ShareThisDear LeBron,
Dude, last Thursday night as you ripped off your Cavs jersey in disgust after a second-straight early elimination following pre-playoff anointment as NBA Champions, your body language seemed to scream "somebody please get me the (expletive deleted) out of here!"
And while that feeling is certainly understandable in the moments following a season-ending loss, there are two sides to this coin for you in regard to what uniform you and your Nike puppet will wear next season:
Side One: Don't overstay your welcome.
Years ago, as a young airman, I turned down an opportunity to go to a far-off land, see things I'd never seen before and continue a pretty successful run.
"But why leave?" I thought to myself. "Things are going good, my surroundings are familiar and I'm comfortable right here." At the time, so why move on right?
So, that opportunity passed me by - to my everlasting regret.
You see, not too long after that, my welcome was worn out and things took a turn for the worst. Ironically, not too much later I ended up going somewhere I didn't want to go just to get away.
And it can happen to you too, LeBron.
The hometown folks may love you dearly - for now - but if you don't give them what they want, eventually they'll find someone else who will.
After all, everyone and everything has a time limit.
And while it's easy to say, "that's why you make the big bucks," in regard to the pressure of carrying the hopes and dreams of a city that hasn't won a major sports championship in 46 years and counting, who needs that kind of albatross around your neck?
That being said, why not go somewhere new and see something you haven't seen before? (Like the Larry O'Brien Trophy in your hands, for example.)
Side Two: There's no place like home.
Wait a minute: who said that moving on guarantees you an NBA title?
Adrian Dantley, Charles Barkley and Karl Malone all left one franchise for another with that thought in mind, but came away ring-less.
People don't seem to remember this, but the great Michael Jordan was in his seventh season in the league before he even made it to the NBA Finals - you made it in your fourth.
And those seven years were filled with first-round eliminations for Jordan as well as a giant roadblock in the Detroit Pistons. The only roadblock you face is personnel choices.
But Jordan stayed and it paid off to the tune of six titles and a legacy so strong that even his brief time as a Washington Wizard couldn't damage it.
Jordan could also have swallowed the bait and opted out earlier in his career while the Bulls were still in their formative stages. He, too, had a chance to play in the world's largest media markets for the New York Knicks or Los Angeles Lakers and become a "global icon" - you know, the same global icon he became in Chicago.
Money is money, and regardless of what anyone says there's really no more of it in Brooklyn (New York), Chicago or Miami as there is in Cleveland.
So, in the end, you have to make the choice that's best for you - but please don't do it for the money or the supposed guarantee of a championship ring. Do it because it's what you want to do.
In other words, the right decision is the one you're satisfied with because at the end of the day, that's all that matters.
Have a nice summer.
Stephen C. Smith Sr. can be reached at stephencsmith1(at)yahoo.com or at www.facebook.com/stephencsmith1.
(Stephen C. Smith Sr. writes for the Wichita Falls Times Record News in Texas)
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