In 2010, LeBron James left thousands across Cleveland heart-broken when he decided to leave the Cavaliers and play for Miami Heat instead. When James arrived in Miami, he predicted the team’s future to be one filled with victory. The “Big Three,” Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James, helped the team snatch four championship visits and two victories. LeBron forcefully led Miami Heat to all their success: his tenacious defense, his energetic offense, and his aggression was a force to be reckoned with.
Although James brought Miami victories, basketball viewers from other teams have publicly scorned him. When he first returned to Cleveland to play, he was booed every time he touched the ball, exuding a sense of frustration when James played. James stated, “I started to play the game of basketball at a level, or at a mind state that I’ve never played at before… meaning, angry. And that’s mentally. That’s not the way I play the game of basketball.” He became known as a basketball villain. Although his success was flourishing in Miami, his fans from the outside began to resent him. He had left the place where he grew up, where he became a young legend, and that taught him the importance of basketball and the effect it would have on him. But there was one thing on James’s mind: winning. For such a talented player, he had never taken home a championship title with the Cavs; in his final season playing as a Cavalier, his team fell short to the Boston Celtics in the second round.
Now, the roles have been reversed, and the Miami Heat fans have been left to burn. At the beginning of summer in 2014, James re-joined the Cavaliers during a highly publicized free agency period. It’s ironic that James would return to Cleveland after his team lost in the finals to the San Antonio Spurs. On July 12th, he signed a two-year contract with the team for 42.1 million. Now, the fans are welcoming him back with open arms, hopefully looking for the success he brought for Miami.
Since the breakup of the “Big Three,” it has been reported that Chris Bosh hasn’t spoken to Lebron since his trade. “If guys aren’t in this locker room, I don’t have much time for them — if any.” For such a close relationship with the three on and off the court, it’s upsetting to see where their future stands. But where does the Heat’s future stand? With the absence of LeBron, the season will call for a very abrupt adjustment. However, the team is looking to move on and build on their past. There might be a new possible “Big Three” in the making with the addition of the great Danny Granger.
I am looking forward to what the basketball season has in store for us: will Miami Heat continue their success without LeBron James? Will the Cavs be the new team to beat? We won’t have to wait much longer to see the results as the 2014-2015 season is quickly underway.