Well the circus is over, Miami won, and Lebron James will now play in the Sunshine State. Time will tell how this will work out, but in the short term anyway, it would appear that King James's brand took a major hit.
For a guy who based much of his image on being a loyal homeboy, that's out the window and nowhere more so than Ohio. The reactions are furious and intense, from fans to the owner.
Dan Gilbert may soon rue his emotional response to the departure of James. He was to say the least, over the top.
On the bright side, however, Carlos Boozer's life just got a little easier. Although he'll never win a popularity contest in Cleveland, no one will ever view his defection as worse than James's.
And certainly, Danny Ferry's decision to get out of town looks increasingly smart in hindsight.
And the future? That's hard to see, which of course, is nothing new. However, the stated goal of James and Chris Bosh going to Miami is to win championships. It's never easy, though, and that's without the possible clash of egos.
For one thing, James might call himself King, but Wade has actually won a title. He may not be thrilled with the notion of being demoted to second banana.
For another, with this move, it appears that James has left a lot of goodwill behind, in Cleveland and many other places as well. He will never again be regarded as a buoyant kid, but rather as a man who not only jilted his hometown and state, but whose ego required that he do it on a national platform, in prime time no less. More than one columnist has branded him a narcissist.
Things have changed for Lebron. From now on, at least in the US, it's going to be strictly about expectations vs. accomplishments. If he wins five titles in Miami, great. If he falls short, well, all he's going to hear is what a second rate egomaniac he is.
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