Summer League abuzz with good, bad reviews of James’ hyped choice

Fans, players, coaches and executives at Cox Pavilion on Friday, the first day of the NBA Summer League, were still talking about LeBron James' 60-minute, nationally televised spectacle.

The two-time Most Valuable Player turned his back on Cleveland on Thursday night, proclaiming that he will join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said James had the right to do what he did and Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert had the right to blast James over his decision to abandon Cleveland.

"When you own a team, the whole community owns the team," Cuban said while watching the Mavericks play Denver. "Sometimes, you have to say what's on your mind, what's in your heart.

"There's a reason why the whole situation was so emotional. People cared. There's nothing wrong with that.

"I think (James') brand equity took a hit. But he's not in an easy position, either. He was trying to make a decision that he thought was right for his career, just like Dan did what he thought was right for his franchise.

"There are no easy decisions. He did what was best with his group of guys. But I think his brand equity took a hit (Thursday)."

Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson also thinks James hurt his star power with his decision.

"He took the easy way out," Lawson said. "They're promoting him as being the King, but he has to get help from Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. It could hurt his brand."

Lawson didn't have a real problem with James announcing his decision on national TV.

"I found it interesting," he said. "He helped raise some money for charity, and that's cool. Me? I probably wouldn't have done it that way."

Veteran guard Gerald Green knows James, and both players went straight to the NBA out of high school. He said he can understand why James went through the "recruitment" process.

"I thought he did the right thing," Green said. "He says he wants to win, and he's going to a team that's going to give him a chance to win.

"He left, what, $30 million on the table? If he was about the money, he would have stayed in Cleveland. But that's a powerful team he's going to. If they can handle the pressure of winning a championship, he'll do all right."

Phoenix Suns coach Alvin Gentry said he doesn't blame James for deciding to leave Cleveland.

"The guy has the right to play wherever he wants," Gentry said. "The arena in which he chose to do it was different, but his heart was in the right place by helping out kids."

Gentry said while he's glad he'll have to see the Heat only twice next season, he wouldn't mind more encounters with James, Wade and Bosh.

"If we see them more than twice, I'll be ecstatic, because that means we're in the (NBA) Finals," he said.

Gentry said the key to whether the Heat can dominate will be chemistry.

"Can they all get along?" he said. "I know they worked well on the Olympic team, but this is a different setting.

"Chemistry is a strange thing. You really can't teach it. Either it's there or it isn't. So it will be interesting to see how that plays itself out (in Miami)."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.