What has become of us? Why do we choose to follow those who would, at the drop of a hat, betray the decidedly American integrity and morals that are taught us from our birth? In life … in politics … in sports. Why does not every sports fan revile and castigate every multi-million-dollar athlete who puts their own selfish motives ahead of the good of the team and the community?

Case in point -- you guessed it -- LeBron James. And an extreme case, at that.

“Get over it,” my friends tell me. “It’s just basketball.”

“It’s more than basketball,” I shout back. “It’s about pride. It’s about loyalty. It’s about effort. It’s about dedication. It’s about everything American.”

It’s also not about how he did it, as many contend. It’s about what he did, which many overlook.

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AKRON, Ohio - Losing a superstar like LeBron James is something from which you don’t recover easily. But that doesn’t mean the Cavaliers have mailed it in.

Nor are they panicked.

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and new general manager Chris Grant actually seem confident about a few things, including the fact the team didn’t win 61 games last season by accident.

Unlike franchises that once willingly gut themselves after losing stars (read: Minnesota, Sacramento and Memphis), the Cavs are aiming to move forward with what’s left over, casually plugging in a few holes and staying competitive.

The Cavs aimed to land free agent forward Matt Barnes, offering him more money than the team with which he eventually signed (L.A. Lakers). They have also shown interest in former Cavs guard Shannon Brown, a Lakers free agent, and swingman Joey Graham, who last played with Denver.

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As predictable as a mid-summer Indians’ trade for prospects are the inevitable inside stories about what really happened with LeBron James and his so-called decision to leave Cleveland. The latest was Andrew Wojnarowski’s inside look for Yahoo Sports.

Wojnarowski’s column is a good one, I guess, depending on the standards by which you judge such things. He talks about how James is mostly an uncoachable pain in the ass who almost was left off the 2008 Olympic team because of it. Wojnarowski also claims that no one could stand James on the 2004 Olympic team, either, and without the intervention of Nike, well, things might have been much different.

It was all Wojnarowski’s way of getting to his point that James’ decision to leave Cleveland was a long-time in the making and that maybe we’re all better off anyway.

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