No matter how you feel about LeBron's decision to join the Miami Heat, he has forever changed the NBA. By walking away from over $30 million and his home state, LeBron sent a clear message to every player that will ever step foot on an NBA court in the future: If you want to win a championship, nothing else matters.
While teams scrambled to add players to entice LeBron to join their franchises, Miami not only kept their best player in franchise history (Dwyane Wade), but they also brought in superstar PF/C Chris Bosh. If LeBron really meant what he said that winning was above everything else, he couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity to form the best trio in the history of the NBA.
The Cavaliers failed to build a team around him that could compete when all the chips were down. They didn't fail once, they failed seven times. Just look at some of the "help" they brought in for a title run during LeBron's tenure with the team: Larry Hughes, Anthony Parker, Antawn Jamison (over Amare Stoudemire), Eric Snow, Luke Jackson, Ben Wallace, Drew Gooden, Ira Newble, Joe Smith, David Welsey, Leon Powe, Wally Szczerbiak, and Jeff McInnis. And Dan Gilbert wonders why LeBron James went to join Pat Riley's Miami Heat, who actually yielded a championship team during the same span.
Gilbert has not only made himself look foolish tonight, but he made the entire city of Cleveland look bad in the process. While it's completely understandable for Cavalier's fans to be upset over James' choice, they have acted very poorly in the way they have handled the situation. Gilbert has already sent out a letter to Cav's fans, calling LeBron the "self-titled former 'King'" and guaranteeing the Cavaliers would win a title before the Miami Heat. That is without a doubt one of the most moronic statements I have ever heard from a professional sports owner. He should be thankful if his team is even in competition for the 8th seed this season.
While Chicago brought in Carlos Boozer and the Knicks landed Amare Stoudemire, neither situation is as enticing as the Miami Heats'. Never before have three of the first five picks in the same draft (2003) played on the same team. With James, Wade, and Bosh all playing together, the Heat have the potential to win 70 games per season with just a moderate team surrounding them. Find some quality players to follow in the trio's footsteps by taking less money to contend, and they could challenge for the NBA record for wins in a season (72).
With the Heat trading Michael Beasley to the Minnesota Timberwolves moments ago, Miami now has the cap space to bring in more players to build around the new Big Three (from this point on, they will be the only trio I refer to as "The Big Three"). With the Heat already rumored to be in the running for Mike Miller and Jason Williams, expect many more veterans to consider signing up for a discount to make a run at a title now that James is officially on board.
Players like Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson, both past their primes but still able to contribute, would almost certainly take the veteran's minimum to join the Heat. McGrady is already on record saying he would've stayed with the Knicks for the minimum to play with LeBron had he gone to New York, so if the Heat are interested, I expect him to be one of the team's signings to fill around the Big Three. Brad Miller is another veteran option I think the Heat will explore adding to the roster.
While many experts and analysts believed LeBron would go to New York/New Jersey because of the potential financial opportunities there, James proved to everyone that he cares more about competing for a championship than money. I'm sure LeBron still has his sights set on becoming a billionaire, but I personally think this move will make him just as much money over the course of his deal as he would've made in the New York market. Miami isn't exactly a small town in the middle of Wyoming. Another overlooked financial decision for LeBron is the fact Florida doesn't have a state income tax, meaning he won't be giving nearly a tenth of his contract to the state like he would've in New York or Chicago.
If James, Wade, and Bosh even win one title together, it will be viewed as a success in the sense that they are really the first group of true superstars to collectively pass up money for an opportunity to play together to chase a title in their primes. Each player could've made over $30 million more during the course of their deals, but all three decided that winning was more important than the money. This is something I can only hope future athletes will take into consideration when they land on the open market.
While some people believe "Super Teams" are bad for the NBA, I personally feel that it helps motivate the remaining teams to become more competitive. If teams decide not to spend money to bring in the players needed to compete, that is the owner's fault. The formation of the Big Three has done anything but hurt the NBA. In fact, they could potentially be one of the most entertaining teams in the history of basketball.
