LeBron James announced on Thursday night on a live ESPN special that he has decided to join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami to play basketball for the next several seasons. 

Then, all hell was unleashed in Cleveland, Ohio.

As soon as the announcement was made, the collective breath of  Cleveland fans was knocked out of them, they feel, as if their “King” walked up to each one of them and sucker-punched them one by one.

Fans were burning and tearing up jerseys and T-shirts of James in the streets, and lashing out on the evening news.  Facebook lit up with a littany of Cavs fans that are outraged and hurt by James’ “Decision”  not to return to the Cavs next season.  That worse than the decision to leave was how he went about it. 

He went on national television and announced his decision, slapping Cleveland fans in the face and disgracing the city, they proclaim.

Really, Cleveland?  Looks like you are just as classless as he is.

While I agree that when I heard about this TV show to announce his plans, I was disgusted in the way that not even Michael Jordan, the greatest of all time would have done such a thing, and in the way that it took an extremely large ego to go this way about it, and it was classless and unprofessional not to inform the Cavs of the decision before telling the world, I can’t understand why Cleveland – including the Owner Dan Gilbert (who wrote a strongly worded letter to Cavs fans on the team’s website tearing James apart)  - are taking this personally.

It’s simple.  The man was a free agent.  He did not belong to the Cavs and he certainly didn’t belong to the city or it’s fans.  He belongs to himself.  He chose a better opportunity elsewhere, and guess what C-Town fans: that’s okay.  You are overreacting.

Want proof?  On the local Cleveland news, they are comparing his decision to sign with another team, even as a free agent, with Art Modell’s decision to move the Cleveland Browns organization to Baltimore. 

Again I ask: Really, Cleveland?  It’s the same thing to announce on TV that you’ve decided to sign with a team other than the one you’ve played for previously, as it is to move an entire storied franchise out of a city it’s been in since it’s inception?

I think not.  Clearly Cleveland disagrees with me.

The whole NBA is holding their collective breath until they find out one thing:  What is he going to do? 

He is not Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire (who is nearing a $100 millon deal with the Knicks), Dwayne Wade, or Dirk Nowitski.  He is Lebron James and right or wrong, he is the most imporatnt man in basketball.  Not for his playing ability or marketing power, though those things are certainly why everyone wants him.  But it’s for his decision.

James is a free agent and has been since 12:01 am July 1st.  He is the straw that stirs the drink in what is being recognized as the biggest free agent year ever in the NBA.  With so many of it’s top stars opting for free agency, some teams gave up on last season in order to clear cap space to sign one – or in some cases more than one – of these young players.

Yesterday, the son of Akron, Ohio sat down with the likes of Nets owners Mikhail Prokhorov and rapper Jay-Z, Nets coach Avery Johnson, and GM Rod Thorn.  He also entertained the New York Knicks who had a truckload of stuff to bring with them – literally.

Today, sporting a white t-shirt and baggy sweat pants (the perfect choice of clothing for an important business meeting with professional excecutives offering millions and millions of dollars) he entertained the Miami Heat with Heat exec. and former coach Pat Riley, Heat owner Micky Arison, coach Erik Spoelstra and former Heat center Alonzo Mourning (all wearing business suits – way to be overdressed) in toe. 

After a courtesy meet and greet with the L.A. Clipppers, James will call it a day.  In tomorrow’s Main Event, LeBron will be entertaining the Chicago Bulls, as well as his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers - the 2 teams considered the favorites to land him. 

He hopes to make a decision by July 5th.  What James decides may shape the NBA for the next decade.

By Bob Metz

The Staples Center was filled with elation as Lamar Odom threw the ball down the court as time expired, and Kobe Bryant ran for the ball in jubilation as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 83-79 in game 7 of the NBA Finals.

In what was a hard fought, ugly game to cap a series which – to it’s credit – featured the 2 teams in the NBA that has now accounted for 33 of the 64 NBA Champions since the 1946-47 season – the league’s first.

Game 7 was close most of the way, but with the Celtics leading for most of the first 3 1/2 quarters. Then Kobe Bryant smelled victory, and though admittedly exhausted, led his team to victory by getting 10 of his 23 points in the 4th quarter – 8 from the free throw line – and history was made.

Bryant picked up his second NBA MVP award, becoming only the ninth player is NBA history to do so.

Bryant had an off night shooting, only converting 6-24 FG’s and adding 11-15 FT’s in his game leading 23 points. Ron Artest was the most consistent player the Lakers had shooting 7-18 for 20 points, including 4-5 from the free throw line, and Pau Gasol scored 19 points.

The Celtics played hard and played well for most of the game. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 18 points, and Kevin Garnett had 17 in the narrow loss which actually saw the Celtics as the more balanced team. The resolve of the Lakers – led by Bryant, Artest, and Phil Jackson however – ruled the day in game 7.

Happenings after the game were almost as entertaining as the action on the court. Ron Artest thanked all of the people in his ‘Hood’ as well as his psychiatrist immediately following the game in a post game interview, and Kobe, after the game admitted that he was happy to have 1 more title than Shaquille O’Neal, with whom he has feuded since their days as teammates, which saw the two superstars win 3 straight NBA championships together.

In 2008, long after Shaq was gone from the Lakers and Kobe’s team lost their bid to win an NBA title, O’Neil took the microphone in a NYC club and verbally assaulted Bryant in the form of a freestyle rap, telling the future Hall Of Famer to “tell me how my (expletive) tastes” and “Kobe you can’t do without me”.

Bryant and O’Neil seemed to have put their feelings aside when they led the Western Conference to victory – and were co-MVP’s – in the NBA All-Star Game in 2009. It’s quite obvious though that the battle of the superstars wasn’t over, and that the younger Kobe in all likelihood has won the war.