LeBron James hatefest becoming more amusing by the day.  We reflect.

SCOTT JACOBS

On November 23, 2009 Chris Ballard of Sports Illustrated wrote a very intriguing column entitled “The Discount Dynasty.”

Tucked away peacefully on the backpage of SI’s College Football Preview, Ballard proposed an idea so crazy, it seemed unfeasible:  LeBron James taking the minimum, donating it to charity, and forming a super-team, showing that winning comes first.

“So you tell me what’s more valuable to LeBron James Inc. in the long run—three years of max salary (around $50 million) or the cachet that comes from a) winning title after title as the linchpin of a superteam; b) being seen as the first star athlete to say, “It’s not about the money,” then back that up; and c) generating worldwide media buzz.”

Stop.

Re-read it.  Superteam.  Not about the money.  Worldwide media buzz.

And we’re back.

That’s precisely what LeBron did!  Okay, so he didn’t take the minimum.  But he took way less money, joined forced with two other phenomenal talents in forming a superteam, and the way he went about it created worldwide media buzz (don’t underestimate the NBA’s sway across foreign lands, they’re already talking about Heat overseas exhibition games).

When I read that column way back in November I thought it was a scary proposition, but something that seemed unrealistic from the current money hungry athletes we have today.  LeBron, or any  other superstar would never put titles ahead of money in their prime.  No way.  It just doeesn’t work that way.  Like all athletes say.  It’s business.  Or as Randy Moss once famously proclaimed “straight cash homey.”

Ballard’s idea probably drew raves from sports fans at the time, who although skeptical of it actually happening, probably salivated over the idea of an athlete showing a little selflessness.  And then LeBron went through with most of Ballard’s master-plan and the end result has left him as the most villanized athlete in our sports world.

“Global icon? Champion for the ages? Consummate team player?”

That’s how Ballard opened up his piece.  LeBron would be the people’s hero.  He’d win multiple championships playing side by side with some of the NBA’s best.  He’d show how much of a team player he is.

That’s what LeBron did!

I guess the free agent charade he put on was tacky and over the top, and totally unnecessary.  It turned off a lot of people for sure.  And the ESPN Special, well that was outrageous and killed my IQ probably 30 points, but the point here is this:  LeBron did what Ballard said (he just didn’t take the minimum)

“By staying in Cleveland, James would be seen as loyal and inspirational while the Cavaliers stuffed themselves silly with big-name salaries—forget Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh, how about Wade and Bosh? But LeBron could just as easily join Dwight Howard and Vince Carter in Orlando, or Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol in L.A. Something tells me any of those lineups might just have a shot at winning a title. Or five.”

Stuff themselves with big name salaries?  I thought that was the cheap way out?  I thought it was all about legacies and winning it as the big kahuna.  The top dog.  But neither you, nor I probably would have blinked an eye in that direction back in November, when the idea of a superteam seemed like something straight out of a video game.

And that’s the hypocritical nature of people’s disdain towards LeBron.  Be upset at him for leaving Cleveland.  Burn his jersey if you feel that betrayed.  I almost did the same with my Ricky Williams jersey when he retired from the Dolphins to smoke pot.  Let him know you didn’t like his show.  His three ring circus.  But don’t fault him for taking the easy way out.  He didn’t.  He took the harder way out.  He sacrificed money, direct spotlight, and popularity.  He swung at conventional wisdom with a bat and was left with giant splinters on his hand.  The easy way out was going to Chicago or staying in Cleveland, where win a title or not he couldn’t fail.

In Miami LeBron can fail horribly.  The pressure will be unlike that which we’ve seen for a team in years.  Every night the Heat will have a target on their back.  They’ve accomplished nothing except on paper.  Yet, everyone hates him and his new team.  LeBron did what most would have deemed a heroic act in the sports world.  But he went about it poorly, and now everyone is taking the easy way out in bashing him.

“And for anyone who argues that James’s legacy would be tainted because he played on a stacked team, I ask you, Whose legacy was “tainted” more: Magic Johnson’s for winning with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy or Larry Bird’s for winning with Kevin McHale and Robert Parish?”

At the end of the day, people are just upset cause he didn’t pick their team.  The Cleveland thing is a copout.  New York wanted him.  New Jersey needed him.  Chicago put up billboards for him.  And yet methinks no one would have discredited him had he landed in any one of those places.  Let’s not make this about Cleveland.  Let’s just admit our hypocrisy.  It’s okay, we’re allowed to be hypocrites.

The first step is acceptance.

Photo: Getty

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