Here’s the thing about LeBron James: The moment he left the Cavaliers was the last moment he should have given, and probably did give, any thought whatsoever about what anyone else — anyone in the world — thought about his “legacy.”
Let’s ask this question first: How much does a “legacy” really matter to a great athlete? We assume it means a great deal. We hear retired, graying athletes use that word a lot, as they grapple with the hands of time and look back at their youthful selves.
And yes, even four years later, what would have helped seal LeBron’s legacy in a positive light is if he had just shrugged his shoulders and given in to the hometown-kid-makes-good narrative, if he had stayed in Cleveland and done everything in his power to end that city’s championship void, which in 2014 celebrates its 50th year.
Everyone says the path he took — teaming with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami — was the “easy” one. That’s nonsense. If LeBron had committed to Cleveland, all he would have needed to do was win one championship — not two, not three, not four, not five … just one — and he would have sealed the all-time tightest bond between athlete and city. And you have to believe somehow, some way, in some year, LeBron and the Cavaliers would have figured out a way to do that — especially without a Super Team like the Heat of recent vintage standing in their way.
You want a legacy? That’s a legacy, one that now falls to the arm of Johnny Manziel or the strategic wizardry of Terry Francona, if it’s going to happen at all in Cleveland before another decade of dirt is heaped upon its barren civic trophy case.
But LeBron didn’t stay in Cleveland. He selected Miami. And maybe in the moment of “The Decision,” he couldn’t have known how much scorn he would invite for at least a year or two, but he obviously knew what making that move meant — winning titles was no longer a goal, but a requirement. And if he didn’t go 4-for-4 — which still wouldn’t have been enough for some judges — he did help the Heat go 2-for-4 and make four straight NBA Finals.
Now, he has another opportunity to reboot his career and figure out what’s best for him, and though Pat Riley’s subtle-as-a-cigarette-to-the-eye press conference this week all but challenged LeBron’s manhood, daring him to pick up his career somewhere other than South Beach, even Riles the Master Motivator has to concede that if James were willing to risk exile from his Ohio home, leaving Miami won’t exactly cause him all that many sleepless nights.
Legacy? Riley hinted that if LeBron pursues his championship quest elsewhere, he wouldn’t be honoring such legacy players as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, who did all their winning in one place. That, of course, was partly out of time and circumstance: Those players didn’t play in an era of opt-ins and opt-outs. And, by the way, it wasn’t as if all of them played at the kind of discount LeBron has the past four years.
And you could argue this way: As many times as athletes (like David Wright and Joe Mauer in baseball, for instance) are lauded for their hometown-discount loyalties, at a time when we judge athletes’ careers more than ever on how many championships they win, isn’t it wise for those athletes to consider the changing circumstances?
If LeBron wants to win multiple titles — as he is required to do — shouldn’t he spend as much time factoring that now as he did in 2010? And if another team offers a better opportunity — as the Heat did in 2014 — wouldn’t he be more true to his own legacy to ponder a move?
Maybe he stays put. Riley is an awfully persuasive salesman, after all. But if LeBron doesn’t? Well, good for him. If titles matter most to him, isn’t that supposed to be a good thing?
Whack Back at Vac
Marily Nelick: I don’t think Jeff Wilpon is too happy that Sandy Alderson gave Chris Young $7.25 million of Jeff’s trust fund money.
Vac: The sad part is, I don’t think anyone would tell the difference if Jeff were playing instead of Young, although that would make both of them less destructive.
Bill Green: After watching the NBA playoffs, the Stanley Cup final and now the World Cup, it’s clear the best dives in sports take place on the court, the ice and the pitch and not in the swimming pool!
Vac: I give the edge to the embellishing footballers, who all have mastered the facial art of mimicking getting shot while falling to the turf.
@dArefin: US cancels Redskins name trademark, saying it’s offensive. Indians logo still OK because the guy looks so happy in the picture.
@MikeVacc: I suspect Chief Wahoo’s days are numbered, as well.
Joseph Orofino: With the Spurs’ victory, much has been made of the superiority of the Western Conference, and it is true. However, it is only true as it pertains to Texas and the Lakers. Since 1979 when the Sonics won, no other Western franchise has laid claim to the crown.
Vac: Just something else to hold against both LA and Texas.
Vac’s Whacks
Hard as this is to believe, Ruben Tejada’s WAR is still above zero, at 0.4, which makes you wonder if that replacement player is, you know, dead.
I’m not sure even Ken Reeves, Eric Taylor or Pop Fisher were as beloved by their players as Gregg Popovich is by the Spurs.
It has been 19 years already, but, man, don’t you still miss Pat Riley?
I’m coming to this late but I am about to dive into “Fargo” with both feet. I am told I will not be disappointed.