(AP Photo/Mark Duncan)I am sick and tired of hearing about LeBron James! Please stop it already. “The Decision” was days ago, which means the World News and CNN no longer need to mention it, yet they still do. I haven’t blogged in forever, but my annoyance has finally reached a boiling point and I need some where to vent.
If you have ever read my blog before, then you know that I am a fan of the Cavs, not LeBron. I vaguely remember watching Mark Price on television. My favorite Cavalier of all time is and always has been Bobby Sura (even though he started going by Bob Sura after he left the Cavs). I loved Bobby Sura. I have never watched more Cav games then when Bobby was playing for us. Don’t get me wrong, I watch the Cavs randomly during the season, and I definitely try to watch most of their playoff games, but I haven’t been madly in love with them since Sura left. I rarely missed watching a game when Sura was playing. I’d miss my favorite tv show (because this was pre-DVR) just to watch the Cavs.
This is not a knock against LeBron, I’m just making the point that everyone is acting like all Clevelanders worshipped the man and I for one, did not. Did I appreciate his talents? Of course! Was I happy that my home team had the person who everyone was calling the best basketball player in the world? Uh, yeah! Did I ever buy a LeBron jersey or a Witness t-shirt or poster? Hell no! All that garbage is a waste of money. Would I have accepted a LeBron jersey or a Witness t-shirt if it was given to me? Of course, who doesn’t love free stuff? But I probably wouldn’t have worn it in public. I’m just not in to that kind of stuff. I do have some Cavs gear though. I have an old Cavs t-shirt from the Bobby Sura era that I wear from time to time. I have more Indians t-shirts than anything and a couple of Browns shirts that I rarely ever wear.
Anyway, I’m getting off topic. I started this to say that everyone in Cleveland is not pissed at LeBron. I’m the first to admit that I thought his one-hour special was classless, but I wasn’t surprised. It’s what I expected from him. Some people in Cleveland had too much faith in him and obviously haven’t been listening to him over the years. These people thought there was no way in hell he would go on national television, with a special named, “The Decision,” and not pick his hometown. What kind of heartless bastard does that?
I tried to warn people. I thought he was leaving all summer, but I really started to believe it as we got closer to “The Decision.” The biggest hint that every Cleveland fan should have gotten was the location of the special. I heard it was in Greenwich and I knew I was right that he was gone. I warned people that he was doing it there because he wasn’t staying. Everyone likes to point out that he is a home town boy. That was why he didn’t do it here. He knew some idiotic fans would lose control of themselves and he would be in danger. He knew that if he made the announcement here, it would take police in riot gear to hold back the angry fans who wanted a piece of him as he was trying to leave. Getting out of dodge was the only smart thing about the set up for the Decision.
The next big hint was when it was announced that Bosh had agreed to go to Miami with Wade. For me, the writing was on the wall and it was in all caps: LEBRON JAMES IS LEAVING THE CAVALIERS. I still say LeBron’s camp released the “rumor” that he was going to Miami to kind of soften the blow for Cleveland fans. We spent all day knowing he was gone, then he said it and it was official. I am not upset with him for leaving. He didn’t want to play for Cleveland, he probably never did. He said what the fans wanted to hear so that he could get paid and be loved by the city. “I know the city’s history.” “I’m going to bring a championship to this city.” “This is my family.” Lol. Funny, because I just saw footage of him saying the exact same thing to the Miami fans.
I hope he gets his ring but I seriously doubt that Miami will get a ring for each of the next six years. These three guys just challenged the manhood of all the other NBA Players. They have essentially said that because the three of them are on the same team, they are unbeatable. Um, I bet there are a lot of players itching to prove them wrong. Of course they will be hard to beat depending on how they round out the team, but no team is unbeatable, or better yet, if they are unbeatable, another owner is just going to clear his roster and find three superstars to sign on with his team. Either way, it won’t be a six year free pass.
While I’m ranting, there’s something else I want to address. Many of the Cavs players who are “overpaid” are overpaid because LeBron didn’t want them gone so Gilbert spent whatever he had to in order to keep them. If you live in Cleveland then you know it’s true because you’ve seen it play out. Gilbert wrote that venomous email because LeBron messed with his money. I’m not naïve enough to believe Gilbert did it because he felt the pain of the Championship drought in Cleveland. I know he was pissed off because LeBron didn’t give him the heads up (and sorry LeBron fans, but having one of your boys call your former boss and tell him your decision a few minutes into your hour long special, is not giving someone the heads up).
Another thing that has shocked me is that some Cleveland fans seem genuinely surprised by the size of LeBron’s ego. I wasn’t surprised at all when he started saying “I, I, I” that’s what he normally does and just like normal, towards the end of the interview he thought about what he had been saying and how condescending it might have sounded and he added in “myself and my teammates” with the hope that would be the snippet people used when discussing his comments about Cleveland. People should have gotten the hint after he stormed out when he lost to Orlando and later defended his actions by saying, “I’m a winner,” um, okay.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not upset with LeBron. I wish him all the best, but I can’t cheer for him anymore because I’m a Cavs fan and he is now on a different team. I don’t think the Cavs are as bad as everyone is saying they are. If each player steps up and plays to their potential, I think we still have a decent team. The thing I’m looking forward to the most is that the other guys will no longer be able to take breaks from the game and stand around and watch LeBron: they have to create their own plays now. I remember a time when Detroit’s team was rather successful without a true superstar on the roster so I have my fingers crossed that we can at least be respectable. The good news is that I will no longer have to watch LeBron stand at the top of the key and hold the ball for a long time before finally taking a shot. The people of Miami will now get that privilege. Unlike Gilbert, I’m not promising a highly unlikely championship. Though it would be funny as hell if we got one before LeBron, I can’t bring myself to actually see that happening. I just want us to be competitive.
Go Cavs!
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