These three had already turned free agency into a joke with rumors about their futures running rampant for a solid week. Wade and Bosh certainly did not come out of this situation looking saints as it seemed they led much of the NBA when those two wanted to be in Miami all along. Most figured Bron would want to compete against those two for the right to challenge Kobe Bryant for NBA supremacy but in a move shocking a lot of people, LeBron joined the party on South Beach and opened himself upon to a floodgate of criticism over the last 48 hours.
The Shot. The Fumble. The Drive. The Decision
All four of those things destroyed the emotions of Cleveland sports fans at some point, but I believe the Decision will go down as the worst as their hometown hero plunged a knife into the back of the Cavs and their fans. It came out after the announcement that LeBron was always going to play in Miami, no matter what he said to Jim Gray, who isn't exactly the best interviewer if you want to hear someone ask tough questions. Gray lobbed softball after softball to allow LeBron to defend his reasoning. When Mike Wilbon took over the questioning, however, the game had changed. Wilbon wasn't exactly throwing 95 mph heat at LeBron but he was trying to make ESPN's golden child think a little bit. The question that got to Bron the most was when Wilbon asked LeBron what he thought of Cleveland burning his jersey. For a split second, you could see the pain in LeBron's face and it seemed he was really affected. However, his actions deserved to be met with something like that.
His actions during the NBA free agency period were self-promoting, arrogant and narcissistic. The process of getting a ESPN prime-time special to announce where he was going to play was awful. Ripping the hearts of Cavs fans and Ohioans alike on national TV without saying goodbye was inexcusable. LeBron can be slightly absolved for some of that as the lack of a father figure in his life and his strange need to be liked instead of being successful, a la Wilt Chamberlain, would make him more susceptible to bad decisions. His advisor, Maverick Carter, should be ashamed at what he and his friends turned this process into.
Many say LeBron didn't owe Cleveland anything but he did owe them more than people think. The Cavs ADORED him. LeBron probably could've killed 15 people in a drunk driving accident and the fans would've forgiven him. He was a god in that city and he abandoned them without saying goodbye. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert was quick to come out with a scathing letter attacking LeBron and basically calling him a spoiled child. However, that is a double edged sword as Gilbert enabled LeBron to take whatever he wanted as Gilbert believed that by allowing him to run rampant, he would stay with the Cavs.
Of course, there will be many people who accuse me of being upset that LeBron didnt come to my Chicago Bulls. After hearing his demands, I'm glad he's not in Chi-town. Jerry Reinsdorf, long underrated as an owner, would not give LeBron the special privilages that he was used to with the Cavs and that soured LeBron's "posse" on the Bulls. Reinsdorf did not do such things for Michael Jordan, a player who LeBron can never be compared to again, so why would he do it for a player who hasn't really accomplished anything? The Bulls will be a contender without LeBron and maybe if the Magic dont match the qualifying offer on JJ Redick, the Bulls can hang with the Heat. Of course, this all depends on how much Derrick Rose improves this year, as he is the driving force behind that team.
There are three scenarios that I would want to see play out in the playoffs this year. First off, I would love to see the Bulls take down the Heat for my own sake, but that is least important one. Im sure most NBA fans (outside of Seattle and Miami of course) sympathize with the Cavs and would love to see them make the playoffs this year. I would be thrilled if they would make it as the 8 seed in the East and somehow, someway would knock off the Super Best Friends (or the Menage a Twats as I like to call them).
The final scenario I would want to see of course is Lakers-Heat in the Finals. Pat Riley (you know Spolestra wont last past Christmas) vs. Phil Jackson in Phil's last dance. Kobe vs. the Super Best Friends. Old NBA vs. New NBA (I'll get to that next post). I would love to see it go to a Game 7 where Kobe Bryant makes a shot to put LA up with a couple of seconds left, only for the game to end with a LeBron James errant jumper, which would settle the Kobe vs. LeBron debate and cement Kobe's legacy as the 3rd best player in NBA history.
Next post I'll cover playoff predictions, thoughts on the upcoming CBA, and how the NBA has changed since the 2000's started.
