Everyone knows that LeBron is probably on a lot of hate lists right now. No one likes what he did or how he did it—he's being criticized from all angles by people who are well-respected in the NBA community. James has already voiced his displeasure of the vitriol, and has made it a point to let people know that he's taking "mental notes" of everybody who has had something negative to say.
Well, while I found that last point (posted via Twitter) to be immature and unnecessary, I can definitely understand the place it's coming from. I mean, seriously, aside from the ridiculously over-the-top television special, what has LeBron done wrong?
He left Cleveland...okay, sucks to be a Cleveland fan, but he had the right to leave Cleveland. Should he have said he was doing so sooner than he did? Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that he had the right to leave. He wasn't obligated to remain there just so he could say he stuck it out.
It would have been nice for him to say that he helped lead his team to a title, but was he supposed to just stay there so he could, maybe, say that—someday? I don't care what Charles Barkley or Michael Jordan have to say about their wanting the glory of saying "I won this", the end game is a championship—every player wants a ring.
An NBA legend can have all that stats and accolades he wants but, in the end, they all want a ring. Their career is empty without it—just ask Allen Iverson...hell, ask Charles Barkley.
Payton could have remained in Seattle to give it one more try but he didn't. He wanted a ring. Karl Malone was still putting up nice numbers in Utah in 2002, and might have continued to languish there in pursuit of his first title, but he accepted the Lakers overtures and decided to go where his chances of a championship were most favorable.
I don't recall anyone skewering either of them for leaving their respective teams.
Was that because LeBron didn't put in enough time in Cleveland? I mean, he was there for seven seasons, was he supposed to stay for seven more before he bolted—wait until he's near the end of his career before he goes to a hot team to chase a ring?
Please.
Charles, of all people, should understand the mentality of a man looking for a good situation. As I recall, he made a big stink in Philadelphia once he realized they weren't headed in a championship direction—he wanted out. He wanted to go somewhere that he could be a perennial playoff staple and contend for a title.
Remember that, Charles? You actually likened Philly to...what was the word..."purgatory"? Yeah, that was it—purgatory.
Why didn't you stay in purgatory, Charles? Why didn't you stick it out there and lead your franchise to a title? Hmmmm? Not only that, what do you call that forced trade to Houston in 1996? Didn't you go there for your one last shot at a title? Didn't you join Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler's team—relinquishing your mantle as "the man"?
Did that make you a "punk"?...just a question.
Listen, I do not condone the actions of LeBron James. I think he did a silly thing turning a simple matter of changing locations into a major press extravaganza. He alienated a lot of people by doing the special and he showed a total lack of respect to his fans and the Cleveland Cavaliers organization.
That said, he still had the right to leave. His reasons may not satisfy his NBA peers or the lot of us who think that his move was classless, but it was still his decision to make. So, Charles Barkley needs to sit down, shut-up, and look at himself before he starts calling LeBron to the carpet because, on the real, he sounds a bit like a hypocrite.
Pot...meet Kettle—indeed.
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