The Sea Slug Slugg
The Reunion
The Puppet Master
The Power of the I
The Poison Apple N
The Penultimate St
The Past Will Eat
The Martyr Approac
The Line Will Be D
The Jocks vs. the

The Sounds of Jung
The Stakes Have Be
The Strategist or
The Strongest Man
The Survivor Devil
The Tables Have Tu
The Truth Works We
The Ultimate Sacri
The Ultimate Shock
Their Red-Headed S
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The Sole Surviving All-Star From a Losing Team How does a player manage to take over the narrative of a losing team, becoming the story of the season before he's traded? By never becoming attached to that losing team. That was LeBron James's case with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010. The Cavs—led by James's good friend and Miami Heat nemesis Dwyane Wade and head coach Eric Spoelstra—were the NBA's best team. James carried the Cavs to the best record in the league, the Eastern Conference finals, and a title. For his efforts, however, James earned just an eighth seed in the playoffs, along with a first-round sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics. It was an impressive showing for James, but not for the Cleveland Cavaliers. And it didn't end well for James. After one season with Cleveland, he returned to Miami to begin what would be eight more NBA seasons of historic greatness. But there was plenty of drama to this situation, from James's awkward exit at the end of the season to the media firestorm and a tsunami of tweets that accompanied it, to the front office's awkward handling of the matter, to his decision to leave and the backlash from Cleveland fans. The main thing that seemed to change for James, however, was what was on the Cavaliers' balance sheet. For a team without a number one overall draft pick in two consecutive seasons—in 2014 and 2015—to post the best record in the NBA and win the title was remarkable. On the other hand, after James left, the Cavs won just 33 games combined during the three years that followed and posted a winning record just once. After James's trade to Cleveland, he never took the court for the Cavs again. And when you look at it that way, it really shouldn't matter. But this is the NBA, where everything is done in the spotlight. This Is a New Era in the NBA The League is filled with superstars and a lot of players willing to be superstars. What made LeBron James so special was that he was willing to be both. The NBA is all about stars. Even if he never wins another MVP award, James has proven that he can carry an average team into a conference finals. If he had never led a team to a championship, his legacy would remain largely the same. But that's just it: If he had never led a team to a championship, his legacy would be incomplete. James will almost certainly return to Cleveland one day and have his second championship as the Cavs' head coach. It doesn't matter if the Cavs fall apart once again, or if he's traded or leaves on his own terms. What will matter is that James will be the story of that Cavaliers team. The story won't change in any significant way, no matter what happens. James won't have to play any different than he did the last time to win a title. All he has to do is play the same way, without looking back. LeBron's career in Cleveland wasn't without controversy, but it wasn't without accomplishments, either. His two championship rings were a feat that no team in recent NBA history has achieved. By helping to create that story, James made himself a hero in Cleveland and, in doing so, helped to destroy a few more of his future critics. By taking the team on his back and leading it to the best record in the NBA, he sent the message to his teammates that he cared more about getting a title than getting traded. It was hard to disagree with that message. If he was worried about how he was perceived by his teammates when he had his final decision on moving on, he didn't need to worry. His teammates were with him, both on the court and off. You should love the player on your favorite team. There should never be a player who inspires your disgust or makes you want to tune him out, and that can only happen when that player takes more of a role in your team's story than you feel comfortable with. When the superstars show this kind of emotion toward their team, that's when you should be worried. That's when it's time to worry about the story of a champion, and LeBron isn't the problem. It's time to worry about the story of a champion. What LeBron Should Do This isn't a story that can be fixed with an article in the newspaper or on the Internet. There are a lot of people and things in play, and the outcome is far from certain. LeBron has only been in Cleveland for two years, and the Cavaliers are in a tough spot. Even with a better roster this year, the question is who is to blame for losing the last game? Are LeBron and the front office to blame for not making adjustments in the locker room, or is it Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love's turn to let go and let LeBron be the star of this team? It's all part of a bigger picture that's still being painted. The fact of the matter is that LeBron was given every opportunity to be the sole star on a championship team, and he took it. The fact of the matter is that he gave everything he had on the court to help create a legacy for himself, and he gave everything he had off the court as a leader of that franchise. The other players didn't have to play as well. They just had to play, they just had to work. And while LeBron was putting everything on the line, they gave their all. The only one who didn't give his all was LeBron himself. There were opportunities to keep playing at a high level—as it stands now, it's a foregone conclusion that he will win another MVP and possibly another championship with the Heat in the next season or two. Had he gotten into the playoffs, it's a safe bet that he will be a Hall of Famer, even if it means doing it the hard way with a different team. The only thing in doubt is whether the NBA championship will be the result of his story as he always envisioned it. The story of what was, is that James never got the help he needed from his teammates, but that's going to be the case if he moves on. In the end, LeBron's legacy is in his own hands, and he can't do anything about that except do what he's always done—give it his all. Maybe he'll make the right decision and stay in Cleveland, and maybe he won't. He should consider going out of his way to let the Cavs win some playoff games this season, to keep the story of LeBron James and the champion Cleveland Cavaliers alive. As he plays for the Heat, he can set himself up to eventually lead another championship team—if he leaves at some point in the future, as he so often reminds people, another superstar will be ready and willing to take his place. That's what makes LeBron special. As always, it's on him. It's all on him.