Well, I'm back from my trip, which means it's time for me to follow through on my promise to chronicle my thoughts regarding Lebron James NBA free agency decision, which was oh-so-creatively titled "The Decision".
Let me first say that I am heart-broken. I'm not from Cleveland. But for those of you that know me and read this blog, you will remember that I am someone who has openly said "If I could be one person, I'd be Lebron James." Let the record show I am retracting that statement...because I don't want to grow up to be a bi***.
I would also like to say that I have
no problem with Lebron James signing with the Miami Heat. If I was given the opportunity to play professional basketball with two of the (arguably) ten best players in the WORLD, who just
happen to be my close friends, in South Beach, for an owner with a reputation of winning...you can bet your ass I'd be practicing my Spanish.
What I have a problem with was his decision to broadcast his free agency decision as a media spectacle when he knew he wasn't going to re-up with Cleveland. He created a one-hour media buzz about a one-word sentence ("I am taking my game to South Beach."). I am so disgusted by this whole saga that it requires my full attention to write a coherent sentence without jumping to my next thought (case in point - I just hit the BACKSPACE key 29 times typing that sentence).
So before I delve into this, I just want to remind you that this post is
not intended to address Lebron's decision to play for the Miami Heat. It is about addressing his decision-making process, the media spectacle of his announcement, and the subsequent reactions across the country. And yes, this is LONG. I mean REALLY long. And I don't apologize. Consider yourself warned.
THE SITEAs if the media and/or public needed any more fuel to stoke the seemingly endless fire of Lebron "What If's?", Lebron announced prior to the big day that the official "Decision" would be made in Connecticut. Media outlets went crazy (especially on the East Coast) as they started speculating that, among other things, Lebron would be making his announcement "just 14 miles from the New York Kicks practice facility".
STOP RIGHT THERE. You're telling me that you've got a 25-year old superstar, who has 2 NBA MVP awards and an Olympic medal, who has the world by his fingertips, who is the most well-known human on the planet, who has already booked a one-hour ESPN show to showcase
himself, who knew he'd have an AUDIENCE for it...and you think he's making a decision in Connecticut
because it's 14 miles from the Knicks PRACTICE facility?! To steal the words of Allen Iverson..."Practice? What are we talking about here? Practice?"
Lebron could have made his announcement from the friggin Pope's chair in the Vatican if he wanted! If he was going to the Knicks, and wanted to hint at it, he'd arrange for Mayor Giuliani, Jay-Z and Derek Jeter to escort him to the center of Madison Square Garden. So I will tell you that the
site of his announcement meant nothing in terms of hinting at where he was gonna go. But what it
did do was confirm the news all loyal fans dreaded...
He sure as hell ain't staying in Cleveland. If Bron-Bron, the local kid from Akron, the guy who played 7 years of dominating basketball for the Cavs, and who single-handedly resuscitated the most depressed sports city in America had made up his mind to stay in Cleveland...you can bet your ass he would have made that announcement
in Cleveland. By the time the word "Connecticut" was leaked, it's conceivable to imagine every Cleveland citizen already had a Lebron jersey in one hand, and a lighter in the other.
But here's what's so sick about the whole thing - they
DIDN'T. Even though he was announcing on the East Coast, even though there was no news of him even meeting with Cleveland, even though every report and "source" was saying Lebron was gonna team up with his buddies Wade and Bosh in Miami...Cleveland fans kept that candle of hope lit. And not just Cleveland fans. Did I think Lebron was going to Miami? You bet your ass I did. But here's the thing...
I still watched.
Until we saw that bearded man make his formal announcement, there was still hope for every team involved, from Chicago to New York to Miami to...yes, even Cleveland. We will always maintain that sliver of hope that someone will do the right thing, even in sports. And then we walk away saying "Why did we watch?"
COVERING HIS TRACKS - PATHETICIn addition to releasing the news that he'd be in Connecticut, he also revealed one other interesting tidbit - that all proceeds from the one-hour show would go to the Cleveland Boys Girls Club. Was that a ploy to keep people interested? Was it his way of giving
something to Cleveland after they watched him ride into the Florida sunset?
