"This fall I'm taking my talents to South Beach, and join the Miami Heat."
Just one sentence. That's all it took to send the NBA world into a frenzy. Just one sentence may have decided the championships and MVP awards for the next five seasons at least. LeBron James, the best player in the world entering his prime, is joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat to form the lastest incarnation of a "Big 3". And as good as that sounds, I'm not alone in saying that I have a bunch of questions. For LeBron, was it the right decision? And will this attempt at creating a superteam actually work? And how many titles (if any) can this team win? Let's start with the first question.
First off, LeBron was in a no win situation. Let's face it. If he went to New York or New Jersey people would have said "He only cares about money, winning isn't that important." If he went to Chicago, people would have said "He's trying too hard to be like Jordan. What an ego." If he stayed with the Cavs, people would have brought up the whole "Yeah, he stayed in Cleveland, but they aren't going anywhere. He must have stayed for the money." And now that he's gone to Miami, people are calling him a "coward" because he's "looking for the easy way out by playing with another superstar in Wade and an elite power forward in Chris Bosh." No matter what choice LeBron made, he was bound to tick someone off. Even Bill Simmons, once a great James supporter who has been soured on him by this whole ordeal said in his column before the decision was made: "In May, after the Cavs were ousted in the conference semifinals, I wrote that LeBron was facing one of the greatest sports decisions ever: "winning (Chicago), loyalty (Cleveland) or a chance at immortality (New York). I never thought he would pick 'HELP!'"
Personally, I think that's selling LeBron short. I don't understand why everyone is hating on a choice where a star player is considering taking less money in order to win not one, not two, but three or more championships. This is an attempt at creating a dynasty. That being said, I'm not sure that it was the greatest choice. I think that Chicago would have been a better fit for LeBron, a team with a bona-fide second banana (Derrick Rose), an excellent rebounder/post scorer (Carlos Boozer), a high energy post defender/great rebounder (Joakim Noah) and a good perimeter scorer (Luol Deng). Everything was set up perfectly for multiple championship runs. And, there was a supporting cast with defined roles, which is the biggest hole in the "Superteam" approach. So do I think LeBron made the right choice? I can't really say. But I don't think that he made the best choice. I would have gone with the Bulls if it was me.
Now as for whether this plan works, that is much tougher. Miami now has the best top 3 in the NBA. However, they don't have any real role players. The question you have to ask yourself is, does that really matter? I mean, you have two of the three best players in the NBA. Plus, you have one of the top 5 power forwards in the NBA. That's a lot of talent, regardless of the supporting cast. Also, keep in mind that LeBron's Cavaliers won 66 and then 61 games the last two seasons with much less than Bosh and Wade. Also, assuming the Big Three does as they say they will and take less money in order to play together, then maybe the can go out and get a quality role player (like Mike Miller, who has reportedly agreed to a 5 year $30 million contract). Then maybe they can get some other pieces to add size up front, like a Juwan Howard or a Zydrunas Ilgauskas, or, just maybe Shaquille O'Neal. If they can fill out the roster that way, then Miami will be in buisness.
The next question has to be can LeBron and Wade (two alpha dogs in their own right) coexist on the same team? Most people are saying yes, but I have to disagree. I think that Wade will end up being the crunch time scorer and ultimately the team's alpha dog, while LeBron will be a super athletic mix of Magic Johnson and Scottie Pippen: Makes amazing plays on the offensive and defensive end, controls the pace of the game, takes over at times, and will get his 25 points, 8 rebounds, and around 9 or 10 assists in the flow of the game. But the only way that will work is if the egos of both players cooperate, and I believe that they will.
And now for the final, and most important question of all: How many championships will this team win? And will they win this year? The answer to that, as I said earlier, depends on how Miami fills out the roster and how the egos of the three stars cooperate. While most NBA fans don't think that this will work, I disagree. I think this is a choice based around winning, and Wade, LeBron, and Bosh are all willing to make the sacrifices necessaryto win multiple titles. I think that in the next five years, I think that Miami wins 4 titles. Will they win this year? I say...yes. Again, they need to bring in more role players, but the Heat are just as good as any other team that they have to play. The Celtics are getting old, the Lakers are getting old too (and, as the Thunder proved last year, aren't exactly invinceable), the Bulls will be improved, but I'm not sure if they'll be better than the Heat, and Orlando has Vince Carter so they won't be winning anything. I predict 63 wins for Miami in 2011, the top seed in the East, and a Finals victory over the Lakers in 6 games.
