I couldn’t help myself. I was going to approach this as a commentary, a think piece. I spent an hour researching other three-player groupings of stars in NBA history … making charts and compiling stax … my explanatory-journalism approach to LeBron James and the Miami Heat fiasco … and then I just went off, instead.

I wrote this column today for my paper, The National, for the Sunday a.m. editions.

I know I’m just another astonished onlooker at the train wreck that was the first eight days of July 2010 for LeBron James and whoever the idiots are who advise him. But that column may have been the only one published on the topic on the Arabian Peninsula today. Take that however you please.

A couple of points that I didn’t get around to mentioning in the column:

–Kobe Bryant’s popularity went up about 1,000 percent … by doing nothing. He has been cast as the anti-LeBron, the guy who stuck with a bad team, fought through the crises (though it was a close call), picked up the franchise and carried it — ultimately with more than a little help — to consecutive championships. LeBron James didn’t do that, and he quit on his team. Kobe did not, and he’s a hero. Somewhere in Orange County, KB24 must be shaking his head at the weirdness of the world.

–This was a story, even here. Granted, the World Cup would have blown LeBron off the sports cover a week ago or two days from now, but today … it’s on page 1.

–I hinted at this in the column, but the backlash against LeBron James is enormous. It isn’t often that a guy goes from “widely liked, even admired” to “mocked, derided and perhaps loathed” in the span of a week. Congrats, LeBron. Your one palpable achievement.

So, there it is. I may write a bit more about this, because I am, in fact, fascinated by the precedents in this three-superstars thing. (And old school Lakers fans know where I will be starting.)

So, however bad your week was? You didn’t screw it up as badly as did LeBron James.