Tuesday, July 13, 2010

The LeBronization of the NBA

I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and uh, join the Miami Heat. - LeBron James

Although it was an hour-long primetime special, it only took 15 words for LeBron James to announce The Decision. Unfortunately, we were all left with many more questions after The Decision than we had before it. I’ll now spend the next 2,600 words going through those questions and answering some of them.

The first question is how long ago did Wade, James and Bosh decide they were going to play together? Was it in the days leading up to free agency as they’ve maintained throughout the process? Was it in the latter months of the season when it became clear which teams would really have cap room for more than one of them? Was it the 2008 Beijing Olympics when they got their first taste of playing together? Or was it as far back as 2006 when they all resigned shorter contracts with early termination options after three years?

I personally don’t subscribe to the theory that the three of them have long known they were going to play together as the Olympic Pact believers contend. I also don’t believe for one fleeting second that things were really as genuine and unassuming as they appeared on TV the last couple weeks. Let’s take a look at each player’s situation back in the summer of 08.

Chris Bosh was toiling away in Toronto, realizing that while this team may have some playoff runs in them, they were nowhere near competing for a championship.

Dwyane Wade was widely considered to be a lock to stay in South Beach as long some quality help was brought in to get the Heat back to the Finals.

LeBron James must have been thinking long and hard back in 2008 after getting to play with such great teammates on the Redeem Team. In 2008, after the famous playoff battle between Paul Pierce and James, the Cavs front office was tasked with building a championship roster around LeBron, which would thereby entice him to sign a long term contract in Cleveland in 2010.

All of this leads me to believe that during that at the Olympics, the Big Three decided that if possible, they would do everything they could to wind up on the same team in 2010 as long as they didn’t all have to make massive pay cuts. I think they discussed how awesome and fun it would be to end up on the same team, but I don’t believe they truly thought it would happen at that time.


By the time this summer rolled around, everyone knew Bosh was leaving to team up with Wade or LeBron, Wade was bolting South Beach if he didn’t get serious help, and LeBron was only staying in Cleveland if he really felt a deep connection to Ohio and his local fans.



That leads us to a second set of questions…

How much of the past month was just posturing and playing to the media? A camera crew followed Wade and Bosh around through their free agency decisions for a future documentary. Seems to me, it would be tough to make a compelling documentary that revolved around both of them knowing they were going to end up in Miami.

Was Wade’s second meeting with Chicago a real sign he wanted to head home and be closer to his kids? Or was he acting as a spy on a serious competitor to land LeBron James, all the while leaking information back to Pat Riley?

Was LeBron ever really going to stay in Cleveland? Join Derrick Rose in Chicago? Come to the bright lights of New York with Amar’e? Get Bosh to be signed and traded to the Cavs?

I think it was all an elaborate ruse by the three of them and Pat Riley to generate as much attention as possible, avoid any tampering or collusion charges, and provide opportunities for unprecedented media exposure (the Wade and Bosh documentaries, LeBron’s primetime cable announcement). I don’t think the entire thing was completely planned out, but once it became apparent that the Heat would have the room under the cap (mid season, knowing some more moves would have to be made, but not difficult ones), the three of them were definitely heading to South Beach.

This leads us to… The Decision.

The Decision was one of the most anticipated non-game sports moments in our lifetimes and an alarming amount of people tuned in to ‘witness’ the event. The question you have to ask yourself before making your judgment on LeBron is what is fueling your feelings? Where he’s going to play or how he presented his decision?

No matter what team he chose, LeBron was certain to anger several fan bases. Would Cleveland have burned his jerseys and freaked out no matter how the information was presented? Would Dan Gilbert have written his scathing letter regardless of how LeBron told him he was leaving? To a certain extent, there was nothing he could do and there was no good way to present The Decision. New Yorkers were going to boo no matter what if it wasn’t the Knicks and Cavs fans would be heartbroken if he didn’t choose to stay home. Would you hate him no matter if he didn’t select your team?

Or is it more how he announced The Decision? This has become the main reason LeBron is now the #1 villain in all of sports. To go through the charade with his suitors without once giving a word to his hometown team what he was thinking or which way he was leaning was inexcusable. It’s become clear that he never had any intention of staying in Cleveland and that him trying to get Bosh to come was just to get the tampering dogs off his scent.

He could’ve told Dan Gilbert privately that he was leaving no matter what right after the season ended. Then he could’ve released a statement saying he was leaving the Cavs but that he wanted to give them viable time to explore sign and trade options with other teams or be able to sign their own free agents. He could’ve thanked his fans in Cleveland and explained to him that he wanted to pursue the best chance at winning multiple championships and that he no longer thought Cleveland was that place. He could’ve apologized for not delivering a title to their city and thanked them for their support and loyalty the past seven years. He could’ve said he’ll always be a proud Ohioan no matter what city is on the front of his jersey. And if he was lying? So what. The damage, you’d think, would be far less than the lies he ended up telling.

