LeBron James Chooses to Sign with the Miami Heat
In a massive media spectacle, LeBron James decides to hook up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh and play for the Miami Heat.
It took about 22 minutes for James to make the announcement, saying that he was going to take his talents to South Beach and join the Heat, despite speculation about joining the Knicks, Bulls or the Nets.
In answering the question that Cleveland fans wanted to know, James said that the decision was a heartfelt one.
"It's hard to explain. In the seven years I've been in Cleveland, that city was everything to me. The 20,000 fans that came out to every game saw me grow to a man. I never wanted to leave Cleveland. My heart will always be around that area. This is the greatest challenge for me to move on," he said. "The area will always be home for me."
Something tells me that the answer, while genuine, isn't going to make Cleveland fans happy.
However, Heat fans are dancing in the street and, as the words Miami Heat rolled off his tongue, I could envision championship parade plans being discussed by Miami officials.
With James, Wade and Bosh, the Heat become an instant contender despite needing some of the rest of the cast of characters to step up. Pat Riley, however, has created a masterpiece that will surely sell tickets, merchandise and corporate sponsorships.
One thing that will be interesting will be to see how these other "big three" will gel and play together. If the 2008 Celtics are a road map, this big three will put egos aside and play for the team and not individual stats.
Either way, it'll be interesting how this plays out in Miami as well as how the Cavs recover.
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