This decision by not only LeBron but Wade and Bosh as well has changed the future of the NBA. For better or for worse, we are headed in a far different direction than if King James had just stayed with Cleveland. Not only titles could be swung, but MVP awards as well (you think LeBron can keep winning MVP awards with Wade and Bosh in his spotlight? Not likely. Congratulations Kevin Durant on winning the next five MVP awards). And whether you liked the move or not, you have to admit that next season is going to be exciting. I know I'm excited.
And besides, as long as the Lakers don't win and Kobe doesn't get another ring, I'm happy.
____________________________________________________________
You can follow the Boston Sports Fan on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/gregis111
Just one sentence. That's all it took to send the NBA world into a frenzy. Just one sentence may have decided the championships and MVP awards for the next five seasons at least. LeBron James, the best player in the world entering his prime, is joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat to form the lastest incarnation of a "Big 3". And as good as that sounds, I'm not alone in saying that I have a bunch of questions. For LeBron, was it the right decision? And will this attempt at creating a superteam actually work? And how many titles (if any) can this team win? Let's start with the first question.
First off, LeBron was in a no win situation. Let's face it. If he went to New York or New Jersey people would have said "He only cares about money, winning isn't that important." If he went to Chicago, people would have said "He's trying too hard to be like Jordan. What an ego." If he stayed with the Cavs, people would have brought up the whole "Yeah, he stayed in Cleveland, but they aren't going anywhere. He must have stayed for the money." And now that he's gone to Miami, people are calling him a "coward" because he's "looking for the easy way out by playing with another superstar in Wade and an elite power forward in Chris Bosh." No matter what choice LeBron made, he was bound to tick someone off. Even Bill Simmons, once a great James supporter who has been soured on him by this whole ordeal said in his column before the decision was made: "In May, after the Cavs were ousted in the conference semifinals, I wrote that LeBron was facing one of the greatest sports decisions ever: "winning (Chicago), loyalty (Cleveland) or a chance at immortality (New York). I never thought he would pick 'HELP!'"
Personally, I think that's selling LeBron short. I don't understand why everyone is hating on a choice where a star player is considering taking less money in order to win not one, not two, but three or more championships. This is an attempt at creating a dynasty. That being said, I'm not sure that it was the greatest choice. I think that Chicago would have been a better fit for LeBron, a team with a bona-fide second banana (Derrick Rose), an excellent rebounder/post scorer (Carlos Boozer), a high energy post defender/great rebounder (Joakim Noah) and a good perimeter scorer (Luol Deng). Everything was set up perfectly for multiple championship runs. And, there was a supporting cast with defined roles, which is the biggest hole in the "Superteam" approach. So do I think LeBron made the right choice? I can't really say. But I don't think that he made the best choice. I would have gone with the Bulls if it was me.
Now as for whether this plan works, that is much tougher. Miami now has the best top 3 in the NBA. However, they don't have any real role players. The question you have to ask yourself is, does that really matter? I mean, you have two of the three best players in the NBA. Plus, you have one of the top 5 power forwards in the NBA. That's a lot of talent, regardless of the supporting cast. Also, keep in mind that LeBron's Cavaliers won 66 and then 61 games the last two seasons with much less than Bosh and Wade. Also, assuming the Big Three does as they say they will and take less money in order to play together, then maybe the can go out and get a quality role player (like Mike Miller, who has reportedly agreed to a 5 year $30 million contract). Then maybe they can get some other pieces to add size up front, like a Juwan Howard or a Zydrunas Ilgauskas, or, just maybe Shaquille O'Neal. If they can fill out the roster that way, then Miami will be in buisness.
The next question has to be can LeBron and Wade (two alpha dogs in their own right) coexist on the same team? Most people are saying yes, but I have to disagree. I think that Wade will end up being the crunch time scorer and ultimately the team's alpha dog, while LeBron will be a super athletic mix of Magic Johnson and Scottie Pippen: Makes amazing plays on the offensive and defensive end, controls the pace of the game, takes over at times, and will get his 25 points, 8 rebounds, and around 9 or 10 assists in the flow of the game. But the only way that will work is if the egos of both players cooperate, and I believe that they will.
