If you ask Lebron James and Dwyane Wade, then the answer is yes. James and Wade were asked if Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce’s move to the Nets is hypocritical after they publicly bashed former teammate Ray Allen. Allen, Garnett, and Pierce were all on the Boston Celtics where they all won their first NBA Championship together. In a surprising move, Allen turned down Boston’s extension in 2012 and decided to take his talents to South Beach a la Lebron James. Fiercely loyal to the city of Boston, Garnett and Pierce viewed the move as deplorable with Garnett saying he lost his number and Pierce admitting he has not forgiven him.
Now it is 2013 and Ray Allen has two rings and Pierce and Garnett have traded in their Celtic green for Brooklyn black and white. How does Lebron James view the trade of the summer?
“I think the first thing I thought was ‘wow, Ray got killed for leaving Boston and now these guys are leaving Boston,'” James said. “I think it’s OK, I didn’t mind it. But there were a couple guys who basically (expletive) on Ray for leaving and now they’re leaving. That’s the nature of our business, man. I don’t know what Boston was going through at the end of the day. I know Ray had to make the best decision for him and his family and his career. Doc, KG and Paul did that as well. You can’t criticize someone who does something that’s best for their family.”
James knows what it is like to leave a team that looks to you as a hero (Cleveland still has not let his departure go). The Boston Big Three and Lebron James all left for their respective team for the same reasons; they wanted a ring, and they put themselves in the best position to win one. Dwyane Wade also commented on the dismantling of the Boston team.
“People say things about people when they do something when they themselves would do the same thing. It’s about putting yourself in the best situation and at the end of the day we all do that. You can’t really say anything about someone that does it for themselves,” Wade commented.
So do the two future Hall of Fame players owe their former teammate an apology? Not really, and he will never really get one honestly. Is it hypocritical? Somewhat, but that is what the business side of sports looks like. Asking James and Wade what they thought was just a ploy to get ratings up for Brooklyn’s home opener against the Heat. No matter what team Pierce, Garnett, Wade, and James are one, they will always have a rivalry and it will always be entertaining to watch them.
