That sound you heard last night was the sound of the city of Cleveland imploding. The sound of hearts breaking and the cries of long suffering fans that had just been betrayed by their hometown hero. It wasn't just that he did it, it's how he did it. LeBron James made his announcement to join the Miami Heat during a much publicized and hyped National television show on ESPN. No other professional athlete has ever made such a spectacle of their free agency decision, so it's hard not to blame Cleveland fans for feeling like he was throwing it in their faces. While this was certainly not James' intention, his actions have cut deeply. For a city that has a long history of gut-wrenching defeats, dark memories such as "The Drive", "The Shot" and "The Move" have all been overshadowed by "The Decision."
Moments after James made his announcement the streets of Cleveland erupted with emotional fans filled with disappointment. James' old #23 jersey was seen being burned in the streets while fans mourned the loss of their former hero. The live camera shot shown on ESPN last night right after LeBron made his announcement was absolutely brutal.
The fans weren't the only ones to express their displeasure in the decision. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert wasn't shy about showing his anger towards his former superstar. In a letter to the fans, Gilbert called LeBron's decision "cowardly" and "shameful." He even claimed that LeBron quit on his team during the playoffs, something that never would have even been hinted at until after it became official that he was leaving. "Watch the tape," Gilbert proclaimed, referring to the blowout Game 5 of the series against the Celtics, as well as the deciding game against Orlando the previous year. He made it clear that the former self-proclaimed King had betrayed them all, but that he would soon regret this decision. He went as far as to guarantee that the Cavs would win an NBA title before LeBron wins one, stating that the Cleveland Curse would come back to haunt him.
The Decision is undoubtedly the hardest decision LeBron has been forced to make in his life. Loyalty is important to him, but so is winning. The bottom line is that Miami presents him with a greater opportunity to win multiple titles than Cleveland does. Cleveland fans have every reason to resent his betrayal, but for the rest of us we should praise the fact that he has done something that many athletes never do - put winning ahead of money. Cleveland could have offered him the most money, including a 6th year with larger annual increases. Not only is LeBron willing to settle for a 5 year deal with 5% annual increases instead of 8%, but he has stated that he, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh have agreed to take less than the max in order to team up, while still allowing a little left over to help fill out the roster.
The league has never before seen three of it's best players all agree to join forces together as free agents. The three of them are attempting to do something that is almost unprecedented in sports, to put aside egos and pass on max contracts to create something special, unlike anything we've ever seen. The closest example from recent years that we've seen is when the Big Three of the Celtics were put together to win a title in 2008, but that trio was put together through multiple trades that landed them Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to join Paul Pierce in Boston. None of them arrived as free agents. Their situation also differs in that those three have already begun the downside of their career. They joined forces in an attempt to win a title knowing that they had a short window of opportunity to get it done. The trio in Miami are all in their prime, each of them having been drafted in 2003 as the #1, #4 and #5 picks overall. They have the potential to form a dynasty that could make them contenders for most of this decade.
You can't blame LeBron for wanting to take a chance at this once in a lifetime opportunity. All the talk about LeBron fleeing to join "Wade's Team" and that his legacy will be tarnished by his admission that he needs help is preposterous. One superstar can't do it alone, no matter how great they are. Kobe had Shaq for his first three titles and couldn't win another until the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol. Magic had Kareem and Worthy, Jordan had Pippen, Bird had McHale and Parish. LeBron has never had another star player to play with and now he has two.
Staying in Cleveland would have made him loyal, but it would not have made him a winner. Despite their owner's claims, they just don't have the right pieces to put around LeBron to push them over the top. This was made clear when the Cavs were shockingly eliminated in the second round of last years playoffs by the Celtics. Give the Cavs credit for trying, by bringing in players like Shaq and trading for Antawn Jameson to try to bolster LeBron's supporting cast to help win a title and entice him to stay. Unfortunately those moves also bloated the team's cap space, limiting their options for making improvements to a roster that was not able to get the job done.
Cleveland may never be able to forgive LeBron for leaving them without giving them a title, but LeBron may never have forgiven himself if he stayed with a team that never won. The suffering in Cleveland will continue, as their best chance at ending the championship draught that has plagued them since the Browns won in 1964 just walked away. You can't blame the man for jumping from a sinking ship to run for greener pastures. You don't have to like the public way he went about showcasing his announcement, but leaving Cleveland was the right decision.
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