Cleveland Fans Never Really Loved LeBron?

HRocketsFan · Jul 9, 2010

Found this article by an idiot on RealGM about LeBron and how the fans never really loved him. There is a brief mention in it regarding McGrady and the Rockets.

nWo34Life said:

Never A Real Love For LeBron
Authored by Jarrod Rudolph - July 9, 2010 - 8:53 pm

One thing has been made clear after LeBron James’ announcement that he’ll be joining the Miami Heat next season -- the fans in Cleveland never genuinely loved James to begin with.

For seven seasons, basketball fans -- particularly in Cleveland -- argued that the 25-year-old superstar was the greatest player in the game and was capable of becoming the best ever. He was the “King” and nothing that any other athlete accomplished -- past or present -- measured up to James’ success. That’s all changed now that James decided to make a move that was unpopular with his so-called loyal fans, that some have mistakenly said he owed more than what he's already given.

Well, someone is owed something, but it’s sure as hell not any fans upset because James is joining the Heat. James, not the fans, is owed an apology from the idiots that burned his jersey and from Dan Gilbert, the owner that funds a team that didn’t make the correct personnel moves to keep the franchise’s best player from defecting.

In James’ five years since Gilbert assumed ownership, he led the Cavaliers to the best regular season record in the NBA in 2009 and 2010 and the franchise’s only appearance in the Finals in 2007. The team won 272 games with the team built around James. The superstar, however, couldn’t lead the team to their ultimate goal of a championship.

It was certainly a disappointing set of results, but understandable when you consider the caliber of player management brought to town to help James. Mo Williams and Wally Szczerbiak have never helped anyone win anything and Shaquille O'Neal is now 0-for-2 in his two most recent stops.

Could you really blame James for weighing his options?

Let’s get the obvious out of the way; LeBron James is a free man with every right to make the best decision for himself and his family. He doesn’t owe the fans anything outside of maximum effort when he steps on that court; they got that and more during James’ seven years in Cleveland.

Fans do not make their life decisions based on the opinions or feelings of athletes or entertainers, yet they unrealistically expect these athletes to put them before themselves and families because they spend a few dollars on a jersey.

Some people may think the situations cannot be compared, but there is no meaningful difference.

Basketball is how James makes his living. It would be foolish for the two-time MVP to make an emotional decision based solely on the emotions of the fans. The fans don’t love LeBron James, they love what LeBron James can do, the way he made them feel when leading the Cavaliers to the best five-year stretch in the franchise’s history.

The same thing can be said about team owner Dan Gilbert.

Only after James decided to leave Cleveland did he suddenly become a “self-declared, cowardly former king.” Only after James didn’t agree to the Cavaliers’ sales pitch did he become a “spoiled” superstar that “quit” during the playoffs. Just minutes prior to James’ announcement, Gilbert was said to be prepared to do everything in his power to keep James in town.

If James has really been such a diva, why did Gilbert want to keep him in Cleveland?

Regardless of the efforts made by Gilbert and the rest of the franchise, they were unable to create a situation that was impossible for James to leave. Now, Gilbert is throwing a tantrum and making empty promises of a championship. How is he going to win an NBA championship without any top-tier players if the Cavaliers were unable to with arguably the league’s best?

Gilbert needs take a seat and keep his voice down. He has nothing constructive to offer right now in the form of words.

It is disappointing to me how Gilbert, the media and so-called fans are now noticing James’ character 'flaws', only after he steps outside of the way they wanted him to be behave.

James has always been arrogant and why wouldn’t he be?

The media has been the driving force behind this “King” James image for years. The media, owners and corporations have been putting James on a pedestal since he was in the 10th grade. He could do no wrong, until he decided to be the “King” the way he saw fit, which came along with an hour-long decision special. Was it a bad move to so publicly leave Cleveland, yes. Was it unexpected with the circus the aforementioned have made James’ free agency, no.

There are a lot of people that are upset James used the nickname they gave him and endless promotion offered as well; sounds like smart business to me.

Athletes of all sports should take a good look at the events of Thursday evening. These athletes need to realize many of the people who claim to love them, only love them when they’re doing what the fans, owner, media and corporations want them to do. Make no mistake about it, if James gets hurt and becomes unable to perform they’ll trade him in a heartbeat. If you don’t believe me, ask Tracy McGrady.

McGrady was compared to Kobe Bryant with the same intensity people have used to boost James. He was greatly celebrated and was said to be another star player away from winning multiple championships.

Then he got hurt any everything changed.

McGrady went from being an unselfish version of Kobe Bryant to a diva that couldn’t be coached. The Rockets put him on ice and turned him into an expiring contract that could be used as a commodity without giving him a genuine chance to get back on the floor.

This part of the NBA is ignored and even celebrated by fans who see players as numbers that count against the salary cap at a particular level.

Gilbert isn’t mad because of any silly disrespect James showed him. He’s upset because the biggest draw in the league is no longer his employee and there's no way for him to immediately recover from it. He overestimated James’ attachment to Cleveland and underestimated how much another All-Star would help the team win.

The fans aren’t mad because James left the Cavaliers. Let’s be honest, only 7,000 people were going to the games before the 03-04 season. There were very few die-hard fans when Shawn Kemp was playing in Gund Arena.

The fact is LeBron James did nothing wrong or out of the ordinary.

By having the hour-long ESPN special he attempted to capitalize on a unique business opportunity.

By going to the Heat, he made a smart basketball decision that gives him the best chance to be a champion. He's taking less money than he would have in Cleveland and his individual legacy will become inseparable from that of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Anyone upset about those facts needs to get over it, especially Gilbert and the people of Cleveland who suddenly have a new opinion of James.

James gave them the best basketball and overall entertainment they’ve seen in years, probably ever. They should applaud him and wish him luck, showing him a little appreciation for what he did while he was in Cleveland.

Jarrod.Rudolph@RealGM.com
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