Thanks for Everything, LeBron James
Thank you LeBron James…
Not for picking the Miami Heat. That decision was naive, foolish, and childish.
No, I’m thanking LeBron for giving new life to the NBA. We have been talking about this free agency for two years and now that it has come and gone, we are left standing with a “did that just really happen” look on our faces. Besides the actual decision, there are a few reasons we can be grateful to LeBron (as a New York Knicks fan, I can see that light).
1. He declared for free agency two years ago.
This started the greatest race to free cap space in the history of the NBA. Almost every team looked at where they were and whether luring LeBron to their team was even possible. Once that phase was over, all the teams with a chance started clearing cap space for the summer of 2010. By clearing cap space, these teams would be able lure better players to their teams not named LeBron James (assuming they don’t give Darko Milicic 4 million a year, sorry Timberwolves fans) and become more competitive in the league. We have seen this all around the league this off season with Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver to the Chicago Bulls, Jordan Farmer to the New Jersey Nets, Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton to the New York Knicks, Drew Gooden to the Milwaukee Bucks. Some teams signed players just to lure LeBron James to their side. Regardless the outcome, these teams are better. Now that LeBron has signed, hopefully other teams will continue to spend money wisely and make for a better NBA.
2. He did not give away his decision until the very last day.
He kept every possible city’s hopes up and because of this there was pandemonium. Even if he wasn’t coming to your town, you were paying attention; and if there was a chance he was, you might have been on the side of the road with signs screaming for LeBronmania to come to your team. Billboards were put up, songs were sung, and even Betty White tried to woo the former self proclaimed “king”. And David Stern loved every minute of it. Why do you think he never stepped up and said this has gone too far. This was all PR for the NBA, getting people pumped up for basketball. Everywhere you went, people talked LeBron. Where’s he going? Who do you think he’ll sign with? Oh this team signed this guy, do they have a chance? I don’t know about you but between July 1st and the decision, I was checking for updates every chance I got. It was intriguing at the very least, all the speculations and reports. Even after the decision, people hated it (people outside South Beach) but we still talked about how much we hoped they never won a title. That some team would step up and beat them every year.
Which brings me to my next point…
3. The level of play in the NBA has officially been raised, even if just a little.
For as long as the heat are together (assuming they will be good), other teams will strive to beat them. Even though I personally don’t think I can take another Knicks-Heat rivalry that could be the case if Tony Parker and Carmelo Anthony decide to join Amare Stoudemire in New York before the 2011-2012 season. The Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics, will need to and have made upgrades to their rosters (especially if the Heat are dominating the Eastern Conference).
Needless to say, in one hour special LeBron James went from the most beloved athlete to one of the most hated outside South Beach. Maybe the new Reggie Miller to Knicks fans (hopefully without the 8 point plays and cheating). To win a ring, LeBron threw away his reputation and legacy. We discovered that LeBron was a 25 year old kid that just wanted to win and didn’t care what anyone else thought about him. Or maybe he just wanted to play with his friends. I don’t know, I just want to thank him for turning the NBA upside down. Regardless of what everyone is says, you will be watching next season.
