Ok, so this has been on my mind lately, as I'm sure it has been on every sports fan's minds the past week or so, so here's my take.
First of all, I'm just going to say that I'm totally biased, obviously, because I grew up in Cleveland, currently live in Akron, and have always been a gigantic Cavaliers fan. That being said...
Seriously, LeBron? What the hell? That "Decision" bullshit was one of the worst things I've ever seen. (Side note: It's pathetic that more people watched that than Obama's state of the nation address) I kept expecting a big "Psyche!" out of his mouth at any moment. I really just can't give him any sort of a pass for some of the things he said.
"If I win a championship in Miami, it will be good for Cleveland." or something to that effect. Are we serious right now? If Miami wins a championship it won't mean jack shit for Cleveland, just another season that goes by without a title. I think he might be delusional.
Although, I feel like I have to consider some things when thinking about LeBron. He grew up with everyone around him telling him that he was the shit, that he could do no wrong, and it didn't matter if he didn't marry his the mother of his children, it didn't matter if he did a press conference after the end of the series against Orlando last season, nothing matters, because he's LeBron, and he can do whatever he wants. Growing up like that, you can't expect someone to really think of others, because they're so busy thinking about themselves, since that's what everyone else is doing.
We should also consider his mother in this equation. Reports have said that his friends urged him to stay in Cleveland, while his mother was hoping he would play for Miami. Big. Fucking. Surprise. Gloria James is totally nuts. Like I said, I live in Akron, and have seen her around town. My favorite Gloria encounter would have to be one from about a year ago, when I was working as a hostess at a chain restaurant (think Applebee's, but not Applebee's). She blew in with about six or seven other people (wearing glittery jeans, mind you, which I would not recommend for anyone over the age of 12), and proceeded to get totally wasted at the bar. When my shift was over (about 2-3 hours after her arrival) she was still sitting at the bar taking tequila shots and being loud and rowdy. I'm all for loud and rowdy, but when you're a 40-something recovered crack addict, should you really be getting wasted on anything? It just doesn't sit right with me. Maybe I'm being judgy, but whatever.
Ok, so we've established that the only people around LeBron are yes-men who tell him everything he wants to hear. Here's my question:
Did nobody smart or influential think to give LeBron a call and say "Hey, this TV special is totally ridiculous and will make you look like an asshole. I'd recommend against it." I mean, he's (allegedly) the best basketball player in the world, and nobody thought to tell him this was a dumb idea? I'm appalled, truly appalled.
Ok, so, the other obvious part of this equation is Dan Gilbert. I must say, as a Cavs fan, when I read that letter (about an hour after the announcement) I giggled, and I think my exact words were "God, Dan Gilbert is fucking awesome." And I think he had every right to say what he did, because I think people are misunderstanding his motives.
Dan Gilbert wasn't pissed that LeBron left Cleveland. Well, ok, he probably was, but that wasn't the biggest issue. Gilbert tried to contact LeBron for two months prior to this announcement, and LeBron did not return any calls or texts. That's not ok. If he had just told the Cavs, "hey, I've been involved in collusion with two other players, and I'm not coming back next year" they would have had a chance to go after other free agents, but they couldn't, because they still wanted to have the cap space open in case LeBron came back.
So, basically, LeBron fucked over the Cavs. And the Cavs fans, because we all piled on his bandwagon, even though some of us (myself included) thought he was a total douche, but he's just so good it's easy to overlook that. Now, however, I am officially done with LBJ. My only hope for the Miami Heat is that each player gets 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 0 assists because they're all such ball hogs, and they get plastered in the first round of the playoffs.
Although, the way my life goes (and the way most Cleveland fans sports lives go), I'm sure they'll win the next five championships and the Cavs will be nothing more than a high-salary D-League team.
FML
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