Friday, July 9

The decision

The city of Cleveland has had it's fair share of heartbreaking moments in sporting history. They last won a major championship in 1964, when the Cleveland Brown defeated the Baltimore Colts for the NFL title. 46 years later, they are still searching for another major championship, and it looks like the wait will be longer now that their best bet at winning one has ditched the city he called home for 7 years.

Yes, LeBron James has left Cleveland for Miami. He will be joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, and with the three of them playing together in the same team, he hopes to win the coveted ring, which Kobe Bryant has on each of his fingers on his left hand. Yes, Kobe has 5 rings now, 5 championships that puts him one shy behind Michael Jordan. James, with all his MVPs and fantastic stats, will never be the greatest player ever if he doesn't start winning those rings. We can talk all day long about legacy and greatness, but without those rings, James is just another great player in the same boat with Steve Nash, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, Allen Iverson and the list goes on and on.

And James wouldn't want that. That's why he is taking a paycut and ditching a city he called home for the past 7 years, an organisation who has bend over backward multiple times to give him everything he wanted, yet still fall short on delivering him the perfect support for a Championship win. Not to say he would never win one with Cleveland, but he prefers to take his chances with Wade and Bosh alongside him.

So, while Miami is building a dynasty, Cleveland is left devastated. Among others notable event in Cleveland's sports Hall of Shame:

The Drive - 1987 AFC Championship Game: Browns vs Broncos, leading by a touchdown with 5 minutes left, but John Elway lead his team 98 yards to tie the game and win in overtime.

The Fumble - 1988 AFC Championship Game: Browns vs Broncos, with 1 minute left on the clock, Earnest Byner was on his way to score the game-tying touchdown, but lost a fumble at the 3-yard line.

The Shot - 1989 NBA First Round Playoffs Game 5: Cavaliers vs Bulls, Michael Jordan scored the buzzer beater to win the series.

The Move - 1995: The Brown's owner decided to move the franchise to Baltimore, which led to plenty of lawsuits and ultimately, the suspension of the franchise for 3 years.

And now, the latest one to enter the list.

The Decision - 2010: James announcement - "This fall I am taking my talents to South Beach and play with the Miami Heat. The major factor was the best opportunity for me to win, to win now and for the future also. Winning is the most important thing for me. I feel like is going to be the best opportunity."

With Wade and Bosh alongside him now, it's a whole lot easier to win.

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