The NBA’s Summer Vacation

Unity. When I’m asked about the summer of 2010, that’s the first word that comes to mind. During South Africa’s World Cup, the international community briefly united around Ghana as the African nation suffered an agonizing, ill-fated quarterfinal defeat. The World Cup also featured Landon Donovan and co. hijacking American hearts for a tumultuous, two-week affair (which also ended prematurely). But this was not the end of the “togetherness”. In fact, the spirit of unity translated to this summer’s NBA free agency period, culminating in an infamous telecast on July 8th, 2010. All together, 13 million Americans witnessed Lebron James “decide” to continue his NBA career in Miami with good friends (and fellow All-Stars) Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. And although Cleveland was obviously “The Biggest Loser” of “The Decision”, I can’t go forward in this post without addressing my own views from another city in the Midwest.

As a Bulls fan that grew up in the Michael Jordan era, I empathize with Lebron’s choice to stay out of Chicago and avoid living in the shadow of the Michael Jordan. I really do. (Forget trying to live up to his legacy, I’d be afraid to play MJ in Horse). That being said, Chicago has all the pieces for a dominant, cutthroat player to win multiple championships. Keyword: Cutthroat, like MJ or Kobe. But Lebron, at this point in his career, seems to value having fun over building his own legacy. And I don’t think its fair to criticize his way of life- He’s only 25 years old.
Sidenote: Rather than play in the shadow of Michael Jordan, Lebron chose to work under the legacy of another Chicagoan- Dwyane Wade.

That being said, the Miami Heat instantly won the 2010-11 NBA Free Agency Championship by signing the Big Three. Only the Lakers rival their combination of elite star power and showmanship. But how did the rest of the NBA turn out? Let’s look at some other successful mergers:

-While “The Decision” left the Bulls seeing red, Derrick Rose’s crew gained the “Little Three” -Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer- from their former NBA Finals rival, the Utah Jazz.

-The Boston Celtics kept it in the family when they reunited Shaq with Glen “Baby Shaq” Davis. While Bill Simmons explains why it happened, I still have my concerns- specifically, how will the Boston Celtics hardwood court endure an entire season with two Shaqs lumbering around on them?

-The unlikely duo of Amare Stoudemire and Anthony Randolph found themselves on the New York Knicks. While both of these forwards are tremendous athletes with All-Star potential, Mike D’Antoni’s squad is missing a crucial component- (see Nash, Steve)

Curious about the rest of the teams in the NBA? Take a look at this.

Thanks for reading and if you’re looking for another entertaining union to watch before the NBA season tips off, try another newly formed dynamic duo- NFL wide receivers and reality show stars Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens of the Cincinnati Bengals.

-CK