The outpouring of venom from the Cavaliers’ owner and the wrath of jersey-burning fans betrays an underlying, festering resentment that makes James’s decision to leave Cleveland for Miami seem prudent.
This was another extraordinary LeBron moment — first the week-long build-up, then the thousands who gathered Thursday in front of the Boys and Girls Club to be part of “The Decision.” Finally James, playing “The Bachelor,” told us Miami was the lucky franchise.
The most extraordinary part of the event was the reaction of Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert, who responded with a venomous, face-saving personal attack on the team’s Web site that, in its own way, validates James’s decision to leave Cleveland.
In an amazing abdication of leadership — and a remarkable revelation of a flawed character — Gilbert made James a sympathetic figure.
Referring to a “shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own,” Gilbert called James’s decision process “a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with the national TV special of his ‘decision’ unlike anything ever ‘witnessed’ in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.”
Yet it was Gilbert who created the King James monster; it was Gilbert who nurtured and reinforced James’s prima-donna-isms, all of the preening and dancing. Now he acts like a lover scorned and lashes out with gibberish about karma and curses.
Gilbert must think he really owned LeBron James.
Surely, he understands business.
You win some, you lose some. With LeBron James, Gilbert won a lot more than he lost.
The Cavaliers owner built his fortune and owns an N.B.A. franchise. He lost a gem in James. And now he has lost our respect.
Gilbert has released enough players and let go enough employees to understand that loyalty, especially in sports, is largely a matter of convenience and timing.
Loyalty is often jettisoned. Look at the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have lost their jobs through layoffs, cutbacks and downsizing.
LeBron got the Cavs before the Cavs could get him.
Will the Heat win a championship? The games still have to be played. This was about power, leverage and options.
James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh built on the Big Three concept engineered by the Boston Celtics three seasons ago when Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett joined Paul Pierce on the squad.
What James did throughout the entire process — forcing a parade of billionaire owners to make presentations and brokering a TV special — was an unprecedented act of muscle-flexing. This was reminiscent of Muhammad Ali, at least in terms of showmanship and the ability to command a global stage. The process was also part Curt Flood, taking the concept of “free” agency to its outer-most limit.
With more free agency cycles to come, N.B.A. owners cannot be happy about this royal production. Clearly, Gilbert isn’t. He said “this shocking act of disloyalty from our homegrown “chosen one,” sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn.”
On the contrary. There are myriad lessons contained in the James free agency drama. The first is controlling the game; not allowing the game to control you.
Here is James, a 25 year old African American male with a high school diploma commanding a global stage.
Adrienne Baytops, the boys’ basketball coach at the Greenwich Country Day School, was one of the thousands who stood outside the Boys and Girls Club Thursday night.
For Baytops, James’s actions were not about betrayal or ingratitude. “This is his job and he’s got to make the decision for himself,” she said. “The lesson is to stay focused on the big picture and when you’re making a decision, don’t get sidetracked by what others think or say or want you to do. He tried for seven years and it didn’t work.”
But should a player leave one team for another because he or she wants to win?
Baytops explained that she learned only this week that her star 14-year-old point guard was transferring to a high profile school in New York City. “He has an opportunity to go to a dynamic academic school where he’ll get more exposure in basketball,” she said. “We can’t be selfish about these things.”
James has chosen. It’s Miami against all comers. Now James will be expected to deliver a championship there, or be vilified anew.
Muhammad Ali famously said, “Float like a butterfly; sting like a bee.”
He might instead advise James to “Rumble, young man. Rumble.”
source :http://www.nytimes.com
This was another extraordinary LeBron moment — first the week-long build-up, then the thousands who gathered Thursday in front of the Boys and Girls Club to be part of “The Decision.” Finally James, playing “The Bachelor,” told us Miami was the lucky franchise.
The most extraordinary part of the event was the reaction of Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert, who responded with a venomous, face-saving personal attack on the team’s Web site that, in its own way, validates James’s decision to leave Cleveland.
In an amazing abdication of leadership — and a remarkable revelation of a flawed character — Gilbert made James a sympathetic figure.
Referring to a “shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own,” Gilbert called James’s decision process “a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with the national TV special of his ‘decision’ unlike anything ever ‘witnessed’ in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.”
Yet it was Gilbert who created the King James monster; it was Gilbert who nurtured and reinforced James’s prima-donna-isms, all of the preening and dancing. Now he acts like a lover scorned and lashes out with gibberish about karma and curses.
Gilbert must think he really owned LeBron James.
Surely, he understands business.
You win some, you lose some. With LeBron James, Gilbert won a lot more than he lost.
The Cavaliers owner built his fortune and owns an N.B.A. franchise. He lost a gem in James. And now he has lost our respect.
Gilbert has released enough players and let go enough employees to understand that loyalty, especially in sports, is largely a matter of convenience and timing.
Loyalty is often jettisoned. Look at the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have lost their jobs through layoffs, cutbacks and downsizing.
LeBron got the Cavs before the Cavs could get him.
Will the Heat win a championship? The games still have to be played. This was about power, leverage and options.
James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh built on the Big Three concept engineered by the Boston Celtics three seasons ago when Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett joined Paul Pierce on the squad.
What James did throughout the entire process — forcing a parade of billionaire owners to make presentations and brokering a TV special — was an unprecedented act of muscle-flexing. This was reminiscent of Muhammad Ali, at least in terms of showmanship and the ability to command a global stage. The process was also part Curt Flood, taking the concept of “free” agency to its outer-most limit.
With more free agency cycles to come, N.B.A. owners cannot be happy about this royal production. Clearly, Gilbert isn’t. He said “this shocking act of disloyalty from our homegrown “chosen one,” sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn.”
On the contrary. There are myriad lessons contained in the James free agency drama. The first is controlling the game; not allowing the game to control you.
Here is James, a 25 year old African American male with a high school diploma commanding a global stage.
Adrienne Baytops, the boys’ basketball coach at the Greenwich Country Day School, was one of the thousands who stood outside the Boys and Girls Club Thursday night.
For Baytops, James’s actions were not about betrayal or ingratitude. “This is his job and he’s got to make the decision for himself,” she said. “The lesson is to stay focused on the big picture and when you’re making a decision, don’t get sidetracked by what others think or say or want you to do. He tried for seven years and it didn’t work.”
But should a player leave one team for another because he or she wants to win?
Baytops explained that she learned only this week that her star 14-year-old point guard was transferring to a high profile school in New York City. “He has an opportunity to go to a dynamic academic school where he’ll get more exposure in basketball,” she said. “We can’t be selfish about these things.”
James has chosen. It’s Miami against all comers. Now James will be expected to deliver a championship there, or be vilified anew.
Muhammad Ali famously said, “Float like a butterfly; sting like a bee.”
He might instead advise James to “Rumble, young man. Rumble.”
source :http://www.nytimes.com
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