So I can sympathize with LeBron James who finds himself in a critical decision between staying in Cleveland, where championships are rare but fan loyalty is strong, or leaving for a better chance at the trophy ring at the sake of alienating the people who carry him on their shoulders.

As I stare at the clock, now one hour before the big announcement program begins on ESPN, I have to admit that despite what I and the rest of the city wants, LeBron should do what’s best for LeBron. It pains me to see such a talented, team-oriented player stuck in a cursed city which hasn’t seen a championship team since the 1964 Cleveland Browns stuck it to the Baltimore Colts 27-0, or the Cleveland Indians who last won a World Series title in 1948 taking the Boston Braves to game six. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who have never won a championship, neither have the lengthy history of the Indians, nor the legend of the Browns. It has only been recently that they’ve been making a name for themselves and you’d be called a fool if you said it was for any other reason besides LeBron.

I know that the team to contend with will be the one who has LeBron on their roster. I’d like it to be Cleveland because I think the city deserves to have a great player believe in it for a change. If it’s not, unlike the others in the past, I won’t hold it against LeBron. Good luck and goodnight.

Then came LeBron James.

Since LeBron graduated from St. Vincent-St. Mary’s, I’ve given him every opportunity to disappoint me. With his talent and the subsequent media hype, I was fully prepared to endure another NBA primadonna who felt the world owed him everything. Worst, he’d do it while playing for the home team. For six years, I waited and in the end my expectations fell short.

While I have to live with another year with another home town sports team coming only within sight of the brass ring, I am thankful that the young man they named the league’s MVP this year brought my heart back to the game. My friends and I agree. LeBron James is pound for pound the best all-around player the NBA has ever seen.

His attitude both on and off the court is second to none. St. Vincent-St. Mary’s made a very educated, articulate, responsible, and respectful young man out of him. If the NBA were ever in need of an ambassador of the sport, they should look no further.

To LeBron James, Žydrunas Ilgauskas, Mo Williams, Delonte West, Anderson Varejão, Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic, Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, Ben Wallace, Mike Brown, and everyone else from the Cavs….

Thanks for a great season. We’ll be counting the days until the start of the next.