OK, LeBron Haters, Ramp Up the Righteous Indignation for Matt Barnes

When LeBron James announced his "decision" to an audience of millions of basketball enthusiast and sports media, he had to know that it was going to come as a startling disappointment to everyone that had followed the speculation about his free agency for months.

He had to know that friends, family, fans emulating his Jesus-like pose as dust floats skyward and NBA executives would, to a large degree, react in ways that would range from sadness to irate bitterness.

I doubt even he thought, that the phrase, "I'm taking my talents to South Beach" would be read as: "I'm the most self-centered egotist that has ever lived, so shove it, fans."

From the moment he made his choice to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh  in Miami, blogs and NBA Legends have been up in arms to vilify this man who made a decision that they simply disagreed with.

Suddenly, one of the greatest players in the game is a "punk" as Charles Barkley would say, "he's a choker, a loser and a whiner" according to the assorted anti-LeBron brigade that formed shortly after he posed with his new teammates with his new team jersey, he's "cowardly" according to Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who showed no class whatsoever in the wake of it all.

Could LeBron James have shown a bit more tact in making his decision? Sure.  Would it have been better if he'd just sent out a written press release signifying his announcement rather than the prime-time media spectacle worthy of a Snooki from Jersey Shore? No doubt.

Does he deserve the amount of vitriol he has received just because some disagree with his decision? I don't think so.

On the other side of the equation, we have Matt Barnes. This is a player who, in the month since moving to L.A. to join the Lakers, apparently still hasn't located any anger management classes in the area and has never been a stranger to the type of activities that would get you or me fired from our jobs.

He has just been arrested for allegedly abusing is girlfriend. While I don't know the details, if you take reputation into account (he wanted to get into a fight with Kobe last season when he was still in Orlando when he fake passed the ball in Kobe's face to antagonize him), it's safe to say, this guy is in need of a psychological evaluation at least and an individual in need of at multi-game suspension at worst.

Why are all the LeBron-haters, who have no problem jeering and mocking and mimicking "LeBron's misgivings" so silent about Matt Barnes' activities, which include him reportedly slapping an opposing team's coach during a summer league game in San Francisco in early August?

The worst that can be said about James at this point is he showed a lack of respect toward his teammates, fans and hometown by not letting them know his decision in a more appropriate way; but he has never been charged with endangering anybodies life and has certainly shown more class on and off the court than that ticking-time-bomb that fans support because "he's on our team."

Why aren't LeBron-haters fans berating Barnes?

They should be screaming from the rooftops: "We don't want this violent guy on the Lakers. They're a proud franchise and winning, while important, is not important enough to harbor a loose cannon."

Why aren't the LeBron-haters giving Barnes what they have been given to LeBron for the last two months?

There's a huge difference between being a physical threat to those in your sport and making a gutsy choice that others don't agree with.

How the later can get blasted and the former can be "forgiven" is more an indictment of the sports fan than those Latrell Sprewell "he just plays hard" commercials from 1999 that were so popular only a few years after he choked his coach.

As long as Barnes helps his team wins, I guess all is forgiven.  Is it really about what LeBron did, or just an excuse to hate him no matter what?

If it is about his choice and his "disrespcting the game," and you are judging players truly by their actions then get together and start that "Matt Barnes is bad for the NBA" blog.

I'll be waiting, but I have a feeling I'm going to get pretty lonely.