James should be drafted first based on age, marketability

It’s a win-win situation no matter which player you pick, so I guess I have to decide who is going to give you more. And I say, LeBron James will.

All the hype this kid has received is warranted. He is the best high school basketball player since my fellow New Yorker, Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

Carmelo Anthony will be a perennial all-star and maybe even a hall of famer, but I’m not sure he will be a legend. James is already a legend.

If he plays shooting guard in the NBA, James, who is 6 feet 8 inches tall and 240 pounds, will be one of the biggest at his position.

James is a three-time state champion, a three-time Ohio Mr. Basketball, the first sophomore to be named to the All-USA first team in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

He is the 2003 Naismith male prep basketball player of the year and he received the 2003 Morgan Wootten award as McDonald’s national player of the year.

James is one of the best passers I have ever seen. I’m not basing that off of all the flair he adds to it, but also on his impeccable precision and his huge (passing) imagination (only great passers will understand what I mean by a passing imagination).

I wouldn’t argue with someone who said Anthony is currently the better player, but the gap is too narrow for me to draft Anthony over someone who is younger and more marketable.

Anthony may have a better rookie season, but James will have a better career.

Ibram Rogers, 20, is a junior magazine production student from Manassas, Va. He is The Famuan’s deputy sports editor. He can be reached at ibramrogers@aol.com.