LeBron Decision: Miami Heat, Wade, Bosh

Wow.

I am still digesting the events of last night. A lot went on over the course of the past several years as this monumental free agency period developed right in front of us. I am sure there were events we will learn more about in the days to come as well as plenty of events we will never hear about. Franchises saw this coming and dumped their rosters for two years thinking they controlled the outcome - when in reality, we as fans, the teams, and the league were duped by the athletes and their handlers the entire time.

Without diving into my thoughts on ESPN's horrific coverage and involvement, LeBron's tarnished (temporarily at least) image and poorly orchestrated production of this decision, I want to touch on what this means for the NBA.

Specifically, my opinion of how this demonstrates a continued dramatic shift from the NBA of the 80's and 90's and diminishes the potential prowess of the next decade of professional basketball.

When Larry Bird and Magic Johnson transcended the sport in the 80's thanks to their fierce competitive rivalry, they did not have a friendly relationship. They were not going to dinners together or joking around with each other before, during, or after games. They were competitors. They paved the way for an era of the NBA where Jordon's Bulls, Magic's Lakers, Bird's Celtics, and Isiah's Pistons beat each other up.

Regardless of the shifts in free agency and player's unions, they each wanted to win with THEIR team.

So what changed? How did we get to this point? Where did that fierce on-court hatred turn into an NBA where stars pop bottles together and dream of forming super duper all-star teams in the country's sexiest cities?

I will tell you.

Two things happened. The first, youth basketball evolved into a nine figure business and AAU sleazeball coaches and marketing firms built powerful enterprises through the exploitation of young African American prodigy athletes. The second, happened more recently, when David Stern's goal of an international game warped into place, and all of a sudden, the US of A's dominance at the World Championships and Olympics fell apart.

The NBA players of the 80's did not grow up on traveling all-star squads from the age of six on. Players today spend more time with other top players in AAU tournaments across the country than they do with their high school teams. They spend an exorbitant amount of time with other 4 and 5 star players and develop natural friendships at camps, tournaments, in hotel rooms, on buses, and in airplanes. By the time they reach the college recruiting process (and the NBA draft for those 18 year olds like LeBron), the McDonald's All-Americans all know each other extremely well.

We've witnessed this for years at the college level. When one top rated recruit commits to a school, he instantly becomes a booster - promoting his choice to his fellow AAU teammates in an attempt to bring more guys with him.

This attitude has corrupted the natural competitive nature of the NBA. Do these guys compete on a nightly basis? Yes, of course. But it is not the same. Seconds after LeBron's Cavs knock off the Heat, Dwayne Wade is in his ear laughing about the late-night dinner they are about to enjoy together. As fans, it is our own fault for allowing our passions to engulf us to a point where, when our team loses, we take that loss harder than the athletes actually playing do. The Farrelly Brother's film Fever Pitch, captured this fan-player dynamic perfectly in one of the film's better scenes (I'll admit, I love this movie and its cheesiness) where Jimmy Fallon and his boys sit at a bar, beyond distraught after the Sox went down 3 games to 0 to the dreaded Yankees in the ALCS. At the other end of the restaurant Johnny Damon and Jason Varitek enjoy a nice steak and full bodied Cabernet.

How could they possibly not care as much as we do? Well, that is an entirely different piece to the crazy world of sports and the fans, reporters, and media outlets who drive the narcissism of athletes and overall financial juggernaut of the business aspect of games that are supposed be fun. Sports fans will always share this common passion and pain. No matter how many LeBron's let us down with their lack of tact or sense of entitlement.

The AAU upbringing magnified this attitude and we have grown accustomed to players on opposing teams chumming around with one another. Coupled with free agency, we've dissolved the potential for rivalries. With that, the mentality of winning one with YOUR team is gone.

If the AAU virus wasn't enough, our more morally sound efforts to bring basketball dominance back home to America ended up playing a major role in last night's fiasco. We've heard all the talking heads digress about the pact made in Beijing, which may unfold even more in 2010 with Chris Paul. How did we not see this coming?

David Stern wanted a global game. He got it. We no longer needed to simply show up, suit up, and slam dunk the international opposition with little to no preparation. We needed commitment from our guys. We needed an AAU team again.

LeBron, Wade, Bosh, and Paul bonded much like a few 14 year olds would on a traveling team after four years of hard work and constant contact with a similar goal. To win.

We got our gold medal. But did we sacrifice the NBA in the process?

Instead of LeBron's Cavs (or Knicks), Wade's Heat, Kobe's Lakers, Durant's Thunder, Rose's Bulls, Howard's Magic (and their respective Robin's playing to their Batman), all beating up on each other (and pushing the next guy to get better), we have the potential super duper team waltzing through each season like a rock band on tour, while the rest of the league tries to join in on the fun. Imagine a decade with all of the young stars battling it out for a title. The rivalries would be fantastic.  

Now, thanks to the AAU mentality, we can only hope that Kobe's Lakers knock off the "South Beach All-Stars" for the next two years while Durant and Rose build their teams to a championship caliber level.

Then maybe, just maybe, we'll have our rivalries. But the LeBron Decision set the tone for a new era in the NBA. Where that takes us, could be a frightening reality.


- Crafty Lefty.