MJ and Barkley diss Miami Heat's new trio

The greatest basketball player of all-time has spoken out against the decision of LeBron James to join forces with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

Six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan said after a golf event in Las Vegas that he would never had tried to be on the same team as rivals Larry Bird or Magic Johnson during his career, but realizes the rules today have signaled a new era for today's players.

"There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team,'" Jordan said. "But that's ... things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys."

It took Jordan seven years before he won his first title, but he stuck with the Bulls instead of ring-chasing like James now has.

James has been severely criticized nationwide since announcing on live TV that he was leaving the Cavs to become a member of the Miami Heat because the move showed that instead of trying to beat today's superstars on his own, he would rather join forces with other superstars to win his titles.

Former star and current TV analyst Charles Barkley made it very clear how he thought the move would affect James' legacy.

"He'll never be Jordan," Barkley said to a Miami radio station this week. "This clearly takes him out of the conversation. He can win as much as he wants to.

"There would have been something honorable about staying in Cleveland and trying to win it as 'The Man' ... LeBron, if he would've in Cleveland, and if he could've got a championship there, it would have been over the top for his legacy, just one in Cleveland. No matter how many he wins in Miami, it clearly is Dwyane Wade's team."

LeBron did Cleveland a favor by leaving

Cleveland Cavalier fans, myself included, were blinded by the bright light of having the city's first superstar athlete since Jim Brown and ignored signs that said LeBron James' continued talk of loyalty was all smoke and mirrors.

Now that the truth has come out and he's gone off to Miami, Cleveland fans should be grateful and here's two big reasons why.

1. James was clearly not interested in winning an NBA championship as his team's go-to player, so instead of sucking it up and finding a way to handle the pressures with his hometown team, he took the easy way out and joined Dwayne Wade, who has already won an NBA title as his team's go-to player, in Miami

Hey LeBron, have you ever heard the story of a guy named Scottie Pippen? If not, you might want to read up on him because that's the role you're about to play. Chris Bosh will play the role of Dennis Rodman, minus the crazy antics I'm sure.

2. If Dan Gilbert's comments to The Associated Press last night are true and James never returned any phone messages to Gilbert since the season ended, he clearly didn't want to be in Cleveland any longer.

And a Cavs team without a superstar who doesn't want to be in town has a better chance of winning an NBA title than a Cavs team that has that superstar.

"LeBron James needs to go to another team with two superstars already so he can win a championship," Gilbert said to the AP. "We will win a championship before [the Heat] do."

3. James' leaving will give the current Cavs roster the best motivation it could possibly ask for.

Former teammate Mo Williams tweeted last night, "I gotta be honest. I'm sick as a dog. I feel like my heart has been pulled out." But he later posted, "We got to step it up now that's all. We will be good next year. And hearing our owner keeps me convinced."

What Williams heard his owner say was this, part of an open letter to fans.

"If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our 'motivation' to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels," Gilbert wrote.

Gilbert also personally guaranteed Cleveland will win an NBA title before Miami will in his letter.

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Cleveland Plain Dealer tells the story...beautifully

The front page of today's edition of The Cleveland Plain Dealer tells the story of LeBron James' decision in simple, yet telling, terms.

The large headline of "Gone." told the news simply and the small print that states "7 years, $62 million, no rings" with a line pointing toward his hand explains exactly why Cleveland fans are bitter he bolted for Miami.

Using a four-page wrap-around, The Plain Dealer showed great determination in reporting the news, writing stories about the fans and a column comparing James to former Browns owner Art Modell, often credited as being the most vilified man in Cleveland since moving the Browns to Baltimore in 1995.

LeBummer: LeBron shuns Cleveland

Two-time NBA MVP LeBron James shunned loyalty and his hometown by announcing he would sign with the Miami Heat during a televised special tonight.

Miami likely will offer a 5-year contract worth $99 million. LeBron could have signed for six years and $128 million in Cleveland.

With the Heat, LeBron will join superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, who committed to the team earlier this week.

The decision, which was supposed to be announced within the first 10 minutes of the 9 p.m. special, was not made until 9:27. ESPN didn't even go live to a visibly nervous LeBron until a little after 9:20.

LeBron's announcement to dedicate himself to winning instead of being loyal came at The Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich, Conn.

