An Open Letter to the NBPA

Dear members of the NBPA and players of the NBA alike,

What now? At what point is enough, quite simply enough? What is it that you want? From what we've seen, you want to put tens if not hundreds of thousands of people out of work. People who have families at home just like you. People who have bills to pay. People who aren't necessarily gifted with athleticism or any other talent that led them to a high-paying career. People who struggle to feed their families even when they have a job. The very people who depend on you. People who need you to work in order to make their $8/hr, maybe $9 or $10 if they're lucky. Add in your fans, the fans who have supported you and cheered for you. The very fans who make sacrifices at times just to see you play the game in person. The NBA players used to be about passion of the game, sportsmanship, and competition. Seems lately, the NBA players care more about greed and selfishness, and how much money they can line their pockets with.

Ok, we get it... you feel you're worth more than what you've been paid or are set to be paid. Well let me say this, "In order to succeed, we must first make sacrifices." We understand you have talent, athleticism, and the ability to deal with a lot of pressure and backlash from the media as well as fans. However, is it really worth it to take away from everyone else as well? Is it really important to make a couple hundred thousand, even a few million more, in order to play the game? People depend on the game of basketball. They depend on it not only to survive and feed families, they depend on it to distract them from every day stress. It's a release, as you might say. Another world for some. We don't expect you to play for free, but at what point can you sit back and say, "Is all this really worth destroying the lives of others?". At what point do you step outside of the box and ask yourself, "Is this how we want the children who idol us to feel? Do we want them to constantly want more? To feel like nothing is ever enough? To believe that the players of the NBA care more about monetary gain than they do about the game, about having fun, about giving back to the community. The "NBA Cares", but it's players don't. Have so many of you lost sight of the simplicity of the whole thing? The reality of it all is, every game you play... feeds families. Period. It's not every day someone can go home and say, "I went to work today so others could feed their families." Heck, I would work for peanuts to carry that kind of pride and integrity.

In the end, we're all a system. We're all one giant machine. We depend on each other as co-workers. The most valuable piece of advice I ever learned, was the meaning of "TEAM". Together Everyone Achieves More. Right now, it's more about "I", and the first word that comes to mind for the letter "I" ... is Ignorance. Right now, you're ignoring the fact that you're making your problems, everyone else's. The same people who have supported you, cheered for you, and maybe even some day dreamed of being like you. Until you come back to reality, and realize that your actions are not only having an impact on the league, but also the very people who support you and make possible the very wages you make, the game and everything it represents... will continue to fade into non-existence. And it's fans? They continue to venture off, finding new avenues of entertainment and escape. In the end, that extra 5% or 10% that you seek from the league in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, will be lost in sales. The future of the game is in your hands, whether you choose to dribble out the clock and let the game be over or to take the shot and ultimately win, is up to you.


Sincerely,

Your average NBA fan.

A City Reborn

The battle may be lost, but the war has just begun. I write to you, my fellow Clevelanders, to tell you that this is not the end. Yes, we're hurt, beaten, bruised and heartbroken, but we are not out for the count. We put our hopes and pride into one man, a human being. We've forgotten about ourselves, we've forgotten our own pride. As Clevelanders we will never forget, and this time we may never forgive, but we should also never fail. We should never fail ourselves and believe that one man can bring a city of one heartbeat to it's knees. The man we know as LeBron James, The King of Akron, has turned his back on us, on Cleveland, on his so-called "family". This is where we stand up, we remember who we are, and become stronger as a whole. Never before has one man become a stronger global icon, but also never before has one man brought so much shame. Not shame to himself, but shame to those who followed him. The shame he will endure will come when we renew our pride, and remind him that we were Cleveland before he came along, and we will damn sure STILL be Cleveland without him.

