Here comes the Summer of LeBron part 2

MANILA, Philippines – The signs were there, but most of us just ignored it. 

It was like one of those moments when you knew deep down inside that your girlfriend or wife was cheating on you, but just the idea of it was too hard to fathom so you dismissed it as paranoia.

She’s out having drinks with friends late at night. “Oh, no, honey, I’m just with the girls.” And because you’re so trusting, or maybe because you just don’t want to admit it, you go on believing your truest nightmares aren’t coming true, only to find out months later, when it’s already way too late and you realize how much of an idiot you were, that a “night out with the girls” turned to be playtime with some guys with 2% body fat while you were eating cheeseburgers and watching Star Wars at 2 in the morning.

Strange as it may be, sports are similar to relationships. You invest so much time, dedication, emotion, and loyalty into rooting for a team you love so dearly that you tend to dismiss its faults and come up with numerous excuses while your friends and others try to prove otherwise. It’s the same with your girlfriends and boyfriends. You know that moment when you tell your best friend you hooked up with your ex once again, and then they just shake their head in disbelief, followed by a sarcastic “Okay, whatever you say” remark? Sports are just like that.

“Dude, the Miami Heat look weak this year! No way they’re going to 3-peat. Dwyane Wade is old! His knees are washed up! Chris Bosh is overrated! LeBron has to do all the work!”

“It’s like watching the 2007 Cleveland Cavaliers all over again!”

But because you’re so deeply invested with your team, so much so that your objectivity most of the time gets thrown out of the window, you come up with responses to justify your claims, however make-believe they are.

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“Whatever! The Heat are just bored with the regular season. They’ll start playing seriously when the Playoffs start. They’re just too lazy right now, but they’ll get motivated once April, May, and June arrive.”

“But Wade’s been training with Tim Grover, the guy who helped Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant! He’s sitting out games now so he can come back stronger than ever in the Playoffs! Just wait and see, he’ll be 2006 Wade in the Finals!”

“Shut up! Bosh is underrated. The only reason he doesn’t put up big stats is because his role in Miami is different, and he just spreads the floor now! You’ll be proven wrong!”

“Whatever! LeBron is the best in the world! He’s the next Michael Jordan! He will be the reason why the Heat will win! I will have the last laugh!”

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And like getting back with your ex-partners, such statements are usually followed by a sarcastic “Okay, whatever you say.”

And indeed, every Miami Heat fan, maybe even the team itself, realized it way too late.

Wade looked as washed up as ever.

Bosh looked nothing like a max-contract guy.

LeBron couldn’t win by himself.

The Miami Heat looked OLD, ironically, against the San Antonio Spurs. (RELATED: Holding Court – Spurs trump individual talent with teamwork)

And when the dust was settled and the obliteration was over, the Heat realized they received probably the worst ass kicking in NBA Finals history from a team that epitomizes what championship basketball is all about.

And just like when the guy whose cheating girl left him after admitting her infidelity, Heat fans were left with nothing but to wonder, “What the hell just happened?”

Drama to come

A few months ago, the thought of LeBron James leaving the Miami Heat in the free agency fiasco of 2014 was something of a slippery slope. Some believed a third straight ring for the Heat would essentially serve as his signature to remain in sunny South Florida. Others argued that anything short of ring number three would launch an offseason debacle that would rival, if not surpass, his free agency four years ago.

In ’10, Pat Riley promised James a roster he could contend with for numerous years and less pressure than what he experienced while playing for the Cavaliers. James had already won MVPs, earned the right to be called the best in the world by some, but still lacked the championships his rivals such as Kobe Bryant and the immortal Michael Jordan owned. So James packed his bags, turned himself into the villain of American sports, and transferred to the 305, thinking he would no longer have to carry the burden of shouldering an underwhelming roster for the rest of his career.

It seemed that way at first. Wade was still in his prime in 2011, despite having to deal with sharing the ball with James, while Bosh had his moments. The Heat lost to the Mavericks in the finals because LeBron choked worse than any athlete ever has in as big a moment in sports history, save for maybe a couple of Peyton Manning bloopers. 

But a much-improved James returned in 2012 to lead the Heat to a title, concurrently taking control of the team from Wade, whose knees started a painful degeneration process. Bosh found his true role, which was to be a floor-spreader for Miami, helping the Heat revolutionize small-ball basketball into winning rings.

In 2013, chinks started to show in the armor. Wade was at his worst in key stretches during the postseason, but managed to bring back some vintage performances in critical stretches. James built on his legend of being the game’s best player, despite a heavy dose of minutes, and that was enough – with some luck and some Jesus Shuttlesworth – to propel Miami to its second straight chip.

But in the past year, things went downhill. Mike Miller was gone, a victim of the NBA’s luxury tax system and amnesty clause. Shane Battier was garbage for many stretches, Mario Chalmers turned into a poor man’s Smush Parker in the postseason, Bosh earned the right to be called “Bosh Spice” because of his soft play in the Finals. Wade fans from seven years ago cringed and cried at the performance he put fort against San Antonio, Michael Beasley and Greg Oden contributed NOTHING, and James was forced to do most of the heavy lifting.

