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Jason Carmel Davis is a copy editor/page designer with the Oakland Press and Heritage Newspapers. Davis has also written a number of offbeat sports columns for other publications, as he has an unhealthy obsession with all things athletics. It's so unhealthy that he has planned the births of his (future) children around Bowl Season, the Super Bowl, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and the NBA and NFL drafts.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Two people should be looked at differently after LeBron saga

Was the whole thing orchestrated? What's LeBron James' legacy? Who's put together the deal that put James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh together in Miami?

Those are just some of the questions that need to be answered. But not by me.

There are two people very close to this situation who I believe have shown their true colors after James made his decision.

James will never be considered an 'all-time great'
Bob Cousy. James Worthy. Sam Jones. Billy Cunningham. Those are just a few of some of the best players in the history of the NBA. James' name will be added to that list, but it'll be mixed in with those mentioned above and not the likes of Magic, Bird, Russell and Jordan.

On several occasions, I've heard James speak of wanting to be the greatest of all time. How can something like that be achieved when he - and Bosh and, to a much lesser extent, Wade - essentially said, "I can't build up a championship team as the Alpha Dog. I have to play alongside other "great" players to win titles?"

When Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen teamed up in Boston in 2007, each of those three were on the downside of their respective, hall-of-fame careers. They all attempted, for more than a decade, to lead teams to the promiseland and came up short. Wade, James and Bosh are just hitting their primes. Why not build up a team so you can be placed on the short list of the best players of all time?

I have no doubt Miami will win multiple titles, no matter what is placed around James, Wade and Bosh. And I believe each of those three will be enshrined in Springfield one day. But when that happens, it was supposed to, so it won't receive the fanfare that maybe it should. If they don't win, though, this whole thing is a colossal failure. For James especially.

I know Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant both openly complained at times about teammates and coaching philosophies, but neither left. People fail to remember that Kobe played on a Lakers squad that won just 34 games in the 2004-05 season. That was after four Finals' appearances in five years and three titles.

But LeBron did leave. Which has people looking at him in a whole different light. But he isn't the only person who should be looked at differently.

Dan Gilbert has no class
Narcissistic. Self-promoting. Quitter. Those are just a few of the choice words Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert used to describe James after he made his decision.

While I would understand that coming from a fan - the word does come from "fanatic," after all - that made Gilbert sound like a bitter ex who didn't do enough to make their former companion stick around. His comments were as classless as the casts of those "Real Housewives" shows. James was a FREE agent. He was free to go where he pleased. While I may not agree with his decision (I would have picked Chicago), or the fact that there was an hour-long special dedicated to that decision, it was his decision and his alone.

Disloyal was another word Gilbert used to describe James. I thought that was interesting seeing as though Gilbert has shown more disloyalty as anyone over the past couple months.

Former Cavs head coach Mike Brown, he of 127 wins the last two years and the only coach to lead Cleveland to the Finals. FIRED.

Former Cavs GM Danny Ferry, the architect of the teams that won 127 games in two years. FIRED.

Gilbert tried to steal away the coach (Tom Izzo) of his alma mater, my alma mater, my friends' alma mater (Michigan State). Dan Gilbert should be the last person discussing loyalty. Like I said, he essentially played the role of the jilted lover and said, "you'll never find anybody better. You're a loser," when he really didn't have a reason to feel that way but just couldn't express his feelings in another fashion. That reeks of a guy who didn't have a "plan B."

People have said Gilbert made those comments in defense of the city. He doesn't care about that city. He cares about his bottom line. Gilbert's from Michigan, but made his money and his name elsewhere, so how can he be so upset at someone for doing the same? All he's REALLY upset about is that his team is worth as much as a '78 AMC Pacer right about now.

How can Gilbert, a self-made man from all accounts, act so classless toward another self-made man. He's taking out his frustrations on someone who grew up below the poverty level in a single-parent household. James' mother, Gloria, birthed him when she was 16. That he was even in the position to be able to decide where to play says a lot in itself. Again, while I don't agree with James' decision, it's his decision. He has to live with it. Not Dan Gilbert.

We all forgot about a certain team
So it's over now. No more free agency summit talk. No more guessing where James will play. And who's probably the happiest about all that? Kobe Bryant, who's been on television for about 45 seconds during this whole episode. You remember Kobe and the Lakers, don't you? The team that's won back-to-back titles. I don't think they'll bow to Miami so easily.

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