Finally. The decision is in. The dye has been cast. As for the fallout...much is soon to follow. Much has already occured since James made his decision earlier this evening. The Knicks, having scored Amare Stoudamire, and struck out on James were able to move on. They shipped free agent power forward David Lee to the Golden State Warriors in a sign and trade deal that brings Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf, and Kelenna Azubuike to the Knicks. A good haul for New York as they attempt to rebuild their proud franchise in Coach Mike D'antoni's image.
The other teams that fell short in this process are sure to be heard from as well in the next few days as the NBA trade and free agent markets can now re-open without the Bosh-Wade-James scenarios clogging up the landscape. The Nets have already begun by adding Travis Outlaw and appear close to signing Kyle Korver. Small consolation but roster spots need to be filled even if the seats in the meadowlands are not.
The Chicago Bulls locked up free agent PF Carlos Boozer, who in my opinion is a great fit given their current roster. That being said, they GAVE Kirk Heinrich away to the Wizzards for nothing in an attempt to lure the big 3 and failed miserably. Of course hindsight is always 20-20, nothing ventured nothing gained and all that but surely thats a move they wish they could have back.
Next to New Jersey the obvious big loser in all of this is Cleveland. I stand by my opinion that the Nets have been hurt the most this offseason for 2 reasons. They trashed their roster and season so they could get the ping pong balls that would land them John Wall and the cap space to get Lebron and came up empty on both fronts. There is still plenty of time left in the offseason but for now the Nets are looking like...well, the Nets.
The Cavs still have some nice pieces like Varejao, talented young PF JJ Hickson, Jamison etc. but they obviously need to take a step back to assess things before moving forward. Building around unique superstars is never easy. We tried it here in Philly with a 6'4 power forward named Barkley. We tried it again years later with a 6'0 assassin at the 2 gaurd named Allen Iverson. When such stars leave it nearly impossible to try and maintain a level of success since the players you are left with are use to playing the role of Robin, not Batman.
A bunch of complimentary players almost never get the job done in a star driven league such as the NBA. Aside from the Detroit Pistons its not done very often. An ex-Celtic (Kevin Mchale) traded Garnett to Boston. Somehow Jerry West found it in his heart to ship Pau Gasol to Kobe and the Lakers. Now King James joins his Team U.S.A. buddies in South Beach while commisioner David Stern turns a blind eye.
While technically, teams did nothing wrong by shedding salaries the past few years in their attempts to lure the big 3, the damage that has been done to the league's integrity should not go unnoticed. So when you try to reconcile in your mind all that has happened in the last few hours, please try to understand that your love, hate or indifference should not be directed at the players or franchises involved in the proceedings, but at the NBA's leadership, through its lack of foresight to allow such a competitive balance of power to shift overnight.
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