However, this August in particular has also been time for reflection for fans of professional basketball. A reflection upon a free agency period that has been in the making since a secret meeting in a locker room in Beijing when three young men planned the end of pride and loyalty in professional sports.
Chris Bosh, the face of Toronto basketball, and Lebron James, the kid from Akron, conspired with a former NBA champion, Mr. Dwayne Wade, to steer the fortunes of three franchises and the entire NBA, along a path of selfishness and market value over winning attitudes.
July 1st was the first day these men could negotiate their futures. On this day Bosh, the only marketable basketball player in Toronto cut all communications with the franchise that drafted him and coddled him for the better part of a decade. The team effectively forced their offence through a player who, truth be told, is not the same caliber as Mr. James and Mr. Wade.
Now, to be fair, Bosh was a free agent and it was his prerogative to sign with another team. It was, however, callous and generally unsportsmanlike to taught and test the fans who supported him for his seven years in the city of Toronto. This, of course, refers to the use of Twitter to announce his free agency like a traveling circus of self-centered insanity.
Granted, the Raptors fan base (henceforth known as “Truthers”) are a rabid passionate bunch that keep far too close of an eye on any word said about their team. But, the way Bosh went about choosing his next team was insensitive and disrespectful considering an entire country followed him even when they had to cater to his specific game; one that relies more on isolation with very little team game involved. Chris Bosh betrayed a country and should be treated with the same respect that is granted towards past quitters like Tracy McGrady, and more importantly Air Canada himself; Vincent Lamar Carter.
On the other hand, there is Lebron; Mr. Two-Time MVP. The kid who was supposed to change the game forever with his skill set, instead changed the game with branding and marketing and in a very harmful way no less.
Mr. James went about his free agency quietly at first, with teams in the wings planning years in advance to woo his services. Those of note include: New York, New Jersey, LA Clippers, and the Chicago Bulls. Lebron heard the pitches from all these teams but it was assumed that Lebron would not leave the Cav’s; the team that drafted him and continuously retooled with expensive talent to give the MVP a shot at the title.
Then, Lebron heard wind of the Bosh signing in Miami and everything changed. He remembered that meeting in Beijing. He remembered the notorious dream that they all thought of doing. James then jumped at the chance to join his draft mates to form the most powerful trio the NBA has seen.
Fine, Lebron chose Miami; his free agency, his choice. Oh wait, he decide to glorify the announcement by going on ESPN and informing his former team, and the world, in one of the most ridiculous spectacles that has been seen in sports. In what was known as “The Decision” (a clever marketing ploy based on the show “The Bachelor”), James informed the world that he was “taking his talents to south beach;” a phrase which has now become mainstream lingo for going number 2.
Cleveland was ablaze with the fires of Wine and Gold James jerseys, and Lebron betrayed his hometown for the equivalent of a young busty blonde.
So now the stage is set for the 2010-2011 season with Miami as the heavy favorites. Rather then winning it on their own, these three men joined together to take the easy route. James promised 7 championships in a row; can you have seven years with asterisks beside them? I guess I’ll have to ask A-Rod, someone who’s had the most recent experience with cheating.
In the end, the NBA is left with few hopeful competitors, and the competitive balance in the league has been severely shifted. Miami’s principle competition comes from Orlando, Boston, and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. But if Cabrel ‘Cabbie’ Richards tweet after ‘The Decision’ proves correct, the only hope to end Miami’s dream may come down to one player who is no stranger to playing the bad guy; Kobe Bryant.
"While Lebron was 'taking his talents to south beach,' Kobe was hitting jumpers: with the lights burnt out.”
-Todd Vaughan
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