The NBA Free Agents of 2014, led by high school rivals and the stars of Draft Class 2003 LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are being placed under heavy scrutiny. Their choices are already being criticized even before they are made.

There are at least 5 cities that have made a pitch for either of them. They can only play in one each, of course but there's also the angle that they want to play together. That means, at least four other cities will scream in anguish and lash out like a scorned lover at these two.

Whatever their decision, one thing's for sure, history will judge them harshly. Media was (still is) harsh on LeBron when he left Cleveland to form the Big Three in Miami and won two titles. If he stayed in Cleveland and remained title-less up to now, would he have become a media darling?

James and even Melo will never be 'good guys' like Tim Duncan or Stephen Curry. A great opinion piece from Robert Silverman in The Cauldron gives a comparison to strengthen his argument that "there are no selfish free agents:"

"Consider Tim Duncan's 2012 decision to take a big pay cut, thus allowing the Spurs to retain Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker on equally reduced deals. His "selflessness" was universally heralded as proof of what a fine, upstanding, and unselfish young man Duncan is. After all, he sacrificed individual financial reward for the greater good-in this case the perpetuation of the finely tuned machine that is the Spurs dynasty.

But Duncan's choice wasn't a sacrifice or an example of him being selfless; it was a sound professional strategy. He chose to continue playing for best coach in the league, a top general manager in R.C. Buford, with an owner that lets the people he hires do their jobs, in a small media market that allows him to go about his business, surrounded by teammates like Parker and Ginobili, who share his goals.

Those factors, in Duncan's estimation, were worth a haircut of about $10 million a year. Happiness and familiarity and, yes, winning, were worth the cash. But make no mistake, Tim Duncan made the choice that best served Tim Duncan."

These same factors will also be the basis of LeBron and Carmelo's decision. The only difference is, there is only one organization like the Spurs.

Basketball is a team sport, and the complaints of both LBJ and Melo is that they lack a supporting crew. Melo had that situation for the past three seasons and James is feeling it with the Heat now.

If they would like to do what Duncan did and move to a team with a better chance of winning, they would be condemned. Duncan had an easy choice-he was already on the best team. LeBron said the same thing last year, but now the Heat are not the best team, and moreso the Knicks.

But winning is just one aspect of their life. Their families are in this, too. If they want to choose the glam of Tinseltown or quiet Ohio, it depends on them. They have earned the right to have options because they waited for it, and more importantly they are very, very good at that they do.