It's not surprising in a paradigm that values "loyalty" that seeking different opportunities/challenges must be almost automatically classified as disloyal. Hard to adjust to that now, since management has framed the debate this way for decades & the public/consumer has wholly bought in despite no real recognition that this "loyalty" should go both ways, but often doesn't. After all, when a team trades a player there's rarely a conversation about loyalty, yet when an MVP free agent moves or positions for a move it's almost always, at least in part, about loyalty. So these arcane ideas about what it means to have integrity when it comes to a massively global, commercial, franchised game aren't worth much these days, mostly because they're reliant, as least somewhat, on an undeniable inherent hypocrisy.
I suppose he'd be considered a saint if he'd just stayed in Cleveland averaging a near-triple double for a 20 year career, having won a bunch of MVP but never a FInals MVP... or even a Finals, for that matter, possibly. But to me THAT'S actually the path of least resistance... and certainly the least ambition. No one with a talent like his would do that. Which is why it won't ever happen again... that day is dead.
That said, I'm still glad Kobe retired as a Laker after his 20 year career. So I do still understand the personal appeal of that.
-LeBron quits on Celveland in 2010 playoffs leading to "The Decision" (I get wanting out of Cleveland because the owner sucks and they've not been able to put a championship caliber team around you)
-Joining the Heat in 2011 makes sense. You are playing with three other Super Stars who are your friends, an unproven coach but amazing front office plus you are in South Beach (Greener Pastures Episode 1)
-Not 1, Not 2, Not 3, but 4 years before you've sucked the blood out of the stone (4 Finals appearances, 2 Chips) and realized the team peaked the previous year and to compete, it's time to move on.
-2014: "I'm Coming Home" and "Doing for the Land" or rather, since I left the team they've sucked but have been amassing talent and since we are in the East, it's still my easiest path to the finals. Dan Gilbert isn't so bad, right? Plus he let's me be LeGM (Greener Pastures Episode 2)
-Sure he wins a chip and makes four more Finals appearances but along the way he sabotages the organization by getting coaches fired, his lesser teammates paid to ridiculous contracts(who's their agent again?) , and sets of awful trades. I'll just turn out the lights on my way out the door as I get the last laugh, Dan. Good luck working your way out of the mess you allowed me to create. Don't forget to pen another letter.
-2018: LA seems nice. They've stockpiled assets (sound familiar?) and since they aren't Cleveland are a destination city. I've got enough connections now that I can back channel and get on of the Premier talents in the league in a year or so. (Greener Pastures Episode 3). But at least he had the balls to come out West.
He'll chip again this year because everything worked out perfectly for him. He's also got to be the greatest athlete to ever play the game. With as much mileage he has on his league and as god damned good as he is, that's hard to deny. But you also can't deny that he took the easy route as much as humanly possible. Switching teams isn't bad as you don't pick where you are drafted and for a lot of #1 picks, you end up going into bad situations, but in his quest to be the greatest ever he's always run to a more favorable position when the times got tough which in my view (worth absolutely nothing) diminishes his all time standing.
