The Catch. The Drive. The Fumble. The Move. For the past 50 years, heartbreak has had a presence in the city of Cleveland. Now, after seven years of hope and expectations, there is The Decision (Presented by the University of Phoenix). As you've seen this morning, this was a move that will forever live in infamy in Cleveland, Ohio. However, the good news for Cavs die hards is that Dan Gilbert - yes the man who repeatedly failed to find LBJ an adequate supporting cast for 7 years - is now making guarantees that he will win a title before LeBron does. Now I never planned to write an article ripping on the city and the franchise, you know because I have a heart and all, but the letter that Dan Gilbert wrote and his comments to press honestly make me ashamed to live in the same state as him. The man acts as if LeBron is property of his franchise, the city of Cleveland, and the state of Ohio, but that is simply not the case.
Despite everything he says about loyalty, LeBron had every right to leave. He played out his contract and decided that he wanted to move on after it expired. Dozens of other players will make this same decision during the next few weeks, but you won't see Mark Cuban, Micky Arison, or Peter Holt lowering themselves to this level. As much as we all hate Mike Brown, he would never even sink to this level. And by the way, with this whole loyalty thing, wasn't Gilbert the one who fired pretty much everyone on his staff a few months ago? And I'm not even talking about the fans, who frankly remind me of the jury on the season finale of Survivor All Stars. To quote the great Chad Ochocinco, "So when a free agent leaves he's a traitor but when a team cuts your ass its part of the business?" What LeBron did was not selfish, not disloyal, and not cowardly, although I do agree that the ESPN special was a bit excessive, and he would've been better off just texting J.A. Adande or even updating his new Twitter. I personally announced my decision to sign with Mack Is Berning via a loose leaf piece of paper during Mr. Wilkins' Period G Morality and Justice class, but what are you going to do? The market was there, the interest was there, and I would bet my Andre Rison Chiefs jersey that more people watched The Decision than will watch any Cavaliers game next year. Take that to the bank, Dan Gilbert.
Now, on to the actual decision. I can't blame him for wanting to play in Miami, and neither should anyone else. First, he has the opportunity to play with a former Finals MVP in Wade, one of the best young bigs in the league with Bosh, and a promising point guard in Chalmers. In addition, he will be playing under one of the greatest figures in NBA History with Pat Riley, who has 7 combined titles in his playing and coaching career. Much better than 7-3 oafs from Lithuania and point guards who bang your mom, don't you think? Throw this in with the fact that D-Wade and Bosh are two of his best friends, and that they already won an Olympic Gold together, and it seems really hard to pass up.
Also, and probably more importantly, I think that South Florida is a slightly more attractive place to live. If there are any Cleveland natives getting offended by this, answer this question 100% honestly: If your job offered to transfer you to Miami, you'd take it in a heartbeat, right? Now, my experience with the city is pretty much limited to watching Burn Notice a couple of times every week, but it was enough to sell me. Replace Lake Erie with South Beach, and that's pretty much what you get. So, instead of shoveling snow of your driveway, you can sip margaritas on your yacht. Sure, it might be more expensive to live in, but his contract will cover him, not to mention the benefits of lower taxes and a conservative governor. Plus, where else can you have neighbors such as The Rock, Pitbull, and Trick Daddy. Enough said. I am truly sorry to all Cleveland fans. It's not their fault that they have crappy sports team, but it's also not LeBron's fault that people demand that he handcuffs himself to one of these teams. Good luck begging Carmelo and Chris Paul to come up north next year, Danny Boy.
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