What We Talk About When We Talk About Wins

When July 1 wakes us up this year, it will be to the sound of thousands of people chewing their finger nails. Nervously yes, but maybe also to show the Once And Future King that their fanbase will take him, flaws, mortality, fingernail chewing, and all. The prevailing wisdom is that LeBron is the secret doomsday weapon that will mark your team for league supremacy, no matter what lands you have already conquered, or peoples vanquished. All should be willing to open their strongholds and accept the King, right? If the Ark of the Covenant was up on eBay, wouldn't you bid?

The only problem of course, is that Cleveland still spent the last 7 years wandering in the wilderness. None of the new sidekicks for Bron proved to be that elusive “missing piece” that separates a contender from a champ. Larry Hughes scuttled through sheepishly. Mo Williams was nice, but not enough. Shaq was a desperate move, but Twan was desperate and misguided. Cleveland continued to add apendages until the monster ate the town.

The Bulls have taken a different approach. When Rose fell into our laps, we knew how lucky we had gotten, but also how far we were from winning anything. Rose was a one year wonder in college who couldn't shoot or take the SATs. Their was talk of specialness on the TV, but here in the midwest, we take things slow. Draft picks were taken and cap space was cleared, with the hope that our young people would grow up.

The thing is, they did. My question to you, Bulls followers, is what happens if we sign LeBron, and don't win a championship? What if Noah's disdain for LeBron grows into more than a playoff rallying cry? Do we want to see our home-grown team chemistry exposed to the whims of a desperate front office?

I say let's hire a guy that might actually fit in. Not a “missing piece”, (because let's be honest, we're still a few steps from the brink) but a guy who has spent his career waiting for a chance to play for something tangible. A guy who has become more chiseled every year, while his team remains amorphous. I'm saying Bosh over Bron, not in addition to. Because even though the Ark can flatten lands, it can also melt faces if the wrong army opens it.