I was off the LeBron bandwagon a while back and was happy to see people joining me after the poorly conceived "The Decision" and the way that The King handled his free agency. However, the latest report about LBJ playing the race card bothers me a bit and I think it says more about the media than the player.

I'll admit that when I first heard the report yesterday, I started to write up a blog post about how ridiculous it is for him to blame race for the critical reaction to his unprofessional actions. But then I actually read the interview.

"Asked if race was a factor in the fallout, James told CNN's Soledad O'Brien on Monday, "I think so, at times. There's always -- you know, a race factor.""

Two things jumped out at me. First off, James was asked the question. It's not like he brought it up out of nowhere, trying to save face. Secondly, he gave a pretty common sense answer. I think that a lot of people misuse the race card and use racism to explain away their own mistakes or shortcomings but this isn't what LeBron is doing. He's simply stating that the world isn't color blind. Would it have been nice if he had added in that he had made a mistake with "The Decision" and should have handled it differently? Sure, but the lack of that doesn't make his comment any less true.

The person that did play the race card (or so it seems from reports) and who seems completely unrepentant when it comes to "The Decision" is LeBron's friend and business partner Maverick Carter. And I appreciate what LeBron is doing, sticking with his friends and coming up together but he really needs to get someone else in there to help him with his decisions. It's great to bring your friends with you on your rise to the top but you also need a mentor, someone who can teach you the ropes.

No matter how much I bash on LeBron, he seems like a good guy. And with all of his money, I doubt that he ends up broke like many other athletes but he definitely needs to at least add some other voices to his inner circle; people who might be able to avoid further PR disasters like "The Decision" or help him control interviews and best deal with loaded questions that he has to KNOW are going to be twisted in order to make a bigger story and get more hits on the internet.