LeBron's Decision Will Impact Legacy

I guess that the countless hours I spend watching ESPN makes me a co-conspirator in this entire process but count me in to the group who finds the 24-hour LeBron James news cycle to be a ridiculous joke. The self-proclaimed "King" has been the focus of the NBA free agent frenzy and will make his decision tonight on ESPN during a one-hour primetime special. For a player with more individual achievements than championships, the spectacle of choosing his destination in front of a national television audience makes perfect sense. The latest speculation is that James will sign with the Miami Heat to team up with his buddies and fellow All-Stars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Having two MVP caliber stars in James and Wade to team with a talent like Bosh would transform the Heat into instant title contenders. James' other potential landing spots include the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets, and Los Angeles Clippers. If he does in fact decide to go to Miami, it will put him closer to his first championship but it will instantly diminish his potential legacy. The true superstars in the NBA's history made their mark as the top star on a championship team and by choosing to jump to a team that has one established star in Wade and another All-Star like Bosh would prevent James from being the unquestioned top star on a Miami championship team. Can you imagine Larry Bird jumping to the Lakers before the 1983-84 season to play with Magic Johnson in order to give himself a better chance to win a ring? Would Michael Jordan have moved from Chicago to Detroit to help Isiah Thomas and the Pistons win a third championship in 1990? The answer to both questions is a difinitive NO. For all of his faults, Kobe Bryant practically derailed one of the great tandems in NBA history with Shaquille O'Neal because he wanted - no, he needed - to prove he could carry a team to a championship as the main attraction. It took Kobe a few years to do so - and the help of Pau Gasol - but he has led the Lakers to consecutive titles, cementing his place amongst the elite of the NBA. LeBron's failure to do so will taint him in the eyes of history. I am not saying that LeBron has to stay with the Cavaliers. If he believes the Knicks, Bulls, Nets, or Clippers gives him a better opportunity to win a championship than in Cleveland, he should leave the Cavs. I personally believe both the Knicks and Bulls do provide that opportunity while maintaining his presence as the undoubted leader. In New York he could team with Amar'e Stoudemire to form a potent 1-2 combination that might take time to develop but it would be a better situation than his current one in Cleveland. The Knicks have additional money to add some complimentary pieces this summer - J.J. Redick would be a shrewd addition to space the floor for LeBron with his jump shot - and when Eddy Curry's bloated contract expires after this season, even more money will be available to add the final touches to a contender. The situation in Chicago is even brighter than the one in the Big Apple. The Bulls have an emerging star in point guard Derrick Rose, two solid role players in Joakim Noah and Luol Deng, and have agreed to a deal with free agent power forward Carlos Boozer. Like the Knicks, the Bulls would still have some left over money to sign one more complimentary piece - again, J.J. Redick's skill set makes him a perfect fit with LeBron - but the Bulls are even more championship ready than New York. The one glaring issue with the Bulls is that James would be operating in the shadow of Michael Jordan. I do not think that is a problem. This entire process is proof that LeBron is not the second coming of MJ and that is a fact that the basketball universe must accept. Jordan would have never been apart of a primetime television show to announce his future. When he announced he was returning to the Bulls from a year playing minor league baseball there was nothing more than a press conference and at that time he was a three-time NBA champion and three-time league MVP. LeBron's resume is not as impressive. Moving to Miami would be a negative reflection of the entire system of American basketball, not just the legacy of LeBron James. Basketball in this country is all about individual achievement and trying to ensure that the best players are put into winning situations. It is a system that promotes All-Star teams in the grade school levels and glorifies the victories of A.A.U. teams that brag more about who is on their team than how much they won. Come to think of it, when LeBron was a high school player he played on an Oakland, California based A.A.U. team with two other nationally known prospects, Kendrick Perkins and Leon Powe. While it is not surprising for top young talent to play together on the A.A.U. circuit, none of the three were even from the same home state. James was an Ohio native while Perkins called Texas home and Powe was from Oakland. If he was willing to play with a team halfway across the country in high school to improve his chances of winning, I do not think it will have changed now. It is likely the James-Wade-Bosh trio will win multiple titles. It will not prevent any of the three from making multiple All-Star teams, All-NBA teams, or winning the MVP. The problem lies with the legacy of James. He will be joining Wade - who has already won a title in Miami - as a running mate and history will not view him as a true star if that is what he does decide to do tonight.