For Whom The Bell Tolls

For whom the bell tolls. The famous saying originates from English poet's John Donne in his poem For Whom The Bell Tolls and couldn't work any better with the situation LeBron is finding himself in right now. I'm sorry if you weren't expecting a poetry lesson during the summer, neither was I, but how can you not be intrigued at the chance of having poetry be made relevant to you sports fans out there?

The poem reads, "No man is an island, entire of itself. Each is a piece of a continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by sea, Europe is the less. As well as if a promontory were. As well as if a manor of thine own or if thine friend's were. Each man's death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind. Therefore send not to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee."

The first part is easy to understand. LeBron is not an island, he can't win a title alone, because nobody can, it's impossible, even in the NBA, a league where if you have talent, things seem to pan out. That's because in basketball, players play both offense and defense. You need more than a good pitcher in baseball, because you also have to hit; you need more than a good offense in football, because you also have to defend; you need more than a good goalie in hockey and soccer, because you have to score. Basketball is the only team game where players are responsible for every aspect of the game, yet, no man can do it alone. LeBron needs the pieces to be put together for him to succeed, because he is not bigger than any team, and he needs a supporting cast to help him.

LeBron realizes he needs a sidekick, an assistant, but he also feels that he can't leave Cleveland, and if he stays, LeBron will need to serve as an island, even though he can't be one. LeBron isn't Cleveland, but Cleveland is LeBron. The superstar outgrew his hometown from the moment he put on a Cavaliers jersey, and now he's only outgrown it more. Without Cleveland, LeBron loses a major part of himself, but he can move on, start anew; there is a little bit of sentiment and sadness that goes into a decision in which he leaves Cleveland, but it's certainly not as much of a "clod washed away by sea" as opposed to Cleveland losing LeBron. The team is nothing without him, and the city is nothing without him. If he leaves there are no good sports left, no big attractions to see, nothing but another Midwestern city facing hard times.

The middle part relates more to free agency than it does to LeBron. Coming into this period, many felt that LeBron would be the first to sign and that the pieces would just fall into place after. Instead, everything is falling into place for LeBron. Every move from Chris Duhon going to the Magic to Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade going to the Heat, has had some type of impact on LeBron's decision. Just as "every death diminishes me," every decision, every loss of a free agent to a certain team, played a role in which team LeBron will end up with. Just think of how much has changed over the past week, even before Bosh or Wade agreed to deals yesterday and most importantly, even before LeBron agrees to or signs one today. So much has happened just as a result of where lowly-touted free agents have gone, showing that everyone makes a difference.

The last part is what's most important. "Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." The bells Donne speaks of, are of course funeral bells, and therefore means, never tell the man who is about to die, that the time has come. LeBron is the last one that wants to hear the bells ringing not only on the end of his free agency and the Summer of LeBron, but on his time in Cleveland. This is the town where he's grown up, where he's played basketball, where he's gone to school, where he has raised his family, and has so many friends. He never went to college, and so he's never known anything other than Cleveland in his 25 years on this earth. Now, his time in the only city he's ever lived in, might be finally be up, the clock may have struck midnight, and the last person that probably wants to come to that realization is LeBron James, hence the connection, "never send to know for whom the bell tolls."

But, will he leave Cleveland? It's now certain, with Bosh going to Miami, Stoudemire going to the Knicks and Boozer going to the Bulls that Cleveland can't improve. David Lee's a big name free agent, but I doubt the Knicks would be willing to sign-and-trade him to the Cavs if LeBron doesn't sign with them. So, it would take a lot of heart and loyalty for him to stay with the Cavs, almost too much, as in my opinion, he'll grow old without a title if he stays. That leaves the Heat and Knicks, and possibly the Bulls, who have basically been thrown out to the curb, despite being the favorites just a few days ago. Joining the Heat would be the worst decision LeBron could make, with Wade and Bosh already there. I've told you all my belief that talent wins championships in the NBA, in my article "Talent's All You Need," and I think if LeBron were to join the Heat that they would win around eight NBA championships. Not too shabby. But, LeBron would never, ever, be known as the best player of all time, no matter how many he won, because he'd always go down as the superstar that couldn't win it without an overload of help. It wouldn't be LeBron's team; LeBron would have to split the credit with Wade and even Bosh. So, even though Miami is the place to go to win championships, those titles would all be meaningless, because his legacy would be for needing stars to win, not leading a team to titles.

This is why the place to go is New York. The stage is set there. The Knicks are a team that haven't had success in years, but they now have Amar'e Stoudemire, and next year have $11.4 million for a big-name free agent if Carmelo Anthony doesn't sign an extension with the Nuggets and tries to become a Knick. A Tony Parker/Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, LeBron James combo, I'm convinced, would beat a Wade-Bosh duo in Miami almost every year, and win around six to seven titles. The best thing is, LeBron would get the credit for every single one of those titles, and for turning around a team that was a laughing stock before he came. Chicago also wouldn't be a bad option, as Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah would be a great supporting cast, but he would still be in the shadow of Jordan no matter what.

My final prediction is that he goes to the Knicks. I'm considering the possibility of the conspiracy that Bill Simmons has thought up, and that all of this has been an act, and that all three have known they were going to team up together if they had the chance, for years now, but I really think LeBron is too great and too competitive to sell out to playing with two of the best players in the league. It would be like rigging the game of basketball, and I truly think there would be no competition. With the Knicks, he has the chance to prove himself, be the hero, save a city, and beat the Heat, the Thunder, the Lakers, the Celtics, and every other team out there and be the unquestionable leader.

With Carlos Boozer having signed with the Bulls, Amar'e Stoudemire having signed with the Knicks, Joe Johnson having signed with the Hawks, Dirk Nowitzki having signed with the Mavericks, Paul Pierce having signed with the Celtics, Chris Bosh having signed with the Heat, and Dwyane Wade having also signed with the heat, there aren't any other potential max free agents available for the Cavaliers to do a sign-and-trade for, no hope of a Robin to LeBron's Batman (see there's a cool reference). The time has come for LeBron to make his decision, the moment everyone has been waiting for, and few sweet words that everyone has been waiting for, for years and years, the decision that so many teams have sacrificed so much for just for the chance to be a part of. That's why at 9 PM tonight, the city of Cleveland, the free agency bonanza, and LeBron Raymone James, if he chooses any other team besides the Knicks, Nets or Bulls, I believe, your time is up, the bell tolls for thee.