Good to be King? LeBron James’ Five Worst Moves This Offseason
To say LeBron James' off-season has been tumultuous and controversial is like saying the ending of Inception might leave you a bit confused. Basically, it's just stating the obvious.
It started on July 8 with "The Decision." From there, we've seen a domino effect where every action and every word James has spoken has been scrutinized. Some of these criticisms are just; others are simply petty qualms from bitter Cleveland fans or angry media pundits.
Still, the damage done to LeBron's image and reputation seems irrevocable at this time. However, that's not to say it will remain this way forever.
Things looked bad for Kobe Bryant in '04-'05 after his sexual assault case, the public fallout with Shaq and Phil Jackson, and the fall of the Lakers from the NBA's elite. However, Kobe stayed out of the spotlight for awhile, rebuilt his tarnished image, and now appears to be the greatest winner/competitor of the post-Jordan generation.
Maybe the same will happen for James. Maybe if the Heat come out on a mission and roll through the regular and postseasons while James plays the efficient, selfless basketball he seemingly perfected in Cleveland, people will slowly forget about the PR disaster that was the summer of 2010 and remember him for what he is: a truly gifted, once-in-a-lifetime player.
But he can't hide the fact that he made some questionable, eyebrow-raising decisions (no pun intended) in the past few months. He threw his former city and employer under the bus (all while appearing to have no remorse in doing so), he started a new social media boom that only made himself come across as more arrogant and egotistical, and he even began referring to himself in the third person in nearly all public settings.
Which actions (or in some cases, lack of action) this summer most affected James' image and brand name? Let's take a look by running down the five worst moves made by LeBron and his camp this off-season.
5. Responding to Dan Gilbert's Post-Decision Comments
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James is too intelligent and articulate to not know that his hour-long television spot was going to draw serious criticism from the media and fans alike...especially those in his home state of Ohio.
He probably didn't expect the backlash to be so profound...nor did he probably expect to receive some cheap shot barbs from his previous employer.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert ruthlessly blasted James just hours after "The Decision," calling him "our former hero" and referring to his actions as "cowardly betrayal." It was the type of letter you would expect a bitter, lovesick 13-year-old to write to his girlfriend after he caught her making out with someone at the movies.
Not necessarily something that should come from a professional businessman like Gilbert. He came off as classless and arrogant as James did, and in some ways it justified LeBron's decision to leave treadmarks on the ground as he bolted from Cleveland.
Nonetheless, this was LeBron's opportunity to be the better man. He could have taken the high road, made a few comments like "I'm sorry Mr. Gilbert feels that way but I enjoyed my time in Cleveland and wouldn't have traded it for anything," and walked away looking much more mature and professional than Gilbert.
Instead, he fired back a few lines of his own at the Cavs owner in his recent interview in GQ, saying "I don't think he ever cared about LeBron" and Gilbert's tirade "made me feel more comfortable that I made the right decision."
He also said that Gilbert's words will only further motivate him...you know, because it's hard enough to be motivated when you have a realistic, legitimate chance to set the single-season wins record in the next four to five years and start a dynasty that could be unparalleled in today's NBA.
Finally, this little tidbit was the kicker: "My mother always told me, 'You will see the light of people when they hit adversity. You'll get a good sense of their character.' Me and my family have seen the character of that man."
That's an absolutely fair statement—the character Gilbert showed was questionable at best. But LeBron would be wise not to bring character into the conversation when he went on national TV and essentially gave the biggest middle finger ever to the city he played for the last seven years.
(Photo from WaitingForNextYear.com)
4. The Faux "Thank Yous" to Cleveland Fans
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One of the most notable absences during "The Decision" was the word Cleveland. As in, "thank you Cleveland for everything you've done for me over the last seven years," or "I'll never forget my time in Cleveland—it helped shape me into who I am today."
Instead, LeBron couldn't find the time in an hour-long special to have anything nice to say about his former team. He didn't have any wishes or statements for his former teammates or fans.
It was that disregard and lack of respect that irritated the Cavalier faithful beyond belief. How could this guy, the so-called "Chosen One," completely ignore the fanbase that treated him like a God?
Days passed. Still nothing.
A few weeks passed. Not a peep.
Finally, on Aug. 3, he released a statement...to the Akron Beacon-Journal. The small ad read as follows:
"...It was here where I first learned how to play basketball, and where I met the people who would become my lifelong friends and mentors. Their guidance, encouragement and support will always be with me.
Akron is my home, and the central focus of my life. It's where I started, and it's where I will always come back to. You can be sure that I will continue to do everything I can for this city, which is so important to my family and me. Thank you for your love and support. You mean everything to me."
