The Truth About Lebron's Decision

The truth about Lebron James’s decision to leave his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in pursuit of building a dynasty in Miami is that he did what was best for him. Lebron had the pleasure of playing for his hometown for 7 years in which he took them to their first NBA finals in history and made them relevant in the basketball world. In return the front office of Cleveland failed to bring him a legitimate second star and he was forced to be EVERYTHING for his team leading them in Points, Rebounds, Assists, Blocks, Steals, etc. Meanwhile they fell short year after year including losing to a formidable Boston Celtics team this year (that came a quarter away from winning the NBA title). Now in his free agency he must pick where he will hang his hat for the prime of his career and he decided to leave.

In Cleveland nobody expects those fans to be happy, but they are burning his jerseys in the street, rioting and even the owner of the Cavaliers Dan released this open letter claiming “You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal” and “This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn”. That is the most classless and outrageous thing I have ever seen from an NBA Executive. Lebron isn’t the first player to leave a team in free agency yet an unprecedented amount of hatred is accompanying the unprecedented amount of anticipation to hear this decision. The truth is Lebron does not deserve such a knock for making a smart decision for himself and his career. Even Kevin Garnett said himself he wishes he would of left the Minnesota Timberwolves sooner, that he spent too much of an outstanding career there not winning anything. Lebron decided to not make this same mistake and to leave while he is in his prime instead of after.

For all the critics claiming Kobe didn’t have to leave, Kobe Bryant was playing for the Lakers!!! Which was a storied franchise with many titles, not a hometown team that has never been. Playing for Los Angeles gave him the luxury of winning 3 titles while not even being the best on his team, and when thing got rough he began to publicly criticize his beloved Lakers demanding a trade. Then more money and eventually Pau Gasol fell into his lap for nothing and they won a Championship, they went on to add the best defender in the league and they won again. He was able to have to talent come to him, Lebron does not have this luxury. He never complained and he finished out his contract with no felony cases and without forcing teammates away like Shaq. Of course Kobe’s tirade was erased by 2 titles in 3 years, and Lebron will have to win it all to do the same. In a few years Lebron, Wade, and Bosh will be forming the dynasty of the 10’s and this hatred will be a memory in Cleveland long list of disappointments.

Finally for all those who think the Miami Heat will win a title next year we must remember that they only have 5 people on roster at the moment, their next moves should be to acquire a solid Center to rebound and defend, and solidify their point guard or get a pure shooter to simply hit open shots that the others create. Also solid role players off the bench must be acquired for a bare minimum. Give them time and patience and they will be a dynasty, but all eyes will demand that they do it now. For Cleveland they squandered 7 years of having the best basketball player on the planet with incompetent coaching and poor roster decisions, They drove LBJ away. As they eventually win it all he will go down as one of the greats with a few titles, for all those claiming his legacy his through, more than half of Kobe Bryant's legacy comes from Shaq being the best player on the Lakers. Other NBA great end up getting paired with other great at the end of their careers, when they are past their primes; Clyde Drexler and Charles Barkley both ended up in Houston with Hakeem Olajuwon when it was too late (Drexler did finally win his first here after leaving Portland). Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabar both bolted to LA for NBA titles, Garnett and Ray Allen join Paul Pierce for one. All these guys and way more moved around to maximize their championship chances. Lebron will be no different, except for the fact that he did it while he was still young. All that matters in the end are the Championship Rings, by any means necessary.