The Kobe-Lebron Superstar Tour?

The news is Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are joining forces for a Superstar basketball tour. As much as these All-Stars may crave something to do while the NBA season remains stalled in lockout, is this tour a good idea?

Why Do It?

Professional athletes can't enjoy sitting around idly and watching their short playing careers go by. They also must grow accustomed to the spotlight and to the sound of sneakers squeaking on the hardwood, so the origins of a Superstar Tour are fairly clear.

Also, there are fans around the world hungry for some competitive basketball featuring the top talent of the NBA. People want to see the best players playing. A talent tour would give those fans what they want and it would give players something to do.

The notion of a traveling All-Star game is intriguing, especially if there will be nightly dunk contests and skill contests, but there are a number of potential downsides. If this is the whole list of positive elements to this Star-Tour Kobe and LeBron are putting together, it might not be enough.

Why the Tour Could Be a Mistake

As much as I'd like to have Kobe Bryant and LeBron James and Dwyane Wade visit my town to put on a basketball show, I can't say this tour seems like a good idea. The primary downside to a touring All-Star game lies in the fact that the game is meaningless. There is nothing on the line. There are no stakes.

Sometimes regular season games seem meaningless because there are so many of them, but a touring All-Star game is strictly meaningless. It would be meaningless by definition: not part of any league; not determining any kind of standing or playoff position. It's strange to say this, I know, but the proposed traveling basketball show would offer just a game.

The normal NBA season offers many games within games and many levels of interest. Teams play the regular season to make the playoffs. The playoffs are comprised of many individual games that determine the championship. There is a larger structure that lends every game some kind meaning and purpose.

The only purpose to an All-Star talent show would be just that - showing off talent. That sounds like a nice evening for one night, but could these players continue to pull of the same routing night after night? Pretty quickly they would be acting and at that point it would be only the athletic prowess of the Kobe's and LeBron's that would separate these games from the famous entertainers of old, the Harlem Globetrotters.

Nothing against the Harlem Globetrotters, but who wants to watch the same show more than once?

This is a tour we're talking about, so the proposed games would be played in different cities. The show would be new for each city each night. But the show would not be new for the players each night and it could quickly become a farce.

Sources:
YahooSports