At approximately 9:30pm on July 8th, 2010, LeBron seemingly made Clevelands heart stop beating. However, this city is indestructible. Consider the history, consider the triumphs, and consider the hurt. We as Clevelanders have always come out stronger then when we went in. We will rebound, we will rebuild, and we WILL make it known that the flame on our torch has only been refueled. This dark cloud that looms over our city is but an illusion. Let your pride guide you, let it be your light. This is the day you step back, and remember where you're from. It's time to show those who don't believe and make them understand why we do believe, why we continue to fight. We've never given up before, why give up now? One man can make a scene, but a city banded together can make an impact. So I'm asking you, my fellow Clevelanders, do you have what it takes to revive this machine, to stand on your own two feet, and scream it from the bottom of your lungs, "I AM CLEVELAND!"? Do you have what it takes to look beyond the illusions of a disappearing act, of a betrayal, and remember that before he came along, that we were Cleveland? Do you have what it takes, to remember who we are, stand as one, and say "We're not giving up!"?

For those of you who were born and raised here, show your pride, let it shine through. Let it shine so bright that it drowns out the lights of any big city in this nation. Let it be known that together we are stronger than any city of individuals. This will not be our end, our demise. This will be our strength, our encouragement, and the start of something new. A broken heart can be fixed, a broken dream can be redrawn, and a broken city can re-unite. Show the non-believers that we are not just a population, that we are, and always will be, a city of one!

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3 + 6 = Dynasty in Cleveland

For anyone who's an avid NBA follower, you know what I'm talking about. If you're an avid follower and you happen to not have a clue, well... you need to get one. Whether you're an NBA fan or not, names like Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant... all stand out. These are some of the basketball players that are above the rest, the ones who make the headlines. Well, what happens when you take two star level players and put them together? You end up with a supernova level performance. For those of you who watched the 2010 NBA All-Star Game this year, you saw the spectacle DWade (Dwyane Wade) and LBJ (LeBron James) put on. Those of us who have been around long enough to witness the era of Jordan & Pippen, know what it's like for two players to be able to feed off each other like that.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not comparing "Jordan & Pippen" to "Dwade & LBJ". It's a whole different ballgame now than it was then, and comparing the two would be like comparing a 1957 Chevy to a Nissan 350Z... they just aren't the same type of machinery. Needless to say you're probably wondering when I'm going to get to the point, well here it is. LeBron and DWade have not closed the door on teaming up. Currently at the time of this blog, the Cavaliers sit atop the NBA with the best record, again... whereas the Miami Heat have sunk to a dismal 29-29 while cliffhanging at the number 8 spot for playoff seeds. LeBron wants rings, DWade wants more rings... see where I'm going?

Cleveland has more than shown LeBron over the past 7 years that they are willing to do whatever it takes to keep him here, as well as surround him with a championship calibre team. Whether this be the year that the Cavs win it all or not, this summer is going to be epic. Consider the fact that LeBron's supporting cast is quite a pick of the litter, what reason does he have to leave. If Danny Ferry was smarter than the average bear, which he seems to be, he'd drop the bomb on LeBron and tell him he's in the market for DWade this summer. I don't just mean for Ferry to "say" he's going after DWade in the free agency, but SHOW LeBron he's going for him, giving LeBron little to no reason to leave.

Let's consider the cast of what makes up this Cavaliers team. You have Mo Williams, able to create plays, drive the lane, a menace from 3-point land (usually), and can make free throws. Then you have Jamario Moon, who's a solid defensive player who's got high-flying ability and is able to shoot the 3-ball. Toss J.J. Hickson into the mix, wow... what a shining star he's turning out to be, able to drive the lane, grab boards, block shots, and he's got the energy to do it all. Once J.J. solidifies his inside post-up game and close-range jumper, watch out. Add Anderson Varejao to the mix and you have a high-energy guy who will dive to the floor to get at a loose ball, who's shown he can make short-to-mid range jumpers, block shots, get down the floor, and isn't afraid to take hard fouls. Quite the cast Danny Ferry, quite the cast.

Add all that together, with a few other essential pieces that are already in place, and you've got one hell of a supporting cast for a duo like LBJ & Dwade. Now, you're probably wondering by now why the title of this blog says "3 + 6 = Dynasty in Cleveland"... well here's your explanation. DWade currently holds #3 on the Miami Heat, whereas LBJ currently holds #23 on the Cavs. However, LBJ has stated that he'll be switching to #6 next year out of respect for Michael Jordan. There's your "3 + 6". As far as what's after the "="... I'm thinking that adds up to the number of years this dynasty would wreak havoc. I'm most definitely not saying they would win 9 championships, but I can guarantee they'd be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.