I wanted to wait a week before I wrote about Lebron James. I didn’t want to be like Dan Gilbert and go off the handle with a 1200 word Anti-James rant. So I decided to take a step back and breathe before I attempted to summarize what we all saw last Thursday.
Well it’s been over a week and I feel ripped off.
I’m not going to rehash just how ill-conceived the whole ‘The Decision’ on ESPN. I think we can agree on that. What is really bothering me right now is James’ legacy. Legacy and history mean so much to the NBA and his just took a massive beating.
I remember watching Lebron James score 48 points in Game Five in the Eastern Conference Finals vs. Detroit thinking he had finally put it all together. Lebron had leapfrogged over everyone else to take the crown as the greatest player in the NBA. I even wrote earlier this year that Lebron was (and is) a better player than Kobe.
But how can I think that now? If you’re the best in the league you don’t leave your team to join Dwayne Wade. By doing so Lebron has admitted he can’t be the #1 guy and win a title. By going to Miami, to Wade’s team, Lebron has subjugated himself to “second banana”.
Think about that for a moment. For next several years Lebron James will no longer be The Guy.
I just can’t believe that someone of James’ talents would go crawling to Wade for help. That’s not how it works in the NBA. The greatest players won championships with them as the focal point. They were the one’s to take (and make) the big shots late in championship games. Could you see Magic Johnson or Larry Bird deciding to join forces because it would be easier to win a title playing together? Could you imagine Isiah Thomas skipping Detroit or Tim Duncan abandoning San Antonio?
No of course you couldn’t. These guys were the ultimate competitors that wanted to win, but win on their terms. They wanted to destroy the competition, not dance with them during pre-game rituals.
That’s what bothers me about what Lebron James did. He robbed us the chance of seeing a once in the lifetime talent win a title with “His” team on his terms.
Yes he has significantly increased his chances of winning, and he does have to be applauded for supplanting his ego in the process, but the NBA is not like other sports. The history of this game is about Superstars overcoming adversity with “Their Team” to win it all.
When Lebron wins a title just ask yourself, will it be as monumental as James winning a title in Cleveland or even say in New York or Chicago where it would be his team?
I don’t think it will. Lebron has traded his legacy for a chance to party in South Beach with his buddies.
Hey I fully understand why he choose this role I just hope he understands the price he has paid. When the conversation turns to the greatest of all time you can no longer put Lebron’s name on that list.