I'm Taking My Talents...

Everyone watching the NBA playoffs knows, so far, this has been one of the greatest NBA playoffs in recent memory. And can there be any doubt why? Because LeBron James went to Miami. LeBron's move changed the dynamic of the NBA. Teams interested in winning all needed to adjust. Get younger, get bigger, get faster, get stronger. The Celtics traded Perkins in anticipation of the Miami series. Perkins filled in a hole in OKC, making them a legitimate contender in the West. Dallas got Chandler. Chicago got Boozer and started playing with incredible character. The only team who didn't change were the champion Lakers, except for a few unimportant bench trades. But with the LeBron move, it signaled to the top teams, a convergence of talent and created a top tier of NBA teams, most of whom are still left in the playoffs. Then there have been some nice surprises to add subplots - the Grizzlies, Chris Paul's return, etc. But the excitement can all be traced back to LeBron.

Watching the Boston series so far...and man...I can't help but think back on the trade and how so many people got on LeBron's case. Probably foremost was Bill Simmons citing LeBron's decision of going to Miami as some sort of surrender to Wade and fear of being an alpha dog. But I can remember those Cleveland-Boston series where LeBron would score 45 points and still end up losing the game. Now, in these first two games, he plays well and then win by 10 easy. They're going to win the series. How can you call James a sell-out for going to a better team with a better chance of winning? How is this not different from what Garnett and Ray Allen did in '08, just earlier in his career? How was his not a smarter move?

I got on Kobe's case for breaking up a championship team over his ego to become the alpha-dog. He couldn't stand Shaq being the dominant player as a youngster and forced the drama, losing several years of his prime to being relegated to the middle of the pack. You have to remember those years - Phoenix would dominate the Lakers in the playoffs. It wasn't until they got Gasol did the Lakers become a contender. And this was fine for Kobe since Gasol posed no threat to be the alpha dog. And so in a way, you can say it all worked out for Kobe, although these are such a weird team, these Lakers. I don't even think die-hard Laker fans really like this team. They root for them, but they don't like them. Certainly don't love them. LeBron never had this chance as a young player. He never had a supporting cast or a savvy veteran. Look at any champ in the modern era - Magic had Kareem at first and later Worthy. Bird had McHale and Parish. Isiah had Joe Dumars, Bill Lambier, Dennis Rodman. Jordan had Pippen. Shaq had Kobe and then Kobe had Gasol. Pierce got Garnett and Allen.

NBA writers talk shit about players like Bernard King, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, etc, etc, the list goes on and on, about great players who never won a championship like it is some sort of curse on their career. LeBron saw this as his future in Cleveland - how could he not? Who was the best player LeBron had in his entire career with Cleveland? Z? Mo Williams? Varejao? Antawn Jamison? Are you kidding me?

And now you look at his other options - New York? Yeah, right. See Carmelo. Chicago? How is that situation significantly different from Cleveland with the rise of Rose?

Anyhow, it's not like James going to Miami makes them a team everyone wants to root for. I get it. They've become like the Yankees...a team that is buying a championship rather than growing one. But to blame James for Cleveland's inability to put the right pieces around him is a little nutty. To challenge his character to want to play with other good players...maybe James foresaw the future of the NBA moreso than anyone else and knew he had to teammate-up in order to contend. God...doesn't sound like such a terrible concept to me.