As you all know by now, Lebron James, the former star player of the Cleveland Cavaliers has deserted his team and ran off to find his glory with the Miami Heat alongside current Heat star Dwayne Wade and former Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh. As I have been thinking all throughout this debacle, this is an integrity and honesty issue. As well, there have been a number of criticisms and defenses concerning Lebron's selfish, foolish and morally wrong actions. This post will cover some of the loudest and most popular defenses of Lebron's latest shenanigans. Here are some of the latest defenses:
#1: "Aw, come on. The NBA is a cruel business after all."
Response: Correct. The NBA is a business, and as such the NBA is out to make money and to provide good entertainment for the fans. However, I would be remiss if I didn't question whether this Lebron news and the Heat probably dominating the league for the next 5-10 years is providing good and solid entertainment for the fans. Many will probably be turned off because of the bland and boring nature of the game. Oh sure, it'll be exciting at first and there will be undoubtedly many highlight plays. Afterwards however, it will become boring to watch for many of the NBA's fans. Also too, notice how the "business" term is used often exclusively when controversy arrives and when important players get traded. It's also used when morality is thrown out for profit, power, money, fans and winning. Isn't it also a business when the RIGHT things are done and when players actually care for other people BESIDES themselves? Financially, this is a good thing for the league. In terms of creating a good image, and in terms of morality and bringing up good children and families, this is a complete disaster. One last thing to think about: at the end of the day, when the careers are over, what will matter? Will it matter that you won 4 championships (excluding historical markers) and that you were successful? Or, will it matter that hope was given to communities and that good, clean competition was present? All of these thoughts are being missed out on by the fans, owners, players, and the media.
#2 - There's no law against players moving to different teams, and besides that these 3 players have played hard to the end of their contracts for all of their careers. They also get to be best friends and are on the Heat together. I thought those were all good things.
Response: Again, correct. There is no law against any of the things listed. However, none of these things are an issue with the Lebron situation. The issue is this: it's HOW he left the Cavs. He didn't need to go on ESPN and announce his decision to everybody. Chris Bosh didn't need to be a jerk and annoy us to death with his Twittering and wavering. "Oh, I'm not sure where I'm going. I might come back to Toronto; we'll see. Where should I go, fans? I'd rather talk to you than to management about it; I don't have the guts for that. I'm probably going to Miami...no, I still love Toronto." Are you getting the picture here? I hope so. If CB4 and Lebron wanted to be humble and honest, they would have went to management and said, "I had a great run with you guys and I loved being here. The time has now come for me to look elsewhere for work. I don't want to drag you down and I want to work out the best situation for both of us. You are the ones I should discuss it with. I'll just do it quietly." Humility is NOT talking almost exclusively with fans and going on national TV to discuss your plans. It IS about working out problems correctly with team owners and managers and seeking to benefit them as well as you would benefit yourself. It is also about quietly signing a contract and just telling your fans about your plans at the end of the season. End their misery quickly instead of annoying everybody and causing even more pain. Again, these issues are being missed by most commentators.
#3 - They took pay cuts for crying out loud. Aren't you happy with that?
Response: This is yet another good point. However, it's not an issue. The issue is how these players left their respective teams and about how unfairly stacked the Miami Heat now are with talent and skill. How is this going to benefit any other team? See my other two responses above as well for more clarification.
#4 - Lebron and Chris haven't done anything wrong. They haven't unfairly manipulated the system; they just used it to their advantage.
Response: This is about the lamest excuse I have ever heard, considering that the main issues are being missed out (AGAIN) and that the very meaning of the word "manipulation" has been redefined. Click here for the proper meanings to the term. One of them is: "shrewd or devious management, especially for one's own advantage" This is the type of manipulation that I have been referring to in regards to the Lebron and Chris situation.
Conclusion: As you can hopefully see by now, none of these defenses work in light of logic, good morals, good image and many other factors that people are missing. This is all about defending a buddy and seeking glory, money, fans, and winning rather than honesty, integrity, a good reputation, and humility. This is truly a sad, sad commentary on how twisted and corrupt the system is. Let's hope some good comes out of this.
Bonus: Lastly, here are three articles that shed more light on the situation with Lebron: Lebron James and Fans, Lebron Embarrasses the NBA, and These Dream Teams don't Always Work. Enjoy, and have a great day!
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