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My two cents about Lebron

It has been a couple of weeks and the smoke is finally starting to clear. If you thought you were dreaming, you weren’t. Lebron James really did take his talents to South Beach and join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Throughout his career I have been a loyal Lebron supporter, and I will continue to support him. No, I’m not an unreasonable fan that chooses to blindfold myself when it comes to his faults. I have no problem calling out LBJ, but in the end I will support him. With that being said, here is my two cents on Lebron’s departure from Cleveland and his arrival in Miami.

First, “The Decision.” It was a bad idea. Everyone knows it. No one outside of Lebron’s camp knows what the real intentions of the one-hour special were, and to be honest, I don’t want to know. It was nice that the money raised was donated to the Boys and Girls Club, but in my opinion, that was a bullsh*t attempt at covering up how egotistic the whole spectacle was. I’m sure the money they received was legitimate, but why bother with the cover-up? If you are convinced that you need a one-hour special to announce your plans for the future to the world, just do it. No need for a cover up.

All that said, I have no problem with Lebron doing something special to announce his decision. Although, I’m convinced that a half-hour special would have been much more appropriate.

Anticipation for “The Summer of Lebron” or “Lebron Free Agency 2010” has been building up for the last two years. In a year when names such as Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Rudy Gay, Joe Johnson, David Lee, Dirk Nowitzki and more were all free agents, Lebron was singled out and put above everyone else. Many people will argue that Dwyane Wade is the third best player in the NBA, but no one was calling this the “Dwyane Wade Free Agency” or even the “Lebron and Dwayne Free Agency.” This whole time all eyes were on Lebron. So of course, Lebron and his camp soaked that up and did what they thought would create the most publicity.

Athletes and agents announces their signing decisions through sports media informers and team informants. Lately, people have been announcing their decisions on Twitter, but that is getting old. Too many people have done it. So, if you’re a sport’s biggest name why not do something different, something new, something that will be remembered?

In comparison, if you are a follower of college football recruiting and high school football, you know that ESPN shuts down one of its channels for about 4-6 hours for a national signing day special. For all the top-150 players who have not yet signed with a team, they announce what school they will be playing for on national television. I understand that this is a bunch of future prospects and not just one person, but if athletes that haven’t proven anything past the high school level get to go on television and announce where “they are taking their talents,” why can’t arguably the world’s best basketball player have a one-hour program announcing where he is going?

Moving on to another part of the criticism I disagree with, many ask how could he do that to Cleveland? Why would he do that to Cleveland? After all Cleveland has done for him how could he do that? I think the one-hour program may have been a bit harsh for Cleveland fans to watch, but I don’t think it was the end of the world. Whether he announced it on TV, through Chris Broussard or Twitter, Cleveland was going to be hurt. Also, why should he feel bad for Cleveland or treat Cleveland any different then all the other teams that recruited him? He doesn’t owe Cleveland anything. He didn’t ask to play there, he was drafted. He gave Cleveland some of the best years of basketball it has ever seen, even bringing hopes of a championship. He brought business and revenue to the city, and gave out-of-towners a reason to visit. For anything Cleveland and the Cavaliers organization did for him, he did just as much (if not more) for them by becoming a basketball icon. Yes, he is leaving Cleveland behind and the city will most likely suffer dramatically from his departure, but he is his own man and the city shouldn’t rely on one person, especially an athlete.

On to my next issue…Since the media is portraying Lebron’s, “The Decision,” as a complete debacle, people are now questioning those who Lebron has surrounded himself with, specifically his management team. However, for seven years Lebron appeared to have been doing all the right things. Many people jumped on him for not shaking hands or showing up to talk to the media after Orlando eliminated the Cavs two years ago, but even that was forgiven by most. So, with seven misstep-free years, why is it now ok to judge Lebron’s character and business team? Lebron has enjoyed the pedestal that the media themselves placed him on. So, big deal, we should blame ourselves for making him larger than life.

