Columnists around the nation react to LeBron James' decision to take his talents to South Beach (a.k.a. the Miami Heat).
View full sizeCavs fans might have agreed with the Knicks faithful who booed LeBron James when he showed up in New York for Carmelo Anthony's wedding this weekend. Some columnists from around the nation might've agreed, as well.No question about it: Just about every sports columnist in the United States took his talents to South Beach -- figuratively speaking -- when Cavs star LeBron James said he was eschewing his home state for the warmer, gaudier climes of South Florida and the Miami Heat.
Starting Blocks took a little time to check out some of the rants -- and raves -- from scribes around the country about what Clevelanders view as the biggest defection since Benedict Arnold, and Miami residents see as the greatest thing since the invention of neon lights.
• Greg Cote, a columnist for the Miami Herald, likened Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's open letter to fans about LeBron James' decision to bolt to the Heat to a drunken 3 a.m. phone call to an ex-girlfriend's answering machine.
While it probably wasn't the brightest move Gilbert has made, there was no evidence he was schnockered at the time, which Cote acknowledges. But the writer goes beyond taking shots at an angry owner. He took on the city, as well.
Dear Dan and Cavs fans: LeBron had every right to leave, and he chose a better team and a better city than what you could offer. Deal with it. The shame in this isn't that LeBron chose to leave or even in the way he did. The Cavaliers owner and Cleveland fans are the ones who are shamed by their almost comically childish response.
Mama always said it was easier to be a gracious loser than a gracious winner. Chalk another win up for Mama.
• Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News pointed out what should be obvious: The pairing of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James has inherent problems in that both are used to being "the man" for their team.
The natural tendency for great players thrown together is to become too deferential. Wade won't want to take the last shot all the time. Neither will James. I'm not even sure where poor Chris Bosh fits into the plan (not poor by financial standards, but you know what I mean). The Heat certainly won't be calling plays to feature his skills.
Wade and James are too much alike to thrive together naturally. This isn't Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, where there was a very obvious "A" player and "B" player. And the "B" player just happened to be the best defender in the league.
Even if you label Wade a shooting guard and James a small forward, both take on point guard roles in crunch time. Both need to dribble the ball and drive. It's what they do best.
At least it was until now.
It IS wrong to enjoy someone else's pain. Isn't it?
• Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press said that Cleveland won by losing. Honest.
The events of last week have lost you a superstar, but they gained you a nation. They made you sympathetic. Cleveland with LeBron was like Julia Roberts with Lyle Lovett - a nice romance, but the clock was always ticking. Ah, but once those two split up, who got the public embrace? The beautiful, famous actress -- or the plain-faced country singer?
That's right. Mr. Plain Face. Julia was hated. Julia got the "How could you?" Lyle was beloved. Because Lyle is one of us. Regular folk.
And so are you.
That'll be a great comfort next year . . . to Cavs fans watching the LeBron, Wade and Bosh in the Finals. Those are the same Cleveland sports fans who, sadly, watched two ex-Indian Cy Young winners - C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee - pitch for the Yankees and Phillies in last year's World Series.
Sigh.
• Mike Lopresti of USA Today noted that the onus now is on the Heat.
And after the gaudy exercise in excess Thursday night, this can be said about future Miami resident LeBron James: He and his new mates had better win. No, strike that from the record. They'd better flatten earth and take no prisoners. The Heat never had more heat. Only a championship -- more than one, in fact -- will allow them to get away with this and not be infamous. They have made the Yankees look like the Salvation Army.
Nothing is really funny about all this . . . except the mental picture Lopresti created of George Steinbrenner standing on a streetcorner waving a handbell and asking for donations.
• Dan Shaughnessy, columnist for the Boston Globe, who leveled a few complaints at LeBron James and the Cavs during the Celtics' series-winning run to the NBA Finals, let 'im have it again.
"Despicable Me."
Starring LeBron James, ESPN, Jim Gray, and the Miami Heat.
All despicable.
It's been more than 36 hours since "The Decision" and I'm still nauseous.
Truly, has there ever been a more hideous sports-related hour than what we saw Thursday night?
It's hard to know where to start. We had MeBron speaking of himself in the third person and saying, "I'm going to take my talents to South Beach." We had ESPN lying to us about at what point MeBron would announce his move, then morphing into game-show mode. We had Gray forever forfeiting all semblance of integrity, taunting America (particularly Clevelanders) by intentionally delaying the only question we wanted him to ask. And now we have the Miami Heat -- a veritable team of A-Rods, the team we will root against in every game as long as LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh are together.
Despicable. All of them.
OK, D. Cavs fans say all is forgiven now.
• Mike Wise of the Washington Post didn't let LeBron James off the hook, either. He didn't call him a petulant little schoolboy, wanting to take his ball and go home. Not quite, anyway. But he did note that James lacks, well, let's just leave it at "James lacks."
But give King Fame this: On the night the NBA's No. 1 free agent proposed to Miami and dumped northeastern Ohio, at least the showman was smart enough to know that if he ever wanted to hoist a championship trophy, he needed a genuine leader such as Dwyane Wade to get him there.
Oh, and he can't be Magic now. Or Bird. Or Michael. Or Isiah Thomas, Tim Duncan or Bill Russell or any other NBA supernova who stuck around long enough to win championships for a town and its people.
LeBron can be Shaquille O'Neal, who left Orlando amid hard feelings to become a basketball mercenary in many more glorious pastures. He can be Kevin Garnett, who had to leave Minnesota to win it all.
As a legacy guy, he needs to know: His decision to spurn the Cavaliers for more talent and hope in Miami forbids LeBron from ever being one of those all-time greats who persevered through coaching changes, roster changes and wrenching playoff losses to lift a trophy to the rafters for the team who drafted him.
In short, basketball fans know Michael Jordan. Basketball fans watched Michael Jordan. Basketball fans suffered, then celebrated with Michael Jordan. You, sir, are no Michael Jordan.