Landscape Changers

No matter where you are in the world this morning, guaranteed the papers are jampacked with pages upon pages dedicated to yesterday’s big move.

The rumors have been there for a while but only yesterday could it really sink in. And for many, it still hasn’t.

On both sides of the Atlantic they’ll call him a glory hunter, criticize him for leaving unfinished business behind, and while some will be excited to see how he gets on this season, with all that money involved, there will be haters aplenty.

Really the only thing those papers won’t be talking about, is the same person.

It’s kind of ironic that both LeBron James and Luis Suarez make their career altering moves on the same day.

Both are at the top of their game and have traded in their comfortable surroundings for the pursuit of winning titles.

LeBron isn’t as close to that this year, but longterm the Cavaliers have much better odds of being title contenders than Miami. That was a driving factor in his choice to return to a city where good things rarely happen. If the Cavaliers were in the same spot as they were when he was drafted 11 years ago, he doesn’t go back.

But, he has. And this makes a lot of sense to me.

LeBron’s essay gifted to SI.com and the timely manner in which the news broke, demonstrates that he is a different guy. There is a maturation that happened over his four years in Miami.

He’s learned through experiences that he never would have had if he had re-signed in Cleveland in the summer of 2010.

Most importantly, he has learned how to win at the top level. And now he is going to bring that to his hometown team that has loads of potential to win, a lot, over the next decade.

Heat fans cannot be upset with this. Sure they will be disappointed and feel like Miami were still close to being a championship team, again. But LeBron gave it his all and got them to a Finals appearance every year he was down there.

I have never been one to quote Stephen A. Smith, but he made a brilliant point on SportsCenter last night: LeBron played all but 17 games in four years with the Heat. Dwyane Wade missed nearly 30 last season alone.

LeBron James is all about business. He did his in Miami, and one of his many ventures did some pretty damn good business yesterday as well.

Three years ago LeBron was given a minority stake in Liverpool, a clause he and manager Maverick Carter were wise to include when Fenway Sports Group became the sole global marketer of his rights.

Seeing as LeBron made $30 million out of Apple’s acquisition of Beats Electronics, I would not be surprised if he also earned himself a piece of Luis Suarez’s £75 million transfer fee.

And I cannot help but wonder, would that fee have been even higher if Suarez did not return to his biting ways on sport’s biggest stage?

Liverpool will still be a top four contender this season without him. , Though I expect them to struggle in the Champions League, and battling on multiple fronts may prove to be too big a task.

I’m also kinda sad the SAS partnership has come to an end. I was quite excited to see what Suarez and Sturridge would be able to do in Europe.

Desperate to return to their winning ways, Barcelona showed little hesitation in shelling out big bucks for one of the best goalscorers alive right now.

Despite his addiction to biting grown men, there is no doubting the impact he will have on the pitch. After scoring a Premier League best 31 goals last season, you’d expect that number to be even higher, given a suspension free season in La Liga. But of course, he’s unlikely to have one, even if he stays there for all five years.

But, the bigger question is – are there really enough goals to go around at that club?

Luis Enrique’s first season in charge at Camp Nou will be a trying one. How does one get the most out of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez when they have to share the ball with each other?

It is one of many questions that there simply is no answer for at this point. But my God I cannot wait for a new NBA and soccer season to get underway.