The Decision

The most sensational NBA free agency period we've ever seen crested with LeBron James' contrived reality TV special during which he announced he would be joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami to play for the Heat. First some thoughts on how he handled the process, and then his basketball prospects down in South Beach.

The TV special was a mistake. We all know that LeBron likes attention, and he certainly got a lot of it last night. There's no disputing the fact that people were interested and the ratings for the show back that up. The problem was that it created a lot of negative attention for him. People saw it as shameless, narcissistic self-promotion, and it made it seem like he was full of himself (which he probably is thanks all the people who have sucked up to him over the years and told him that he was the "King" and let him have whatever he wanted). There was nothing inherently wrong with what he did. After all, people certainly were intrigued enough to tune in and it gave people something to talk about all day. (I know I couldn't wait to hear the news myself, even though all reports already had him going to Miami) He even donated the sponsorship money to charity, a noble act to be sure. But it just seemed wrong. The fact that he didn't tell the teams beforehand, especially Cleveland, about his decision was less than kind. And what he did to Cavs fans, to go on national TV and tell everyone that he was bolting to Miami was heartbreaking. It was like a movie script. Cleveland was the girl who was always there for him, married him before he made it big, was a supportive wife and good mother. Maybe not the most attractive, but loving and caring and devoted solely to him. Miami is the hot girl who comes along after the fame and glory kick in. She doesn't really care about him, but enjoys the perks of linking up with someone so powerful. She whispers to him to come down and fool around and have fun and do it up real big. She seduces him to join her with her climate, entertainment, nightlife, and lack of state taxes. LeBron left the good wife for the hot mistress (Almost like Tiger Woods, only Tiger did it to his actual wife...about 15 different times) and he did it in public, in front of everyone on national TV. I totally get why the Cavs fans are as angry as they are, even though I think Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's comments over the last 24 hours have been a bit over the top. He's a free agent, (key word there being "free") and the NBA is a business, not a relationship. So while the fans in Cleveland had more of an attachment to LeBron than any other city had to any other player in sports, LeBron has the right to do what he thinks is best for himself. He could (and maybe should) have done it in a quieter, humbler, less egotistical way, but he's King James and he likes drawing a crowd. He only compounded the negativity by claiming he had made up his mind only that morning. That's not fooling anyone. A full 10 days before he announced he was headed to Miami, reports came out predicting that exact scenario. Stephen A. Smith (What the hell happened to that guy anyways???) called it a done deal and on the radio in LA, John Ireland reported that his most trusted source was convinced it was going down as well. Perhaps he hadn't 100% committed to the Heat going into free agency, but I'm sure he had already discussed his plans with Wade and Bosh and was leaning heavily in Miami's direction. He just wanted to go through the recruitment process to build the drama for his TV special, which was rumored to have been concocted months ago. What a waste of time for 5 teams who really had no shot at getting him. The least he could have done was be honest. If he had said he wanted to play with his buddies and to live in South Beach at least some people would understand (How many people out there wouldn't want to live in South Beach and play basketball with their friends for a living? Exactly.). Instead he lies straight-faced to the entire nation and makes himself look even worse. LeBron has had everyone in the basketball universe praising him and kissing up to him for the past 7 years. It took just one hour for him to undo all of that and become the sports world's newest villain (at least until Michael Vick does something stupid again....oh he just did? You don't say...). There are now a lot of people out there rooting against him ever finding success, and the Heat just became the team that everyone will love to hate.

