I hate to say "I told you so," but sometimes it's just kind of fun to brag a little bit. As I wrote the other day, LeBron James made his announcement tonight that he is going to join up with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade with the Miami Heat. The announcement wasn't a big surprise, since I presumed that LeBron would rather play with the greatest talent pool in the Eastern Conference rather than against it. There were some, however, who thought that teams like New York and New Jersey had a chance. No, they did not.
New York makes money and has a massive media market, but the Knicks have stained their organization's reputation by showing that they don't care much about winning. Overpaying mediocre players and not managing their team properly has made them appear as undesirable as the "Kentucky Celtics" were when Rick Pitino took over and tried to bring his entire college roster to the NBA with him.
Chicago, in my opinion, was the only team that had an outside chance to land LeBron, but being in Chi-town would mean that he'd have to find a way through Bosh and Wade every year, along with the powerhouse team built by the Boston Celtics. The truth is that by giving Bosh and Wade what they needed to be great, LeBron has surrounded himself with young talented players who want to win as badly as he does.
The financial deal for LeBron is that, right now, he really needs a title. As much as I suspect that James was loyal to the Cavs, the truth is that they simply cannot guarantee him what he needs to build his brand to the status it needs to reach. Additionally, they can't give him the guaranteed title shot he will need in order to avoid being one of the great NBA busts of the 21st century. So, in some ways, LeBron had to go to Miami, there was really no other serious option.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (14)
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By: kanonq on 7/08/2010 11:02PM
Wanna know where people go to snag an i-nter-racial rel-ations-hip, say, Just for future reference? “i-nterr-acial Central”? “San Carlos” ? or “San Francisco”? ===http://www.MixedMatching.Com=== is the real place that is packed with them. ;)!
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By: Skeewee on 7/09/2010 12:14AM
Seriously, could he remain in Clevland with scant Moma on the prowl getting her freak on. Its one thing for the hood to know Moma always been a freaky hood rat but for the world to know. Well, she can get as freaky as she wants down there in Florida because them wetbacks are waiting.
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By: RONALD MCCOMMON on 7/09/2010 2:23PM
I'M GLAD HE WENT TO MIAMI, WHAT,S GOONA HAPPEN WHEN THEY DON'T WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS, THERE'S TO MANY SUPER STARS ON ONE TEAM LOOK OUT WORLD.
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By: Andres on 7/09/2010 3:21AM
LeBron James made the right decision. The New York City majority fan-base for days were commenting on sports talk radio saying that Knicks management should tell Labron this is New York, take it or leave it. There are no black superstars in New York except Jeter of the Yankees. Why is that? Alabama is better for blacks than New York.
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By: elive on 7/09/2010 4:41AM
Its not that Cleveland fans are mad because he's leaving its THE WAY he did it. He left the Cavs in a lurch almost purposely because the top free agents have been signed. We have heart and grit so we deservedly so will vent for now.
We refuse to give up the ship because the 'cabin boy' jumped overboard.
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By: Judy on 7/09/2010 6:49AM
Why should ANYONE care where some overpaid ball player winds up?? This is not even news worthy. Wake up America. We have important issues to deal with and they are not some overpaid so called ball player.
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By: chy on 7/09/2010 8:08AM
I'm sick of wake up this,wake up that.ct's can do whatever they want to and if lebron feels good about going to miami ,goo for him really though.
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By: Andres on 7/09/2010 8:49AM
The age-old argument that there are more important things to write about does not understand propaganda. The theatre of public opinion condemns blacks ceaselessly. In turn black’s failure to articulately respond say’s that we: agree or are indifferent to racist attacks. True, the LeBron story is a sport note, but if the sports media prints it as a sports story one can comment on it. Last word: the "cabin boy" owns the ship-line get used to it. For anyone that is jealous just pick-up a basketball, practice and join the NBA. You can do it!!! Nobody complains when white players make overwhelming money. Paton Manning: for example.
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By: OOOZZZZZ on 7/09/2010 9:02AM
Quote by elive: "Its not that Cleveland fans are mad because he's leaving its THE WAY he did it."
