The Lebron-Athon

  The following post comes as we approach Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and the Magic, and the Cavs are nowhere to be seen. The 2009 - 2010 NBA season was supposed to be the season of Lebron. It would be the year that Lebron James captured his long-awaited NBA title, delivering a sports championship to Cleveland for the first time since 1964. Being from Boston, I really don't care that much about other cities championship droughts. The Cubs are the only other team that has a significant championship drought for a team (102 years?), but now that they've been taken over by a Russian Billionaire everything should change, right?

   Back to Lebron.  I'll be honest, a few months ago I was sort of hoping he would win a title this year so I wouldn't have to hear about his free agency and his not winning one for months on end. But then the C's got better and sunk the Cavs ship and now I could care less where he goes, although it will be a monumental shift in the league.

   The tale of the tape is as follows: The NBA is Lebron James. Ever since Michael Jordan retired, they've been looking for the next guy to take over the league. There was Tracy McGrady, then Vince Carter, then Kobe, and now Lebron. As much as I hate Kobe Bryant, he does have the resume to approach Mr. Jordan's, unlike most other modern day superstars of the NBA. So Lebron came along and started winning MVPs, and then the questions becomes, when does he get his first ring. Michael won his first ring after 7 years in the league, and that is the standard Lebron is being measured with.

   He has taken his team to the NBA Finals once, getting swept by the Spurs 3 years ago. His GM, Danny Ferry, a so-so player in his heyday, was in charge of getting Mr. James a supporting cast that would help deliver a crown. So Danny went out and got Shaq, who at this stage of his career is that big lug who can take up some space in the paint and attract double teams. Dominant, not so much - that was mid-2000's Shaq, not this current dude. I'd also like to point out that when Shaq was traded from Miami to Phoenix a year go, he famously pointed to his ring finger and said he was brought in to win a championship, I wonder how that went. So back to 2010, we have Shaq, and then at the trade deadline they bring in Antawn Jamison from the Wizards, another pretty good player. The Lebron- Shaq-Jamison connection was supposed to be fortification enough to fight off the Big Three of Boston and the Big Dwight of Orlando. As it turns out, it wasn't. So the mission of 'A Ring for the King' came to a crashing halt in Cleveland a week ago, and now of course begins the Summer of Lebron.

     Lebron is a free agent and he has to decide what to do with himself. As Kevin Garnett so aptly pointed out - loyalty can get you in trouble, and possibly prevent you from winning. He should know, as he spent a good 12 year chunk of his career wallowing on a bad team in Minnesota, when he probably had a few chances to change scenery and get on a winning team. He's on one now, but I think his message to Lebron was 'get out while you can.'

    The state of Ohio and city of Akron is all that Lebron James has ever known. It is his foundation, and it's where he has his roots. It has been remarked on numerous occasions that Lebron James has had a very sheltered life, being considered for the NBA in his teens, and basically being surrounded by his advisors and agents for most of his 25 years. So the question becomes, do you supplant from your foundation in search of a championship, going to a new team that will give you a better chance at a ring? Conventional wisdom would say, yes.

    Where is this new team? Well, the names that have been mentioned are New York, Miami, and Chicago. In New York, well...hmm... other than being in New York, I can't think of anything exciting about being in the Knicks - I'm sorry. Miami has Dwayne Wade, Jermaine O'Neal, Udonis Haslem, and Dwyane Wade. I think Lebron and Dwayne Wade would scare any team - that's a lot of points right there. Chicago has Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Brad Miller. You add Lebron to that, and you get a formidable team. I don't know who Cleveland has because I think they're vetting that sumbitch and rebuilding. They've had their chance, and they blew it. So what I'm saying is, Lebron should sign with the Nets.

   The End.