So it's had a little bit to sink in now and there are many thoughts I have regarding Lebron James and "The Decision" to go to the Miami Heat from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lebron put the American public on oversaturation watch the week and a half leading up to his announcement. Everyone had an opinion and everyone had heard something from somewhere about where Lebron was going to go. It's all moot now as it has been decided and Lebron is in south beach.
Having no team in Kansas City and no NBA team I really root for or care for, it made me an instant bystander in this whole scenario. This decision does not affect my team or who they play against, all it does is make the NBA offseason (that I otherwise would not care about) interesting.
I will admit, when I woke up on the morning of the "The Decision" I did not feel the same way Lebron did. I thought for sure he would stay in Cleveland. His heart and family are in Cleveland and he has never been away from home. Why would he leave? He had endeared himself to that fanbase and they to him. He is a complete and utter legend in Cleveland even if he never won a championship he would still be revered for making the city relevant for something in the sports world. Also, Lebron seems to be a pretty good guy, a businessman, but a good guy, would he really schedule a one hour special to slowly twist the knife deeper and deeper each second into the backs of Cleveland fans? Apparently he would.
It was my hope when I heard about the show that it would be like high school signing day. Lebron would walk up on stage and have the hats of the Cavs, Nets, Knicks, Bulls, and Heat all in front of him and would make his decision by pulling out the cap of his choice and wearing it. I mean come on, Lebron was never recruited in high school so this would be his signing day seven years removed. But I digress.
I will admit I was not shocked he went to the Heat but it was surprising. In a Bill Simmons article recently I read that Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, and James all enjoyed playing together so much in the 2008 Olympics that they made a pact to all play on the same team after they became free agents. James, Wade, and Bosh would be this year, and Paul would follow next year. Simmons put it best in his article "this reminds me of my friends and I when we were in Vegas in our mid 20's. 'We should all pick one city and live there, we could tear it up EVERY NIGHT' and then the next morning we would get up and forget it was ever mentioned." That sounded like the best explanation but apparently not. The only difference between this scenario and Simmons' scenario? These guys have money and the clout to make it happen. These guys have found a way to have a perpetual summer camp and never go home. Good for them.
There are those that argue that Lebron was just making the best decision for his career. While I agree with the reasoning, it doesn't quite fit. What is the goal of any job? The goal is to make the most money and do the best job you can. Lebron is coming off two straight MVP awards (meaning for two years in a row he is the best at what he does), and his team is coming off of two straight 60 win seasons. The ONLY thing the Cavaliers haven't done is won. Now, while winning may be important to a city and a person, from a job perspective it is not James responsibility. He is charged with playing to the best of his ability to give his team the best chance to win. However, it is a team game and the other players and coaches have to do their part. The onus of winning a championship mostly falls on the coach and GM because they have to put the pieces and philosophy in place to make all this happen. Lebron has very little control over those things. Therefore, from a job perspective, James as a singular person could not perform his job any better anywhere else than he did in Cleveland.
Furthermore, the way the current collective bargaining agreement in the NBA is a free agent can be offered a max contract by his own team for 6 years, but by another team for 5 years. So in effect, by signing somewhere else, James will leave $30M on the table. Not chump change even by his standards. And that is only if he signs a max contract which he won't because he is taking LESS MONEY TO GO TO MIAMI. While I understand this is in an attempt to win championships, the "best career move" doesn't hold true because he is taking less money. As for all his other sources of income, Nike and Gatorade will pay him whether he lives in Cleveland or Miami so that is a moot point.
So what did his decision boil down to? If you ask me, his decision was done because he finally admitted to himself that after 7 years he couldn't do it all on his own. His chance at being a Michael Jordan like player and taking the team on his back just wouldn't work so he decided to go the Magic Johnson route and be a facilitator. He knew he couldn't be the man and didn't want the pressure any more, he saw how well Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce worked in Boston and wanted that for his own. He wanted to be with some friends and live life which you can't really blame him because since he was 16 he has had a tremendous amount of fame and never really had the opportunity to have some friends and enjoy living that life. I actually commend James for making this decision and being very self aware. I think it shows that James had a good head on his shoulders.
