If you're a New Yorker and you grew up with a poster of Patrick Ewing on your wall, you're probably pissed off, and for good reason. Lebron is among the greatest players in the NBA and he's not even in his prime yet. I prided myself on being a fan of Lebron simply because of his superior athleticism. After his decision on Thursday, I'd be compelled to say I think he's brilliant. There's no undoing it. He's leaving Cleveland, he's going to the Heat, not to Chicago where he'd probably have to change his number, and not New York the greatest stage in the world.
The Cavs owner called James' decision a "cowardly betrayal". Several fans have attacked James for leaving a team where he could be Jordan, and joining a team where he was Pippin, but this is in fact what the NBA needs. The past decade in the NBA has seen a new generation of players with baggier shorts, shorter tempers, and inflated egos. Lebron has shown humility, that he could be a part of something bigger and longer lasting than his own legacy. His home town might be "hurt" but it's resulted in a promise from the Cavs owner that should if nothing else incite all the other teams in the NBA to want to keep the 2010-2011 season interesting. Probably the boldest statement made in the NBA after a team has lost its star player just before his prime, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert said "I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING' WINS ONE."
This promise has me asking, why didn't you guarantee a victory when you had James? Instead of hoping and praying that he would stay just because it was his hometown. Maybe the NBA will wake up and maybe it'll be worth watching again now that everyone is out to make the trio of James, Wade, and Bosh a waste of Miami's money. Maybe.
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