LeBRON

LeBron
I forgot to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers - Boston Celtics NBA Eastern Semi- Final basketball game last night. I was reminded of this when I tuned in to ESPN’s Sports Center, after the game. The panelists were discussing the game, and I learned that Boston won game six, (94-85),and the series - four games to two. I was surprised . The Cleveland Cavaliers had the best record for the season. This was a “must win” for Cleveland, and they were playing in Cleveland. Afterwards, they couldn’t “go home” - they were already home!
The panelists discussed the game. Chris Broussard predicted that Mike Brown, the Cavalier’s coach, wouldn’t be back in Cleveland next season, because he didn’t win the Championship last year or this year. How can he blame the coach for the loss? Mike couldn’t execute his plays on the court. The players are paid big bucks and more than he is to coach them. I would think that it would be very difficult to motivate young millionaires. The loss wasn’t a case of “If the student hasn’t learned, the coach hasn’t taught!”
Chris also inferred that LeBron didn’t step up - as the NBA‘s “Most Valuable Player” - for the past two years. While Cleveland pays a lot of money to LeBron, basketball is a team game. Still. James had a better game than the average NBA player - 27 points; 10 assists and 19 rebounds, a career high. The panelist ignored LeBron’s stats, and poked at him for his nine turnovers. LeBron took on the load, and the pressure, of trying to salvage the series. He was trying to do too much. The only other NBA player to have more “triple doubles!”, in the history of the Playoffs, was Michael Jordan, who had two. Speaking of the coach, I thought Mike would have subbed more for LeBron. Fresher legs and healthier elbows might have paid off.
Shortly, James will be a “Free Agent”, and will be able to shop his basketball talent to teams needing a star player, and have enough money to sign him. The three panelists spent more time discussing where LeBron might play next year, than they did analyzing the game. The reporters brought up the subject again, with LeBron at the post-game interviews. . The Cleveland management and fans have been very good to
LeBron. He also grew up in nearby Akron. This combination should make LeBron’s decision easy. But, when a young athlete pits his, or her, loyalty against dollars, their decision is not always based on a gut feeling. It becomes clouded. Some times the star players’ wallets and hearts are far apart. When you are already a multi-millionaire at the age of 26, I wouldn’t think that you would be looking for additional -marginal dollars, that you will have to share with Uncle Sam! I predict that LeBron will stay put in Cleveland.
RCL - 5/14/10.