What A Jerk! - Watching the Lebron-A-Thon™ (sorta like a telethon, but it only benefits one person) last night, it finally struck me why I've never quite warmed up to Lebron. The constant "I did this for Cleveland" and "I did this for the franchise" babble he kept spouting made it so clear that this was about him, and nobody else all along. His announcement, and the subsequent Q&A session that followed it, just typified everything that's so wrong about today's "Me! Me" society in general and the NBA specifically. I can't help but think that David Stern was somewhere wincing.
What An Owner! - Man, if you haven't read the scathing letter to fans that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert sent out just moments after Lebron changed teams, you should go pour yourself a cup of Joe and click here. Yes, this is totally unprofessional. Yes, this is completely out of bounds. Yes, this is sour grapes. Yes, this is extra greasy talk from a guy who really should be above such nonsense. And yes, it is totally, and completely on-point.
The New Team. - Many have talked about how Miami is a top-heavy team that will not have the depth to go deep in the playoffs. That's mostly true, beyond the Big 3 and newly signed Mike Miller, there isn't much on this team. The rest of the roster will have to consist of a bunch of veteran castoffs who are willing to play for the minimum. But that's actually okay. Most NBA teams only play 8-9 guys anyway. If the Heat can get contributions from a couple of rookies and sign 1-2 vets, they'll be just fine. The Big 3 will all play nearly 40 minutes a night anyway. They'll be okay.
No Rings. Not This Year At Least. - Despite how star driven the NBA is, there's still much to be said for the whole "team concept". Namely, it's pretty hard for a team to go deep in the playoffs without having some prior playoff experience. That Big 3 Celtics team that won their first season was an anomaly, and was also facing a Lakers team in the Finals that was battling injury and the late season addition of Pau Gasol. Chemistry isn't something you just develop on the fly. This squad will need at least a year to get it all together. And there's no way they're better than a vastly superior Lakers team out the box. They might not even be better than Orlando or Boston.
Was It All Worth It, Lebron? - When all's said and done, I can't help but think how James' reputation is permanently sullied by all this selfish grandstanding. He's officially public enemy #1 in his home state now. Even if he'd gone back to Cleveland, he'd still be criticized for taking all these teams on a ride. If he ever wins a title in Miami, I can't help but look at this as having taken the easy route. Do you think MJ would have said eff' it and demanded a trade to the Knicks to get his title had things not worked out in Chicago? Of course not. By showing it's all about him, Lebron's probably turned himself into the most hated player in the NBA.
Question: How is all this gonna pan out over time? Will Lebron win in Miami? Has he ruined his reputation with this pointless charade? Is there any such thing as loyalty in sports anymore?
[1] Beyond the very obvious reasons that anyone who knows my favorite team should be aware of.
