Aaron Kirchoff
CNHI
RUSHVILLE —
The decision is in...LeBron James is heading to South Beach to join friends Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat. Not exactly breaking news, since every media outlet from Cleveland to Chicago to New York to Miami has been over-covering the story since the Cavaliers were eliminated from the playoffs. I am glad it is over and do think that the spectacle of one player's decision of where to play basketball was blown out of proportion. Having that said, I was taken back some by the way things went. In this day and time of players trying to get every single cent they can, these three players have done something new in my eyes. James and Wade are legitimate superstars and Bosh is a big time player in his own right. All three could have demanded and received the maximum amount of money they could get. And with the limbo of the NBA collective bargaining agreement, I would not have been surprised if they had. What I was happy to see was three sought-after stars put aside the maximum contracts (although all are still making a ton of money) and took less money to try and reach the ultimate goal of an NBA championship. All three will be making less money than they could have somewhere else and all three will have to relinquish some of the spotlight they are use to having and share it among their teammates. They're egos had to be set aside and they had to realize that each individuals style of play will have to change to make this work. I am still not convinced that the Heat are the favorite in the NBA or the Eastern Conference for that matter. The ability to mesh three stars and their games together will be the first challenge. The second will be to fill out the rest of the roster with the right components to build toward the title. The other big obstacles that I see for this team are the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics in the East and of course the L.A. Lakers in the West. I understand that fans in Cleveland are disappointed and they should be. But as happy as I was to see some players put TEAM before SELF, I was just as disappointed in the comments made by Cavs majority owner Dan Gilbert. In an open letter to Cavs fans, Gilbert blasts James and his decision to move to Miami. Gilbert wrote, “As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.” Gilbert also wrote to Cleveland fans, “You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.” Gilbert went on to make a bold prediction, “In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight: 'I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE'. You can take it to the bank.” I am not sure the Heat will win the championship next season with the addition of James and Bosh, but I'd take them before I would the Cavs. I guess my disappointment with the letter is that it bashes the player that took the Cleveland franchise to new heights. Did James do it alone? No, but he was the leader on the floor and the attraction that sold out the arena. Time will tell how this ends, but for me, seeing at least some aspect of TEAM before SELF was a welcome change in the sports arena.