The Beautiful Mess in Miami

It seems LeBron James is at the center of all things dysfunctional these days in Miami. 2 days before his first game against the Cavaliers, James and his Heat teammates are in one of the craziest soap operas the sports world has ever seen. Each day there is a new story, a new "insider's" report, attempting to shed some light on the question everyone is asking in some form; "What the hell is going on down there in Miami?".

20 years from now, I'm not sure what professional sports will look like. As a fan, I've always been captivated by athletes, and what they can do. It's art. I know there's so many other people in the world that deserve my adulation more than sports figures. In the case of LeBron James, 20 years from now is going to look a whole lot different than it appeared to look 6 months ago.

There are other players in this circle, but I'm going to stick with James for the simple fact that he was supposed to be different. I've read so many articles about this guy. As an Ohio native, he's been force fed to all of us since he was 15. I remember the Plain Dealer doing a full page color spread tracing all his movements when he goes to the basket for a dunk. This was when he was a high school freshman. It should be mentioned that it didn't start there. It had started long before. We are indeed all Witnesses, as the Nike slogan for James suggests, but we are not witnessing greatness anymore, we are witnessing the destruction of a man.

James shoulders much of the blame for this. He's been equivocating from the start. From the minute he found the spotlight, he tried to tell us he was the next Michael Jordan. He wore #23 and often spoke on the phone with Jordan while in high school. Jordan was also seen at his games, giving James pointers on how to improve his all around game. James even attended his basketball camps in the summer. Now (according to his commercial), he wants no part of Jordan's legacy. Why the sudden change?

It's hard to wrap my mind around what's going on with James. It's obvious that he planned this from the time he, Wade, and Bosh all signed 3 year extensions with their teams in 2007. As a fan, that pisses me off. The thing I've come to realize with pro sports is that the fans get left out in the cold while the owners are trying to get over on the players, and the players are trying to get over on the owners. Any adoration that the athlete showers the fans with is usually insincere, and when the fans react out of anger, the athletes can't understand why they are taking it personally. But, like the girlfriend in an abusive relationship, the fans come back for more, often latching on to another savior, hoping and rationalizing that this one will be different. In the case of James, he's shown that he's totally oblivious to the damage he left not only in Cleveland, but with the national media.

Looking back, it's easy to see how James got to this point. From the time he signed his extension in 2007, justifying his reasons for inking a 3 year deal as opposed to a 6 year deal as an attempt to keep the Cavaliers organization committed to winning and giving himself the best opportunity to win each year, he was openly flirting with every team that he had interest in. He kept one eye on Cleveland, and one eye on everyone else on his 2010 radar. Then there are his friends, all of whom rode his coat tails to their meal tickets. It was obvious James wasn't strong enough to make the choice himself and check his friends. He let them take control, convincing him that it should be all about him, and no one else mattered. There would be no accountability for LeBron James. He's the best. Just ask Nike, ESPN, his friends, and all of New York City. Go on TV and crush your fans in Cleveland. Call it The Decision (no one in Cleveland will be smart enough to figure out what's coming with all the misfortune tied into things like The Drive, The Fumble, and The Shot). LeBron James flat out forgot where he came from.

We all heard the accusations after it all went down. The Cavs fired off that they had covered up so much of James and his buddies' gaffes, that it would surely come out in Miami. He wouldn't have the same protection there. Travel plans had been changed to stay extra days in cities James and his pals wanted to party in. James' friends were on payroll with the team as well. They had held the Cavaliers hostage, and like a scorned lover, they were fighting back. The national backlash was fierce, and James, along with his superfriends, was suddenly the most hated man in the NBA. James was too busy to notice. He tried to build his brand by launching a new website, opening a Twitter account, and teaming with Dr. Dre to develop new headphones. Pile that on top of the over the top rave-like introduction the 3 planned shortly after The Decision, and the transformation was complete. Promises of 7 championships and dancing on stage only fueled the fire. You could just see the arrogance in the press conferences and interviews as these guys smiled and laughed and talked how they couldn't believe this had actually happened. They had pulled it off. What no one knew was that LeBron James was about to reveal himself.

Now to Miami. Things couldn't be worse for James right now. South Beach got its hooks in him right away. Rumors of a romance with Kim Kardashian were just the start. James quickly lashed out on Twitter, but the damage was being done. The team stands at 10-8, far below expectations, and suddenly the coach is on thin ice (mostly due to a shaky relationship with James). LeBron only adds ammunition to his detractors. Instead of letting his game do the talking, he often contradicts himself in interviews, and has a comment for just about every situation. In attempting to get his claws more in the pie, he's opened himself up to an avalanche of criticism. The one thing that matters, the thing he's being paid 110 million dollars to grow, his basketball game-it's never looked worse. Maybe LeBron should have signed a 3 year contract to give himself more flexibility if this whole thing goes wrong, which it looks like it might. As for his buddies, they can't get out of their own way. Chris Bosh said that they need more time to "chill", and suddenly Dwayne Wade is distancing himself from the coach after saying he was the right guy for the job b/c he "understands today's player". All that changed in a mere 18 games. The problem here is James.

As for the struggles, don't blame LeBron, none of its his fault. Just ask him. First he's playing too many minutes and he's not fresh at the end of games, then the offense is too simplistic and predictable. He's not having as much fun this year as he did last year. Are you kidding me? Where's Pat Riley? The grand master, who sold the million dollar pitch, is nowhere to be found. Let's not take accountability for our own actions, let's blame the coaches. After all, isn't that why Cleveland couldn't win the NBA title the last 2 years despite having the best record in the league? It's not LeBron's fault. No sir. Not one bit. And what of Game 5 against Boston? What happened that night? The problematic elbow? What these guys (Wade/Bosh/James) didn't consider is that while they might be good players, they aren't good teammates. After Monday's win over Washington, Wade stated that they may have found their identity. LeBron would take over the first half, and Wade would take over the second half. Does anyone understand how idiotic that sounds? So every night, Heat fans are going to be treated to one half each from their mega stars. Don't expect them to play a complete game. 4 quarters. Especially when the playoffs come around.

No one really knows what to expect on Thursday night when James comes to town, including James. One thing is for sure, Cavs fans aren't going to see the same player that put on a virtuoso performance against Detroit in the '07 East Finals. What they are going to see is a man who hides behind everything but basketball. I was reading today that we are starting to get a peek into LeBron James' soul, and it's covered in mirrors. In order to help James see what he's become, maybe Cavs fans should hold up mirrors. On December 3rd, Cavs fans will move on from LeBron, but he'll still be fighting for his life in the beautiful mess he created.