But instead, he chose to leave all of Cleveland in the dark and announce The Decision to them at the same time as the rest of the country. The awkwardness of the situation was unbearable, and Jim Gray did nothing to help the cause with his cautious line of questioning. Is LeBron really that arrogant and naïve to realize the impact of his presentation? I suspect those he’s surrounded himself with convinced him this would be an unprecedented event fit for The King, and that by donating the money to charity the public would overlook the grandiose presentation.

At the same time he can be called arrogant, his actual decision (the where) is one of the most selfless acts of sportsmanship any athlete has ever made, particularly in this day and age. The same arrogance and naiveté we assign regarding how he handled The Decision cannot be attached to his actual decision. He’s leaving millions of dollars on the table, going to Wade’s team, joining forces with two his best friends, and going to play for a proven winner in Pat Riley. He could’ve braved it in New York with Amar’e and gone down a legend. He could’ve gone to Chicago with Derrick Rose and possibly Bosh or Wade as well and made it his town as he chased down Jordan. But in the end, a 25 year old fun-loving, outgoing, media darling beloved by most chose to leave his legacy and hometown and join forces in a party town with a couple of buddies. I think most 25 year olds would love to be making great money and have the option to transfer to Miami to live and work with two of their best friends.

As for leaving his own team – be it in Cleveland, Chicago, or New York – to join Wade’s Heat, thereby giving up the spotlight to a former foe, is there any reason to think LeBron couldn’t average a triple double for the entire season, win his third consecutive MVP, then lead the Heat to a world title while winning Finals MVP and averaging 25/13/10? Would it still be ‘Wade’s Team’ then or would we be much closer to Miami-James County?

Dan LeBatard does an excellent job explaining the hypocrisy of the American public in this article. Shouldn’t we applaud an athlete actually making it all about winning? Shouldn’t we applaud them for taking less money for a chance to win more? Don’t we love the ultimate winners like Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan? Kobe Bryant resurrected his image by winning and I’m sure Tiger Woods will end up in the public’s good graces once he starts winning again too.

But LeBron hasn’t won anything yet, so why would he deserve such treatment? Jeter, Jordan, Bryant, and Tiger all EARNED their winning prestige so we put up with Jeter’s casual dating, Jordan’s clashes with teammates, Kobe’s rape allegations, and eventually Tiger’s transgressions. And yet there was LeBron with his new teammates celebrating like they were the ones coming off back to back championships and not the Lakers. The best jokes I heard after The Decision all involved some sort reference to while LeBron is doing this… Kobe’s at the gym. That’s why LeBron will never get where he is, or anywhere near Jordan.

But can’t that be okay? LeBron James never assigned a killer instinct to himself. Although he has compared himself to MJ and his number of titles, he’s never referenced MJ’s playing style or demeanor on and off the court. The closest thing to Jordan we’ve seen thus far has been Kobe and it’s about much more than his five rings. It’s about his demeanor, about his never ending desire to win (there’s that word again), and his incomparable work ethic. But does that automatically mean we have to disparage LeBron for being more like another MJ … Magic Johnson?

The fun-loving, always smiling, oversized point guard that played unselfishly and made his teammates better and yes won… sound familiar? Maybe it’s time we took away the Jordan label we all assigned to LeBron when he was a 17 year old junior in high school and affixed a smiling Magic label to him.

As for the future, one fact that seems to be lost in all the hoopla regarding the trio of free agents is that THEY ALL HAVE EARLY TERMINATION OPTIONS AFTER YEAR FOUR. In other words, get ready for The Decision II in 2014 when LeBron is still only 29 years old! And if that’s not enough to get you excited, all three also have player options entering their sixth and final seasons. Certainly, the new collective bargaining agreement will play a huge role in how another potential free agency craze goes down, but it’s still something to think about. Let’s say the trio struggles in year one to assimilate their playing styles and work in their mostly minimum salary teammates. Then in year two they run into Kobe in the Finals making one last stand to get his sixth (or seventh ring). By year three the pressure will be on in a way no team has ever experienced and what if they run into a bad matchup like the 2009 Cavs did with the Magic. I’m not saying this will happen or is even likely to happen, but just something to consider if they don’t win it all next season.

The dichotomy that exists of LeBron James’ arrogance also exists when it comes to his contract.

Fact: the three of them did sign contracts for less than the maximum
Fact: Sign and trades allowed the Raptors and Cavs to get something back for their prized stars

But also…

Fact: there’s no state income tax in Florida, meaning they pay some 12.5% less in taxes than they would playing in New York (though they are forced to pay income taxes for some road games)
Fact: Sign and trades also guarantee an extra year of pay under the current CBA due to the players Bird Rights (the ability for incumbent teams to sign their own players to six year contracts instead of five, with 10.5% annual raises instead of 8%)

So while they did actually sign for less money, the deals were also structured to maximize every dollar they could get and leave just enough room for one or two non-minimum salary players to sign with the Heat.

