If you don’t feel horrible for sports fans in Cleveland right now, you might not have a heart or soul. The cities’ hearts were ripped out via a one hour show featuring LeBron James’ decision to bolt town. Yes, LeBron failed in his goal to bring a championship to Cleveland and that is something he will never live down.
Now King James’ destiny is tied to the fates of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He will no longer be the only star on the team and can no longer demand the ball in crunch time. Remember, the Heat is Wade’s team – he has won a title before – and LBJ is the one coming to town. Because of this, James can never overtake Wade in titles and really, wouldn’t that hurt him in any “Best of all-time†argument?
As great as it sounds to put together a three-headed monster like this, with arguably two of the best players in the league, there’s not much cap space left for role players, much less the two other starters. Can a team really win it all with these three guys, two $5 million players and a bunch of minimum salary guys? Even with some player taking a discount to play in Miami, these titles aren’t exactly a sure thing.
While it’s not for certain yet, it looks like the Miami Thrice are the only three currently on the team. Mike Beasley is in the midst of being dealt to Minnesota for a second-round pick to help clear some cap space for the Heat and Mario Chalmers is most likely Toronto-bound as part of the Bosh acquisition. Talk about rebuilding a roster.
Finally, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert proved last night why you shouldn’t hit the Internet in the wake of a bad breakup. His open letter to Cavs fans is simply over-the-top ridiculous and bitter. He bashes the man that made him countless millions of dollars over the past seven seasons. He calls him a coward. He even calls King James cursed and guarantees that the Cavaliers will win a title before James ever does.
Talk about having your mouth write a cheque that your ass can’t cash. Gilbert will never live down this tirade and he’s only hurting his own team with his words.
Thursday, July 8, 2010 will go down as one of the worst nights in Cleveland sports history. It’s really hard not to pity them.