All I know is, he's a friggin idiot. You really think Cleveland is gonna say "Hey Lebron, we know you stabbed us in the back on national television, but thank you so much for the donation to the Boys & Girls Club!" Ugh. I don't care what his intention was for that donation, what he thought it would accomplish. But whatever it was, he was wrong. The city of Cleveland probably had a tough time accepting his donation upon his departure. It's the ugliest, pity-gift of a divorce I've ever seen. He knew he was going to Miami, he should have severed all ties. Instead he just poured salt in Cleveland's wounds...sea salt from the beaches of Miami.
LEBRON AND CLEVELANDLet me be succinct - Lebron not only ripped out the collective heart of Cleveland fans, he ripped it out, threw it on the ground, and danced the salsa
on top of it. Although his press conference was "supposed" to be about where he was going, it ended up just being seen as a royal "Eff You" to Cleveland. He did not need to go on national television. He did not need his own show titled "The Decision", and he certainly didn't need to keep it a secret until then. He wanted the publicity, he wanted the fame...and he got it. He
knew he'd be villified, and he still did it. It's one thing to leave a team you've been with forever, that happens all the time these days. It's a whole different thing when you
choose to put yourself in the spotlight, brandish a knife, and coldly, without emotion, thrust it in the backs of Cleveland sports fans.
Which begs the question of how much he really
cares about the city of Cleveland? I'm sure Lebron likes Cleveland. He was born and raised there, he played there, and was treated like a king. But for a city that gave him everything he needed on a silver platter, Cleveland didn't deserve what they got. Lebron was heartless. He was icy, cold and utterly uninterested in the effect his actions would have on Cleveland. And it showed.
JIM GRAY - REALLY?Now this may appear as somewhat off-topic here, but I must address it. Who's ludicrous, half-cocked, hair-brained, numb-nuts idea was it to get Jim Gray to be the emcee/interviewer for Lebron's announcement?
JIM GRAY?! Now, my reason for hating Jim gray is quite simple -
The Pete Rose Interview. This may become a post in itself some day, I will just give you the context. At the 1999 MLB All-Star Game, MLB introduced the All-Century Team, and invited all the old players to come back, Rose was invited, and Gray lit into him in a way I can't even describe. Agree or disagree with Rose's past with gambling, he was the better man this night.
With that in mind, I thought every network would make sure Gray never saw as much as a camera
wire ever again. But no, the geniuses at ESPN/ABC decided Gray should be the guy. Not Stuart Scott, not Chris Berman, not Magic Johnson, not Mike Tirico...Jim friggin Gray.
I will say that Gray did nothing offensive or questionable during Lebron's night, but how could he? It was
Lebron's Night. Hell, Sloth from "The Goonies" could have asked those questions without a problem.
But Why Jim Gray? That may go down as one of the biggest sports mysteries of my life.
THE AFTERMATH - DAN GILBERT & COMIC SANSFor those of you that didn't read Cleveland Cavaliers' owner Dan Gilbert's letter public bashing Lebron, read it here before you continue (
Dan Gilbert's Letter).
I would like to be put on record (because I know ESPN scoops my blog for story ideas) that Dan Gilbert is totally justified...
in his thoughts. Notice the italics. Gilbert has every right in the world to think that Lebron is a little bi*** and that he abandoned the city and that the fans deserve better.
But you can't go public like that. By publishing this letter, you just gave Lebron credibility. You gave the devil
reason to leave. Even though your city has reason to
justifiably hate him for the entirety of their lives, you just made Cleveland look like a bad place to play. By going bonkers publicly and berating Lebron, when everyone in the
country knows what he did for your city, you're crippling yourself. All you had to do was come out with a public statement saying "We are extremely disappointed to hear that Lebron is moving to Miami. He has done a great deal for our city, and we had sincerely hoped he would be a Cav for life. Obviously our hopes were not fulfilled."
Could you imagine how much
worse this could be for Lebron? If Gilbert had decided to be a big boy and take the high road? Gilbert has always been a somewhat polarizing individual, and he stayed true to form. But I would have loved for Gilbert to have shown the world that Lebron had
no reason to leave...instead he left us wondering if we were professionals, if
we would even want to play for him.
Dan, I'm as pissed as you. But you gotta remember who you represent, who you speak on behalf of, and the full ramifications of your actions. Lebron dissed you. He dissed you bad. Everybody is ready to call Lebron the bad-guy here. And you just gave us all reason to hate him a little bit
less.***
That'll do for now, although I probably could have spent a day just on the media spectacle that didn't need to exist and the ego it takes for that to even come about. But I'd rather steer away from the obvious ego-trip line. We all know who Lebron is now.
