or malicious.  LeBron James dumped on his home city and and home town team and did it in a cowardly fashion by orchestrating a TV event and using hand pick lackeys to ask him questions about it.  He didn't have the guts to stand in front of a podium to answer questions from media members not in his pocket or on his payroll.  Whether LeBron is black, white, purple, green, burnt umber or pink with chartreuse polka dots is irrelevant to these proceedings.  In fact, LeBron is more yellow at this point than anything else.

Gilbert expressed not only the frustration and anger of Cleveland fans, but of an employer who wasn't even given the news face to face.   Given the long term relationship, Dan Gilbert  deserved a little more than having to sit through a made for TV slobberfest starring Jim Grey and Stu Scott only to find out he was getting kicked in the groin.  Do you blame him for feeling a bit jilted?  No one denies that Gilbert should have exercised a bit more decorum, but his comments certainly were not made because LeBron is African-American. 

Yet, somehow, Jesse equates this with a slave owner mentality. And, for the cherry on top of his sundae of absurdity, the Reverend said Gilbert's comments were directed at all NBA players and that Gilbert should face a "challenge" from the league.  While I'm sure NBA Commissioner David Stern may give Gilbert some PR tutoring in private, it is unlikely that the Cavs owner will be fined or reprimanded for saying exactly what his fan base wanted to hear.  It's called marketing and the NBA is pretty good at it.  That's why ten million lost souls watched this crap Thursday night.

To even bring up slave owning is a farce of epidemic proportions, unless of course, you are Jesse Jackson.  Then it's just business as usual.