Again, what's conspicuously absent from this piece? The city of Cleveland! To make matters worse, former Cavalier Zydrunas Ilgauskas took out a full page ad in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer a few days earlier thanking the city for always making him feel at home.
Finally, on Aug. 7, nearly a full month after "The Decision," he made this statement at his annual "King for Kids" charity bike-a-thon in Akron: "To the city of Cleveland, my fans in Cleveland, my fans in northeast Ohio...I want to say thank you for the last seven years and the years that continue to go in the future.
"So I want to thank the city of Cleveland, also northeast Ohio, for all the great years that I've had."
A heartwarming gesture...until you realize that it's on par with receiving a thank you card in April for a Christmas gift. Or it's like, as Larry David demonstrated in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, giving a wedding gift 14 months after the actual ceremony...you just don't do it. The grace period has passed.
To be fair to James, it was a gesture he had to do. But he could have done it on July 8 or 9...not near the middle of August. To put it nicely, his thank yous didn't appear genuine.
3. Introducing the Third Person Speak
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"Humble" might not be the perfect word to describe to a guy who wants to a launch a global empire and go down as one of the greatest basketball players/entrepreneurs of all time.
And maybe it just seems this way because of all that has unfolded in the last two months or so. But every time James opens his mouth, he seems less like a human being and more like a drone that's repeating the same things to further enhance his brand name.
Start with the night of July 8 (it always comes back to that night, doesn't it?). He referred to himself in the third person five times in a span of 45 minutes. Five different times! He repeatedly said, "I had to do what's best for LeBron James."
"What can LeBron James do to make him happy?"
It didn't stop there. In his GQ interview, he talked about Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and said, "I don't think he ever cared about LeBron."
When asked about Clevelanders that were burning his jersey in the street: "Maybe the ones burning my jersey were never LeBron fans anyway."
In a way, Cavalier fans are partially responsible for creating this monster. But at the same time, it never seemed like his ego was this out of control. It's tough to recall another scenario, interview, article, or whatever where LeBron constantly referred to himself as "LeBron."
Perhaps the best quote on this transformation comes from Ryan Jones, the author of King James, Believe the Hype - The LeBron James Story: "'As someone who's known LeBron since he was 16 and liked him, it's been frustrating and strange to watch.
"...'LeBron isn't a puppet being told what to do. He is not dumb. He's got a small circle of trusted people, and I can't imagine they pushed him into this.
"...He's been subjected to this sort of exposure since he was 16. But I used to give him credit for the way it didn't seem to affect him. I'm not so sure that's the case now."
2. The Twitter "Mental Notes"
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About two days before "The Decision", Cleveland Plain-Dealer beat writer Brian Windhorst (who followed and has known James since his high school days at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary) suddenly realized that this LeBron James, the one who announced he would be making his decision with an hour-long ESPN special, the one who re-launched a website that hadn't been updated in years, the one who suddenly appeared on Twitter and had hundreds of thousands of followers before he made his first tweet, wasn't the same guy he had known for years.
As it turns out, Windhorst was right.
His tweets started out as generic and bland as most other athletes: "Good morning everyone! Just got up so I can get ready to head down to my B-Ball camp."
"Just landed in my new home...The Road to History starts now!"
But on Aug. 10, he fired off this warning shot that Scott at WaitingForNextYear.com dubbed as "The Tweet Heard 'Round the World."
"Don't think for one min that I haven't been taking notes of everyone taking shots at me this summer. And I mean everyone!"
So basically, he has a mental note of everyone in Ohio and 99 percent of bloggers, writers, and media personalities across the country.
Bill Simmons' re-tweet was probably the best response: he wondered if James' mental notes included why he no-showed Game 5 against Boston and quit in the final minutes of Game 6. Others loved what he said, saying he finally is displaying some signs of killer instinct (though it's difficult to wonder why that was ever in question since he pretty much killed professional basketball in Cleveland).
The bottom line is that this was exactly what James wanted to accomplish: people are talking about him. However ludicrous it seems, James does feed off that negative energy. Some of his best in-game performances came when he seemingly looked like he wanted to show opponents up just to spite them.
At the same time, do you really need "mental notes" to inspire you when you have a chance to be one of the greatest teams in NBA history? Do you really need that extra motivation?
LeBron will strive to prove people wrong, that he made the right decision by teaming up with Dwyane Wade, and when he gets certain opportunities (like his first game in Cleveland), he'll remind everyone that he has the most talent of any basketball player of this generation. Still, the fact that he has to constantly remind everyone of that and make outlandish statements (or tweets) like this is just more fuel for the "LeBron has the biggest ego ever" argument.
1. The Decision
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Come on, what else did you think would be No. 1?
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