1. LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all will be taking less money in Miami. That's cool.
2. LeBron took self-indulgence to a new level on Thursday night. He referred to himself in the third person, congratulated himself for donating to charities and said "I'll just continue to be great." That's not that cool.
3. The Knicks will finish in 10th place in the East next year.
4. LeBron says that Erik Spoelstra will be the head coach of the Miami Heat. Everyone else in America thinks otherwise, including Pat Riley.
5. The excitement of the summer of 2010 is, essentially, over. Hope you had a good time. Thanks for visiting the live blog — see you in five years!
10:51 p.m.: At long last, ESPN cuts to Rachel Nichols outside of Madison Square Garden, where the New Yorkers start a "Queen James" chant.
Chances are, LBJ won't be given those hero's welcomes when he stops by MSG this season.
10:22 p.m.: So now what?
The summer of 2010 was supposed to be life-changing. It's kind of a letdown at the moment.
10:11 p.m.: Another announcement! More patting himself on the back? Nope, some guy from The University of Phoenix is donating $500,000 to the Boys & Girls Club as well, and some scholarships.
This is getting out of hand. When you make donations, it's generally inadvisable to boast about your donations on national television. It makes you look like a … what's the word? Tool. Yeah. It's tool.
10:06 p.m.: LeBron announces that all the proceeds will be going to the Boys & Girls Club. I didn't correctly predict where he'd sign … but I nailed that prediction. For whatever that's worth.
Oh, wow. LeBron literally just said, "Kids are our future."
Seriously, dude?
10:01 p.m.: Just so you know, the Heat roster consists of:
Dwyane Wade
Chris Bosh
LeBron James
Michael Beasley (though his $5 million will have to be traded)
Mario Chalmers
I officially enter my plea to Pat Riley to hire me as a backup point guard. I haven't played in a league since intramurals in middle school, but I can dribble the ball across half-court and pass to either Wade or LeBron. I look cool in a tank top as well.
10 p.m.: LeBron is asked who takes the shot in crunch time. He says it's up to coach. Come on, LeBron, that's a lay-up. You just say "Whoever's open … but I'd like to take it."
9:58 p.m.: New York Post: Not excited.
9:56 p.m.: LeBron says he hasn't turned his phone on yet. Over/under on texts is unofficially at 6,192.
9:55 p.m.: Eminem's "Not Afraid" plays over an LBJ montage. If he wasn't afraid, he'd probably stay in Cleveland. I'm just saying.
9:52 p.m.: Another announcement is on the way. I'm not holding my breath for anything exceptional. I bet it's a charity announcement in which he explains how excellent he is as a person.
9:50 p.m.: The modesty continues:
"One thing I didn't want to do was make an emotional decision. I wanted to do what was best for LeBron James and do what made LeBron James happy.
"This is a business and I have seven great years in Cleveland and I hope the fans understand that. And maybe they won't. … I'll just continue to be great."
9:49 p.m.: LBJ just said thoroughly detailed all the sidekicks that the great players in NBA history had. He basically just tried to discredit Michael Jordan. For the record. That happened.
9:48 p.m.: "We want to win it all," LeBron says. "That's the only reason we play this game is to win championships."
9:46 p.m.: At long last, the contract. James says that he, Bosh and Wade will all take less money.
I'm not getting a max deal," he said. "I've taken one less year and I'm gonna be getting a lot less being in Miami."
9:45 p.m.: Chris Bosh is excited, writing on Twitter:
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9:43 p.m.: LeBron just said "championship" about 30 times in 45 words.
9:42 p.m.: Why aren't they asking the only question that matters: What's the contract going to be? Are Wade and Bosh taking pay cuts?
9:40 p.m.: For the record, LeBron talked about how loyal he is. I'm not even sure what that's supposed to mean.
9:38 p.m.: LeBron should have joined the Bruins with the way he pronounces "organ-eye-zay-shunn."
9:37 p.m.: The most self-indulgent quote of the night from LeBron comes in his first statement to Michael Wilbon:
"I know a lot of people look up to me, I know what I've done for the city of Cleveland, what I've done for that franchise … and my teammates."
9:36 p.m.: The Cleveland reaction shot was priceless. If that were in Boston, there would be so much broken glass. So much broken glass.
9:35 p.m.: ESPN is defiantly refusing to show what we all want to see: Rachel Nichols amidst a mob of angry Knicks fans outside of Madison Square Garden.
Can we get Tom Jackson to come in and give us a "C'moonnnn, man!"
