Living in Ohio, I am not a Cavs fan, heck I'm not a Cleveland fan, but I have a number of good friends from the college days who are from that area. Any adjective you can think of is true. Hate. Bitterness. Anger. Rage. Really, this is more than just a free agent defection. This is a guy who has been a local hero to Northeast Ohio since he was a freshman in High School, winning three state championships in four years, losing only his junior season in the state finals, going to his hometown team right out of high school and, while they didn't win any championships, did make a franchise that was pretty crappy into a very good one. They won a lot of games, and gave Cleveland fans something to be proud of. So what does he do? He pretty much quits during the Celtics series, rips off his Cavaliers jersey after the last game (looking back you can see he wasn't able to deal with the pressure), then has one of the most ego-driven announcements in professional sports history on ESPN to stick a machete in the back of the fans and area that raised him and supported him with all their heart. They will not forgive him. He just moved into a dead heat with Art Modell as the most despised figure in Cleveland. I understand why he did it. I think most people do. He went to a place where he can play with his friends, play in a state with no state taxes, maybe win some rings (and if they don't how will he deal with THAT pressure?). But it all smacks of entitlement. He seems to be treating winning a championship with going to the local store to pick up some sundries he needs. Damn. No rings. I need to get me some. I'll go to Miami with D-Wade and Chris. Cool.
Me, I'm going to try and score some tickets for the first Miami Heat game up in Cleveland. That should be fun. <popcorn>