There's "The Shot," "The Drive," "The Fumble" and now "The Decision" or is it "The Betrayal"?
Cleveland sports fans probably feel betrayed since Akron's own LeBron James announced he's moving to South Beach during a ridiculous TV spectacle Thursday.
In joining fellow stars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, LeBron creates a mega-buzz. But his move to Miami removes the doubt in my mind that LeBron will never measure up to his idol, Michael Jordan.
The NBA above all other professional leagues measures greatness by rings. Russell, Jordan, Magic all greats, all won multiple titles. But they were also unquestionably the guy.
Which is why LeBron's move is a head scratcher.
James said "it's the best opportunity to win and to win now and to win in the future also. Winning is a huge thing for me." But he's going to Wade's town, where Dwayne Wade is the guy. Basically, James is choosing to play the role of second fiddle, a Scottie Pippen type to Wade's Jordan.
"The Decision" to join the Heat, is why I hesitate to even including him in the same breath as "His Airness".
Jordan was super-competitive. He had to be the guy. And in this situation, I think Jordan would have wanted to go head-to-head with Wade and run him out of the gym, not share the gym.
Killer instinct. Jordan had it, Kobe Bryant has it, and LeBron... well it's not clear it's there.
Without a doubt, LeBron is one of the premiere players in the NBA and his legacy depends on rings.
He had a great chance to win in Jordan's town, and be embraced by Bulls fans after years of losing.
He could have stayed home and become an immortal hero in Cleveland, but instead he chose to share the spotlight.
LeBron may have worn No. 23, but he's no "Airness." Not even close at this point.
Now as we move forward, the question becomes can you even make the Finals with LeBron, Wade, Bosh and a bunch of minimum-salary guys?
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More LeBron Coverage:
James Inflicts Endless Pain - Terry Pluto, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Easy Come, Easy for LeBron - Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports
LeBron Better Win Titles - Jay Mariotti, Fanhouse
Decision Disastrous for Knicks - Chris Sheridan, ESPN.com NY
Measuring the NBA post-"Decision" - DJ Gallo, ESPN Page 2
2 comments:
Spot on with this one Pete. Let's be honest here, LeBron is more concerned about his knees holding up so he can break statistical records rather than be the guy who leads his team to the promised land. If the Heat don't win in two years, I bet Bron or Wade gets traded.
If he decided leaving the Cavs was the best shot at winning, this is clearly the best situation available to him. I actually enjoy the transformation of the NBA from a "me" league to a "we" league. Boston and LA have proven that teams win this game - not that we didn't all know that before.
I think the Legend himself, Michael Jordan, and Magic's whining about LeBron negotiating this move to Miami is proof that they're jealous of a new era of "business" in the NBA. Never before would something like this be possible. They both have to be jealous because, let's face it, if the situation were as ripe for Jordan or Johnson (among others) to coordinate a coup like this they would've, too. We'll see if they succeed, but I hope they do.
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