LeBron James: Stop Whining, Cleveland, You Asked For This

Why is everyone in Cleveland going crazy that LeBron James left his hometown? They had to know that if a player as good as James didn't win a championship there, he would eventually leave.

Cleveland asked for this the moment they won the draft lottery for the right to select King James. If Toronto had won the lottery, selected James, and the Raptors had the success that Cleveland had the past seven years, guess what? James would still leave.

But because James played for his hometown team, he's just supposed to forget what he thinks might be best for him and sign back with the Cavs.

Free agency allows players that have played out their contract the chance to sign with any team that wants to offer them a new contract. James wisely signed a contract that would have him reach free agency the same time as Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. It was James' decision to sign with anyone that he wanted to. Now all of a sudden, because James did something he was allowed to do, he has been labeled a coward by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.

I absolutely hate when teams do whatever they can to sign their best player, and when the player decides to leave, the team's front office tries to discredit the guy. It happens in every league. If Gilbert is able to say that James is a coward now, why couldn't he say that during his tenure with Cleveland? Even better, I would have loved to hear this on Draft Day 2003, "The Cleveland Cavaliers are proud to select the coward LeBron James."

I'm not saying that what James, Wade, and Bosh did was right, but neither was Gilbert with his hate-filled letter, or the fans in Cleveland burning James' jersey. If you think somebody is wrong in what they do, be the bigger man and don't do something wrong yourself.

Cleveland fans: Wipe your tears, start rebuilding, and join us Raptors fans in trying to prove James and Bosh were wrong to leave.