A Miami Heat Fan's Reaction To "The Decision"

If there's one word to describe how I feel about the arrival of LeBron James to South Beach, it's conflicted. Obviously bringing LeBron to the Heat is an excellent basketball move, and Pat Riley deserves all the praise in the world for pulling off the greatest heist in NBA history, but as a Heat fan soaking this all in right now I just feel, well, dirty.

I feel dirty for rubbernecking through that entire broadcast last night, watching as Cleveland fans' hearts were scraped from the asphalt after LeBron announced "The Decision." I feel dirty because, at the expense of the Cleveland faithful, my favorite team has transformed like Voltron into a Yankees-esque super team.

While true Miami Heat fans like myself do deserve a winning team after sitting through one year of atrocious Heat basketball (2007-08) and the following two years of expiring contract mediocrity, Cleveland fans certainly don't deserve this. I would have been completely content with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade surrounded by role players in Miami, while LeBron continued to toil away in Cleveland. But clearly, LeBron wasn't content with that fate.

Now my favorite team will forever be linked to that ridiculous broadcast last night. It seemed as if the King was a mere pawn during The Decision, as many are speculating that LeBron's marketing team LRMR pushed him into making his choice on live television. LeBron was clearly uncomfortable and flustered with his speech, at one point saying, "One thing you can't control is you never know." Maybe that's some way out there transcendental shit that's over my head, like some George Harrison lyrics or something, but my best bet is that LeBron was so caught up in the moment that he hardly knew what he was saying.

I understand and respect LeBron's choice to join Wade and Bosh with the Heat, but the television special was a huge misstep by him and his camp. Although it did raise millions of dollars through advertising for the Boys and Girls Club of America, there has to have been another way to give back to charity that spared LeBron's former fan base. As Dank Game's own Teenage Soul Patch has been quick to point out, Kevin Durant signed a lucrative long-term contract with the Thunder without any of the hype. Of course LeBron's decision carried a lot more weight, but he certainly could learn a thing or two from Durant's humility.

Despite LeBron's image taking a serious blow, the real loser to come out of this is Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. Shortly after LeBron announced his decision, Gilbert posted a letter to Cavs fans on the team's website that unabashedly disparaged LeBron for leaving. I really really recommend that you click that link and read it all. He called LeBron's departure "cowardly betrayal" and also guaranteed that the Cavs would win a championship before the "SELF-TITLED FORMER 'KING' WINS ONE." Yes, Gilbert wrote his guarantee in ALL CAPS, y'know, to emphasize how serious he was. It's also worth noting that he used the infamous font Comic Sans to type the letter, as if it couldn't have been any more unprofessional.

As a Heat fan, these next five or six seasons will obviously be pretty interesting. I've never been the biggest fan of "The Chosen One" so it will be tough to get in the mindset of cheering for him. With that said, I had a love-hate relationship with Shaq during his time with the Heat, so I think I'll be able to warm up to LeBron. At least James will show up to training camp in shape.

The most exciting thing about all of this is that it will set up a Dank Game rivalry for the ages between the Heat and Thunder once OKC usurp the Lakers throne in the West. Prepare yourself, Teenage Chin Strap, for some brutal battles on the court and right here on Dank Game.