by Lundberg - July 8, 2010 - - 8 Comments »
*I’ll leave my original thoughts below but now that I’ve had a little bit of time to process it, I realize how unfair standards are sometimes. I was rooting for unparalleled greatness from LeBron. Apparently, he is not affected by such standards. Maybe, he really just does want to win and play team basketball. And as a result, we’re going to get a different type of greatness. A great team and a great show that every fan will want to see. I remain a little disappointed though. But it isn’t really my place to judge a group of guys for controlling their own destinies and putting themselves in the position they desire.*
We officially learned something about LeBron James. He’s not wired like Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s just disappointing. He obviously doesn’t care about being the best player ever. (He does like attention.)
LeBron chose winning, having fun and playing with his boys. He also damaged his overall legacy in the process. I won’t knock anyone for making a decision that makes them happy but I wanted to see him carve out a unique identity and resurrect basketball in New York. He chose the easy route. He made the wrong call. It boggles my mind that he doesn’t think the same way I do.
The NBA now has an evil empire that everyone will either root for bandwagon style or against fervently (likely futiley). I don’t buy the argument that this Miami Heat “Super Best Friends” team won’t mesh. They have LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. I can’t imagine anyone stopping a squad with both those guys. They are unselfish, unguardable and the ultimate combination. The most talented player ever with a guy who possesses the killer instinct the other lacks. Then you throw in a multi-talented big man in Chris Bosh to boot. Hopefully the rest of the league can catch up. (The discussion I heard right after was about “which teams could possibly beat the Heat?”) I doubt it.
One thing I’ll say for New York (since the city has waited two years for this let down). If you don’t want them, they don’t want you. I was out interviewing people on the street right after the decision was rendered. They want players who want to be here (like Amare Stoudemire) and are confident that the Knicks will rise again. (Foolish confidence maybe. The organization hasn’t exactly proven itself to be, you know, good.)
In the end, LeBron just isn’t built for New York. At least without his “Super Best Friends”.
*A couple other notes from this saga*
-These guys had this planned and those free agent meetings were basically a sham.
-I loved the idea of the TV special, just not the way the organizations weren’t informed about the decision. I’d understand if they were ticked about that.
-You can’t accuse LeBron of not wanting to win. If this team formed in New York, Knicks fans would be ecstatic. *Points in the direction of Yankees fans* I think people just believe Miami doesn’t deserve it and New York does. However, the Heat are certainly going to be must see television. I’ve never had a better time watching basketball than watching these two go to work for the “Redeem Team” and now everyone will be captivated by this traveling circus.
-What the league really needs is the number one market back.
-Pat Riley finally got that piece of the Knicks he always wanted.
-Stephen A. Smith is the one “reporter” who emerged from this a winner.
-LeBron owes Cleveland nothing. It wasn’t his choice to be drafted there. He gave them a good seven years and took that team as far as it was built to go. Also, Dan Gilbert is an idiot. Maybe he should take some responsibility for this. LBJ is gonna drop a 100 on the Cavs for that letter. I do feel bad for Cleveland fans. So did James, even if he didn’t choose the best way of showing it (he chose a horrible way instead, whether he realized it or not).
-Chris Bosh is the luckiest man alive. (Though he is pretty good at basketball in his own right.)
-People will hate but all three of them are likable guys. They’re young dudes from a new generation that grew up playing ball with their friends who happen to be other great players (AAU). They just decided to take it to the pro level. (LeBron clearly relishes the comraderie he had with his high school team.)
-Somehow it kind of felt like a full, wrestling-style heel turn (that means turning bad in wrestling jargon). The Miami Heat are the NWO.
-Kobe Bryant is now the dragon slayer. This is the best thing that could have ever happened to him in his chase of MJ.
i’m more upset that the league feels depleated. Maybe I’m wrong, but it just seems like it’s the Lakers and the Heat now. I was at least hoping if he didn’t end up in NY then he went anywhere BUT the heat. I think this is the worst thing that could happen to the league, contrary to his desire to do what’s best for the league. Nobody cares about the Miami Heat, not even Miami. Ugh…
Wow, you’re actually taking it better than I thought. Funny…. I was legitimately concerned about your mental health when he said South Beach. Not to beat a dead horse but this can be detrimental to Lebron’s career and and definitely to his legacy, like you said, he took the easy way out and as long as he’s in Miami, he will always be #2. This is perfect timing for them because you can argue that the other top teams in the NBA are older and on their back end but as Lebron said, they still need another 5 guys on the team. (Not that having Lebron and Wade isn’t enough!) Do you think Lebron’s endorsements will take a hit? I guess it’s never too early for Knicks fans to look forward to 2012 and start the countdown for Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul. (I think Melo to the Knicks is very probable) (Not to seem like a Monday Morning Quarterback but I always felt Lebron wouldn’t come to New York until this week but Melo will be completely different and will come to New York.) What do you think of the Knicks signing Iverson and Mcgrady (If Mcgrady would take the deal) to 1 year deals to play with Amare as a stop gap until they can get Melo to make things interesting for at least this year?
and lets be real here this past year wasnt even “kobes” championship by any stretch of the imagination yet he has so many rings hes being considered the hero against the celtics
then again allen iverson though he was still the “man” and couldnt admit that he was just a bench player (or something along that line) and look where it got him, so at least labron is admitting it (although those words never came out of his mouth) where he can still win a championship
thank heavens you are still alive. i was worried when you did not return my call. i love you mom
R.I.P King we will miss you now….. it up to kobe to destory the \Super Friends\team.
P.S. This is why salary caps is BAD for sports. we see this all the time in nfl/nba that good players will take little less to be on a championship look team.Unlike Baseball where you can keep add money to people say hmmmm $$$$$$$$. =) greed is good for make sure everyone get a fair share to sign players.
My heart sank when I read that the original plan was to do this in New York, but we were never able to obtain the space. This obviously destroys the thought of a salary cap promoting an equal playing field for teams. If anything, it entails the opposite outcome. Only 6 teams in the entire league were able to compete in the greatest roster of Free Agents in history. That says it all. I also think this is the worst possible scenario for the NBA. This gives all but 2 other teams, no hope in competing for a championship. What kind of league is that? Not cool man. His so-called crush on New York turned out to be the typical Hollywood type that loves the party scene and high rolling atmosphere. The person that could potentially benefit most from this is Kobe. Those 3 will be the villans of the league. If he is able to tackle that tandem, it will ultimately prove that he is the best player post Jordan, no matter what Lebron ever does(the sad result of this outcome) That would now make him, undeniably, one of the top 5 greats.
and just remember kobe wanted out in the worst way when he couldnt win, but the lakers didnt want to trade him