9:34 p.m.: LeBron says, "I don't even see it as leaving Cleveland as a whole, it's about joining forces with the other two guys. I respect their games the most," he added of Bosh and Wade, before adding that joining Miami gives him the "best chance of winning."
9:32 p.m.: To the people of Cleveland:
"It's heart-felt for me. Its hard to explain but at the same time, my heart, in the seven years that I gave to that franchise, that city, was everything. They've seen me grow from an 18-year-old kid to a 25-year-old man. I never wanted to leave Cleveland, and my heart will always be around that area."
9:32 p.m.: LeBron calls Dwyane Wade "the unselfish one here" before referencing himself in the third person. Point well made, sir.
9:31 p.m.: "Erik Spoelstra will be the coach," says LeBron. We'll see.
9:31 p.m.: LeBron says it's about "Everybody having their own spotlight and then doing what's best for the team."
9:28 p.m.: LeBron says he wants to win. Can't argue with that.
Immediately, ESPN and Broussard get pats on the back for scooping their own story … but not too much of a pat on the back. After all, this whole 60-minute special thing smelled like fish from the beginning.
9:28 p.m.: LeBron is "taking his talents to South Beach" and play with the Miami Heat.
9:26 p.m.: When is Jim Gray going to ask LeBron about Pete Rose's gambling?!
9:25 p.m.: Let the record show that if LeBron chooses Cleveland, he just lied on national TV. Because you don't change your mind the day of your decision if you're staying home.
Also, the five teams who did not receive a call from Mr. James a few minutes ago … well, they just flicked off the TV in disgust.
9:24 p.m.: LeBron says not many people know his decision. Take that, Broussard!
LBJ also says he decided "this morning." So those rumors over the past few days? Rumors.
9:23 p.m.: XXX Vitaminwater prominently placed on stage of wealthy Boys and Girls Club, which looks to not need a donation. It has an indoor street hockey rink. Did your local club have an indoor street hockey rink?
9:22 p.m.: LeBron jokes with Jim Gray that he left his powder at home. Lame.
9:21 p.m.: Sorry for that break in posts. I fell asleep.
9:17 p.m.: Wilbon, Broussard, Barry all say it's Miami. Hurley says Cleveland. Choose your side, America.
9:14 p.m.: Can State Farm speed up this whole decision process?
9:13 p.m.: The juxtaposition of that commercial of actual greatness during a special on perceived or unattained greatness — well, you can't write that kind of stuff.
9:12 p.m.: Hey it's 9:12. I want my money back.
9:09 p.m.: Seriously, Wilbon, Barry, Broussard and Stuart, it's time to can it. If you all stop talking, LeBron will have no choice but to get this decision over with.
9:07 p.m.: LeBron James got dolled up for the event, as he's dressed like a table at Papa Gino's. That could be a sign that he's signing with the Celtics. I'm just saying.
9:05 p.m.: There should have been a prop bet on whether he'll actually give his decision in the first 10 minutes of this shindig. I would have put it all on "nnnnnoooooooppppeeee."
9:03 p.m.: This four-man panel on ESPN is setting records for "most words said in front of an audience of millions without anything actually listening."
9:01 p.m.: The hero montage was really something there. Well done, LeBron, way to make yourself look humble. You forgot to include the clips of you winning the title in there.
Oh, wait, what's that? No title. Oh.
9 p.m.: Boo-yah! Stuart Scott kicks off our programming. Excited?
8:53 p.m.: For the record, I've been saying for some time now that the answer is clear: LeBron is staying in Cleveland.
Why? Short answer is that he's transparent. He wants to soak in this attention but he never wants to leave Akron. He dubbed himself "The King of Akron" on Twitter just this week. There's more, but I'm telling you, he's staying in Cleveland.
Then again, I'm no Chris Broussard, so I haven't had LeBron's inner circle lying to me for the past eight days, so take it for what it's worth.
8:44 p.m.: Rachel Nichols gets to chill outside Madison Square Garden? Shelley Smith, in a hole-in-the-wall pub in Cleveland, weeps.
8:42 p.m.: Is ESPN really throwing dramatic piano music at us right now? I'm pretty sure the only time the network has used that music has been one of those post-death memorials that they run to tug on your heart strings every so often.
8:38 p.m.: There are literally 5,000 "breaking" stories out there that I could report on, but how many of them are true? Really, only one can be. Let's hope it's Geno Auriemma! Or Jim Leyland! Or Drew Brees!
That was awesome. Thank you, ESPN.
