Obama Talks LeBron James Free Agency During Marv Albert TNT Interview

AP/Huffington Post -- If LeBron James isn't sure he can win in Cleveland, President Barack Obama thinks there's an opportunity in his hometown of Chicago.

Obama tells TNT that the Bulls have a "pretty good core" and "you could see LeBron fitting in pretty well there."

Obama was interviewed about a number of basketball subjects, including the Phoenix Suns stand against the immigration law in Arizona, by broadcaster Marv Albert on the White House basketball court. The interview will be shown Tuesday night beginning at 8 p.m. EDT.

James can become a free agent this summer. Obama says he should stay in Cleveland if he believes in the Cavaliers' structure, otherwise he should look elsewhere:

I think that the most important thing for LeBron right now is actually to find a structure where he's got a coach that he respects and is working hard with teammates who care about him and if that's in Cleveland, then he should stay in Cleveland. If he doesn't feel like he can get it there, then someplace else.

The one thing I remember about the Bulls was it wasn't until Michael [Jordan] had confidence in Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, it wasn't until you got that framework around you that you could be a champion. Same thing happened with Kobe [Bryant]. You know, I think that, first with Shaq [O'Neal] then later with [Pau] Gasol, you know, he's gotten that sense of a team around him and I think LeBron hasn't quite been able to get that yet. That's what he needs to find.

You know, like I said, I don't want to meddle. I will say this, [Derrick] Rose, Joakim Noah...it's a pretty good core. You know, you could see LeBron fitting in pretty well there.

Comments

[Harrier]

09:56 AM on 05/26/2010

In light of doing nothing regarding the oil spill, I believe the President is clueless and even stupider than GW Bush. He is a true idiot. Taking sports on his front lawn and completely asleep at the switch during the nations worst crisis

[Jones42]

12:44 PM on 05/26/2010

You're an idiot! There is only so much the President can do when it comes to an oil spill that is spread over the distance of 4 states. Everytime you turn on the news, there are countless reports of how many experts are down there trying to resolve the issue. Trust and believe they have all the support they need from the President in order to hopefully resolve the oil spill conflict. The President is still, first and foremost, a man. He's entitled to take 5 mins of his day to discuss what is clearly a passion of his. Just as you took the time out of your day to read this article and even write a comment on the article.

[Forester]

02:24 PM on 05/25/2010

Marv Albert is a p e r ve!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/147382-the-best-facesitting-back-biting-cross-dressing-hall-of-famer-marv-albert

[lifequota]

02:22 PM on 05/25/2010

Wait, wait, wait. Obama went and entire interview and didn't blame the LaBron James not going the the Bulls on George Bush? What? You have to be kidding. Good thing we don't have double digit unemployment or record deficits or nothing else he could work on. What about a round of golf with Clinton. Surely he has something else to do other than keeping his focus on making our country better? He did create a great small business in our town, The Obama/Biden bumper sticker removal companies. That business is rocking here.

[dare2tryobama]

12:38 PM on 05/25/2010

He is a huge basketball fan, and he is interveiwed by a sports caster...I mean come on. You don't sit around and talk about your bills every minute of the day, everyone has to have an outlet once in a while and just because he is President doesn't mean he can't have a moment to talk about something else. Give me a freaking break people. Hell George played golf during the freaking war when he said he wouldn't so go pluck yourselves.

[WILLIEMOJORISIN]

11:09 AM on 05/25/2010

WITH ALL THE CRAP GOING ON IN THIS WORLD OBAMA IS TALKING ABOUT BASKETBALL ?

[brand X]

10:38 AM on 05/25/2010

Perception is reality in today's media. This will be used against him.

It probably would have been better to postpone this interview until oil leak under control.

[lordgamble]

02:28 AM on 05/25/2010

Obama lovers, you need a reality check. The defict and corresponding debt under the Dems and Obama is catostrophic. And when you bring up Bush, the last 2 yrs of his Presidency were his worst 2 concerning the deficit. Both of those years he had a Dem House and a Dem Senate. Read the Constitution, the Budget and Taxes are the responsibility of Congress. Presidents can't legislate either a budget or taxes. Obama is a one term president and deservedly so.

