A little over twenty four hours ago, LeBron James, the marquee NBA player of our times, made ‘the decision’, that was followed as closely as when football fans tuned in to hear where Cristiano Ronaldo was headed after the UEFA Champions League in 2008 drew to a close. Ronaldo, to the delight of Man United fans, on that occasion, decided to stay back with his club for one last hurrah, before heading to Real Madrid at the start of the 2009 season. James, contrastingly, spurned his NBA team of seven years, the Cleveland Cavaliers, for the sunny beaches of Miami and the star studded company of Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.
Understandably James’ decision has left fans in Cleveland distraught. At its most extreme this consternation manifested itself in owner Dan Gilbert’s vituperative outburst directed towards LeBron. But even while Cleveland hasn’t enjoyed much success in its sporting history, with the city still reeling from Michael Jordan’s buzzer beater on Craig Ehlo in the 1989 playoffs, Gilbert’s flare-up was in absolute poor taste.
Yes, LeBron might have decided to stay back with Cleveland. But that is what the fans expected of him, he was not duty bound to do stay. At 25, LeBron, after seven years in the league, the last three of which have involved painful losses for the Cavs at crucial junctures in the playoffs, was at the crossroads. Did he want to be the main guy on the team that built its franchise around him and inched its way to a single title or did he want to be part of a better team with several star players and win multiple rings?
In an ideal world, as Charles Barkley’s reaction to Le Bron’s decision suggested, James would have chosen the former option and stuck it out with the Cavs for at least another contract. It was what would have enhanced his reputation as a man of character. A man who did not turn his back on the fans. It was what Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Reggie Miller and Patrick Ewing did with their careers. But the problem with that approach is other than for the first three names on that list, the last five headed into retirement without a single title against their names.
Sometime back, while the Boston Celtics were competing in the ’10 playoffs, Kevin Garnett was asked of what LeBron was likely to do when his contract with the Cavs would draw to a close. And Garnett, who spent most of his best years with the Minnesota Timberwolves but failed to win a single title with them, said that he had no idea what LeBron would do but he himself might have done things a little differently with his own career. At 34 Garnett has only one ring to show for his efforts.
Also with the kind of public scrutiny that follows LeBron, he was damned had he stayed with the Cavs because then analysts would have said he stayed for the money (he was due to make USD 30 million more with the Cavs over a six year contract as per current NBA rules) and he is damned now that he appears to have turned his back on the fans. But at least with having decided to go to Miami and join two very talented players, LeBron has proved that he is in the game only to win.
On that count alone, will someone please stand up for him?
