Wake up, basketball America! LaBron & Co. have played you like a 5-cent jukebox

If you saw the ultra narcissistic LaBron James last night on "The Decision," you heard ESPN's Jim Gray ask him when he decided which team he would play for. James, mustering as straight a face as he could, said it was that very morning. If you believe that, I have a new bridge over the Trinity I'm willing to sell you at a bargain price while it's still under construction.

This entire dance has been nothing more than a charade concocted by Dwayne Wade, James and Chris Bosh, but it was Wade, I'm convinced that was the ringleader.

Those three decided some time ago, as possibly as three years ago when they signed their last contracts with their respective teams, that they would join the same team in 2010. The only question left was which team it would be.

If you recall, before the actual free agency period began, right after Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was fined by the NBA for tampering because he expressed an interest in James, Wade called a meeting at which only Bosh and James were the other invitees. My son thought just the fact that the three of them were meeting could be called tampering as well. I thought it smelled more of collusion, but it hardly makes a difference. It was during that meeting that the trio laid out their final strategy.

What they decided was that Wade would be the lead person in finding a team for the three of them since James could distract everyone from knowing what was really going on because all the attention was focused on him. While James did his song and dance for his adoring masses, Wade would work mostly behind the scenes to secure a home for the three of them. But it was going to be Wade, not James, who would decide which team the three would play for.

Actually there were only two possible choices, Chicago and Miami. Wade's first choice was Chicago, his hometown team. James liked that option as well because it was closer to his Ohio roots. The problem was, the Bulls liked their nucleus of young players. They were more than willing to take on Wade and James, but had no interest in Bosh. So that left Miami as the only choice. Wade returned from Chicago, announced he was staying with the Heat. Bosh followed immediately and then they let James play out the last act of his melodrama, trying to convince people that he made his decision independently of Wade and Bosh.

I used to admire LaBron James. Not anymore. Not after all this deceit. Admittedly, it's not all James's fault - the three conspirators agreed to let James hog the spotlight, which he would have anyway, while Wade made all the important decisions. But James allowed Wade to lead him around by the nose and to position him in the worst possible light. Even multiple championships, if they do come James's way, won't remove that tarnish in my mind.

Speaking of titles, whaddya bet Shaq is smelling the opportunity to get back even or possibly even surpass Kobe in the NBA championship ring collection contest and will agree to sign a workmanlike contract with the Heat? After all, he's already played alongside James and Wade and got along with them extremely well. I can even imagine that he and Wade have already been on the phone together.