James, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, announced his intentions to suit up for the Miami Heat for the 2010-11 season on national television. A lot of fans and critics might suggest James slowly pushed a knife into the back of Cleveland. Some might see LeBron as an arrogant, self-centered and selfish individual after leaving his hometown.
Some see a man personally destroying a city's dreams. I see a man grabbing his future and altering it himself.
An important factor in LeBron's choice to team with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh is seemingly overlooked. The fact that the trio decided to write their own history is unheard of in the modern sports world.
Look, it would have been easy for LeBron to re-sign with the Cavs and wait around until some help finally arrived. Or he could have signed with the Heat where Wade and Bosh had already united and are driven to become NBA legends.
In sports, players sign with a franchise and hope that the white, middle-aged men upstairs make the right roster moves to give the team a shot at a title. What's overlooked is the athlete's ability to decide their future. Now the trio has pushed money and egos aside to write their own destiny.
LeBron has sat around in Cleveland for seven years waiting for a general manager to make the correct trades and free-agent signings. The beautiful result is that James, Wade and Bosh have practically said "Screw this! Let's unite and dominate the league. Let's show the world that WE can put together a title team."
Personally, I wanted James to stay in Cleveland. But you can't hate the man for wanting what every star in the NBA is ultimately judged on: Championships. LeBron knew he didn't have the help in Cleveland to win anytime soon, so he bolted for South Beach to join forces with a couple of true players.
And next up is the talk that James and Wade can't play together. If anybody truly believes two of the most unselfish players in the NBA will cease to survive on the court together is an absolute fool. Both players have consistently shown they have the ability to create for others.
Also, props to Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. Thanks to his quick response to James' decision, sports fans around the country now know his true personality. I understand the guy is frustrated after probably losing around $100 million in franchise value, but show some class. LeBron hoisted that team on his shoulders for seven years and was the sole reason Quicken Loans Arena sold out every game.
A part of me wants to feel sorrow for the city of Cleveland. But I can't muster the emotions for such a sad sports town. Instead of wishing the guy well and thanking him for bringing unforeseen excitement to an otherwise abysmal city, the entire town wants to burn his jerseys and the owner wants to question the guy's character?
I'm proud of LeBron for doing what was best for him. It was the biggest decision of his life and he wasn't afraid to disappoint his fans.
4 comments:
Hmmph!!!
Joe, don't even act like those middle aged men were controlling LeBron's destiny. Do you want to know who was controlling the moves the last seven years? The guy wearing number 23 for the Cavs. He's the one that wanted Larry Hughes. He's the one that begged for Mo Williams, Shaq and Jamison.
And LeBron's failure to commit to the Cavs hurt their ability to bring anybody in. While Ariza isn't a great player, a guy like him could have put them over the top and he didn't sign with the Cavs because he couldn't be assured LeBron would be around. That's just one we know: countless players may have been interested in joining LeBron long term in Cleveland if he made a commitment to the city. His summer of 2010, which started three years ago, completely undermined what the Cavs could do to provide help for him in Cleveland.
I'm not a Cavs fan, not sad to see him go at all. No matter what he did, it was going to be a tough decision. But he made a cowards decision by playing joining forces with someone who should be his main competitor for titles. By joining forces with someone who he can share the blame with when things go wrong. He left a team where he was the leader and had multiple destinations where he could have been the leader and instead, he chose to play second fiddle to somebody else. Weak move by LeBron all around.
LeBron did no such begging for Larry Hughes, Mo Williams, Shaq or Jamison.
Do you think LeBron was clamoring for Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon last offseason? It's not that management didn't try to put pieces around him. They have spent the past few seasons attempting to put a roster together, but it simply didn't work. The Shaq trade was awful and the Jamison trade has strapped the team with a terrible contract for the next few seasons.
I can't argue the way LeBron handled the situation. It was shady and downright disrespectful to announce his departure on national television. But you can't hate the guy for being a bit selfish. It is his future we're talking about here.
Also, zero major free-agents want to play in Cleveland. LeBron is an enticing piece, sure, but when you have the option to play in Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, Houston, New York, etc., would you like to spend six cold and ugly months in northern Ohio?
LeBron is not playing second fiddle. Did Magic Johnson play second fiddle? I think James is going to flourish with Wade and Bosh. He finally has the opportunity to thrive with talent around him and not have to carry an entire team on his back. I wouldn't be surprised if he went out and came very, very close to averaging a triple-double next season.
He did beg for them, just not publicly. He was instrumental in every one of those guys coming to Cleveland and is now jumping ship since they haven't worked out. That's a Nick Saban move right there.
And I can't completely kill him for leaving Cleveland. I do think they would have had a shot to land somebody if he made a long term commitment because he would be someone who makes a good player look great.
But my biggest issue is that he didn't leave to carve out his own team: he's joining forces with two comparable talents, with the closest talent already winning a title there four years ago. That is Wade's franchise, regardless of what anybody tries to rationalize. Everybody needs talent to win but when you are supposed to be an all time great, like his brand has been hyping forever, you don't join a team where there is even a question whose it is. Not when he could have gone to Chicago, with comparable talent, and been the man there. Not when you could have gone to New York and tried to accomplish a great sporting feat by bringing a title to one of the greatest basketball cities. Instead, he goes to a franchise with little history, a city that barely cares about sports outside of the Dolphins and where it is debatable whose team it is. That's weak.
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