In-fact, they kind of can't boo him or hold a grudge, right?... that would just be ridiculous. The Great one graced those ten fans with his presence... if but for a fleeting moment, they still should just nod their heads in thanks and wish him best of luck on his real team.
If I were a Heat fan, I absolutely would.
It just provides even more evidence to back the idea that James only came to Miami to 'cheat' his way to an easy title, and that he has absolutely zero loyalty.
He leaves Cleveland, who had built their entire team around him, to go team up with Wade and Bosh in Miami. Everybody flamed him for it because it was obviously seen as taking the easy way out - trying to latch on to a championship team the easy way, rather then battling to lead his existing team to a championship the way many past legends (Jordan, Magic, Bird, Hakeem, Robinson, etc) had done.
The way I see it, the only way Lebron could have redeemed himself in my eyes is if he stayed with Miami and retired there - no matter what. Even after Bosh and Wade faded into mediocrity and the team maybe went through some playoff exits, sticking by anyway and proving that he genuinely had love for the city and the fans. Then maybe he could have at least gone some way to proving me wrong, and showing that his 'trip' to Miami really was more than just a lazy effort to try to steal a couple of quick titles.
Instead Miami makes it to the Finals for the fourth straght season and lose embarassingly to the Spurs, a team famous for lacking any true superstars, and in the eyes of many a team that had no business making it so far - they did it based on heart and team play, not on pure talent.
Suddenly Lebron sees his situation the same way I looked at it. The team has three guys who take up probably 80% of the the salary cap. The old veterans who had so hapilly sold their soles to latch on for an easy ring suddenly were older, and not as effective. Guys like Ray Allen are starting to talk about retirement. The team has no cap space to legitimately improve the team. It's suddenly very clear they this 'easy title' was no longer going to be so easy.
So rather then stick around in the face of adversity in the hope of willing home another title (As Duncan, Ginobili and Parker did in San Antonio), Lebron quits on his team and jumps right back over to Cleveland, were he knows he has the chance to join forces with Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins and hopefully contend for many more years.
Lebron's antics and utter disregard for anybody but himself does (in my eyes) put him right up there with Dwight Howard as two of the most utterly disloyal and arroganct players in this league.
I honestly feel some for guys like Pat Reily, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh - guys who were just as responsible for all that playoff success as Lebron was. Guys who all bought in to this thing together, and now would undoubtedly feel just a little bit 'stabbed in the back'.
Lets not forget Miami's great championship parade the day Lebron joined, and James' infamous "not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven..." comment. Clear proof that Lebron cares zero about following through on anything, and proof that all he cares about is money and media attention...because Lebron didn't even stay with Miami long enough to give that number "five" a chance.
I think Lebron is utterly disgraceful as a professional athete and as a human being. Now that he's gone to Cleveland, already I find myself no longer hating the Heat - that dislike just moves straight on to Lebron now. I can't hate the Cavs because you can't blame them for doing anything to sign Lebron - any team with the opportunity would do the same. Yet at the same time I will always (absolutely always) want Lebron to lose, and for Lebron to lose his team has to lose. That leaves me with no choice but to want Cleveland to fail in every possible way, just to see Lebron suffer through years of failure...just to teach him a lesson that taking the easy path isn't always the right one.
On the other hand I now have newfound respect for Chris Bosh - a guy who I previously despised for his sissy girl-scout attitude. Much as he may be a bit soft for my taste, Bosh showed a lot of heart by turning down an opportunity to join another 'superteam' in Houston, and instead showing his loyalty and staying in Miami. I respect that.
