Well i’m sure for Cleveland fans it feels like the day after a really good party when your hangover is so bad that you wonder whether it was really worth going to the party at all. Zero championships, and one trip to the NBA finals later, was the last 7 years of Lebron James dominance in Cleveland worth it in the end? Some would say yes, and some would say no…
Rather than blather on this morning about how i’m somewhat disappointed he didn’t stay true to Cleveland, but that i’m also somewhat excited about Lebron, Dwyane, and Chris forming a ‘Super Team’ for the ages, I want you to read what some of the internet’s blogosphere experts have to say about James decision to head to South Beach (to read their full analysis click on the site link):
Kelly Dwyer @ Ball Don’t Lie:
Well, for one, the Heat still have a team to build. If the deal with Beasley goes through, they will have just one player under contract (point guard Mario Chalmers(notes)) for next season as the Big Three’s contracts get worked out. Add that triptych of All-Stars, and you still have 11 roster spots and six rotation spots to fill out with little money left underneath the salary cap….
James is 25, Wade a few years older, Bosh 26. This is a foundation for the ages. But in a team game, it can still be screwed up. Screwed up by bad coaching, by superstars who don’t get along on the court and by a poor supporting cast. This isn’t to say that we’re expecting any of those things to crop up in Miami, but despite the hoopla, and the promise, there is still a lot that can go wrong.
Knicks Fan @ Hugging Harold Reynolds:
Make no mistake this is Wade’s team. The Heat play in ‘Wade County’ and Wade has already helped lead this team to an NBA title. While whatever ensuing titles the Heat win will help validate the career of James, they will also help further vault Wade above James. You can also let the chatter build up about how James couldn’t do it on his own and that now he has to play second banana to somebody else….
He has the right to pursue where he believes the best chance to win a crown to be is, Miami or elsewhere, but you owe your hometown team more. Let them know upfront you aren’t coming back. Or be upfront and say it’s down to you and somebody else and I’m honestly torn. Be upfront about any part of it, give them anything that shows they partnered with you for what they will remember as seven magical years that ended in heartbreak. Give them a heads up for being the place you are from and from the place you say you want to always be from.
Austin Burton @ Dime Mag:
C’mon, people. I already knew LeBron was the most hated man in the NBA, but be serious. LeBron joining the Miami Heat to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh isn’t just a totally defensible move, it’s the same move anybody else in LeBron’s position would have made. In fact, Dime reader Reno put it best last night:
“Correct me if I’m wrong but when you bout to play ball and you picking up squads, aren’t you picking up the best possible team that you can to stay on the court all day? Or you trying to be calling ‘next’ all day? Well that’s what Lebron just did and people killing him for it.”
I’m with Reno. I don’t get it.
Pat McManamon @ NBA Fanhouse:
A killing blow right to the gut. Through the gut, really. LeBron James eviscerated a city and an area in one all-about-me hour-long show on national TV. He said he was leaving Cleveland for Miami, and he did it on a show generated by him, about him and for him. He toyed with the emotions of people who supported him, who believed because he was one of their own that he might be different.
Try telling anyone in Cleveland he’s different now.
