LeBron is Right

So LeBron is directly trying to test my faith in him. I have defended him, not for how he handled leaving Cleveland but for the decision itself. I have enjoyed being one of the few non-Miami residents to be openly rooting for him. I have enjoyed his increasing comfort with being a villain. So with the latest news that LeBron suggested the NBA contract teams like Minnesota and New Jersey, one would think that I finally was pushed over the edge. I mean, this is my Nets he is talking about. After all the defending of LeBron I have done, this is finally the straw to break the camels back, right?

Well, guess again. I'm here to say that I happen to agree with LeBron in principle. Yeah, I think the NBA should contract just like I think MLB and the NHL (the latter which I don't even want to get started on as there are at least 10 teams that need to be contracted/relocated). In their quest to expand the game and bring in more revenue from different parts of the country all three leagues have watered down their product. Everyone is pissed at the Heat for acquiring all that talent, but if you think about it, the Lakers and Celtics of the 80's were just, if not more, talented than this bunch. The difference was that they didn't buy their teams through free agency, which somehow made it acceptable. The league was smaller, the teams were more stacked and the quality of play was through the roof. I know that the league currently in the first few years of another golden age, but imagine if their was more talent on each team? It would be spectacular.

The only problem is that LeBron was stupid in who he attacked. The NBA shouldn't get rid of the Nets. The have a long and storied history - Dr J, Drazen Petrovic, Jason Kidd and um...a lot of terrible years. Actually, it doesn't matter how many bad years they had, they still have a history (1976 ABA Champions!). If the NBA is going to get rid of teams, they should get rid of teams like Toronto, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Charlotte, New Orleans, and hell, maybe even Orlando and Minnesota.

I know, I know. This seems a little hypocritical coming from a guy who was slightly mad when the Sonics left Seattle, but Seattle had history and could support the team. The move to OKC actually angered fan bases from around the country. You're telling me anyone outside of the home cities would be mad if Memphis and Toronto were suddenly erased from the NBA landscape, thus effectively burying the stupid 1995 expansion decision? Not a chance. It sounds cold-hearted to suggest that fans from these amazing cities lose their NBA teams, but they shouldn't have teams in the first place. Think of it another way - there are thousands of cities in this great land of ours that have never had an NBA team. These cities should be blessed to have had one for as many years as they did.

LeBron, you continue being the man. It is going to take a lot more than this to make me mad at you.