The Aaron Davila Experience

Lebron, his mom, and the NBA after “The Decision”

Lebron James will now be taking his collossal ego to Miami to play alongside fellow superstars dwade and Chris Bosh. In a move that animated critics from around the country, James announced his decision live on an espn special program titled “The Decision”. Immediately after James dropped the words “I’m taking my talents to south beach” two American cities quickly experienced polarizing emotions. Cleveland, Lebron’s home for 25 years, lost its most precious natural resource. Miami, fresh off the high of securing their franchise player and adding another superstar in Bosh, topped the cake off by adding the most coveted free agent in NBA history.

Most notable is the reaction in Cleveland, the only place Lebron has ever called home. Cavalier fans gathered at bars all over Cleveland to eagerly hear “The Decision” and while both cities woke up friday morning with hangovers, only Cleveland had the headache of looking towards a future without Lebron. Understandably, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who has claimed that James has consistently ignored his phone calls during this offseason, issued a statement that arguably could be interpreted as a call to arms to mobs of angry cavalier fans, who have already begun to erase the murals of Lebron James in the streets of Cleveland.

If you haven’t heard the statement already, here it is:

“This shocking act of disloyalty from our homegrown “chosen one” sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And “who” we would want them to grow up to become.

In the sports world, these comments are as juicy as it gets, even when the comments themselves merit no truth in reality. For example, this comment by Gilbert:

“I personally guarantee that the Cleveland Cavaliers will win an NBA Championship before the self-titled former ‘king’ wins one.”

Gotta love it

James’ decision is a surprise to the many who never questioned the man’s loyalty. After all, James has the word “loyalty” tattoed on his chest and has consistently invoked the city of Cleveland as the place where his heart belongs. He has taken pride in his status as the “hometown kid” and would easily win a future gubernatorial election in Ohio barring any sex scandals of Kobe Bryant magnitude.

For many, it is understandable that James would leave Cleveland in order to pursue NBA championships, but the way he left Cleveland deserves the most attention. Cleveland is now left with no legitimate recourse to replace Lebron, as the top free agents had already signed elsewhere prior to Lebron’s decision. Even worse, Lebron and his agent were deliberately uncommunicative with the Cav’s front office.

If you have followed Lebron closely, you have certainly been exposed to the recent rumor that links James’ mom, Gloria, in an affair with Cav’s teammate Delonte West. If this is true, one can’t help but think that this had something to do with the way Lebron handled the situation. Or maybe it was his faith in his own marketers who confidently scheduled Thursdays press conference with little thought of how cleveland and the rest of the nation would react. Regardless, if Lebron is a brand, it is now a tarnished brand. 

So who is favored to win it all this upcoming season?

The Heat certainly have a trio, but this last NBA finals has showed the importance of a 5 man crew working together on the court. Many question marks remain. However, you have to like the options that Pat Riley will have in the closing seconds of the game.

Just imagine the attention a Heat/Lakers NBA finals would bring. If this indeed rings true, those people who accused commissioner David Stern of manipulating the game to allow the sports’ most marketable teams to play in the finals will definitely be yelling bloody murder. The rest of us, however, will watch in amazement.