LeBron James: Why It Is Now Time for Cleveland To Get Over LeBron

There is a thin line between love and hate. LeBron James managed to jump from one side to the other completely by leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat during the summer of 2010.

The hate proved immediate. Soon after LeBron's "The Decision" aired, angry Cavs fans took to the streets cursing his name and burning his jersey, and some even broke out in tears.

As for LeBron bringing nationwide hate onto himself, he has his "Not one, not two, not three, not four...not five...not six...not seven" speech to thank.

LeBron's Q Score, a measurement of the general population's approval rating, took a huge hit. After deciding to take his talents to South Beach, 14 percent of people perceived him in a positive light, which constituted a 41.6 percent drop, while 39 percent viewed him negatively, a 77 percent drop.

People took shot after shot at LeBron. Charles Barkley was quoted calling LeBron a "punk." Michael Jordan was quoted saying that he "would've never called up Larry, called up Magic and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team.'" Instead he was "trying to beat those guys" rather than join them.

Most notable, though, was the rant of Cleveland majority owner Dan Gilbert. In an open letter to Cleveland Cavaliers fans, Gilbert called James' move "cowardly betrayal." He went on to promise this to all Cavs followers:

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 "I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER 'KING' WINS ONE."

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So how did LeBron James and the rest of the much-maligned "Big Three" respond? Well, LeBron had a MVP-caliber season, averaging 26.7 points, 7.0 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game.

The Heat ended the regular season with a 58-24 record, which was good for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. 

During the postseason the Heat paced through to the NBA Finals having lost only three games, while remaining undefeated on their home floor.

How about the Cleveland Cavaliers' season, on the other hand? After boasting the league's best record for two consecutive years, they plummeted from a 61-21 record to a dismal 19-63 record. Their season included the longest losing streak in the history of the NBA, featuring 26 straight losses.

Take the Cavaliers' horrendous season and add LeBron James' success leading into the NBA Finals, and you get a mixed cocktail of emotions including sadness, anger, envy and pure hate!

But let's be realistic for a second here. All LeBron did was make a shrewd business decision. At the end of the day, loyalty doesn't get you any rings. Just ask Karl Malone, Reggie Miller or Patrick Ewing. He simply put himself in the best possible situation to be successful. Which company would YOU rather work for, Starbucks or a Dunkin' Donuts knockoff?

Throughout the Finals, it was no secret who Cleveland fans, and the majority of NBA fans, were rooting for. Things could not have gone any better for all LeBron/Miami Heat "haters." Not only did Miami fail to win its first of, according to James, eight championships, but LeBron folded under pressure like a lawn chair as well.

During the Finals James averaged just 17.8 points per game, which is nine points under his regular season average. This was the biggest drop in the history of the NBA Finals. Even worse, James averaged only three points per game during the series in the final quarter.

James' numbers in the final five minutes of each game while the score was within five points are beyond staggering for a player of his magnitude: 0-of-7 from the floor and 0-of-0 from the free throw line, resulting in zero points and a minus-16 point differential while James was on the floor. 

When asked during a press conference following the Game 6 loss to the resulting NBA champion Dallas Mavericks if it bothered him how certain people take delight in seeing him fail, James cold-heartedly stated:

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"Absolutely not. Because at the end of the day, all the people that was rooting on me to fail...They have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do... They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy... But they have to get back to the real world at some point."

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This statement basically translates into the following:

All these people that despise me need to get a life. When all is said and done, I'm the one who is still going to be filthy rich, enabling me to do whatever I please. On the other hand, you all will go back to your same inferior lives, with the same old everyday problems of the lower class that I will never have to subject myself to.

Another classic example of LeBron James shooting himself in the foot. We all understand that what Mr. James is going through must be very difficult. But carrying himself this way will not make things any easier for him.

It is behavior as such that leaves LeBron James at the receiving end of punch lines like these:

Don't ask LeBron for change for a dollar, because all he has is three quarters...

If LeBron James wanted a ring, he should have just stayed in Ohio. Surely Terrelle Pryor would have sold him his...

LeBron's next like Mike move: playing two sports. His best bet is hockey, because they only play three periods...

These are shots taken by Cavs fans and LeBron haters in general. But now that it's all over, it's time for not only the general public, but for Cleveland specifically, to move on.

The Cavs have the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks in the 2011 NBA draft. They are in excellent position to rebuild. LeBron James failed. You loved it and soaked it up. Any further insults by the Cavs organization beyond this point would be plain adolescent.

Sure, what LeBron did was like dumping your girlfriend on national television. But you have kicked a man while he is down, and the majority of the nation joined in. James is the most scrutinized player in all of sports. It's really time to let go and worry about your own team.

I hate to break it to you, basketball America, but guess who will be the last ones laughing next year at this point? You guessed it: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the rest of the Miami Heat organization.

James turns 27 later this year. Michael Jordan didn't win his first of six rings until he was 28 years old. You get the foreshadowing of what potentially could be?