Thursday night on TNT LeBron James made his much anticipated return to Cleveland where he spent seven seasons before leaving the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. When LeBron announced his Decision on ESPN in an hour-long special with Jim Gray, there was an immediate backlash at James and fellow stars Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. No team in my lifetime has ever received the press that the Heat have so far and, as one could imagine, with every loss comes more speculation as to why they aren't winning.
Of the Heat's Big Three no one has received as much hate as LeBron has since they joined forces. Why is that? Some say LeBron did nothing wrong because he is allowed to leave in free agency. That is true but there are so many reasons why LeBron is wrong. It seemed like a dream situation for LeBron and for Cleveland on Draft day back in 2003; the kid from Akron who had dominated the high school scene and taken over the nation already was going to be drafted number one overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, a franchise desperate for a star player and wins.
LeBron lived up to the hype for the seven years he was in Cleveland, leading the Cavs to the Finals once and rewriting the franchise record books. At times it seemed like he was the only guy the Cavs had on the roster and he single-handedly would propel them to wins but then this summer...he left. He left Cleveland, the city that loved him with all they had. Go to Youtube and watch a clip of LeBron before a game when he was a Cavalier. Fans would mimic him as he threw the powder into the air and teammates would joke around and share a laugh before, during and after the games. With James in a Cavs uniform, Cleveland really did rock. Listen...I've been to Cleveland and it sucks. There's nothing to do and the city is just depressed but LeBron was that bright spot. Many in the city are unemployed, the Browns look like they will never be good again and the Indians seem to have forgotten what winning is but LeBron and the Cavs brought life to the city and to make it even better he was a hometown kid. He was a hero.
Few men have ever experienced the love that LeBron had in Cleveland. Sure, every city loves their star player but not like Cleveland loved LeBron. He was their savior. He was going to bring them a championship and he even went on the record saying that. He wouldn't stop until he got it he said and we believed him. Life was a party with LeBron.
Everything has changed. He betrayed the city and that's not an unfair assessment of the situation. He was a hometown kid who said he would bring a championship to the city and he made a mockery of the city and the team on national television by announcing his Decision for all in a truly selfish fashion. He deserved the chorus of boos that he received from his once loyal fans and he deserved the signs and t-shirts with anti-LeBron phrases and pictures. Never again will LeBron be accepted in that city and I'm not sure he understands that yet. Yes, he scored 38 points but he came out of Quicken Loans Arena a loser in my mind. Maybe he finally understands that the fans aren't joking and that their anger wasn't just one night. They really do hate him.
The hero that the city of Cleveland loved is suddenly the villain that the city of Cleveland hates with all their heart.
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