LeBron James

(If you don’t follow the NBA pretty closely, you probably need not bother with this post.

To make it relatable to all, I’d have to do a lot of explaining.)

I’ve been reading a lot about how offended everyone is about Cleveland being allowed to re-sign Z in what was clearly an unspoken understanding about the Jamison trade.

“Look, we have a chance to pick up Jamison for nothing if we pretend we don’t want you anymore and you take a 30-day vacation. Good? Good.”

It was likely never said outside the Danny Ferry Excitement Bunker, but everyone “got it”.

The great lengths the team has gone to removing Z’s image from the arena, and how Z’s agent is pretending to romance other teams – it’s all funny, at least to a Cleveland fan like myself.

What’s odd is how aghast people are about this now, when it’s been going on for years.

Now, we all know what the aghastedness is about: anything that helps Cleveland win the title brings LeBron one step closer to staying, which means the national media won’t have anything to write about.

Even my unbiased side doesn’t think he’s leaving anyway, and certainly not for the Knicks – historically, how many league MVPs have left one of the best teams in the NBA for one of the worst, and taken less money to do so?

If people would stop hoping for the sensational story and start looking at the facts, it might help. Don’t forget, he could’ve left three years ago if he’d wanted to.

In any case, the point of this post is that nobody is talking about this: what Cleveland is doing is an amazingly great example of something.

Here you’ve got a small-market team, in a city that’s shrinking and losing jobs, in a lousy economy…gaming the system.

Isn’t that what everyone complains that the Red Sox and Yankees and Knicks do? Just spend money rampantly and buy a winner? (Well, the Knicks don’t actually accomplish that, but you get the point.)

Yes, having LeBron is a variable that won’t fit in anyone else’s potential template, but the little team from Cleveland becoming the economic bully of the NBA is point that should be celebrated in some fashion, not criticized.

Talk all you want about the system being broken – I’d say the people running the teams (GMs/Owners) are simply bad at their jobs in many cases.

This is about more than just a few robbery trades – Gilbert has built a first class organization, and Danny Ferry has done a fantastic job.

Remember when he played hardball with Varajao, refusing to overpay for him? How many other GMs would’ve just ponied up $10M/year for six years without thinking about it?

Call it hometown pride, but that’s the good story nobody’s taking from this. Smart owner willing to spend, smart GM willing to make tough/smart deals, build yourself a winner.

Even outside THE NEW YORK CITY.

OMG ALICIA KEYS SING YOUR FAUX-FANCY SONG.

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