MIDNIGHT IN A PERFECT WORLD
June 30, 2010: Twas the night before Christmas in the NBA…
What we are about to witness (wink wink) is potentially the grandest game of musical chairs in the history of sport and business. Tonight at midnight eastern/9pm pacific, we will a usher in a defining period in the free agency era. It’s Curt Flood’s 1969 vision on steroids and angel dust. Buckle up.
Assuming you’ve followed the bouncing ball, you know that we here at the Califonia Sole Report have focused much of our topical energy on Lebron James. He is a worthy subject. I stand by what I have said about the man and I will continue to unpack my sentiments in this pontification. He is a once-in-a-generation athlete. However, the “once-in-a-generation” handle is not something you can just attribute to anyone with great stats and a long highlight reel. These are mortals that transcend their sport and ascend into immortality, a la Babe Ruth, Micky Mantle, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Jim Brown, Joe Montana et al. Sure, we accept varying degrees of immortality, and sometimes multiple monuments exist in the same era (Magic, Larry, Charles) but overall, most objective sports fans agree that “once in a generation” is just that. As much as I cringe, it is fair to say Kobe Bryant is now flirting with the esteemed attribution. Unfortunately for Kobe, since he is such a salty, calculating personality, bereft of both charisma and Q-scores, it is difficult to claim his accomplishments on the court have transcended the beyond City of Angels. Okay, but back to the lecture at hand…
King James has all of the tangibles and intangibles for meta-level ascension. Since High School, he has been called “The Chosen One“. Still, as of today, his flight has been delayed. What we are hearing from the various camps reporting on this free-agency boondoggle is that Lebron is uber-intrigued by the possibility of playing alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, his buddies from Team USA. Wade has (reportedly) lobbied hard (with the blessing of Pat Riley the Don) to bring all three superstars to South Beach. Anybody who has studied Lebron over the years or has watched the seminal documentary “More Than A Game,” understands his passion and commitment to TEAM. An only child born to a single mother, the camaraderie he fosters with his brothers-in-arms on the hardwood is akin to family ties. This is, perhaps, an aspect of his NBA career that in the seven years in Cleveland, never manifested in the way he had hoped. With Bosh and Wade, arguably two of his closest friends, he can re-create the type of family he had at St. Vincent/St.Mary while competing for NBA championships. I get this appeal. I just don’t support it. Not for his caliber of superstar.
If Lebron is truly a once-in-a-generation athlete, this maneuver (despite each player agreeing to less money under the cap) is too collusive and convenient. Legends TRANSCEND. If James goes to Miami to play on an All-Star team, he will compromise his legacy. Ditto for Chicago, which will always be, obviously, Michael’s mecca. Furthermore, Miami is a football town, as Florida is a football state. The Heat fan-base is a smattering of loyalists and local ban-wagoners that show up in cream-colored gabardines and bedazzled D&G tee shirts, waiving white rags at playoff games. The city has no rich tradition of basketball and, they won a Championship just a few years ago, which was a great accomplishment for Wade and Shaq and Riley but for the rest of us NBA fans… a low-rated shoulder shrug. I also get Lebron’s urge to win now. To paraphrase Yoda, “much work to do he has…” and rebuilding a franchise without the guarantee of camaraderie or organizational eminence may be ultimately unappealing. But, Lebron seems too passive in this process thus far. He has hinted (on Larry King) Cleveland has an edge. Really? How? D-Wade has been active, if not vocal. Meetings have taken place in Miami. Lebron has been deafeningly silent as his organization cleaned house. He hasn’t lobbied anyone to come to Cleveland. All reports indicate that James has immense affinity for the community where he grew up and would still love to bring the city a Championship, but that rhetoric does not match his behavior. (Let’s throw the “tampering” argument out the window, because we all know the back-channel moves are ongoing and leaky.) And if it’s just about winning a title quickly, why doesn’t he use his clout to have Mitch Kupchak orchestrate a deal that would send LBJ to the Lakers? There has got to be some hunger in him for a challenge. And as previously stated, only two-teams provide Lebron with the type of legacy lift he needs for that immortal ascension. NEW YORK and CLEVELAND.
Not Miami. Not Chicago. Not New Jersey.
It is increasingly impossible for Mcfly to strip away the objectivity. I have been a miserable Knicks fan for a decade and, since Lebron has turned down every opportunity for signing an extension with the Cavs, the Knicks have been on a Lebron-or-bust mission for the past three years, desperately clearing cap room to attract LBJ and another max-deal player. They have compromised multiple seasons and draft picks. They have no existing pieces. They have been a wretched franchise and still, Knicks fans almost unanimously supported the objective. Now, early indications are that the Knicks are totally out of the Lebron sweepstakes, and so they have started floating ludicrous, unsourced reports stating they don’t want Lebron. It’s infuriating. On the eve of the biggest moment in the history of the franchise, why are they posturing and spin-doctoring?!? 
Joe Johnson and Amar’e ain’t gonna do it folks. And, with due respect, they are barely a consolation prize if James, Wade and Bosh are playing on the same team in the same division. Good luck getting through them in the Playoffs. Adding Lebron is also addition by subtraction (they won’t have to get through his team in the playoffs) and the Knicks need to fight like their franchise depends on it. And will SOMEBODY (other than Mcfly) please make a more compelling case to King James that legends do legendary things and transcend! “Concrete Jungle where dreams are made of…” etc. etc.
This is where Lebron needs to hold up his end of the bargain. Wherever he chooses, it will be the biggest free-agency signing in the history of sports. Tomorrow’s movements could, in all likelihood, define the free-agency/salary cap era.
Will he lift off and become the Chosen One, that once-in-a-generation athlete? Or will he SETTLE for great stats and a long highlight reel, playing a role, sharing the ball (and spotlight) with his superstar friends, maybe even winning a few titles? The fork in the road is finally upon us. A legacy hangs in the balance. Will it be midnight in a perfect world for Knicks fans?
Stay tuned…
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