Final Thoughts On The LeBron James Fiasco

On The Decision ...

In terms of the decision to leave Cleveland, LeBron James had every right to do so. We all knew that he was going to explore his options this summer and knew there was always the chance James would up and leave.

That he settled on Miami, a team that already has its franchise player in Dwyane Wade, is surprising. At the same time, we saw how the Lakers did when they had two of the top players in the league (both with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/Magic Johnson and Shaquille O'Neal/Kobe Bryant). It was, at times, dysfunctional, but it ended with multiple championships for both duos. The fact that Miami already had five-time All-Star Chris Bosh in the fold with Wade means the Heat have as talented of a trio that we've seen in well over two decades, and championships should be well within reach.

When it comes down to it, it appears as those James set himself up to win championships. Cleveland, truthfully, probably didn't present that opportunity. He wanted to win, and I respect that.

On The Way He Handled It ...

Hearing Dan Gilbert say that James didn't return calls or text messages makes me think this decision was made well before it was announced last Thursday. Alonzo Mourning added merit to that thought when he said "I knew this was going to evolve a while ago. We knew a long time ago."

If and when he knew, James should have let his employer of seven years know immediately. It's just common courtesy. To leave the Cavalier franchise, as well as the four other teams that were in the market for his services, wait until the 11th hour is just bad business.

Bringing teams to downtown Cleveland to present their pitch to lure him away was classless of James. It's like a boyfriend inviting a group of out-of-towners to a restaurant in the hometown of his current girlfriend, but assuring his girlfriend that he does love her and probably won't leave. And then he got a better offer and left.

But not only was he leaving his girlfriend, he wouldn't to make his decision known to all. James went in front of an international audience and announced he was leaving the Cavaliers. It wasn't so much the decision, but the way he handled it that angered me.

In early June, James went on Larry King and said the Cavaliers had an advantage over other teams in acquiring his services. If he was going to leave, people were still going to be upset, but stringing it out didn't help. He could have softened the blow.

The upsetting thing was that his words and body language suggested he didn't care to soften the blow.

On Dan Gilbert ...

I can certainly understand Dan Gilbert's frustration after losing James to South Beach, and he had every right to craft that letter. I agree with most of what he said, but after he wrote it he should have tossed it in the trash can.

It was a knee-jerk reaction.

I fear that his harsh words could deter future free agents from coming to Cleveland because of his rant. He crossed the line. Let's face it, unless the Cavs drastically overpay, they aren't going to attract many big-name free agents to Cleveland. His harsh words certainly aren't going to help that cause.

I understand what Gilbert was trying to do, and I think it was important for the fans to hear from the man in charge. However, his calling out of James went, in my opinion, one step too far.

Some people ask why Gilbert, if he really felt that way about James, offered him a maximum contract. That answer is plain and simple: Money. Even if he didn't deliver a championship, 20,562 people were going to pack into Quicken Loans Arena 41 times a year. From a business perspective, LeBron James brings in bags upon bags of money. Even if Gilbert thinks James quit or didn't always give 100%, he still drastically impacts Gilbert's checkbook.

Spend $120 million over six years to keep James, and your franchise is worth AT LEAST a hundred million more. That's a no-brainer.

On The Cavs Future ...

Blow it up. Burn it down and let's start over.

You can't replace LeBron James. Let's not even try. At this point, there isn't a huge difference-maker free agent on the market. Anyone we pick up at this point isn't going to turn us into a championship contender. Al Jefferson? Sure he has good stats on a lousy team, but he's not going to bring a title to Cleveland or Minnesota or anywhere else where he is the go-to guy.

Trying to pick someone up at this point would, best case scenario, make us a 45-win team. We'd lose in the first round of the playoffs, and get a middle of the first round draft pick. I don't want to win 45 games. What's the point? I don't want to win 45 games. I want to win 15 games.

You need a superstar to win a title in the NBA, and the odds of landing one through free agency aren't good. If you're fortunate enough to have a superstar, you don't trade him, so you have to acquire him through the draft.

Let's start over by building a team around a core of top draft picks (ala Oklahoma City) and hope for the best.

On The Fans ...

Cleveland Cavaliers fans were lovedrunk with LeBron James. In our eyes, he could do no wrong. We tried to argue that he better than Kobe Bryant, even though I don't think we believed it. He was from our area and was a local hero. We wanted so desperately for him to be perfect.

The truth of the matter is that we loved him more than he loved us. We thought he was so fond of Cleveland, but looking back it was always Akron that was the object of his affection. Cleveland was just a place where he played. His philanthropic adventures took place in Akron, as did his MVP ceremonies. He didn't grow up a fan of Cleveland teams, and did next to nothing (that's been mentioned publicly, at least) to help out the city away from the basketball court. It seems as though he thought him wearing our colors was a favor to us, and that we were forever indebted to him for every time we got to watch him play.

From giving his buddies like Randy Mims jobs with the organization and letting his high school teammates run with the Cavs in summer league play, James always had too much power in the organization. He called the shots, and it was never healthy. No one ever said anything, because we just wanted King James to be happy.

No one would dare speak up about any of James' shortcomings.

But once he left, he was fair game. We all saw he footage of fans burning his jersey, and while some like ESPN analyst Mark Jackson said Cavaliers fans should "salute" the #23 shirt, I see no problem with the torching of the memoribilia that serves as a cruel reminder. Jackson referenced all that James did for the franchise. Sure, he was fun to watch, but what did he really do? The Cavs paid him over $62 million to play basketball for seven seasons and he didn't deliver a championship as he set out to do. Cavs fans certainly have the right to be angry.

On How We Remember James ...

Although it is officially listed that the Cavs "signed LeBron James and traded him to Miami for two future first-round draft picks and two future second-round draft picks," we'll always know the truth.

James left.

It's said that time heals all wounds, but the amount of time is not specified. It might takes decades to heal the wound, but people won't forget. Not ever.

People in Cleveland will root just as hard for whoever the Heat are playing as they will for the Cavs. If LeBron wins titles (and he probably will because, well, it's Cleveland) it will always be noted that he needed to go elsewhere to win the ultimate prize. It will be looked at as though he cheated. He needed help.

Should James number hang from the rafters? He's the best player to ever play for the franchise, but I can't see Dan Gilbert throwing James a ceremony anytime soon. It will probably hang in the rafters inside Quicken Loans Arena someday, but not anytime soon.

People are hurt, and that hurt isn't going to go away overnight. James was once looked at as a hometown hero, but the decision to leave will forever tarnish his legacy not only in his hometown, but for all those that follow the league all over the world.