LeBron Taking the Heat

I really have no idea where to start. I am going to have to leave some stuff out of this that I really want to include, but there is so much to talk about. That's why it's been all over SportsCenter for the last 24 hours. I know that after this post, I'm going to realize that I forgot to mention something. The fact of the matter is that LeBron James is a member of the Miami Heat, and there is nothing that Ohio residents, Knicks fans, me or anyone else can do about it. I still have to say I'm surprised. Three months ago, I thought that of the six teams he visited, the Heat were not the ones he would choose and that there was a better chance of him landing in Cleveland, Chicago, New York or New Jersey. If he had gone to either the Bulls, Knicks or Cavs, then there would be four great teams in the East instead of three. But again, he chose Miami, and that's that. Michael Smith phrased it best at the beginning of today's Around the Horn show: "Did that actually happen?" Let me give you a team-by-team rundown.

Miami Heat: The Miami Heat are obviously the only winners in these LeBron Sweepstakes. There's no doubt that adding King James was a good move. However, I think the Heat would be better off with other role players instead of LeBron. I've been very fickle with my opinion on this. Last night I thought it was bad. This morning I thought it wasn't. Now I'm not sure, but I'm starting to realize LeBron's logic to this more and more. After Pat Riley and the Heat fill out the rest of their roster, I think it's definitely possible they'll win a championship. But if they had added other solid players at PG, SF and C and not just James, they might be better off because Bosh and Wade could put up the same numbers they have been for the past few years. Now, the new Big 3 will all have a decrease in their PPG and it is a big sacrifice, but people have to understand that it takes a lot of guts for these superstars to turn down so much extra money to unite and try to win a championship. It's great that three of the best NBA players were willing to put winning ahead of the dough. The Heat actually offered Mike Miller a contract before LeBron made his decision yesterday. If anything, I think they should have offered a contract to a center. Mike Miller is very good, but I'm not sure if he's going to play well with the Big 3. I could be wrong though, they could just have an insanely tall lineup. Again, I'm still having mixed feelings about LeBron in Miami.

Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James made the right decision to not return to Cleveland, but despite how selfish the Cleveland natives have been, I feel very bad for them. LeBron James was the city of Cleveland. He is why they were on the sports radar, and at least for this year (other than LeBron's first game back in Cleveland, which is still TBD), and now that he's left, it seems like Cleveland is back to normal. Their fans are angry, which I can understand, but they should be more sad than angry. They have to understand where he's coming from: LeBron is not just an ordinary All Star. He's one of the best of all time. He needs championships to validate that, and it makes sense that he is trying somewhere else after seven years in Ohio. It would have been a great story to see him back there, but I completely understand his decision to leave and Cavaliers fans should too. Oh yeah, and might I add that owner Dan Gilbert's letter was one of the ridiculous and most unnecessary things I've ever seen. That's what I call taking a situation way too far.

Chicago Bulls: Now I can see why LeBron picked Miami, but I agree 110% with ESPN analyst Jon Barry last night: If I was The King, I would have chosen the Bulls. I understand that LeBron would be in MJ's shadow, but he would need to put that aside. I feel that it would be the best fit for him to win championships AND be the face of the franchise. With Chicago, LeBron would have a ton of help with All Stars Carlos Boozer and Derrick Rose, along with Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and the rest of the Chicago organization, but he'd be "the guy". Now that he's in Miami, he's not "the guy", he's just one of the three. I admire him for giving that up to attempt to win a championship, but he could have possibly had it all in Chicago. If LeBron went to the Bulls, he would still average 29 PPG, 7 RPG and 8 APG (maybe his points would go down a few), and Bosh and Wade would have similar stats on Miami to last year too. I feel that he may have missed a golden opportunity to get everything he wanted in the Windy City.

New York Knicks: One could argue that the best thing for the NBA would have been if he went either back home to Cleveland or to New York. The Knicks would not have won a championship with just him and Amare Stoudemire this year, but they may very well end up getting another great player like Tony Parker next summer. Also, imagine how great a LeBron-Amare and Wade-Bosh rivalry would be for the NBA. It would have been cool to see LeBron in New York because maybe he would have built their franchise into a dynasty. Right after the Cavs were eliminated by Boston, I felt sure that LeBron wouldn't go to the Knicks, despite all of their fans thinking it would happen. After they signed Stoudemire, I changed my mind and thought there was a chance that it could happen. Maybe it would have worked out in New York, maybe it wouldn't have. We'll never know.


On another note, does anyone remember the 2008 NBA season? The Heat had the worst record in the NBA by five games. However, as a result of the Draft Lottery, Miami got the 2nd pick in the draft and not the first. They chose Michael Beasley out of Kansas State with that pick, while the Bulls won the lottery that year and drafted Derrick Rose. Beasley was shipped to Minnesota late last night for a 2nd round pick so Miami could clear some cap space. Imagine if the Heat had the #1 pick that year. Derrick Rose, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. That seems a little unrealistic, but it could have happened. That or none of this would have happened and the Bulls wouldn't have been in the hunt for LeBron. The fact of the matter is that last night's decision has changed the face of the NBA. I know that now, I cannot wait for the NBA season to begin.