2010: The Decision (Lebron James)

In the summer of 2010, Lebron James had a major decision to make. Stay in Cleveland and win the city its first NBA title, or leave for another team. Throughout the season, they’re were various people (fans, reporters, analyst) speculating on where he will go like The Knicks, Mavericks, Bulls, and even the Nets because of ties part-owner/rapper Jay-Z. On July 7^th, he makes his decision in a one-hour ESPN special called “The Decision.” After much speculation, he utters the following phrase that will be remembered forever: “I’m taking my talents to South Beach and joining the Miami Heat.” It sounds like it’s just another big name athlete making his decision to play basketball right? WRONG!!!  Lebron’s “Decision” was a big move for him, and also created a trend that’s occurring in the NBA today. Here’s why this move was such a big story:

The Ratings

This move made Lebron James remind me of his favorite team in the New York Yankees. You either loved it, hated it, indifferent, or simply put-off by the act of arrogance he displayed on July 7^th. Either way, the ratings ESPN received made it a smash hit for not just Lebron James and ESPN, but for the NBA as well. Overnight, ESPN received a 7.3 rating during the one-hour special. It even reached as high as 9.6 once Lebron James told the world he’s “taking his talents to South Beach”. ESPN’s 7.3 rating was the highest Non-NFL event for 2010. “The Decision” was even bigger than his 7.1 rating on ESPN when Cleveland lost to Boston in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

The fallout for these high ratings made the Miami Heat the most talked about team in the NBA Off-season. ESPN gave the Heat it’s own page called “The Heat Index”. These pages are usually for all sports teams in cities like Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and Chicago. This was the first time an NBA team had it’s own page on ESPN. The network took it even further by having live coverage of their pre-season training at Eglin AFB in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. It was the first time in 23 seasons that the Miami Heat took their training camp on the road. Once the season began on October 27^th, TNT received a record breaking 3.5 rating for the Heat’s 1^st regular season game against the Boston Celtics. This was the start of the most anticipated NBA season in league history.

The Reaction to “The Decision”

For Miami Heat fans, they won the Lebron James lottery. They already had Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh just signed a week ago, and now Lebron James. The talk of dynasty and winning 70 games or more quickly ran through the media. People all over were buying Heat gear and jumping on the South Beach bandwagon. Fans in South Florida were happy, while others were not so much.

As soon as Lebron James announced were he was going, fans in Cleveland were outraged. There were Fans burning his jersey, putting it in trash, and references to “Quitter”. That was because many fans believed that Lebron “quit” on his team during the Cavs lost to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Playoffs. The worst was when Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert was critical of Lebron for his decision. While many felt the Owner’s anger, others had sympathy for Lebron and understood why he left Cleveland. Many fans understood the “business side” of leaving for Miami, but most were disappointed in him for leaving the team without telling the fans first. NBA fans would love to see him win a title in his home state of Ohio. For now, he’s the new Art Modell in Cleveland and that’s not a good thing for him. For most of the season, the other 29 teams Miami played in booed Lebron James when he had the ball in his hands. The Heat became “The Villains” of the NBA over the usual Lakers or Celtics. Love him or hate him, arenas were filled, tickets were sold, and TV rating got bigger.

Start of a New Trend 

Lebron James joins forces with Chris Bosh and long-time friend Dwayne Wade in Miami. Three franchise players on one team. NBA superstars teaming up and joining a big city team was the new trend of the league. The balance of power has shifted from the owners to the players. Back in the day, Franchise players joining forces was unheard of. That’s like Larry Bird leaving Boston to join forces with Magic Johnson with the Lakers. Wouldn’t happen!! This trend will continue with free agents like Chris Paul and Dwight Howard possibly look for new teams. Big city teams like the Heat, Lakers, Bulls, and Knicks have the money and market power to lure those big-name stars. Small market teams like Cleveland, New Orleans, and Sacramento don’t have either. Teams like Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs might have the tools to lure a big-name star, but still don’t compare to the big markets/cities. Keep in mind that most NBA stars love the big city, bright lights of being an NBA star. Lebron James himself said he wanted to be a “global icon”. They’re looking for a team that reflects that “superstar lifestyle” for winning games in a particular city. Let’s see if the looming lockout changes things and level the playing field for small market teams. For a guy who grew up a fan of the Yankees (MLB) and the Dallas Cowboys (NFL), should we be surprised he made this move? I wasn’t.

The Copycat Moves  

They were many trades teams made to make their teams better, but there were some that actually copied the Miami Heat playbook. Case in point the New York Knicks. They drafted Amare Stoudamire around the time of Lebron’s move to Miami. During this season, they made a Blockbuster trade with the Denver Nuggets sending Carmello Anthony and veteran Chauncey Billups to the Knicks. Before that trade went on, there was in-state rival Orlando Magic. Out of nowhere, they made a blockbuster trade of their own sending Jason Richardson and former teammate Hedo Turkoglu to Orlando for back-up center Marcin Gortat, Vince Carter, and Mickael Piertrus to the Phoenix Suns. The Magic also traded starter Richard Lewis to the Washington Wizards for Gilbert Arenas. Both teams (Knicks & Magic) didn’t get out of the first round of the NBA playoffs. Both teams should improve next season, but you never know in the NBA.

Conclusion

This story is still very recent and still need time to fully put “The Decision” into perspective. For right now, “The Decision” has paid off for Lebron this season. The Miami Heat is in a good position to go deep in the playoffs and maybe win a championship back to Miami (2^nd overall for the franchise). Even if they don’t win the championship this season, they will be in a good position to win it next season, despite the looming lockout when the season is over. Until that time, I will sit back and watch a future dynasty in the making.

The Reference Links
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/07/lebrons-the-decision-was-a-ratings-hit/1
http://www.nba.com/2010/news/10/27/tnt-ratings/index.html
http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/11/1725091/lebron-james-loved-hated-misunderstood.html
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5365793
http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/28/news/newsmakers/lebron_james.fortune/index.htm
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/110425&sportCat=nba
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/eglin-32919-heat-hurlburt.html
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5932861
http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_17443219
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/07/ex-browns-owner-art-modell-nonsense-that-lebron-james-is-more-hated-in-cleveland/1