The King's New Court
Well, it's finally over. And the result is hardly shocking, considering what happened during the final week, but has great implications for years to come.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 10 days or so, LeBron James declared free agency and went into a free agent market that included the likes of Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Dirk Nowitzki, and Carlos Boozer. The event has been followed closely and has been all over the news the past two weeks. Among all those names, none have attracted more attention than LeBron James.
Over the past several days, an alliance seemed to be forming. Much like the Celtics did three years ago, the Miami Heat planned to form a "Big 3", consisting of hometown star Dwayne Wade, former Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh, and of course, King James.
Many predictions were made on where LeBron would end up. Some said he would go to the Clippers or the Knicks to be part of a big market team. Some said he would go to Chicago, where his hero, Michael Jordan, played. Others said he would go to MINNESOTA of all places. And of course, many thought (and hoped) that ultimately he would stay close to home in Cleveland.
But yesterday, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade both signed with the Heat. This increased the idea in peoples' heads that he would sign with Miami. But many still believed that he would remain in Cleveland. Tonight, James had a special report held on ESPN that was taped in a boys and girls club in his hometown, in front of a large group of townies.
This report was planned a few nights ago, and many people took issue (and continue to take issue) with LeBron. He was being viewed as a greedy, attention grabbing bastard by sportscasters and fans alike. He was making himself "bigger than the game". People who speculated that he would leave Cleveland and joined Miami criticized him for "abandoning the team" and "making a joke of the league/selling out". Still others thought he would not leave Cleveland because "he was too greedy". I don't really know what people expect of him. Yes, he is larger than life, but he's still a person making a difficult decision.
In the end, he joined up with Wade and Bosh in Miami. That he held the speech in his hometown and donated the money to charity, no less, was respectable. The whole thing was just a way for James to gather his thoughts and explain his decision. He didn't come off as some asshole. His mother influenced his decision, telling him, "You gotta do what you think is best for you."
LeBron, in the interview, assured everyone that this was for the best and a business decision, detaching himself somewhat from the fans. Yet, a short video of a Cleveland fan burning LeBron's jersey made Michael Wilbon ask LeBron what he thought. And he said that these aren't real fans. LeBron seems like a genuinely nice human being, but I don't know, he seems a little unsure of what he is doing. I say this because, at the end of the video, as the camera faded away, LeBron's mouth started to curl down a bit in sadness. I know that he really is ambivalent about leaving, but he won't admit it. As he said, "I didn't want to make an emotional decision."
The reaction from Cleveland fans.
Granted, I only saw the tail end of the interview and some earlier highlights, but I still got the impression that LeBron has some feelings for his old team. But, LeBron also seems to feel (understandably) that the organization did not put pieces around him to make a championship, so he had to go do his own thing. Yet, he gives up a chance to take Cleveland, his first team, to a title without the aid of skilled players or leaving for another team. Granted, Michael won all his titles with a skilled cast that included Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. But he did stay home...until he went to the Wizards at the tail end of his career.
As a Celtics fan, I certainly wasn't expecting LeBron to come to town, and I honestly shouldn't care about this whole thing. But it certainly will be an interesting year. With Wade, James, and Bosh on the same team (lacking many other pieces, mind you, save Mario Chalmers), it will be a battle in the Eastern Conference.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 10 days or so, LeBron James declared free agency and went into a free agent market that included the likes of Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Dirk Nowitzki, and Carlos Boozer. The event has been followed closely and has been all over the news the past two weeks. Among all those names, none have attracted more attention than LeBron James.
Over the past several days, an alliance seemed to be forming. Much like the Celtics did three years ago, the Miami Heat planned to form a "Big 3", consisting of hometown star Dwayne Wade, former Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh, and of course, King James.
Many predictions were made on where LeBron would end up. Some said he would go to the Clippers or the Knicks to be part of a big market team. Some said he would go to Chicago, where his hero, Michael Jordan, played. Others said he would go to MINNESOTA of all places. And of course, many thought (and hoped) that ultimately he would stay close to home in Cleveland.
But yesterday, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade both signed with the Heat. This increased the idea in peoples' heads that he would sign with Miami. But many still believed that he would remain in Cleveland. Tonight, James had a special report held on ESPN that was taped in a boys and girls club in his hometown, in front of a large group of townies.
This report was planned a few nights ago, and many people took issue (and continue to take issue) with LeBron. He was being viewed as a greedy, attention grabbing bastard by sportscasters and fans alike. He was making himself "bigger than the game". People who speculated that he would leave Cleveland and joined Miami criticized him for "abandoning the team" and "making a joke of the league/selling out". Still others thought he would not leave Cleveland because "he was too greedy". I don't really know what people expect of him. Yes, he is larger than life, but he's still a person making a difficult decision.
In the end, he joined up with Wade and Bosh in Miami. That he held the speech in his hometown and donated the money to charity, no less, was respectable. The whole thing was just a way for James to gather his thoughts and explain his decision. He didn't come off as some asshole. His mother influenced his decision, telling him, "You gotta do what you think is best for you."
LeBron, in the interview, assured everyone that this was for the best and a business decision, detaching himself somewhat from the fans. Yet, a short video of a Cleveland fan burning LeBron's jersey made Michael Wilbon ask LeBron what he thought. And he said that these aren't real fans. LeBron seems like a genuinely nice human being, but I don't know, he seems a little unsure of what he is doing. I say this because, at the end of the video, as the camera faded away, LeBron's mouth started to curl down a bit in sadness. I know that he really is ambivalent about leaving, but he won't admit it. As he said, "I didn't want to make an emotional decision."
The reaction from Cleveland fans.
Granted, I only saw the tail end of the interview and some earlier highlights, but I still got the impression that LeBron has some feelings for his old team. But, LeBron also seems to feel (understandably) that the organization did not put pieces around him to make a championship, so he had to go do his own thing. Yet, he gives up a chance to take Cleveland, his first team, to a title without the aid of skilled players or leaving for another team. Granted, Michael won all his titles with a skilled cast that included Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. But he did stay home...until he went to the Wizards at the tail end of his career.
As a Celtics fan, I certainly wasn't expecting LeBron to come to town, and I honestly shouldn't care about this whole thing. But it certainly will be an interesting year. With Wade, James, and Bosh on the same team (lacking many other pieces, mind you, save Mario Chalmers), it will be a battle in the Eastern Conference.
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