LEBRON’S ANNOUNCEMENT

In case you didn’t know, LeBron James has been my favorite basketball player for almost his whole seven pro years. In addition to his obvious skills, he’s charming, funny, and loyal to his lifelong friends. I would have loved to be one of them.

While his recent announcement that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat did disappoint me, I have very mixed feelings on the whole shebang. I wish he had stayed at home, but he had to do what he felt was best. What I didn’t like at all is the fact that he didn’t make his decision until the morning of the TV spectacle. Why did he make the date for the decision announcement, when he didn’t even have a decision yet? And then put pressure on himself to come up with something? He should have made up his mind first, and only then, make the date to let the world in on it!

He’s had months to work on this dilemma. He should have waited until it was clear in his mind, then thought about it a while longer to cement for himself that that’s what he truly wanted to do.

But, I think that we all forget that he’s only 25-years-old. That might have a lot to do with the decision itself and how it was handled. I have a feeling that he doesn’t really have a keen, worldly advisor around him; rather, most likely it was just a lot of yes men, who let him mandate how everything around him works. While I stick up for him on the move, I question how the whole thing went down. And now I fear that only country-wide bad treatment awaits him for a long time to come.

First, my thoughts on the decision itself. I don’t feel that he owes Cleveland and its fans anything. He’s provided them with some great times and happiness for the past seven years, and now he deserves to do what he feels is best for him. He’s a young guy who wants to work with his friends every day. He’s the one with the talent to put himself in the position to be able to play anywhere, and he played loyally in that city for years, which helped them out both financially and emotionally.

The solution to how I feel Cleveland fans should look upon his move reminds me of this personal story: a wise older woman I know had been married to a much younger man for many years, who had more than helped bring up her three sons. He finally left her because he wanted to find someone younger so he could have children of his own. She told me that she wasn’t upset because he had been wonderful to her and her family, and said that he deserved to now have what he felt was best for him, and she appreciates the time they had together and what he had brought to her family member’s lives. LeBron’s fans should feel the same. I feel they should have said thanks for all the years of service and happiness, and wish him well, not now despise him.

Therefore, I can’t believe that the Cavs owner, Dan Gilbert, would make such a public campaign against him. LeBron doesn’t owe them anything. I actually fear for his safety in that city because that’s where he lives. There are a lot of nuts around, and Gilbert’s statement may motivate some to take bad action, bite my tongue. LeBron may have to move away, after living his whole life in near-by Akron, for his safety and that of his young family. Gilbert should have thanked him and wished him well, urging the fans to do the same. His published letter was immature and ill-thought-out at best, and in reality, just plain stupid of him to do.

The big mistake that LeBron made, in my opinion, is to handle it the way he did. It was great for ESPN, who had the exclusive on the announcement and probably brought in their biggest ratings ever, and for the Greenwich, Connecticut Boys and Girls Club, to whom James donated a hefty sum for the use of the facilities for the announcement. But it was horrible for the residents of Cleveland. They were broken-up with on TV. How would any of us like to go through such a public break-up, on any level? It kind-of gives me shivers. I really don’t think that LeBron thought it through.

From the beginning, I thought that he would stay put. And then, when I heard of the upcoming July 8^th event, I was more sure of it because I didn’t think that there was a chance in hell he would put his hometown fans through the humiliation (of sorts) on national television.

So, I was especially surprised when he chose to join the Miami Heat. As the special show was going on, though, and he told the insipid host, Jim Gray, (who never asks the right questions, ever, in my opinion,) that he had to do what’s best for him to win, I knew that meant Miami. I actually felt kind-of sick about it, though. He really should have either told the city first that he‘s moving on, and the surprise could have just been where he chose to go, or just not made a spectacle of the proceedings in general. But the media would have done the latter, so I would have suggested the former to him. From what I understand, the poor city of Cleveland has enough problems to deal with, and didn’t need the public slap-in-the-face.

While I never stick with one team in basketball, and just decide my favorite each year based on personnel, rather than city, I’ve felt really good about rooting for Cleveland all these years. I started because I love LeBron, of course, but I came to enjoy all the players, and was happy with my choice. Towards the end of this past season, though, I had already made the shift to the Phoenix Suns because I just respect Steve Nash so much. And now I’ll stick with them.

One more thing is that on the announcement show, obnoxiously entitled The Decision, before he told of his decision, he said that the team he chose already knows, but the others don’t. So, if any other team personnel had brains, they would have known that it was not them! If not, it just prolonged their suspense for a few more minutes.

My final thoughts on the decision itself: It’s his life and his talent, and if playing with his pals is what he really wants to do, I support that. He’s stated that he wants to give himself the best chance to win, and he has every right to do just that.

But I want to remind him that building a super-team doesn’t always spell victory. Remember when the Lakers tried to do just that in 2003, by acquiring Karl Malone and Gary Payton? Their thinking was that a championship was assured with them, Kobe Bryant, and Shaq, all members of Olympic gold-medal winning “Dream Teams” themselves. It blew up in their faces.

Poor Karl could have left the game as a lifelong member of the Utah Jazz, but instead ruined that record with a mis-guided attempt at what he thought was an automatic championship. If LeBron doesn’t win with the Heat this year, too many people will delight in his misery. I feel that this plan has more downside than advantages. I honestly would have thought that he would have liked to stay with his original team his whole career, like Michael Jordan did, and I feel that he had the juice to force the Cavs to get more talent to help him out, rather than going to some other big player’s team. So, now, will the heat be Lebron’s team or stay Duane Wade’s? The whole conundrum is hurting my head.

So, all that’s left for me to say on the topic is: Go Suns!!!