The Future

The biggest question regarding the future is if the Miami Heat can surround the new trio (vote for their new nickname on the right of the page) with enough solid role players. ESPN reports they will sign sharpshooter Mike Miller to a five year contract and that Udonis Haslem has turned down several teams’ offers for the full mid level exception to return to the Heat for far less money. That leaves the Heat with their three second-round draft choices (Dexter Pittman, Jarvis Varnado, and Da’Sean Butler), any minimum salary veterans willing to sign on for a chance at a ring (Allen Iverson, Juwan Howard, Zydrunas Ilgauskas), and any of their summer league players to fill out their roster.

While there is no questioning the Miami Heat will be a force to be reckoned with for at least the next 4-6 years, this year I’m not sure they can put everything together and win a title. The 2008 Celtics are the best comparison to this team since at the time they had an unproven point guard and unproven center joining The Big Three.

The biggest difference though, is that Allen, Pierce, and Garnett were all united in their age to put their egos aside and put everything they had into winning a ring before their windows closed. We’ve never seen two players the caliber of James and Wade team up in the middle of their prime, let alone with a big man the likes of Chris Bosh. Plus, despite being spurned by LeBron, the Bulls improved a lot this summer and were already a playoff team last year. The Celtics are bringing everybody back for the next two years and the Magic are still at the top of the conference and have strong players where the Heat do not in Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson.

And that’s just the Eastern Conference. Kobe and the Lakers have everybody back and are the defending champions, the Mavs and Suns are retooling on the fly to make use of their fading superstars, and Kevin Durant’s Thunder might very well be the second best team in the conference. All this has me hesitant to proclaim the Heat the early favorite to win the title in 2010-2011.

For now, I’ll predict a loss in the Eastern Conference Finals and one hell of an NBA season. As Dwyane Wade said, “It’s going to be Hollywood.”

9 comments:

  1. They should be called the m.W.o.

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  2. Is the place where you were born always your "hometown?" LeBron didn't choose to be drafted by the Cavs after all...would we be having the same discussion if he were drafted by another smaller market team like the Kings or the Jazz? In that way I agree that he didn't "betray" anyone as a certain owner seems to think - the most he's guilty of is clueless PR. Compare that to the transgressions we routinely give athletes passes for and this whole mess will fade without leaving a lasting stain on his legacy.

    I agree with Faith that LeBron has more Magic Johnson in him than Michael Jordan. Size, skills, personality, his being a great teammate - it all makes sense. He could even switch to point guard in Miami if he wants to. The talking heads seem to think this is a bad thing, that he's somehow diminished because he's not the "alpha dog" with a "killer instinct" leading "his" team to multiple titles. That "he can never be the greatest of all time now." Those people need to realize that there will never be another Jordan, just like there will never be another Babe Ruth, Jim Brown, or Wayne Gretsky. I say we let LeBron be LeBron, and enjoy watching one of the best players ever play on what may be one of the best teams ever. I certainly will.

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  3. I definitely agree with you're saying in your first paragraph about LeBron not owing Cleveland anything, etc. Check out this link from John Krolik who has the TrueHoop Network Cavs Blog that talks about the exact same thing. Basically, fans don't own players, they own the team and the moments. Really great read especially from a Cleveland perspective.
    http://www.cavstheblog.com/?p=2604

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  4. But what about Timofey Mozgov? Leaving(abandoning?) his homeland of Russia for the bright lights of the big American city and the chance to play alongside Ama're and Anthony Randolph. Will he forever be in the shadow of David Lee? Sure, LeBron may have ripped apart the structure of sports as we know it, IN THE US, but what about the guy doing the same for sports across the world?

    I, for one, welcome our new Russian overlord. Forget the king. Long live The Czar!

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  5. PR move by the Knicks to counter Prokhorov and win over Russian fans and globalize the NYK brand? hahah They have Russian Mark Cuban but we have Russian Dirk Nowitzki!

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  6. I'm excited: Draft Express said 'We discussed Mozgov last year already in some depth, talking about an incredibly raw 7-footer with a WWF wrester’s body and intriguing athleticism for a player his size'

    What's not to love?

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  7. One more LeBron comment since i hijacked the thread into Timofey land...

    It's true LeBron didn't choose to be drafted by the Cavs, but it's also true he put a lot of effort and PR into discussing his love of Cleveland, Akron and all things Ohio. He played up the hometown hero image and I think that's what's killing him right now. If he stuck with 'Cleveland sucks' like everyone else in the world it would be harder to blame him

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  8. That's a good point - he did play up the local boy angle quite a bit. LeBron desperately needs to hire a better publicist, so far his entire approach to "his brand" had been destroyed with one fell swoop.

    Anyway sure the Knicks improved, but how about the Wiz? Building the old fasioned way through the draft instead of mortgaging their future in the hopes of signing big free agents. Granted they had little choice after give Agent Zero Brain Cells that big contract...

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  9. The Wiz will be interesting for sure. Ive seen a little bit of John Wall during his two summer league games and hes turning the ball over like crazy - natural for a young PG - but man he can get to the rack. Hes like another Derrick Rose only he looks even more athletic somehow.

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