Geno told LeBron to "be a man" and stay in Cleveland, Leyland said he doesn't care and is more focused on Shaquille O'Neal, and Drew Brees said something about winning titles or something. Admittedly, that's a tough act to follow, even for a Super Bowl MVP.
8:34 p.m.: To be honest, it feels like something is missing this evening. That "something" is quite clearly Wolf Blitzer.
At this point, I'd settle for an Anderson Cooper holographic interview of Will.I.Am.
Actually, no. No I would not.
8:20 p.m.: Twitter is, naturally, buzzing for "The Decision." It does sort of seem like a tailor-made event for those who have taken a liking to Twittering their Tweets away.
Here are some of the more entertaining ones from the evening:
@jacko2323: What channel is Brian Scalabrine:The Decision on?
@buzzbissinger: What is criteria for joining boys and girls club in Greenwich anyway? Income under ten million.
And the grandaddy of them all:
@NYPost_Willis: They're kicking Boys and Girls off the grounds of the Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich.
8:17 p.m.: My sources have just informed me that nobody else's sources actually know anything.
My sources? A good reporter never tells … so I'll tell you. My sources are common sense, history and Shelley Smith live from Cleveland!
8:15 p.m.: Folks, this is getting serious. I mean, seriously serious. Tick tock.
7:43 p.m.: I have to say, I'm pretty disappointed that the only prop bet I can find is whether LeBron will wear a crown or not.
In a more positive development, there's a whole slate of WNBA action to gamble on. So that's a relief.
7:28 p.m.: I read a Tampa Bay Rays blog earlier this afternoon that tried to accuse Peter Gammons of floating B.J. Upton trade rumors in hopes of "distracting" the Rays against the Red Sox.
In the words of Chad Ochocinco, child please.
Why mention Mr. Gammons? Because he had this to offer on Twitter earlier this afternoon:
A wise man said "Kobe needs to win, Lebron needs attention"
7:09 p.m.: So if LeBron is gracing us with his decision in the first 10 minutes of his 60-minutes self-indulgence fest, then we're exactly two hours from finding out the news.
6:31 p.m.: The excitement is palpable. OK, not really.
But there is this: Mark Cuban has proclaimed that The Chosen One will choose … Cleveland.
As Mr. Cuban explains:
Lebron steps up to the podium. In every home, bar , restaurant and event in the State of Ohio, EVERYTHING comes to a complete stop. Doctors probably put a halt to the surgeries they are doing just to hear what he has to say.
In Miami people keep on doing what they are doing. They look at their watches and notice its past 9pm so they look for a TV or radio,, or turn on their phones and call or text their friends to see what happened with lebron. Then they go back to what they were doing.
It's true. Thank goodness most of us aren't from Cleveland.
5:22 p.m.: As we're now within four hours of the main event, it's a good time to look over some of the polls we've run at NESN this week regarding Mr. Chosen One/King/OMG It's LeBron!
NESN.com visitors were asked if this whole showcase is good or bad for sports, with 50 percent voting for bad. Eight percent said it's good, while 42 percent said that they simply don't care. But they cared enough to vote.
Similarly, in the poll in this very blog, 65 percent of fans voted for "Please stop talking about LeBron" when asked if they care about "The Decision." Twenty-four percent voted yes, while 22 percent said LBJ is just milking the attention.
Eighty-four percent of voters said that the people of Ohio were a bit pathetic in their attempts to retain James, while the remaining 26 percent said they aren't pathetic because he's all they have.
10:26 a.m.: For those of you who were expecting an American Idol like announcement at the end of Thursday night's show, you're out of luck.
James will make his announcement within the first 10 minutes of the hour-long show.
7:55 a.m.: It looks like LeBron is heading to South Beach to join Wade and Bosh.
Newsday is reporting that James is now going to choose Miami.
12:07 a.m.: The day of reckoning is upon us. The single most important man in the single most important sport is making the single most important decision in the history of mankind.
At least that's what LeBron James would like you to believe.
The fact is, we all sit from afar and criticize the man for soaking in the spotlight, stealing attention and basking in the glory of being LeBron James — and we're right. But we're also suckers, so we'll all tune in on Thursday night to see which city will be graced with the presence of Mr. James.
For the time being, there's plenty of fodder to keep us entertained. There's Jared Dudley's Twitter prophecy, the debate regarding whether this whole charade is good or bad for sports and — saving the best for last — the prop bets for Thursday's shenanigans.
Will LeBron James wear a crown during the telecast? Yes is at plus-1,000 while no is at minus-2,000.
Crown or no crown, we'll have updates throughout the day leading up to, during and after "The Decision." God help us all.
