So, if you follow the NBA and very possibly even if you don't, you undoubtedly know that this is the Very Most Amazing Free Agent Class In NBA History. Quite an impressive collection is about to go on the open market. Chris Bosch. Dwayne Wade. Paul Pierce. And, of course, the very biggest of the big names. The King. LBJ. LeBron James.
I was always a fair-weather follower of the NBA, until I moved to Cleveland. Love them or hate them, and I love them, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a hell of a lot of fun to watch. And, love him or hate him, the biggest reason why is LeBron James. He's unbelievable. Physically, he's absolutely a beast. He does stuff that's just not possible. He has spent the past 6 years being this most sports-beleaguered of all cities' Great White Hope, the promise of the championship that Cleveland is finally going to get. And this year was going to be the year they finally did it. Brought home a ring. It would have been perfect, too. He's the hometown boy. He's intensely loyal and he loves this place. And although the fans of every city with an NBA franchise want him, and promise to love him forever if he will just come there, nobody loves him with the desperation of Clevelanders.
And so, tomorrow, the period of free agency begins. In reality, it began as soon as the Cavaliers were unceremonious eliminated from the playoffs in the second round (!) by the didn't-think-they-still-had-it-in-'em Celtics. LeBron, shockingly, didn't play all that well by his standards, and essentially didn't show up at all in the pivotal Game 5. He looked like he did something we around here have almost never seen him do--choked. This year's loss was far more painful than the last three--last year and two years ago in the conference finals, three years ago in the championship finals, those were painful but there was definite hope there. Now, it seems, there's none.
A month and a half ago, most people assumed LeBron would be staying in Cleveland, even if they didn't bring home a championship to this starved city. Now, most people assume he's leaving, and though opinions vary as to where people think he'll go the betting favorite is division rival Chicago. Hard to say whether that would be good or not. Everybody was raving about what a great ensemble Cleveland had finally managed to put around LeBron this year, too, until they once again didn't win. I was having this discussion with a Chicago-based friend of mine not too long ago, who said that if he came to Chicago, LeBron would be Superman. Pffft. He's already Jesus here. Almost literally. The building across from the Q has a 3-story high picture of LeBron on the side, head pointed skyward and arms outstretched. I always say that it's not by accident that they made him look like Jesus. Superman would be a downgrade. Plus, let's face it--it's too soon after their amazing run. Unless LeBron wins 7 or 8 championships in Chicago, and he won't, he's never going to be Michael Jordan. Chicago fans may love him, and without a doubt they want him to go there, but he can't be Jordan in Chicago. He's got a healthy ego but on some level he has to know that.
I don't know what he should do, honestly. I hope he stays, but really, I can't take much more of The Summer Of LeBron. If he's going to break up, he should just do it quickly and not string us along. And the broken-hearted city with the massive inferiority complex can move along--and hope against hope that maybe the Browns won't suck this year.
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