Any of James' many options would be great for him, NBA ... except Miami
In 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) |
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 Forbes Magazine 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 his career as the next icon to promote basketball -- and, of course, himself -- 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 Amar'e Stoudemire, instantly making them more relevant than they've 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 won't lose its best player to a bigger market. The Hawks, according to sources, also are making a run at Shaquille O'Neal, who even in his diminished state would immediately become the biggest NBA star (other than Wade or Shaq's heir apparent, Dwight Howard) to play in the Southeast since Shaq himself left Orlando.
|
|
|
| Video |
| Related Links |
|
LeBron to announce decision Thursday on ESPN Facts & Rumors: Signs point toward New York? Facts & Rumors: James following trend of control Facts & Rumors: LBJ scenarios after Bosh/Wade |
Get the latest news on the NBA and stay up to date on all the latest free agency developments by following us on Twitter. Follow us today! |
FreeStyle
Berger: 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 Thunder's diligent building of a potential championship contender will continue to roll along as scheduled.
And now it is the King's turn. Say what you want about the method for his announcement -- I hate it, and think it diminishes the game and reeks of ego -- 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 who've 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. (It's everybody's 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 he's leaving, some still believe he's staying and a few are switching from one side to the other. Writers in Cleveland who know James well -- and for years -- have suddenly come to the conclusion that all of this out-of-character planning can only mean he's 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 I've 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, there's really only one way he can screw this up: By joining Wade and Bosh in Miami. Here's why:
The best of times in the NBA haven't been dominated by one super team. They've been marked by multiple stars in different cities and by rivalries. If he chooses anything but Miami, James has the chance to restore that to basketball -- 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 (he's 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 they're 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 he's more important than the game. He isn't. 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.