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I agree.
Despite all the weeks of drama, the anticipation and the ESPN media circus, this was not handled in a professional business manner and for all the glitz and glamour with the hour long "Decision" show on ESPN, the way this was done caused more harm than good and besides betraying the city of Cleveland, who busted their asses for 7 years to give him whatever you wanted and get him whatever he wanted to win (and Cleveland did have several chanes to win a championship every year) he strung along several NBA teams and their cities with this "show me what you got" shiggity because he knew all along before this process that he was going to sign and end up in Miami anyway. He knew where he was going all along and Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh also knew it.
This move to Miami was amateurish & pre-planned by LeBron James and he fooled and hurt a lot of people who did not deserve it.
And the fact that he did not even have the decency & respect to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, tell the Cavalier organization and go to the office of Cavalier team owner, Dan Gilbert and tell him and new coach Byron Scott face to face that he was going to sign with Miami further indicates to me that this was a inexperienced, cold, caculated and devious plot designed by LeBron James. And the fact that he did it away from Cleveland in another city? That's what selfish cowards do.
And for what? Because he constantly flamed out and could not win in the playoffs and deliver a championship? I could see if Cleveland never made the playoffs every year but they were always there in the mix to win the whole thing (they were never blown out in games) and King James, when the pressure was on, couldn't deliver.
Again, the Cavaliers busted their asses for him. The Cavaliers fired their head coach, fired their general manager and made other drastic changes for this guy to stay and the reason that the Cavaliers lost in the last two playoffs is not bacause of management or the coach, it's the fact that Lebron James, in th heat of battle in the playoffs or the NBA finals, could not deliver in the playoffs when it counted. The opportunity to win a championship was right at his fingertips and he, not the coach or the general manager could not make the plays on the court to win and his main deficiency; his inability to be a team leader when it counts, put that team on his back and win like a real championship player (like Kobe) to win a championship is his fault.
Basic business lesson: If you knew all along that you were going to work for an organization, then why string other people along? Be a man. Formally & professionally tell the organization that you're currently working for that you're leaving to work for someone else and don't involve other organization who you fooled into believing that you may work for them when you know that you're not going to.
These other NBA organizaions went out of their way and spend millions to accomodate LeBron James; 24 hour private jet flights, marketing, advertising, hotels, rentals, business presentations, celebrities courting you, entire cities courting you, whatever he wanted and he just flew from city to city, ate, drank and just sat there knowing that he was going to sign with Miami all along and did not care about the trouble that all these people and these cities went through to bascially "kiss his ass".
Why put people through that?
And the "Decision" show? That was some high school ball player telling the world what college he is going to for the next 4 years. And the Boys & Girls Club angle? Those kids in the background were just background movie props to make him look good and to try and make people believe that he his generous in his actions.
In America you can go and work for anyone and anywhere that you want but there is a way to do that without hurting other people.
Eventhought the money that he rasied and donated was good, the example that he set by using people, the deception and the betrayal to make a change in his career and throwing Cleveland under the bus by the way that he did it (in another city away from the city and fans who bought those tickets, cheered for him and made him a winner) is not the example that you want to teach your children. The very kids that he professes to care about he sets a very bad example.
And for those kids? they had a front row seat to "witness" what not to do.
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By: ltavers on 7/09/2010 9:44AM
It's not that serious. Come on people, who cares at the end of the day. On one hand I do think people are player hating because it is a brother getting all the hype. On the other hand, I think all the hype is a bit much. Idolizing someone like this is kind of crazy over a sports game. But then again, there is always something going on behind the scenes or some kind of pimping game going on where the person is also being exploited. I am not sure what this is, but it was a bit much. Hey, I thought the decision might have had something to do with him being a semi-country guy (tee-hee LOL)...who would want to come to cold ass NY or Chi-town after leaving his hometown...Miami is probably more his speed - not to mention SUNNY AND WARM!! Ok...so I am not a sports genius - sorry.
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