Miami can’t win with LeBron

The love affair between LeBron James and Ohio-at-large is as off as his shots are during the late rounds of the playoffs. Even an Upstate New Yorker like myself hates to see that. I think new Coach Byron Scott could have instilled in James the tools he needed to lead his team to a championship. Having spoken with Clevelanders over the past year or so, it was almost Apostasy to even tease them about the possibility of LeBron playing in a Knicks uniform or any other uniform for that matter.

Cleveland just got slam-dunked by its favorite son.

Clevelanders object to his nationally-televised announcement and interview with Jim Gray, but after all, wasn’t James just being cavalier? The team that coveted him since he was in high school just flunked the free agency final exam. How can they be expected to go on without their chosen one? Fist we must understand 3 things: Firstly, LeBron is a grown adult man, he never broke any contract. He can go where he chooses. He can demand a trade while still under contract and go where he wants. Second, LeBron is a good guy, not always in trouble on or off court, as seems to be the way with young black athletes. And third, even though I hate to see him leave Lake Erie, if you are from Cleveland have no fear, it’s entirely possible your team may still win a championship or go further in the playoffs than LeBron and his new super team; the Miami Heat. That’s right, mark my words, the Heat will not win a ring as long as LeBron James is starting for them.

I am not saying this out of resentment. During the regular season he is a great player, but his performance this past post-season showed me he lacks the one quality he needs to win it all; killer instinct. Players with less talent have won it all in sports with little else than killer instinct. Boys can show signs of it, a man has to have it.

LeBron I’m afraid is still a boy. He likes to play, he likes to smile, he likes to be loved, he likes to dance. Nothing wrong with any of those things, but not championship qualities. His pre-game gyrations are not for the purpose of getting his teammates psyched as Rasheed Wallace’s are. LeBron is only trying to entertain you and himself. He’s just a big kid, how much of a big kid? You’re probably lucky he doesn’t bring any building blocks to the bench.

Yes he has amazing talent, great physic and physical skills. Enough to fool people and make them think these are championship skills. He can make bad teams into contenders, but that’s it. No ring is coming forth in the next 2-3 years for King James. This is important because to his credit he chose Miami over New York, where he could have really went to the bank. But he thought he has a better chance of winning with Dwayne Wade and another newcomer in Chris Bosh. My instincts tell me Wade orchestrated this, he wants another ring before he retires and it’s assumed James will continue winning under the masterful guidance of Pat Riley. Wade is in for a long letdown.

The players Riley coached to titles were already mentally tough. Scott is now the coach at Cleveland and was in better position to instill the mental toughness into LeBron than Miami. This is Wade’s team, not LeBron’s. Wade will expect LeBron to do some things come playoff time that LeBron simply can’t do, hence LeBron’s true reason for leaving Cleveland; to have Wade carry him to the promised land as he disappears like he did against the Celtics. LBJ was looking for a few good men and he thinks he’s found them. Trouble is, LeBron is the missing player he’s been looking for.