And I Love LeBron James-spun2

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And I Love LeBron James,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
(This a Sports edition of this column,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].)
For all of you who don't know me, I'm pretty much a native Ohioan. I was born in Illinois, but reared in Ohio since I was 5 years old. (Yup, I grew up in Cleveland) One of his "beats" during his career was to cover the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the '80s'. When they played at the Richfield Coliseum. When Clevelanders went to the Coliseum to root for the visiting teams.
I mention these details to give you perspective on what I'm about to say. From the moment he was drafted,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], LeBron:
- Took the Cavs to the playoffs five times (2006, 2007, 2008,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], 2009, 2010).
- Took the Cavs to the NBA Finals in 2007 (They'd never been there before. Not even close)
- Made the Cavs sexy,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]. You read that right. Hot women were wearing Cavs jerseys and cooing about heading to Cleveland to see LeBron play. That never happened before,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]. Not even close,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
- Made the Cavs nationally relevant,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
- Did the job that a number one overall draft pick was supposed to do.
What 'Bron did in "C-Town" was Herculean. The only draft pick in recent memory to get picked number one overall by a Midwestern team, take his team to the playoffs,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and then a championship,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and then make the team and town sexy,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], is Peyton Manning. That's it. That's rare company to keep.
My point is that LeBron did his job in Cleveland. You can't argue it. For seven years, he gave Cleveland and Ohio something to cheer about. Through the madness of the Ohio State saga. Through the up and down seasons of the Cincinnati Bengals of the Marvin Lewis era. Through the sleepwalking of the Cleveland Browns. LeBron, for a few years was Ohio's lone shining light.
Which brings me to 'Bron detractors (and mine) points. "He left in a bad way,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]!" "He humiliated us with 'The Decision'". "How come he couldn't do it by himself?!"
I've been waiting to say this for soooo long. "The Decision" was a show. A spectacle. If anyone was paying attention, LeBron was presented with an extension by the Cavs in 2009. One year before "The Decision". He turned it down. It was reported back then that LeBron wanted to keep his options open.
A superstar gets offered an extension,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]. And turns it down. Hmmmmm.
He wasn't going to stay with the Cavs after all.
See where I'm going with this? A moment like the one in 2009 should have caused the Cavs to be proactive. Plan for a future without LeBron. The Cavs could have traded 'Bron out of the Eastern Division and to a West Coast team for 10 first round draft pics, players, cash, and a lifetime supply of sunblock. An upper tier team and owner would have been brave enough to think, and then act for the good of the team. NOT wait a year and hope that the best player in basketball would sign with them for the hometown discount.
I get the hate that Ohioans have for LeBron. But I think it's wrong. LeBron James is a son of Ohio. A son of Ohio that's never gotten in trouble with the law. Never punched anybody on TMZ. Never (that we know of) hooked up with a Kardashian. A son of Ohio that won a championship with blood sweat and tears,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]. Ohioans should applaud him. Loudly,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
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