Not too long ago, LeBron James broke the hearts of everyone within a 1000 mile radius of Cleveland and basically told the rest of the sports world that the smell of rings was more important than being a beloved hometown hero. He ditched a team of has beens and never weres for a group of super friends (with even more has beens and never weres) in a warmer climate with no income tax. At the surface, James is nothing more than an egotistical maniac who thinks hardware is more important than a legacy. But if you dig deeper than that, if you crawl through the fields of bullshit that is LeBronomania, you’ll find the true nature of James: that regardless of what he does when the ball’s not in his hands, he is one of the greatest players to ever play the game. And as much as it hurts to say this, he deserves to be MVP for the third year in a row.
When he wore the number 23 Cavaliers’ jersey, James was adored by fans all over the world. He was cursed to be the prophet-kid from Akron, and he was overly ambitious about promising the city of Cleveland a ring. But regardless, he made a cast of nobodies and barely somebodies into a team that had the league-best record for years, and was always the powerhouse of the East. He gave that city seven great seasons and came close to winning that elusive prize for the trophy starved city. But when the time came to rebuild, he hung up his rock and roll shoes and flew the coup, headed south and bailed for warmer waters. In one televised hour he went from prophet to pariah, from savior to scumbag.
He cut all ties from Cleveland. His number changed and so did his attitude. But the key factor in determining whether or not James deserves to be MVP is how his talents (regardless of where they he took them) were put to use. And to just watch him and the Miami Heat get rolling is nothing short of a work of nature. He plays with a skill level unparalleled in the NBA, a 6-foot-8 mass of sheer God-given talent that even the greats have to wonder if he’s part Olympian. Many questioned his level competitiveness when he left for Miami, but to see him play we can see he still has something left.
The thing to look at in figuring the MVP is to look at how two franchises were completely reshaped in the wake of Decision 2010. Cleveland went from the league leader to the bottom rung of the ladder. The Cavs set a record for most losses in a row, and became not only the worst team in the league, but also arguably the worst team in NBA history. The Heat, meanwhile, were prophesized to break the Bulls’ record of 72 wins in one season and to take home as many as seven rings. While the Heat came up short on those promises, they’re feared and hated by all, and have the weapons at their disposal to make mincemeat out of just about anybody in the league.
You heard about the sacrifice made by the Three Kings of South Beach in their pursuit of the rings, but the only real sacrifice came from LeBron. Chris Bosh was never going anywhere and was overhyped in free agency. People like Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard and Amar’e Stoudemire make Bosh look like a flustered cocker spaniel in a Michael Vick dog fight. He gets pushed around by the tough guys, and he just rolls over and takes it. But he was the go to man in Toronto, and came to Miami thinking he could ride the coattails of the Other Two all the way to the finals. The only things Bosh gave up were a paycheck and the false rumor that he would be the third of a Big Three.
Dwyane Wade didn’t give up a thing. He got to stay home and keep his team.
So the only real loser in 2010 was LeBron. He gave up being loved and respected. He gave up a home. He gave up a reputation. All for the hope that maybe the new guys could help him where others had failed. LeBron gave up everything in an all-or-bust strategy.
James will never be forgiven for what he did, but at the same time he should not be penalized for it forever. He still deserves to be MVP even if he ruined the hopes of a fading city. He takes teams that otherwise wouldn’t go anywhere and brings them farther than they could dream. The last time Wade made it to the Finals was with the help of Shaq, and Bosh probably never even dreamed about making it to the Conference Semi-Finals. LeBron has always been on the cursed team that coulda-shoulda-woulda won the Finals, if they had had a few more pieces to the LeBron James puzzle. Maybe eventually the Heat will be able to figure out how Wade and Bosh fit into that puzzle. Until then, LeBron is on his own and the Heat will falter and fail. Like every team James is on. That’s the cross he bears. He’s debatably one of the top three players ever to play professional basketball. But he also is doomed to fall short of the mark every time.
That alone should get him MVP.
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