Lebron James - Self-destruction

In attempting to build his brand through a hyped up free agency, Lebron has turned the public against him and has completely destroyed it. His hour-long special has been blasted by fans, and his egomaniac-ism (yes, I made up this word) and selfishness has been made extremely apparent. The public also sees through his little charity stunt to his sense of entitlement of attention, especially when he's compared to the classiness of Dwayne Wade and the humility of Kevin Durant. It has been made clear that every decision he makes, even basketball decisions, is about money, and he is intent on being a billionaire, and fans will be more hesitant than ever to throw money that will only boost his ego. Lebron has quickly become the most hated man in America, as he steals an hour from millions as he beats around the bush before actually announcing his decision. In attempting to build his brand, Lebron has completely destroyed it.

On my Google Reader, I'm subscribed to Bleacher Report , which is a sports blog hosting site where anyone can start a sports blog (I might create one some time). Surprise, surprise there has been the most Lebron bashing I've ever seen in my life. Even on Facebook, many statuses are lampooning Lebron and his little hour-long Free-Agency Idol results show. Lebron is now known across the country as a self-absorbed, selfish, greedy player that still hasn't won a ring. Lebron is the new Brett Favre - you hear about him every day but like him less and less every day. The more you hear about him the more you want him to disappear and never come back. This free agency has destroyed Lebron's image throughout the country.

In anticipation of Lebron joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh tonight at Miami, here are three reasons why signing with the Heat is a bad decision:

1) Miami is DWade's city, and the Heat are DWade's team.
Dwayne Wade is the unquestioned leader of the Miami Heat, and the addition of Chris Bosh doesn't change that at all. Despite the recent down years in Miami, Wade is mentally tough and committed to both the city of Miami and to winning. Wade has demonstrated loyalty and classiness, which so many superstars seem to lack nowadays. While Lebron will without a doubt be the best player on the team, will he be the mental, emotional leader? Will Dwayne Wade let him take the reigns of the team?

I saw this quote on a Bleacher Report article: "Lebron James is Alex Rodriguez to Dwayne Wade's Derek Jeter." I couldn't have said it better. 

2) Miami isn't the best place to win a championship
After signing Lebron James, the Heat will need to settle with mediocre role and bench players to push them through the season. Sure, having Lebron and Wade and Bosh will create most of the offense needed, but unless they play every minute of the game, someone will need to replace them. Comparisons to the Big Three of Boston can be made, but the new "Super Three" of Miami won't have the support of Glen Davis, Eddie House, Leon Powe, or James Posey on the bench or Perkins and Rondo role playing (wow that sounds dirtier than intended). A crappy bench and crappy role players mean more minutes for the Super Three, and more minutes means more fatigue and effect on the body. Even if the Super Three win one championship, the physical toll that season will have on their body will make it extremely difficult to repeat.

The importance of a good bench is often underrated, but look at these statistics from the 2010 NBA Finals:
Game 1: 102-89 LAL. Bench 16-15 CEL.
Game 2: 103-94 CEL. Bench 24-15 CEL.
Game 3: 91-84 LAL. Bench 24-22 CEL.
Game 4: 96-89 CEL. Bench 36-18 CEL.
Game 5: 92-86 CEL. Bench 14-13 CEL.
Game 6: 89-67 LAL. Bench 23-13 LAL.
Game 7: 83-79 LAL. Bench 9-6 LAL.

Five out of seven times, the team with the better bench won the game. And if you notice, the two times where the better bench did not win the game, it was only by a margin of two and one points. You cannot win a championship if your bench and role players cannot score.

3) Miami isn't the best place for Lebron to build his brand.
Let me first make one thing clear: for Lebron to build his brand into a billion-dollar market, he must win championships. Without championships, he cannot hope to be anywhere near Michael Jordan.

Let's just assume that the Heat win a championship two years from now (after the Lakers three-peat next year). The market will undoubtedly be split between Dwayne Wade and Lebron, and if Lebron takes more credit than he deserves and pushes his brand too hard, it will backfire and he'll lose the respect of fans. However, if they win, James really might not be getting the majority of the credit. It won't be a "Lebron and friends" kind of deal, but more of a "Miami has a great team" split in credit. Lebron will never be able to be the one that everyone can easily point to as the MVP of the team. What if Dwayne Wade wins it? Lebron's brand will never explode as he wants it to.

If Lebron really wants to boost his brand into the billion-dollar empire he desires, he needs to win championships by playing out of his mind and being the most well-liked player in the NBA. Of these two factors, I don't think he has the capacity for the latter.

Kobe vs. Lebron