My Take on LeBron

So over the last month, the talk of the town seems to be "The Decision."  LeBron opted out of Cleveland, a city yearning to overcome decades of sports failure, for the sunny beaches of Miami.  In my opinion, this was a simple decision.  He has an opportunity to play with two of his good friends with a chance to win multiple championships.  It is not LeBron's fault that he was drafted by his hometown team.  Why should he have more of an obligation to stay than anyone else?  When Paul Pierce lured Ray Allen and KG to Boston to win a title, everyone was excited to see "the Big 3," but now everyone is calling LeBron a traitor.  The double standard is unwarranted.

First of all, Cleveland did not make the necessary moves to keep King James.  Bringing in a mediocre Mo Williams, an ancient Shaq, and a crippled Jamison isn't exactly what I call "doing everything you can to bring home a championship."  There were numerous free agents they could have picked up to supplement LeBron.  LeBron actually helped catapult Mo Williams into an All-Star.  I think if LeBron won a championship in Cleveland, he would have stayed in Cleveland, but ownership just wasn't up to the task.

Speaking of ownership, Dan Gilbert is a moron.  Yes, LeBron left town.  Yes, you are angry, but yes, he made your team millions of dollars in revenue and launched Cleveland back on the map of basketball legitimacy.  Now, after his crybaby tirade, sources around the league are reporting that no one wants to go to Cleveland to play for his organization, and who can blame them?

Now to the old timers.  Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson say that they would have never left town to win championships.  That may be the case, but take a look at the talent that was around each player.  Scottie Pippen is one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.  MJ never won a title without him.  I don't even know if LeBron had a player that could be considered in the top 50 in the NBA right now.  Magic had Kareem and James Worthy, two Hall of Famers.  Not to mention, both MJ and Magic had a supporting cast that knew their role and could contribute.  LBJ was surrounded by a bunch of misfits.  Also, compare the coaching staffs.  Try to compare Mike (can't win a big game) Brown with Phil Jackson and Pat Riley.  There is no comparison.  Now LeBron has Riley, who knows how to win titles, in the front office in Miami.

As for "The Decision" itself.  It was not LeBron's idea to broadcast his decision over a 1 hour prime-time block on ESPN.  ESPN made that decision, and the revenue from that went to the Boys and Girls Club.  If people wanted to complain about it, they should have simply turned off the TV.

LeBron may never be the next Kobe or the next MJ.  I don't think he wants that.  He changed his number from 23 to 6 as a tribute to MJ being the true 23.  He is LeBron.  He is a freak athlete with a drive that will be on full display next season.  Remember Kobe needed several years to find that drive without Shaq (and he may have never found it if it wasn't for a ridiculously uneven trade for Pau Gasol).  So everyone who LeBron is being compared to had help.  Now that LeBron has talent around him, the sky is the limit.  We are all witnesses!