Will LBJ’s Decision Payoff?
Last summer when Lebron James made the decision to leave Cleveland and take his talents South Beach, critics questioned his decision, character, toughness, and competitiveness.
Those same critics looked good any time the Heat faltered during the season when they would go on a losing streak and one of the “Big 3″ would question the coach or the ball handling and/or shot selections. It would appear that the Heat were going to fall apart quickly after starting the season 9-8 and a few times during some losing streaks. People wanted them to fall apart. The Miami Heat of simply become the New York Yankees of the NBA. People love to see the Yankees lose any time or have drama surrounding teammates. At the same time, there are still plenty of fans that love the Heat besides their own fans.
I was on the telephone with Wal-Mart customer service exchanging a package and the man assisting me was from South Beach. We had a conversation about the Heat and Lebron. We both agreed that Lebron did the right thing in leaving because he probably was never going to win in Cleveland. He just didn’t have enough support and probably was never going to get it. The ultimate goal of any superstar player is to win and bring home the hardware. His legacy will be tarnished by how he made his decision, but as the playoffs have gone on, I believe people are seeing and remembering how great of a player he truly is and he is reshaping his legacy once again.
This postseason, the Heat have really been tested and survived. The 76ers were a warm up and offered no resistance. The Celtics looked tired and could not function with a one armed point guard most of the series. However, they still had their “Big 3″. The Bulls looked good in the first game of their series, but the Heat raised it up several notches defensively and finally Heat role players like Haslem and Miller finally stepped up offensively. The driving force in each of these series is Lebron James. He has taken the Heat on his back and led the charge as if he was still in Cleveland. He is willing the Heat to win with his play. Now that he has help in Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, it doesn’t always have to be him the offense goes through. When it has mattered most though, he has made clutch shots and played stellar defense.
His decision to leave Cleveland was frowned upon and still is and his image is still damaged, but if he continues to play at this level and continue to will his team to win then he will join Kobe and MJ as players who just wouldn’t let his team lose.
When he was in the 2007 Finals against the Spurs, he truly wasn’t ready for it nor did he have anyone to defer to if he had to. Four years later he is back and has gotten better and has help. There are no more excuses. Will his decision pay off?
