A few weeks ago, I wrote
about the pending Decision Part II,
and the lack of surprise that LeBron
James was opting out of his contract with the Miami Heat. At the time, I
really didn’t think it was surprising at all, because, I anticipated LeBron James would work the system, er,
ah, I mean, explore his options, and unceremoniously re-sign with the Miami Heat. Boy was I wrong. Not only did The King ditch the Heat,
he did what I considered the unthinkable; he returned to Cleveland. And when I say
unthinkable, I mean, for me, unthinkable.
So much so, that while I opined on a number of options, I did not even
list the Cavs as a possible destination
Bloggers, journalists,
columnists, and a host of highly opinionated types often regale us with their
erstwhile personal prescience. The thing
is, none of us is clairvoyant. As a
result, on more than a few occasions, those brash and bold predictions are just
flat out erroneous…just plain wrong!
Such was the case in my “The Decision
II” post.
With today’s post, I am
defying that egotistical stereotype.
Even now I readily admit, I thought LeBron
was more likely to do a self-imposed stint in the D-League than return to Cleveland,
where majority owner, Dan Gilbert
skewered him mercilessly. In a now infamous
open letter to Cleveland Cavaliers’
fans, Mr. Gilbert used the following
terms to disparage LeBron and his
departure:
·
Former hero
·
Deserter
·
Self-promoter
·
Narcissistic
·
Cowardly betrayal
·
Selfish
·
Shameful display
·
Disloyal
·
Heartless
·
Callous
In addition to that Top Ten list of denigrations, the Cavs’ majority owner noted, of James, “Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get
there.”
And if all that was enough,
in an effort to make his position crystal clear, Mr. Gilbert underscored his combination of displeasure and resolve
by heaping on the this jewel of a coal lump:
"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND
CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER 'KING'
WINS ONE"
To that all caps slam, the Quicken Loans founder then added the
piece de resistance: “You can take that
to the bank!”
At the time, I remember
thinking, this dude sounds as though he felt LeBron was a slave…rather than a
man with a contract, who decided to exercise his options. So yes, forgive me if I thought it unlikely
that James would return to the employ of man who had rendered such a scathing
review. And I recognize the more
enlightened among you may say, let the past be the past. But the letter is hardly the past. Penned July
8, 2010, it was on the team’s website at least until July 6, 2014. That is almost
four years to the day, and until just 10
days ago.
In my own defense, if I had
one, I would note that I made my great prognosticatory blunder a day before the
2014 NBA Draft. Let me hasten to add, even though the Cavs got the 1st pick, and used it to select a young man of whom I am
quite fond, I would not endeavor to attempt to deceive you or myself. I would have said the same things the day
after the Draft that I said the day
before the event.
Though I totally missed my
call on the most important aspect of “The
Decision, Part II,” where LeBron
would take his talents, I was spot on regarding the nature of how he executed
his choice. It was everything the 2010 debacle was not. It was low key and understated. It was handled without hype, or at least with
as little hype as possible, when the top basketball player in the world changes
teams. It was handled without rancor
from the team James left, though a
number of fans reacted less civilly than the team’s ownership.
Perhaps because LeBron is not from South Beach, maybe because The
Heat expected him to leave anyway, or just possibly because Micky Arison is, at his core, a better human
being than Dan Gilbert, in contrast
to the Cavs owner’s diatribe from 4 years ago, Mr. Arison issued a simple tweet
expressing his thoughts:
“I am shocked & disappointed in
today's news. However I will never forget what LeBron brought us for 4 years.
Thanks for memories @KingJames.”
So, how was the chasm
bridged that was created by Dan Gilbert’s
letter? Apparently, Mr. Gilbert flew to Miami
where he met with LeBron and
apologized (in private). The “In private” part is significant, if for
no other reason, because the letter
was so very public.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, of Yahoo Sports, Gilbert told James:
"We
had five great years together and one terrible night," "I told him how sorry I was, expressed
regret for how that night went and how I let all the emotion and passion for
situation carry me away. I told him I wish had never done it, that I wish I
could take it back."
In the end, James established that he was the bigger man. Undoubtedly, he could have leveraged a more
public pronouncement, and he might have drawn the process out at least for the
balance of the weekend. But he did
not. He has grown in the past 4
years, and that was evident. This time
he opted to let Dan Gilbert’s wallet do the talking. Aside from that, he of course recognizes that
despite Gilbert’s braggadocio in the wake of him leaving Cleveland,
over the past 4 years, while he was going to 4 NBA Finals
and winning 2 Titles, the Cavs were so woeful, they
received the 1st Draft pick in 2011, 2013, and 2014. Oh yeah, in 2012, they got the 4th
pick. I can only imagine, in a Karma-like
way, LeBron felt that Gilbert, the Cavs, and their fans
have suffered enough.
I also surmise that LeBron had his own motivations for returning
home. Sure, his legacy is important, and
he felt he owed the fans. But he also
has a wife, a mother, and two, soon to be three kids, and their vote and
influence was pivotal, I suspect. Also
don’t forget his homies in Akron.
They have to be thrilled. And now
that the King has actually conquered, by winning two Titles, his reign in Cleveland
shall resume. So, Thomas Wolfe,
take that…“You Can Go Home Again!”
Since apology seems to be
the word-of-the-day, I apologize Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles (Lakers and Clippers), Dallas, Charlotte, Phoenix, Washington, and especially MIA. Congratulations Cleveland!
“Highly Seasoned Please; That’s How I’d Like MyCrow!” I’m done; holla back!”
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