[Winthorpe]

07:32 PM on 05/24/2010

Beginning on January 20, 2017, all basketball TV analysts should worry about keeping their jobs.

This president can multi-task, unlike the previous one or the fossil who faced him in the campaign.

For those who want him to work every waking hour, show us the evidence of how that's effective for anyone. A human's productivity is like a maximum parabala (y equals negative x squared). After a certain point, it's counter-productive to keep working.

I don't want him wound up as tight as a drum. What would you prefer that he does on his down time, interns?

[crookedcountyillinois]

01:25 PM on 05/24/2010

I'll file this under "i" for irrelevant.

[MaeBayB]

01:51 AM on 05/25/2010

Don't be mean...he likes basketball...come on...

[NHBill]

01:16 PM on 05/24/2010

Since the President is giving so few interviews and zero press conferences Marv should have pulled out a list of important non-sports questions to ask.
What does Marv care if he doesn't get to talk to Obama again.
It's not his beat.

[kevski]

11:51 PM on 05/24/2010

LOL

[Michael Hart]

01:02 PM on 05/24/2010

Can I ask a practical question? What the F@ck is this #ss h%le doing on TNT talking about basketball while multiple crisis situations go from bad to worse? You cannot defend this horsesh#t.

Reminds me of a guy who spent a large amount of his time in office "clearing brush" at a certain ranch in Texas.

Oilbama has officially lost my support.

[sistahfriend]

01:20 PM on 05/24/2010

Isn't it funny to have a President that can do more than one thing at a time? It's truly not hard to chew gum and walk!

[clsez]

01:27 PM on 05/24/2010

HAHA like he ever had it before. You really are putting Obama and Bush in the same comparison

[Corpsman Up]

12:44 PM on 05/24/2010

It was good to see that barry was still able to get a round of golf in this past weekend.

[gimmeabreak444]

11:46 AM on 05/24/2010

oilbama has time for this joke - but still hasnt approved sand barriers for the oil spill?

[clsez]

01:28 PM on 05/24/2010

Who do you think put up the sand barriers already up?

[whirledgonecrazy]

02:24 PM on 05/24/2010

oilbama my @ss..... we just came off of 8 terrible years of washington dc being run, or should i say run over, by oil men like dick cheney and george bush. haliburton, cheney's old company, is implicitly involved in the reasons behind the spill and i would suggest that cheney's energy meetings might be responsible as well. safety regulations were relaxed after that meeting. you might no like how obama is handling the oil spill, but we are far better off with him in office right now.

[utahbro]

07:13 PM on 05/24/2010

Fanned! I agree with everything you said! These name callers have nothing so they try and use anything they can think of to try and insult Obama. It won't work because there are too many of us that know what kind on man he really is. I've supported Obama since day one and will continue to because he's the real deal!

[gimmeabreak444]

11:45 AM on 05/24/2010

oilbama still hasnt approved sand barriers for the oil spill - yet he has time for this?


a$$


hole

[livefrmbrooklyn]

11:18 AM on 05/24/2010

seriously Obama gives a dumb interview with TNT and that means he dosen't care about what's going on in the gulf, I think he's been on top of this issue as much as he can, I think some people want him to strap on some scubba gear and plug the spill himself. I hope the same people who are crying over this interview, were the same way when Bush ignored the Katrina victim's, led us into two baseless wars, and was deafly silent on the financial collapse...

[tqcobb]

12:59 PM on 05/24/2010

fanned...of course the people crying over this interview were completely silent during Katrina, etc because of very obvious reasons...same reasons the Tea Party is in vogue now

[NHBill]

01:20 PM on 05/24/2010

I was hoping for more from Obama than hiding in the White House.
He's not talking to serious journalists and hasn't given a press conference of substance since the "beer summit".
What's the point of bringing up Bush?
Just because Obama is not as bad as the worst president in my lifetime doesn't mean I'm not disappointed in him.

[clsez]

01:29 PM on 05/24/2010

Since the beer summit? You should stop right there as you just lost your thrust. Keep up.