Lebron James: King James or Court Jester?

Lebron made his free agent decision today. Did he stay loyal to Cleveland? Did he go to the Bulls, Clippers, or Nets, to lead a team with young talent to the promised land? Maybe he went to New York, to expand his ‘brand’ and be New York’s basketball savior? No, Lebron chose none of these options. He took the easy way out and went to Miami, thus proving once and for all he will never  live up to the tremendous hype with which he entered the league.

Lebron was supposed to be the next Jordan. He was the next all time great. Better than Kobe, Isaiah, Garnett, Wade, Gervin, Magic, Chamberlain…  Instead, Lebron chose the easy way out. He went to Dwayne’s team. What true all time great would make a similar move? Would Jordan join Isaiah? Would Magic join Bird? If you want a more current comparison, imagine Kobe Bryant making the same move. It would never happen.

True greats not only want to win titles, they want to be the man on a title winning team. Most title teams had a lot of help. Jordan had Pippen. Isaiah had Joe Dumars. Bird had McHale and Parrish. Kobe has Gasol.  It’s not a crime to have a great player, or even a hall of famer to help you. I am not a fan of Isaiah, Jordan, Kobe or Bird, but we all know who the man was on their teams.

Lebron is not the man. You cannot be the man by joining someone else’s team. Think back to 2004 when the Lakers had both Gary Payton and Karl Malone try the same (although much less expensive) maneuver. The Lakers got beaten by a Detroit team that even the city of Detroit though would be swept.

The current Miami team? Wade, Bosh, Lebron, a second round draft pick center, a soon to be traded Michael Beasley and Chalmers. 6 players, 5 of whom are under contract, and they are capped out. Have fun filling out your roster Pat Riley. It will take a few years of drafting and wise use of the midlevel exception to make this 5 man team a true threat to win the title. Even then, karma can be cruel so I fully expect this incredibly expensive half of a team to remain ringless.

It’s really ironic that Lebron is taking the easy way out, and still will most likely not win a ring. Enjoy chasing your proverbial tail Lebron. Taking the easy way out shows an incredible lack of understanding what it truly takes to win. This decision at least shows what Lebron truly is. Not a King, but a pretender to the throne. All hail the court jester.