LeBron James chose superstar help over the comforts of home and is heading for Miami because he wants to win a championship with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
NBA, get ready: A superstar trio has just been born.
Ending weeks of will-he-or-won't-he speculation, the two-time MVP said Thursday night that he's decided to join the Heat and leave the Cavaliers after an unsuccessful seven-year quest for the ring he covets.
"I can't say it was always in my plans, because I never thought it was possible," James said on a made-for-Lebron live show on ESPN. "But the things that the Miami Heat franchise have done, to free up cap space and be able to put themselves in a position this summer to have all three of us, it was hard to turn down. Those are two great players, two of the greatest players that we have in this game today."
Olympic teammates in Beijing, James, Bosh and Wade all helped deliver gold medals.
This time, it'll be about a gold trophy, the NBA championship one -- the one Wade got in 2006, the one that James and Bosh have yet to touch.
"Winning is a huge thing for me," James said from a studio in Greenwich, Conn., where an audience of kids from the Boys and Girls club was present for the announcement.
It's a huge victory for the Heat, which got commitments from Wade and Bosh on Wednesday. That duo, along with James, formed the upper echelon of the most-celebrated free-agent period in league history.
CBS Sports
One of the great things about twitter, and one of the reason I enjoy tweeting, is that if you follow enough people you can get a wide divergence of opinion about any given issue. To be sure this decision by LeBron James was a very polarizing one with some folks a little more emotionally invested it seems in his decision than others. But on the side of those who didn't think LeBron should sign with Miami there was one argument that I absolutely disagree with and I feel the need to discuss a bit.
That argument is that by going to Miami LeBron is now a Robin to Dwyane Wade's Batman because, somehow, its "Wade's team". And along with that somehow any championships they may win would be tainted by that and also LeBron would never again be seen as a contender for best player ever with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and the like. Etc Etc Etc
Now I realize that football fans and basketball fans many times have totally different perspectives on things, but this argument literally had my head spinning.
Maybe its just me, but I actually respect LeBron MORE for going to a place where he is going to have help and where he is going to have a better chance at winning a title. Or two. Or more. In fact at a time when I myself along with others have been questioning his commitment to winning and his self centeredness, this move is probably the most humble he could have made. He knows that there will be folks who knock him for going with two other All Stars. But in the end the prospect of winning meant more than the prospect of unquestioningly being seen as "The Man".
But there's another layer to this too. See for me, if people really believed all the rhetoric they have said about James being the next Jordan or the next Magic or "The King" if you will, I would think they would have a lot more confidence in his abilities. If he is truly THAT guy, then guess what, he will still be THAT guy in Miami. Yeah he will have a guy that is close to him in talent and abilities but if he is really the man he will still shine the brightest. In fact in my book it would be an indictment of his confidence in himself if he turned down playing with another star because he was worried about who would be the alpha dog.
Mind you in my opinion LeBron WILL put up the better numbers, and WILL end up leading the Heat. But I'm not a Heat fan and I've really never been a LeBron fan although I respect his game and the fact that he has worked on his weaknesses to get better every year. So what does it say about the folks that claimed to be fans of his that now they are ready to concede that if he plays with Wade he will be second fiddle?
If that really is the case, was he ever really "The King"?
Of course at this point I will throw it out there that even with this move I don't think LeBron will be getting that ring for awhile if ever. Between Kobe and my Lakers still being strong and the ascension of Kevin Durant out in Oklahoma City, the West is going to be giving whomever comes out of the East hell for quite awhile. But at the same time I can't knock LeBron for going with the best option available and I really can't understand the mentality of those that are doing so.
At what point did being "The Man" in the NBA become more about your ego and your brand than winning championships. And at what point did that become ok for some NBA fans? Please tell me because it just may coincide with that point in my life where the NBA started to lose its luster for me. Here's hoping that more guys in the NBA take their cue from LeBron in the future in that they put a premium on rings and everything else on the back burner.
Of course they could do it without a BS one hour special, but hey that's a discussion for another day LOL