And now for the final, and most important question of all: How many championships will this team win? And will they win this year? The answer to that, as I said earlier, depends on how Miami fills out the roster and how the egos of the three stars cooperate. While most NBA fans don't think that this will work, I disagree. I think this is a choice based around winning, and Wade, LeBron, and Bosh are all willing to make the sacrifices necessaryto win multiple titles. I think that in the next five years, I think that Miami wins 4 titles. Will they win this year? I say...yes. Again, they need to bring in more role players, but the Heat are just as good as any other team that they have to play. The Celtics are getting old, the Lakers are getting old too (and, as the Thunder proved last year, aren't exactly invinceable), the Bulls will be improved, but I'm not sure if they'll be better than the Heat, and Orlando has Vince Carter so they won't be winning anything. I predict 63 wins for Miami in 2011, the top seed in the East, and a Finals victory over the Lakers in 6 games.
This decision by not only LeBron but Wade and Bosh as well has changed the future of the NBA. For better or for worse, we are headed in a far different direction than if King James had just stayed with Cleveland. Not only titles could be swung, but MVP awards as well (you think LeBron can keep winning MVP awards with Wade and Bosh in his spotlight? Not likely. Congratulations Kevin Durant on winning the next five MVP awards). And whether you liked the move or not, you have to admit that next season is going to be exciting. I know I'm excited.
And besides, as long as the Lakers don't win and Kobe doesn't get another ring, I'm happy.
____________________________________________________________
You can follow the Boston Sports Fan on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/gregis111
Like you said it was a no win situation. He went for the thought of multiple titles. I don't blame him. Miami was his best chance of winning in the long run. I feel if he went to Chicago, Rose would have tried to do more then he needed to, since he needs to prove something for his eventual pay day. Those important role players will fill in over time. Who wouldn't want to play with three players of that caliber? I think Lebron and Wade can work together on the same team. Yeah, they both will need to make sacrafices in their playing styles (mostly Lebron). Lebron will have to play more of the facilitator role (maybe a point-forward??). We got a small dose of it for team USA and that was with more superstars in Kobe, Melo, and CP3 (even though it was only six games)and it worked. What team can match-up with them on the court. Bosh is a dominant power forward and Lebron and Wade speak for themselves. You can't double team one because you have to worry about the others. And if Miami can add another perimeter shooter (Mike Miller) then he will have a huge impact with the amount of easy shot that will open up. But, Miami's main need is big bodies. If they can get big men like Brad Miller, they can tame players like Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Garnett, etc. in the paint. I can see them having a good chance to win this year, or at least making a far playoff run.
ReplyDeleteGreg -
ReplyDeleteI think that LeBron will be extremely lucky if this "decision" turns out even half as positively as you predict it might. In my opinion, this will be the beginning of the end of the era of LeBron, just as it looked like the sky was the limit for this superstar.
First, his image will place right behind Tiger Woods in terms of how fast it will hit the shitter. I disagree with the suggestion that he was screwed no matter where he signed, that people would find fault with it either way. In fact, if he had stayed in Cleveland he would be worshipped in a way no other sports hero has by his city. Everyone in any city would see that he was making the choice to stand by his hometown. If he went to New York, he would be embracing the challenge of reviving a once storied franchise, while doing it on the largest stage in the world. As you argue, even if he went to the Bulls, he would be picking an above average team that just needed him to start collecting the rings. All of these situations provide good storylines for the image of LeBron James.
Yet, he chose the cowardly way out. He chose to take the pressure off of himself and join a super team of hired mercenaries who will treat an NBA championship like it is their birthright. Could you see Michael, Magic, Kobe or Larry ever make the decision to do something like this if they played in this era? Of course not. LeBron's comment about this way he wont have to score a high shooting percentage or 30 every night for his team to do well is sickening. When was the last time a true superstar said "guys, take the pressure off me, I don;t want to have to play my best tonight for us to win".
Besides the fact that everyone sees this is the easiest way out of LeBron's dillemma, his lack of a championship, i also doubt it will be as easy as LeBron and Dwayne Wade think. You bring up that the supporting cast around the Miami Thrice will be godawful and you're right. No matter how good your players are, you need more than three. I think the combination of egos will end up being catastrophic.
There's obviously a ton to say on this subject, but I'll conclude by saying the Heat will definitely be my new least favorite team in the NBA fr a while, and time will tell if theyll truly overcome the Lakers in that area. I'm predicting a Bulls-Thunder final btw and I can not wait for this season to play out. Good column.
-SH09
Greg, I have to agree with you, but we will have to see if this works first before we can start talking multiple championships. I have a feeling they will make a run for it this year but be upseted by a team with an aging core that knows how to win, (and its not LA)I know your probably thinking im crazy, but I have a feeling that there will be someone that beats the heat in there 1st year with there so called "new BIG3", and If the heat do win, i will be happy for them because LA didnt win, and as long as the Lakers lose, im all good. By the way, great column.
ReplyDelete-T.W