John Kuntz | The Plain DealerLeBron James thinks karma is working against his former team. "Crazy. Karma is a b****. Gets you every time. It’s not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!" — LeBron James, on Twitter, after the Cavaliers 112-57 loss to the Lakers Tuesday An expert now in Eastern religions, LeBron James, who...
John Kuntz | The Plain DealerLeBron James thinks karma is working against his former team.
"Crazy. Karma is a b****. Gets you every time. It’s not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!" — LeBron James, on Twitter, after the Cavaliers 112-57 loss to the Lakers Tuesday
An expert now in Eastern religions, LeBron James, who can do anything (just ask his entourage), chided Cleveland fans for being unkind to him Tuesday night. He said they had bad karma because of it.
It was a direct shot at Cavaliers' owner Dan Gilbert, who emotionally predicted bad karma for James in the wake of his desertion of the franchise on the nationally televised display of self-indulgence known as "The Decision."
In Buddhism and Hinduism, karma is the effect your actions in this life have in determining your destiny in your next incarnation.
James, also tight with the Almighty (just ask him), added, "God sees everything."
In that case, the Big Eye in the Sky might have seen James quit on the Cavaliers on the court in Game 5 against the Celtics last season, after which he quit on Ohio as a free agent and adjourned to the team he was stacking in Miami.
Actually, he didn’t even say Miami, he said he was "taking my talents to South Beach," which meant he was going to a party, not moving to a city.
Following their one-time leader and realizing their apparent karmic destiny, those Cavaliers who remain quit on the season once and for all Tuesday night, scoring 57 points against the Lakers and losing by another 55.
For his part, James has never faced the consequences of his actions, so he really has no idea what karma is.
In high school, high-priced lawyers fought his suspension by the OHSAA for taking free throwback jerseys and his eligibility was restored quickly.
Cavaliers owner Gilbert all but hired royal wipers for the self-styled "King."
Even when James returned amid a storm of boos from the stands on Dec. 2, his wimpy former teammates greeted him with hugs and small talk, in a servile display that clicked the "Off" switch on them and their season in many fans’ heads then and there.
As a Cavalier, James had the run of the franchise, he was the face of Cleveland sports for most of his seven years here, and he could leave even hardened NBA writers spell-bound by his gifts for the game.
I know, because I was one of them.
As we look back on his seven years, we can see that the Cavs reached one Finals with James, losing four straight games in it to San Antonio. The run was set up by an incredibly lucky draw when Chicago lost and injury-riddled Washington won, both on the final night of the season. To get to the East Finals against the Pistons, the Cavs had to beat only two .500 teams, the Wizards and Nets.
Cleveland lost the next year to the eventual champion Celtics despite a brilliant seventh game by James, who demanded roster changes in its wake. Too bad he did not demand better play from himself in the early games, for he was an abysmal 8-for-42 in the opening set in Boston. The first game, a 76-72 loss, was clearly there for the taking.
In 2009, the Cavs were beaten by a cheater, Orlando’s Rashard Lewis, who starred in the East Finals, then served a 10-game suspension before the next season for using performance enhancing drugs.
It was the last hurrah, really.
James spent the 2009-10 season by often repudiating what coach Mike Brown said in public and by lobbying in the media for more playing time for those whom coach James deemed worthy of it.
The playoffs devolved into his Bo Kimble left-handed free throw, due to the Elbow of Death, and the biggest abdication since Edward VIII fell for American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson.
When the going got tough in the most recent series with Boston, James got going toward the glitter and ease of South beach, leaving behind such insulting remarks as, "I feel bad for myself," and "I spoil people."
He certainly didn’t bother to spoil Boston’s victory party in the elimination game that arrived in the sixth contest, blowing off Brown with a sneer when the coach pleaded for his team to foul in a game that was still mathematically within reach.
Whether karma exists or not is a matter of philosophical debate. Art Modell won a Super Bowl after bolting the city and taking the Browns with him. Carlos Boozer profited handsomely from misleading the pre-Gilbert Cavs about his free agency intentions. Miami has the Eastern Conference’s best record.
Still, scandal-plagued Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who considers James his "mentor," trotted out for pre-game warmups at the Sugar Bowl in a Miami Heat ballcap. Pryor left the stadium with a torn tendon in his foot that required surgery.
The lesson might be to be careful what metaphysical force you call a "b****." Just sayin’.