The Decision

LeBron James should have done his show at the interview table following the Game 6 loss to the Celtics. The Cavs gave up on their home court down 9 points with a minute to play against a team that Lakers Coach Phil Jackson described as the best NBA team at blowing leads late. In that 4th quarter against the Cavs, the Celtics missed 6 free throws. It may have been the first time in NBA playoff history that it actually took one minute to play the last minute of the game!
I didn’t watch the show, but whoever enabled him to think that stabbing his home city in the back on national TV is a moron. And LeBron can’t be far from moron status himself to go along with the idea. While LeBron apparantely talked about his legacy, this charade will not be recorded as a positive note. I don’t have a problem with him choosing his team or his teammates, but the other historically elite players (Jordan, Bird, Magic, Kobe) in the Free Agent era have carried themselves much better than he has this summer. He simply should have made his visits, chose his team, and simply signed his contract.
His comment about not having to be “The Man” are reminiscent of what Carl Pavano and Mike Mussina said when signing with the Yankees. Pavano’s comments were directed at the intensity of the Boston fan base while he was being targeted by both the Red Sox and the Yankees in 2003 – I think Pavano won more games for the Twins after the All-Star break last season than he did in 3 years in New York. While Mussina enjoyed success in New York, the Yankees didn’t win any championships and had more first round playoff exits (5) than World Series appearances (2) during his 8 years in pinstripes.