Nike addressed LeBron's Tapegate today and, not surprisingly, the company denied everything, except that the dunk itself happened.

An article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer (which reads a lot like a Nike press release) quotes Nike officials as saying that the confiscation of the tapes had nothing to do with the dunk. Instead, it stemmed from a policy that prohibits any media from filming the pick-up games at the LeBron James Skills Academy:

"Nike has been operating basketball camps for the benefit of young athletes for decades and has longstanding policies in place regarding what events are open and closed to media coverage," Nike spokesman KeJuan Wilkins said.

"Unfortunately, for the first time in four years, two journalists did not respect our 'no videotaping' policy at an after-hours pick-up game Monday evening following the LeBron James Skills Academy."

That sort of makes sense. Have you ever seen clips of pros playing pick-up games with college kids? I never have. Advantage: Nike.

But then I read this quote:

According to Nike officials, both journalists understood the mistake and handed over their tapes without making a fuss. Neither cameraman was available for comment Wednesday night.

Actually, one of the cameraman (Ryan Miller, who was quoted in the blog post that started this whole mess) seems to be talking to anybody who will listen. And his quotes suggest that he didn't believe he made a mistake.

They claimed you weren't supposed to be shooting the college and the pro guys working out, and I was told earlier in the day that you could, and there was no media policy saying you couldn't.

Nike says that shooting earlier in the day was fine, just not during the games. So maybe Miller was confused. But he certainly didn't think he had made a mistake, as Nike claimed. Advantage: Toss-up.

If the spokesman stretched the truth with that quote, where else was liberty taken in this story? Was there actually a policy? This wasn't just one cameraman, but two, who didn't follow policy. In four years, for the first time, two journalists violate the same rule on a night when LeBron James got posterized by a kid who didn't average double-figures at Indiana? 

This is the classic "he said/she said" battle and I doubt we'll ever get conclusive proof one side was right and one side was wrong. If you don't like LeBron, you'll use this as another reason to rag on him come NBA season. If you're a LeBron fan, then Nike's logical excuse is what you'll believe.

Whichever way you go, you can't deny this: Michael Jordan never would have let this happen. I know he played in a different time without YouTube and bloggers, but, come on. If MJ got dunked on by Rusty LaRue in 1993, we wouldn't be having this conversation today. Michael would have either peeled off two hundreds for the cameramen or, if he sensed resistance, would have had Charles Oakley come over and break the cameras. And those college kids wouldn't be mouthing off to writers, they'd be saying nothing because MJ instilled the fear of his wrath.

This whole mess provides another reason why LeBron will never be Michael.