Classless Effort Given By the Artist Formerly Known as 'King'

It’s been five days since the self-proclaimed ‘King’ “decided to take [his] talents to South Beach.” And instead of continuing to voice my opinion on the phone, in bars, walking down the street, on the bus, in my house, on the dock, on the tee, in the fairway and on the green, I’ve decided to shut my mouth, stop arguing and write everything down. And being the retired writer (or perhaps just in hiatus?) that I am, it only makes sense to do so.

Essentially, LeBron James decided to “Bro Out” instead of compete. ESPN’s Bill Simmons may have put it best:

"Michael Jordan would have wanted to kick Dwyane Wade's butt every spring, not play with him. This should be mentioned every day for the rest of LeBron's career. It's also the kryptonite for any "Some day we'll remember LeBron James as the best basketball player ever" argument. We will not. Jordan and Russell were the greatest players of all time. Neither of them would have made the choice that LeBron did. That should tell you something."

It’s true. If LeBron truly wanted to be considered as one of the greatest, he would have stayed in Cleveland and won there. If he truly was “The Chosen One,” as stated in ink on his back, he would have won at least a couple championships there. And if he couldn’t get it done, then he shouldn’t be considered one of the greatest of all-time. It’s as simple as that.

After the nauseating “Decision” (actually I didn’t watch it, thank God) Thursday night, I initially thought that Cavs owner, Dan Gilbert’s letter was an act of sore losership. But after much thought and debate over the last 108 hours or so, I’ve realized that Gilbert’s furiousness toward James is indeed justified.

Let me make one thing clear, however. Before Thursday, James owed nothing to the Cleveland Cavaliers, their fans, the city or the state of Ohio. If he wanted to leave the Cavs for Miami, New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, wherever it may have been, I had no problem with that. Quite frankly, he did enough for the Cavaliers, making a doormat of a franchise relevant literally on his own, taking them to the NBA Finals with Anderson Varajao as his sidekick. Jordan, Russell, Bird and Kobe all had better help than that, I’ll give that to LeBron.

But it was the way he handled this whole “Decision” that makes me want to puke up my breakfast sandwich (that and the eight Natty Lites I drank hours ago). Let’s be real here. James did not wake up Thursday morning and decide he was going to Miami; he knew well before that. In which case, why couldn’t he have flown to Cleveland and told Gilbert – like any classy businessman would do – and tell him "thanks but no thanks?"

It’s simple. Because he wanted Thursday to be all about him. He even told that to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols in a subsequent interview. But why should you and I find out about LeBron’s (or MeBron, as the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy so elegantly calls him) “Decision” at the same time as Gilbert?

Again, it’s simple: We shouldn’t. No, James owed nothing to Gilbert. If anything, Gilbert owes James years worth of thanks. But MeBron could have looked Gilbert in the eyes, like a man. Five days later, he still hasn’t, like the true coward that he is.

Again, I have no problem with LeBron’s choice to go to South Beach. He’ll have more fun there and probably win more there than he ever could have imagined. Good for him. But let the following words haunt “The Chosen One” for the rest of his career:

Classless. Coward. Pussy. Arrogant. Egotistical. Needy. Star.

Notice how “competitor” wasn’t included.