This is the first article for a new series called "What If Wednesdays," where I create hypothetical scenarios and examine the results of them. I do not necessarily think that these events are going to happen or should happen, but it is always fun to make conjectures.
Never before in the history of professional sports has a single player's offseason and free agency been as widely publicized and scrutinized as that of LeBron James prior to the 2010-2011 NBA season. LeBron showed all other athletes who will be in similar situations in the future why it is a bad idea to change teams and leave your previous team in the dark until the last minute. The goal of this article is not to rip on LeBron, so before anyone wants to jump on Cleveland's Anti-LeBron Bandwagon, keep in mind that the worst decision he made in his professional career resulted in him donating thousands of dollars to the Boys and Girls Club. LeBron James had every right to find a new team--he spent seven years in his home state of Ohio, completely revitalized the city of Cleveland, and even took the Cavs to the NBA Finals. LeBron was the Cleveland Cavaliers and the front office never put the proper pieces around him for them to win a title. There were a few nice players such as Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, and Mo Williams, but they lacked someone who could take over the game if LeBron was having an off night. When the Cavs won, all credit was given to LeBron. And when they lost, especially in the playoffs, most of the blame fell on James' shoulders. The Miami Heat gave LeBron to play with two close friends and NBA All-Stars on a nightly basis. LeBron James lived in northern Ohio for the first twenty-five years of his life and as the best basketball player in the world, he had the opportunity to go to any major city in the United States. All loyalties and allegiance aside, which city would you choose? Florida, seventy degree weather, sunshine, lots of different forms of entertainment or Cleveland, a city destined to never win a major championship in sports, and it's fifteen degrees with six inches of snow on the ground. Miami wins that battle every time. Plus, having Pat Riley in the front office never hurts either.
After "The Decision" was over and LeBron had been criticized nationally, his jersey burned in Cleveland, and the Heat filled up the rest of the team's roster spots, the new Big Three (LeBron, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh) put a target the size of Texas on their backs by declaring that they were going to win eight championships, after they rose out of center court in a cloud of smoke. Of course they got caught up in the moment and were trying to get the fans in Miami excited for the star-studded roster, but winning that many championships is quite a bold prediction for someone who played in one in his previous seven years in the league.
Let me make it clear--I think LeBron James will win multiple NBA Titles in his career, with the first of which coming this season. The Heat have developed a good chemistry and he is arguable having the greatest season of all time with his averages of 27 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals per game for a 26-7 team. However, let's say LeBron continues to choke late in important playoff games, he suffers a major injury, or the Big Three's chemistry goes down the drain. The Miami Heat as we know it today split up and LeBron lands with a new team.
Even if LeBron James never wins a ring, he is guaranteed to be a Hall of Famer. However, there is an honor, that is in name only, which is even greater than the H.o.F. and that is the small, exclusive room within the Hall for the best of the best. Michael Jordan is there. So is Bill Russell. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, and Elgin Baylor are there. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal will be there once he retires. A common theme in this elite group is rings, and often multiple of them. Karl Malone never won a title but he is also second all time on the NBA's scoring list.
LeBron James will go down in history as one of the greatest players of all time even if he does not win an NBA Championship. He consistently averages a near triple-double. Through eight and a half seasons in the NBA, James has scored over 18,000 points and is on pace to finish in the top ten, if not the top five of all time. The change in the Cleveland Cavaliers' record from 2009-2010 to 2010-2011 should speak enough to the impact LeBron James has as a player. 61-21 to 19-63. That's a forty-two game difference because one player left. I think LeBron will overcome his fourth quarter struggles at some point in his career which should get rid of the bad taste in some people's mouths after they say his name. While true success and historical recognition largely depend on the number of rings a player has, LeBron James is a superhuman athlete who can turn any team in the league into a 55+ game winner and legitimate contender. Plus, when you consider the rest of his recognitions-2 MVP's, R.O.Y., 8-time All-Star, NBA Scoring Champion, 5-time All-NBA First-Team, 3-time All-NBA Defensive Team-he seems a lock to join the Jordans, Russells, and Chamberlains of the Hall of Fame. If LeBron still has three or four or five more years in his prime and another seven or eight years in the league, he is going to retire with numbers that few people could match.
Never before in the history of professional sports has a single player's offseason and free agency been as widely publicized and scrutinized as that of LeBron James prior to the 2010-2011 NBA season. LeBron showed all other athletes who will be in similar situations in the future why it is a bad idea to change teams and leave your previous team in the dark until the last minute. The goal of this article is not to rip on LeBron, so before anyone wants to jump on Cleveland's Anti-LeBron Bandwagon, keep in mind that the worst decision he made in his professional career resulted in him donating thousands of dollars to the Boys and Girls Club. LeBron James had every right to find a new team--he spent seven years in his home state of Ohio, completely revitalized the city of Cleveland, and even took the Cavs to the NBA Finals. LeBron was the Cleveland Cavaliers and the front office never put the proper pieces around him for them to win a title. There were a few nice players such as Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, and Mo Williams, but they lacked someone who could take over the game if LeBron was having an off night. When the Cavs won, all credit was given to LeBron. And when they lost, especially in the playoffs, most of the blame fell on James' shoulders. The Miami Heat gave LeBron to play with two close friends and NBA All-Stars on a nightly basis. LeBron James lived in northern Ohio for the first twenty-five years of his life and as the best basketball player in the world, he had the opportunity to go to any major city in the United States. All loyalties and allegiance aside, which city would you choose? Florida, seventy degree weather, sunshine, lots of different forms of entertainment or Cleveland, a city destined to never win a major championship in sports, and it's fifteen degrees with six inches of snow on the ground. Miami wins that battle every time. Plus, having Pat Riley in the front office never hurts either.
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| Courtesy of http://chasing23.com/revisiting-the-decision-lebron-james/ |
Let me make it clear--I think LeBron James will win multiple NBA Titles in his career, with the first of which coming this season. The Heat have developed a good chemistry and he is arguable having the greatest season of all time with his averages of 27 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals per game for a 26-7 team. However, let's say LeBron continues to choke late in important playoff games, he suffers a major injury, or the Big Three's chemistry goes down the drain. The Miami Heat as we know it today split up and LeBron lands with a new team.
 |
| Courtesy of http://www.nowpublic.com/sports/lebron-james-miami-heat-introduction |
LeBron James will go down in history as one of the greatest players of all time even if he does not win an NBA Championship. He consistently averages a near triple-double. Through eight and a half seasons in the NBA, James has scored over 18,000 points and is on pace to finish in the top ten, if not the top five of all time. The change in the Cleveland Cavaliers' record from 2009-2010 to 2010-2011 should speak enough to the impact LeBron James has as a player. 61-21 to 19-63. That's a forty-two game difference because one player left. I think LeBron will overcome his fourth quarter struggles at some point in his career which should get rid of the bad taste in some people's mouths after they say his name. While true success and historical recognition largely depend on the number of rings a player has, LeBron James is a superhuman athlete who can turn any team in the league into a 55+ game winner and legitimate contender. Plus, when you consider the rest of his recognitions-2 MVP's, R.O.Y., 8-time All-Star, NBA Scoring Champion, 5-time All-NBA First-Team, 3-time All-NBA Defensive Team-he seems a lock to join the Jordans, Russells, and Chamberlains of the Hall of Fame. If LeBron still has three or four or five more years in his prime and another seven or eight years in the league, he is going to retire with numbers that few people could match.
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