Any of James’ many options would be great for him, NBA … except Miami
July 8th, 2010 Posted in NBA basketball newsIn the accelerating hysteria over LeBron James nationally televised announcement of his free-agent decision, I keep coming back to one of the many things he has said about this moment over the past three years.
The NBA would be better off with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as rivals, not teammates. (Getty Images) Yes, he has said that he wants to win championships and become a billionaire and global icon. He has said Akron, Ohio, will always be his home. He has gushed about the chance to play with his buddy, Dwyane Wade, and showered praise on the tradition that lives in cities like New York and Chicago, where his decision still could very well lead him.
But with the alliance of Wade and Chris Bosh solidified Wednesday in Miami, one of James stated goals keeps coming back to me. In a revealing 2007 article, James said he felt the responsibility to “bring basketball back” to its previous glory days of the Bird-Magic rivalry followed by the Michael Jordan era.
That goal, that plan, that responsibility remains very much alive as James is set to announce where he will spend the prime years of around the globe.
Look at how all the pieces have fallen into place so far:
1) Doc Rivers returns to coach the Celtics, who re-sign Paul Pierce and probably will keep free agent Ray Allen, giving Boston another chance at a title with their Big Three.
2) Phil Jackson decides to come back and coach the Lakers, who are coming off their second straight championship and have their core players, including the best player of the modern era, Kobe Bryant, under contract for four more years.
3) The Knicks get a commitment from top free agent Amare Stoudemire, instantly making them more relevant than theyve been since Patrick Ewing was traded and setting them up to use that acquisition as a carrot to lure LeBron or other top players.
4) Joe Johnson agrees to a six-year, $125 million deal with the Hawks, assuring that one of the franchises struggling the most to fill seats wont lose its best player to a bigger market. The Hawks, according to sources, also are making a run at Shaquille ONeal, who even in his diminished state would immediately become the biggest NBA star (other than Wade or Shaqs heir apparent, Dwight Howard) to play in the Southeast since Shaq himself left Orlando.
5) Bosh and Wade team up in Miami, making the Heat a threat to attract an assortment of veterans hungry for a championship at the league-minimum salary while also offering a strong temptation for LeBron to join them.
6) Kevin Durant, the most selfless, egoless star in basketball, agrees to a five-year extension with the little ol Oklahoma City Thunder. The deal, according to a person familiar with it, has no player option or opt-out clause, which means the Thunders diligent building of a potential championship contender will continue to roll along as scheduled.
And now it is the Kings turn. Say wh I hate it, but James stands on the cusp of the very moment he envisioned when he said three years ago that he wanted to bring the game back to its former glory.
Does James choose Cleveland, New York, New Jersey/Brooklyn, Chicago or (gasp) the Clippers (who do play in L.A., after all)? Smart people whove formed reasonable opinions for the past two or three years have had those opinions challenged in the past 48 hours, when James jumped wildly out of character by joining Twitter, having his website re-launched and making plans for this strange TV event. (Its everybodys dream, really: a TV show about oneself before one has actually accomplished anything.)
While polling a cross-section of NBA executives over the past 24 hours, some still believe hes leaving, some still believe hes staying and a few are switching from one side to th have suddenly come to the conclusion that all of this out-of-character planning can only mean hes setting up his exit strategy. As for my belief, unwavering for the past two years that James would wind up with the Knicks for reasons Ive explained many times, all bets are off. I find myself flip-flopping the way my Ohio colleagues are, only in the opposite direction. Who plans an hour-long TV special to stab his hometown in the back?
Whatever James decides, theres really only one way he can screw this up: By joining Wade and Bosh in Miami. Heres why:
Poll Where should LeBron James sign? Cleveland Chicago L.A. Clippers New York New Jersey Miami
The best of times in the NBA havent been dominated by one super team. Theyve been marked by multiple stars in different cities and by rivalries. If he chooses anything but Miami, J and actually, do it in a way that has never been done before. An NBA with strong teams on both coasts, in the middle of the country, in the Southwest and Southeast, and in markets large and small would usher in an era of unprecedented interest and success in the NBA. And if James truly wants to be a global icon, he needs a successful NBA to do it.
If he chooses the Knicks, he already has an All-Star running mate there in Stoudemire and an unmatched platform for his brand. Ditto if he chooses Chicago or New Jersey/Brooklyn. If he chooses the Clippers (hes not, but follow me here), he creates a compelling rivalry with Bryant. And if he stays home, he sends a message to small-market fans that theyre not going to lose their icons to random fits of wanderlust and egomania.
In any of those cities, James would be able to take aim at Wade and Bosh in Miami, the Celtics Big Three and the Lakers of Jackson, Bryant and Pau Gasol. Out West, the Mavericks, Spurs and Rockets are still strong, and the Thunder are on the move. The NBA would be back, and the motivation would be there for the millionaires and billionaires to stop arguing over nickels and dimes and bring labor peace into the equation.
But if he chooses Miami, James will be saying that hes more important than the game. He isnt. And while his actions throughout this free-agent courtship have at times been immature and selfish, James is too smart to miss the point that as the NBA goes, so goes the King. Usually, a King wants to keep his friends close and his enemies closer. In this case, James needs ample distance from both.
