Why the Miami Heat and LeBron James Are Going to Be Hated Next Season
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LeBron James announced today on his hour-long special that he would be joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to create a superstar team in South Beach.
This is a move that creates the biggest villain the NBA has seen in a while, as many fans will now be rooting against the Miami Heat and LeBron James in particular.
I'm not going to sit here and try to say that the Heat aren't going to be able to get the chemistry right. These players wanted this to happen, and Pat Riley isn't going to let chemistry issues get in the way of this mega-team.
The reason that this team will be hated can be summed up by a quote by Dan LeBatard: "South Florida stinks as a sports town, they don't deserve this, and Cleveland doesn't deserve this with all the loyalty they've shown."
If LeBron had gone anywhere else, he would not be the center of the most hated basketball team in recent NBA history, but by choosing Miami to be his new home, he is choosing to go to a place that will stop selling out stadiums as soon as he leaves.
If he goes to Chicago, he joins a basketball market, get's similar success, improves his legacy, and isn't nearly as hated outside of Cleveland.
If he goes to New York, he may not have as much success right away but he certainly isn't as hated as he is now and has a great chance to improve a Knicks team that desperately needs it.
If he stays in Cleveland, some hate him for taking this much time to tell us he's staying put, but he is still loved by most for showing loyalty to his home fans.
By going to Miami, he is choosing to take the easy road out. The Heat feel more like a pick-up basketball team than an actual NBA squad, and that is what doesn't sit well, that such a good team has blessed a city that, frankly, couldn't give a f*ck about basketball, or any sport for that matter.
In going to a horrible sports town, a town that worries more about the glamour of celebrities than hardworking athletes, he leaves a town that had nothing but bad sports teams and LeBron James.
Cleveland supports their teams through thick and thin. It's the reason The Dawg Pound is still a staple in the NFL despite the Browns putting their hopes on a kick returner, and it's the reason why Cleveland was so quick to put all of their eggs into LeBron's basket.
Even though LeBron says that this decision is solely about winning, everybody knows that LeBron James took the easy way out. One G.M even went so far as to call him "soft."
But LeBron didn't take the easy way out in terms of winning, he took the easy way out in terms of lifestyle. He is going to spend the next five years living it up with his friends in Miami and contending for a title every year, but with nothing but minimum salary players on that roster, how much are they really going to win?
This decision was based on lifestyle. LeBron wanted to live the good life, and he figured this was his best chance to live the good life while still contending.
He could go to Chicago and be the top dog, win championships, and have an amazing supporting cast, but he chose to play second fiddle so that he could have no state income tax and lay on the beach between games.
Going to Miami also ruins his legacy. The few real basketball fans that are in Miami know that Dwyane Wade is the leader of that team, and LeBron is going to score less and handle the ball less in this offense.
He isn't going to be the focal point of the offense, he isn't going to be leader, he is going to be Scottie Pippen, and if he really wanted to be the greatest of all time, he shouldn't have made the decision to go to Miami.
If you can find me an all time great who wants to take the route where he isn't top dog, go ahead and show me him. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird? All played on just one team their entire careers, and they won on that team.
Unfortunately, he leaves Cleveland fans with nothing but what they had before he came there. No championships, just Drew Carey, a bunch of bad sports teams, and now some burnt jerseys that they can try to sell on eBay.
UPDATE: Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert absolutely ripped LeBron James, questioning his loyalty and, most shockingly, guaranteeing a championship before LeBron does.
"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER 'KING' WINS ONE. You can take that to the bank."
This is a very surprising development in an important night for the NBA.
I'm Joe W.
You can see more of Joe's work at http://www.theperspective.yardbarker.com/ or www.thedailycub.com .