Riley fulfilled his promise of giving James a roster to win a ring with. But even the best GM in the Eastern Conference wasn’t able to envision the earlier-than-expected deterioration of the roster he constructed.

LeBron wants to be the best ever. And to do so, he needs as many rings as possible to validate his case. Would it be disgruntling to see him “ring-chase” and go to a team like Houston, Los Angeles (Clippers), or Chicago? Maybe, and it would certainly add more fuel to the “Kobe and Jordan never switched teams” argument, regardless of how stupid it is. 

But is him switching allegiances and trading for another jersey an impossible possibility? Most definitely not.

Yes, it would put away any hope of retribution and vindication from the public, and LeBron cares very much what people say about him. But you know what he likes more than what his critics and fans tweet? Winning.

“I will deal with my summer when I get to that point. Me and my team will sit down and deal with it,” were the words uttered by James following Game 5 against San Antonio. But make no mistake about it: “me and my team” doesn’t mean Riley, Wade, Bosh, or Heat owner Micky Arison, though he will spend many hours consulting with them. It means Maverick Carter, Rich Paul, and the rest of LeBron’s inner circle.

How do I know this?

“Me and my team,” James started. “we’re going to figure out what’s the best possibility for me.”

Those were the words spat out by LeBron four years ago, close to a month before part one of ‘The Decision,’ when James talked to the media following the Cavs’ second-round elimination to the Boston Celtics.

He didn’t mean Mo Williams, Mike Brown, Dan Gilbert, and certainly not Delonte West. He meant Maverick and Rich. And a few weeks later, “I’m taking my talents to South Beach,” burnt James jerseys all over Ohio, and a comic-sans captioned letter from Gilbert took place.

Does this mean James is leaving the Heat? Who knows? My money’s on him staying. After all, Arison is a million worlds better an owner than Gilbert likely ever will be, Pat Riley is a more attractive general manager and president than Cleveland’s revolving door of executives.

Coach Spoelstra, despite getting abused coaching-wise by Gregg Popovich in the 2014 finals, is still a top-five head coach in the NBA today and a better option than whomever the hell the Cavs will hire next. And the Heat have shown a history of winning on the biggest stage with its first-class organization and culture – both of which Cleveland does not have.

Then again, this is LeBron, so it would be safe to expect the unexpected. If he decides he just wants rings and doesn’t mind his reputation getting even more tarnished, what’s stopping him from going to Houston and teaming up with Harden and Howard? Why not go to Chicago? Or maybe he could pair with his best bud Chris Paul in Lob City, where there’s a roster loaded from top to bottom.

And no, he is not going to become a Laker. Not with Kobe Bryant there believing he’s still the best player in the NBA and making around a billion dollars per year while putting a limit on LAL’s cap flexibility.

(Kobe’s slated to make $48.5 million over the next two years. Still, I’ve always believed you pay guys for what they can contribute now and in the future, not what they’ve done in the past. Is Bryant’s on-court production worth what he’s about to make?)

Everything this summer is going to revolve around LeBron. That’s what happens when the best player in the world today (Sorry, Kevin Durant, you aren’t there yet) and arguably the greatest player, at least talent-wise, since Jordan is a free agent. The dominos started to fall in 2010 when James had decided to go to Miami, changing the landscape of how free agency and the collective bargaining agreement works in the NBA. Expect something similar to take place in 2014, minus the lockout, hopefully.

The Lakers have reportedly put off hiring a head coach because they want to see if any chance of signing James is possible. Whatever Carmelo Anthony decides to do in the summer is going to be related to James’ decision. If LeBron’s willing to take a pay-cut, will ‘Melo follow suit and help form another Miami super-team? Will Wade, who is clearly no longer a consistent elite player due to his health, take another sacrifice financially so that he can persuade his best friend to stay in South Florida and compete for a couple more rings? A few weeks back, he said that he doesn’t feel obligated to take a discount, but has his outlook changed after his abominating performance this June?

Will we see Blake Griffin in another uniform because of a sign-and-trade that would ship the four-time MVP James to Hollywood? Would the already uber-competitive Western Conference become even more unprecedented by a James-Harden-Howard troika in Texas?

Ladies and gentlemen, the NBA season is over, coming to a close with the San Antonio Spurs ruling above all once again. But now, another season begins. One filled with unexpected happenings that will surely keep every hoops junkie all over the world at the edge of their seats. And the bottom line is, everything starts and ends with LeBron. The chips will align around whatever he decides to do, followed by the falling of dominoes. The best player in the world is available for courting, and the suitors will be ready.

You thought 2010 was insane and unpredictable? Let me tell you that 2014 is going to be even more crazy.

The Summer of LeBron Part 2 has begun. – Rappler.com