Shortly after, Bosh tweeted his pleasure of LeBron's decision. Wade later welcomed LeBron and Bosh to Miami.

The Akron native is the latest Cleveland sports star to leave the city after failing to win a championship. He joins Manny Ramirez, Albert Belle and Jim Thome. Other stars, such as Bernie Kosar, C.C. Sabathia, Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee, have been released or traded away during rebuilds.

But losing LeBron hurts more than any of the city's other losses, including the loss of the Cleveland Browns franchise in 1995. Some believe LeBron will replace Art Modell as the most hated man in Cleveland.

Just a few weeks ago, LeBron proclaimed that everything he does in his career is for the city Akron, but how does bolting for a team 1,200 miles away benefit Akron?

When asked about Cleveland, LeBron had a vague, emotionless response.

"It's hard to explain," LeBron said, later adding, "I never wanted to leave Cleveland."

No explanation would even cut it for Cavs fans, people who LeBron said he is "not sure" of what their reaction will be. Consider everything he did, and it's not hard to expect what most fans' reactions will be.

He had brought the city hope that it would win its first major sports championship since 1964.

He had brought the city to the NBA Finals in 2007.

He had brought the city an identity.

He had brought the city its first true superstar since Jim Brown in the 1960s.

Now, that is all gone, and the Cavs are left reeling, hoping to scrounge up a trade or sign a significant free agent in hopes of making the playoffs in the 2010-11 season.

All the while, the lasting image of its greatest superstar will be him ripping off his jersey after he virtually gave up on his team against Boston in the 2010 playoffs.

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Cleveland bracing for biggest sports backstabbing ever

Will one of the Cavs' greatest shots ever become a worse memory for the city?
The city of Cleveland has been shunned by numerous star athletes throughout the years, but the city is bracing itself for the biggest backstabbing in its history tonight, as reports suggest LeBron James is leaning toward creating a megateam with Dwayne Wade in Chris Bosh in Miami.

His decision will become official shortly after 9 p.m. tonight when James will formally announce his destination toward the beginning of an hour-long ESPN special called "The Decision."

Many Clevelanders, myself included, believe if LeBron uses a TV special just to shun the city, it would be the most selfish and hurtful way to leave, putting him miles ahead of recent Cleveland sports heroes gone villains Manny Ramirez, Albert Belle and Jim Thome in the classlessness department.

Some speculation says LeBron, Wade and Bosh made up their minds about this situation weeks ago with each of them wooing other teams just to keep it covered up. If true, that would explain Bosh's refusal to accept a sign-and-trade to Cleveland and could end with tampering charges filed against the Heat.

James has expressed loyalty to Akron and Cleveland over and over again, including a tattoo of the word and saying, "Everything I do is for this city. I'm going to continue to do great things. I love every last one of you all. Akron is home," during an appearance as a rally in Akron on June 21.

Well, LeBron, since you are inviting anyone to submit a question to you via Twitter, I will propose the following: How does leaving the Cleveland Cavs (if you do so) fit your quote of "Everything I do is for Akron?"

I'm going to leave this alone until tonight both for my own personal sanity and to let things run their natural course before jumping to major conclusions.

James to Miami?

Philadelphia and ESPN journalist Stephen A. Smith said on Dan Patrick's Radio Show that multiple league sources have told him LeBron James will sign with the Miami Heat, teaming with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to create a lethal trio.

The Heat, however, are short the money to sign three maximum free agent deals unless they sign and trade one of their players. The only logical choice would be youngster Michael Beasley.

Smith called the scenario "highly likely."

There are a few issues with this scenario though.

First, if Miami signs three max free agent deals, it will be difficult for the team to fill in the rest of the roster with enough talent to still be competitive. The Chicago Bulls teams of the 1990s were an exception, but in today's market, I don't see that being a strong possibility. The Celtics' trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are nowhere near the caliber of a James/Wade/Bosh trio, which is why Boston has been able to make deep playoff runs.

Second, Miami is Dwayne Wade's city and it always will be as long as he is with the Heat. LeBron is a player who needs to be the No. 1 guy on his team (the exception being Team USA where there clearly isn't only one star), and in Miami, he would play second fiddle to Wade even if he posted better numbers.