I’ve heard people say that Lebron isn’t who they thought he was. NEWS FLASH! Most of these athletes aren’t exactly how they are portrayed to be. We watch them play a sport and partake in a few interviews. Sometimes, we see an article with a few revealing quotes, but unless you actually hang out with these people, you don’t know them. Most of what you see is based on a public image created for the viewer, whether it be realistic or not. Lebron’s crew that everyone hates—they actually know him. His mom actually knows him, Chris Paul actually knows him, but we the fan do not. We know the super athlete that smiles a lot. In a professional environment do most people act the same way they do at home or with their buddies? Probably not.

On to my final issue…Why are people mad that Lebron chose to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh? For the last five years, everyone has been saying that he needs a better supporting cast. So what is wrong with leaving Cleveland (the city that no other top free agents wanted to go to) and joining two of his good friends who happen to be elite players as well? Why should he stay in Cleveland or go to Chicago or build something in New York? Outside of Chris Paul, ESPN has reported several times that Dwyane Wade is one of Lebron’s best friends. Who wouldn’t want to play with their best friend, someone who they already have chemistry with, someone that has a championship and knows how to win?

Many people say that he should have wanted to beat Dwyane Wade and Bosh rather than play with them. It’s not like he still doesn’t have to beat Kobe in L.A., or KG in Boston, or Dwight in Orlando, or Derrick Rose (who I think is a top-five point guard in the league) in Chicago. The team that Miami has put together has only guaranteed publicity, not a championship. If Miami happens to win four or five of the next six championships, good for them. I don’t think it will make basketball any less entertaining, and I don’t recall people complaining when the Bulls dominated basketball year after year. The Bulls won six championships in eight years, and it could have been more if Jordan didn’t take a break. So if Miami dominates, good for them. And if this doesn’t pan out the way most people think it will, then good for the rest of the league. I personally think that they will win at least four championships just because Wade and Lebron will run teams out of the gym by themselves. Also, because Lebron can play and match-up against four out the five positions on the court, Miami will be a match-up problem for most teams.

Ok seriously, my final issue…The stats. Everyone wants to know about the stats. Can Lebron or Wade handle their stats taking a hit? Who will take the last shot of the game? How will Lebron and Wade mesh when they have the same skill set? First, just because they are together doesn’t mean their stats will take a huge hit. No, Lebron and Wade both won’t average 30 points, but they can both average in the high 20’s and still fill the stat sheet the way they have been doing. Who will take the last shot? WHO CARES! There are two of some of the best finishers in basketball on the same team. They could do eany-meany-miney-mo, or just give the ball to whoever is open. Seriously, with Lebron, Wade, and Bosh on the same team, how many games are really going to come down to the last shot? I’d say not many, and when the time comes I’m sure they’ll figure it out. Lastly, how will Lebron and Wade mesh when they have the same skill set? That question is not valid because they don’t have the same skill set. They are both freakish athletes and are at their best when getting to the rim. But obviously, that isn’t all they do. Wade is lightning fast, hence the nickname “Flash,” and he has developed a jump shot from anywhere on the floor. Lebron is a great passer for someone his size, and can play on the wing and in the post. Both play above average defense, are unselfish and love to get out on the break. Where is the problem here? I mainly focused on Lebron and Wade because those two are scary enough by themselves, and the addition of Bosh only makes things worse for opposing teams. If you found yourself asking any of the questions I have brought up in this article, maybe you should just admit that you are mad that Miami assembled a team of super stars in their prime. As for Lebron, I don’t agree with everything he has done in this process, but I am happy that he made his own decision based on his own preferences instead of making a decision based on what would have looked best to the public eye. I’m not a Miami Heat fan, but I like what they have done and I learned quickly to enjoy it because once the season rolls around, this will be very entertaining. On top of that, who knows when we will ever get to see something like this again.

That’s my two cents.