Was it the right decision basketball-wise? We all wondered what was the most important thing to LeBron going into free agency. His decision would tell us. If he stayed with the Cavs, we'd know loyalty was first priority. If he chose the Knicks, it would be money, fame, and glory. If it was Miami, it would be winning. Well, he chose winning. And if that's what he wants, it's certainly attainable there with Wade and Bosh already on board and Pat Riley steering the ship. Everyone has talked so much about LeBron not winning a championship the past few years. Maybe it got to him and he felt the need to start chasing rings now, even before he hits his prime years. A piece of me was rooting for this to happen. I wanted to see 3 big stars team up and try to tear up the league. It's an exciting prospect. Never before have we seen 2 of the 3 best players in the entire NBA play together before (The closest in my lifetime to that level was probably Shaq and Kobe in the early 2000s. That resulted in 3 straight titles and 4 Finals appearances in 5 seasons. And those two HATED each other. These guys are actually close friends). And in this case, they have another top-15 player running with them as well. They're not just the Big Three. They're the Biggest Freaking Three We Have Ever Seen Ever (at least in the modern era). I, like many people, have some doubts as to whether they can assemble a functional NBA roster around those 3 stars, not to mention whether 3 guys in their primes, who were used to being alpha dogs on their previous teams (2 of them vying for top dog in the entire league) can adjust their games and jell together to actually play like a superteam. In my opinion, all that rests on the shoulders of LeBron. I think Chris Bosh knows his place. He's the third banana (the best third banana in the league by a wide margin) and he came to play with superstars, not to be the superstar himself. If he wanted that, he'd have taken the max somewhere else. He can be Pau Gasol, a great player who can't be the best player on a championship team, but can be the best sidekick on a championship team. The real question is, can LeBron adjust his game to become a great sidekick as well? Wade has been the closest imitation of Jordan we've seen since MJ retired (in terms of style-of-play, being a gamer, leader, and winner). Miami is his city. The Heat are his team. LeBron has to put all ego aside and accept a backup role. He can be a rich man's Scottie Pippen. Maybe it's even his destiny to become that. Everyone has always touted him as the "Next One", comparing him to Jordan and Magic and assuming that one day he would take his place next to them on the list of all-time greats. But he's always fallen a little short of expectations. He just doesn't seem to have that same mentality and killer instinct that guys like Jordan had, or even Wade has. He does have all the tools, however, to be the greatest do-it-all wingman we've ever witnessed (see what I did there). He's blessed with physical gifts that even most NBA players aren't. He can do more to help a team win without scoring 30 a game than anyone else in the league. He's ultra-versatile. He can play 4 different positions. He can be the point guard and run the offense and set up his teammates all game. He can rebound. He can defend 3 or 4 positions well. He can create turnovers with his dynamic steals and blocks. He can run a fastbreak. He can change the entire momentum of a game with one spectacular dunk or pull-up 35 foot dagger. And we know that he can score in bunches or take over a game if Wade is sitting out or is tired. If he sacrifices his individual glory and focuses on being a shutdown defender and elite playmaker, the Heat may become the most devastating force we've seen since the height of Jordan's Bulls. Wade can be the poor man's Jordan. LeBron can be the rich man's Pippen. Bosh brings something to the table that those Bulls teams never had. A super-skilled big man who can also be the best player on the floor on any given night. That's a scary thought. As long as the Biggest Three keep their egos in check and accept the roles in which they fit best, they can accomplish something special over the next few years.

In a historical sense however, LeBron just torched his legacy the way some Cavs fans were torching his jersey in the streets of Cleveland last night. As soon as he uttered the words "I'm taking my talents to South Beach to play with the Heat" he admitted he was a failure. He gave up, quit, forfeit, surrendered, threw in the towel, raised the white flag, pulled a France, whatever you want to call it. Instead of trying to beat them, he joined them. That will forever be a knock against him. When Jordan couldn't get past the Pistons in the late 80's, he didn't look to Larry Bird or Magic Johnson to deliver him a ring. He gritted his teeth and willed his team to win and become NBA champions. At the tender age of 25, before he even hits his prime, LeBron has already thrown away his legacy to chase a ring. He's Karl Malone circa 2004, only about 37 years younger. It's astonishing to me that such a great player would give up that soon. Now he wants to ride Wade's coattails to a title. Make no mistake about it, the Heat are Dwyane Wade's team. He's been the face of the franchise the last seven years, he has the ring and the Finals MVP (and would probably have had 2 if he didn't get injured in '05). Has the guy most people proclaim to be the best player in the world ever gone to play for another team that already had an established superstar? Not in my lifetime. How can he be the best player in the league if he's not even the alpha dog on his own team? The majority of the greatest players of all time got the job done with one franchise. Jordan with the Bulls. Russell and Bird with the Celtics, Magic, Kobe, and West with the Lakers, Duncan with the Spurs. Since LeBron came into the league, he's been labeled as the "Chosen One", someone that every basketball pundit expected to finish as one of the 4 or 5 greatest to ever play the game. Now if his titles come courtesy of Dwyane Wade, I don't see him cracking the top 12 on that list no matter what he does from here on out. Maybe he's accepted that fate. Maybe he knows deep down he doesn't have what it takes to make basketball's Mount Rushmore. It just comes as a disappointment to every one who thought they were witnessing (There I go again being clever!) something extra-special. No one thought LeBron James had a ceiling as a basketball player. He just put one on himself.