The only thing you wonder is if he really wanted to do this or he just thought it was the best decision. You could see on his face from the beginning of "The Decision" that he was going to go somewhere else and the photo shoot of him, Wade and Bosh in Miami he had the same look. This decision really took a lot of out him to leave his hometown state and loyal fans behind. How will this impact his career? Will he ever be able to fully perform at the highest level again? Is he going to be stricken with horrible guilt for the rest of his career? Especially after he goes back to Cleveland for the first time? Only time will tell.
This post was a lot less emotionally charged than I was expecting, but I still have a few things I would like to say, and I think I’m going to have to do it in pieces because I keep getting error messages every time I try to post the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I think it is difficult to say what exactly the financial impact of his decision will be on a prospective basis - hindsight will possibly one day shed some light on this issue. I never really liked reading in the papers how he was "leaving $30 M on the table" by signing anywhere but Cleveland because it is not an apples to apples comparison. The Cleveland offer was for $125 M over 6 yrs (or $20.8 M / year) while the Miami offer was $90 M over 5 yrs (or $18 M / year). That difference is a far cry from the $30 M difference being touted. Finally, no question that Lebron makes a killing in endorsement deals, but if he starts hanging championship banners in Miami, don't you think more sponsors would be interested? And I think that sponsors do care what market players are in - the Miami market is way more valuable than the Cleveland market. Advertisers and sponsors will now have to pay a premium for their advertisements to enter the homes of a larger and more affluent audience base.
Regardless, there is no doubt that he will gross less going to Miami then he would on a team where he is the only big name star because of the NBA's rules on salary cap. So then maybe the premise that the ONLY thing Lebron should care about is 'making the most money and doing the best he can', is flawed. Maybe there is something more valuable than cash. Of course, this can never be known for sure, but don't some professionals choose a career not just because of a paycheck but because they enjoy what they do? As you pointed out, maybe he finally realized that he couldn't do this all by himself, that he needed help, but that the ultimate goal of winning a championship is worth more than a few extra million in the bank account. Otherwise, if what you are saying is true - that people only maximize their incomes and performs to the best of their abilities, then every doctor that goes into medicine does so only to maximize her income potential. That is a pretty sad way to look at the world.
ReplyDeleteFinally, you didn't have any words for Dan Gilbert, the Cavs owner? The guy who went on a media rampage after the incident? Sure, Lebron's use of the media was questionable at best, but was Gilbert's any better? No, which was why he was fined $100,000 by the commissioner. But it doesn't stop there. A less well publicized reaction of Gilbert's is that, as owner of the Fathead sticker company, he lowerd the price on his Lebron poster from $99.99 to $17.41. Why such a random number? The price was set there because that is the birth year of Benedict Arnold.
ReplyDeleteSo let's recap. The wealthy 48 year old millionaire throws a temper tantrum while the young 25 year old decides to pursue a goal that is bigger than himself and that is more important than money. If I had to pick a "hero" and a "villain" in this story, I think it's a no brainer.
As for the $30M less thing, I am not sure where you got your numbers but a 5 yr. $90M max contract is what COULD be offered, however, they would offer him less that that (which he will take) and that figure will be around $15M/yr which would mean he was leaving at least $25M on the table. So while $30 maybe have been embellishing, it's not a "far cry."
ReplyDeleteAs for Lebron's career goals 'making money and doing the best he can' is not what I said. As with any job, playing basketball is the same, you are charged with doing the best you can to help out your organization the best you can. If you are a CEO of the company that makes the second most money in the world, are you gonna leave to go to the company that makes the most? Are you gonna take less money just so you can say you are gonna go to the company that makes the most money? I wouldn't think so.
As for the doctor comparsion, I think my previous paragraph applies but also, you are inferring that doctors care about the greater good of humanity and that is what makes them good doctors. While this is true, they also have the ability to help the greater good, Lebron doesn't, so that cannot be a factor in what he does. The only comparison you could make is to appease his fans, which my point still holds because he let them all down.
As for Gilbert, I originally planned a serpate post that never came to fruition. Mostly because I agree with you. I don't blame Lebron for doing what he did, I just questioned his true motives as a competitor. Gilbert's actions were deplorable and childish. Ultimately, it didn't seem worth my time to acknowledge, he is a stupid rich kid who basically was holding his breath cause his mom wouldn't buy him the Hot Wheels he alway wanted. Sad man.