Anybody that knows me knows that I am not, repeat not, a LeBron James fan. I'm glad he's with the Heat, but mostly to keep him off other teams. But the criticism of him from everyone outside of Miami that he cheated his city, he isn't a competitor, doesn't want the spotlight, etc., is simply sour grapes from the losers of the Lebron James Sweepstakes.
First, Dan Gilbert. Seriously?!?!? You actually wrote that letter. It wasn't written by the Saturday Night Live staff? You are so unhappy with this guy that you wouldn't say or do anything that would upset him so you could sign him, but once he signs somewhere else, he's the worst human being that ever lived (Tiger Woods thanks you, LeBron, by the way). Why would you want such a horrible player in your organization? Why did you do everything short of wearing a short skirt and heavy make-up to whore yourself to get him? Stop it. If you don't you'll supplant that other big baby billionaire, Mark Cuban, as the biggest embarrassment in sports.
Which brings me to, you got it, Mark Cuban. Mark Cuban claims that players shouldn't speak to each other about where they would like to play. In other words, Cuban thinks that the league whose rules he flouts should create rules to stop these players from deciding their own individual or collective futures. I'm sure that if the Mavericks had been the destination of choice for the WJB train Cuban would have been just as outraged, right? The individual players who have from the beginning of sports had very little say in where they played are now taking the initiative and using the one club in their bag to get what they want. Cuban, go sit in a corner somewhere.
And for those that claim that James is less of a player because Michael Jordan or Larry Bird or Magic Johnson or Charles Barkley or [fill in the blank] didn't go where it was rosier, check your history. In those days, the players didn't have this kind of power. Mostly because in the history of the NBA there had never been a draft like the one in 2003. These guys bonded and struck up a friendship that endured. Jordan couldn't get a glass of water from an opposing NBA player for much of his early career. Perhaps you all forget that Isaiah Thomas and his NBA East All-Stars played keep the ball away from Jordan in his first All-Star game. If you think LeBron James's ego is large, go read some of the stories about Jordan in his first few years. Additionally, Jordan, Johnson, Bird, etc., didn't do it by themselves. Unless you can call playing with fellow Hall of Famers like Abdul-Jabbar, Worthy, McHale, Parrish, Pippen, Rodman doing it by themselves. When Barkely says he wouldn't have done what James, Wade, and Bosh did, he's flat out lying. If there had been an opportunity to join Jordan in Chicago or to convince Jordan to go to Philly, does anyone really think that Sir Charles would have said, "No, thanks. I want to win a title on my own." Yeah, sell that to Taco Bell, Chuck.
I love New York. New Yorkers, not so much. Actually, it's more the New Yorkers that make up their media. Particularly since this signing matches up so perfectly for the vehemence they already have for Pat Riley. Jilted by LeBron James and Pat Riley!!! How could they? Don't they know that New York is the only city in the universe? They must be too afraid of failing on the biggest stage. I hear that LeBron James didn't go to New York because he was afraid of the bright lights and big city. Wow! Does anyone out there not think that by making this move Wade, Bosh, and James shone the brightest spotlight of supernovas on themselves? Dwyane said it best when he said that he knew there was a target on their collective backs and they're ready for the challenge. As for Riley leaving New York, that is, as Colin Cowherd would say, a you problem. The Knicks refused to give Pat Riley complete control of basketball operations because Ernie Grunfeld was their man. Ernie Freaking Grunfeld!!! New Yorkers are now deflecting calling Riley and James every name in the book because they know that if they had ceded the power Riley wanted when he wanted it the Knicks would be the ones on top of the basketball world today.
LeBron James is going to have to adjust to being the villain. He's the bad guy in wrestling. He's the "good" guy that turned to the dark side. The NBA is, as I write this, devising ways to derail the Riley Express. There will be new rules that apply only to the Heat. They will be unwritten, of course, but they'll be there. They will be like the NBA's version of the Jordan rules but only in reverse. Jordan couldn't get the ball in crunch time without getting fouled or a free lane to the basket lest someone breath on him and commit a foul. Nowadays, Bosh, Wade, and James will have to be bleeding out of both ears to get to the foul line.
Lebron, Chris, and Dwyane are villains now, but they are our villains. And you wish they were your villains.
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