The LeBron James Thread

[DeceptiveBlaze]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

yeah and it is also ok to not tell Gilbert before and have him find out on T.V.? But he was able to tell Walsh 30 minutes before?

Man c'mon you can't excuse him for everything here.

Dude is an immature brat.

You tell me how he is an immature brat. He could have took the easy way out and released a statement to the press and showed up in miami, but instead he went on tv and faced both the media and fans reactions to his statement. Donated all proceeds to boys and girls clubs along with 5 full ride scholarships to the cities he let down. You could tell it was not in his heart to leave but why would he stay. What did Cleveland show lebron in regards to being a title contender. Gilbert says he quit on his team but i watched the playoffs and i remember mo williams being ate up by rondo and rose. Jamison got ate up by KG and TAJ GIBSON, r u serious. Not to mention the elbow injury he played through. The Only memory cleveland fans had before lebron was jordan beating them in the playoffs & before that Mark Price and Brad Daugherty. Now Lebron is expected to say forget about my well being and my health and desire to win as long as i stay in cleveland to make other people happy. Do you know how dumb that sounds????

[ehh]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

I think it's pretty clear that LBJ and the Cavs organization didn't have the sort of relationship everyone thought they had.

The city may think they did, but I think the way both handled everything is very telling.

I really don't think he respected them at all. When someone lets you walk all over them and have full run of the place it's kinda hard to respect them.

I hate the stupid relationship comparisons, but anyone ever date a girl who basically acts like your slave? Will never get mad at you, will do whatever you ask/whenever, etc. Yeah, it's cool for a while but then you realize you have no respect for them for being a spineless doormat.

[jmood88]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

ok man...i'm done..you're clearly gonna defend LeBron at every turn here.

There's something called courtesy and a little class..

Sure he has no responsability. B.S. man. I don't have a responsability to thank my past employer when I leave. Might as well just quit and say **** you when I leave the building...

Please.

It's just funny to me that Lebron has all these responsibilities and expectations that no other player has. According to people on here, Lebron needs to base his decisions around Cleveland's economy, the wants of "fans" who turn on him the moment he does what they didn't want him to do, an owner who talked **** about him the moment he left but had nothing to say before etc etc. People knew about the ESPN thing days before this happened but it only became classless when he left Cleveland.

[23]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Again, do owners make a press conference announcing the cuttinofg a player on T.V. before he knows about it himself?

Stop using that example. It is completely different.

Yes players have seen themselves traded on Sportscenter before they knew

Shaq had that happen to him from LA

Steve Francis

Marcus Camby got the news from POR before the Clipps talked to him, if they even did. He was at dinner with this team and they totally said nothing to him

It def happens. Now im no fan of the presser, but the owners arent all that innocent either

[Pared]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

I really don't think he respected them at all. When someone lets you walk all over them and have full run of the place it's kinda hard to respect them.

I hate the stupid relationship comparisons, but anyone ever date a girl who basically acts like your slave? Will never get mad at you, will do whatever you ask/whenever, etc. Yeah, it's cool for a while but then you realize you have no respect for them for being a spineless doormat.

That's exactly what it's like.

[Pared]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Yes players have seen themselves traded on Sportscenter before they knew

Shaq had that happen to him from LA

Steve Francis

Marcus Camby got the news from POR before the Clipps talked to him, if they even did. He was at dinner with this team and they totally said nothing to him

It def happens. Now im no fan of the presser, but the owners arent all that innocent either

This is very true. Good points.

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

You tell me how he is an immature brat. He could have took the easy way out and released a statement to the press and showed up in miami, but instead he went on tv and faced both the media and fans reactions to his statement. Donated all proceeds to boys and girls clubs along with 5 full ride scholarships to the cities he let down. You could tell it was not in his heart to leave but why would he stay. What did Cleveland show lebron in regards to being a title contender. Gilbert says he quit on his team but i watched the playoffs and i remember mo williams being ate up by rondo and rose. Jamison got ate up by KG and TAJ GIBSON, r u serious. Not to mention the elbow injury he played through. The Only memory cleveland fans had before lebron was jordan beating them in the playoffs & before that Mark Price and Brad Daugherty. Now Lebron is expected to say forget about my well being and my health and desire to win as long as i stay in cleveland to make other people happy. Do you know how dumb that sounds????

Again, nobody in sports has ever had a one-hour special on his free agency.

Taking scripted questions from ESPN idiots isn't exactly putting your feet to the fire either, so don't act like he did some noble deed.

Not letting the team you've been with for 7 years know your intentions is rather tasteless. Even if James didn't have that bonanza, it's probably common courtesy to return your former owner's phone calls just to let him know you won't be returning.

Donating proceeds also has little to do with anything.

[BrianFifaFan]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

He has no responsibility to tell Gilbert anything. I guess he just doesn't like him but either way, you can't call him an immature brat but applaud Gilbert for talking **** about Lebron only after he left. He allowed him to do all of this without saying a word, went to his house to beg him to stay with the Cavs, and once he didn't get what he wanted he decided to whine and talk about the virtues of loyalty.

You must've seen a different interview than I did. LeBron made some pretty hurtful swipes in the one I saw. "A championship team isn't made up of 3,2 or even one player." "It's the front office, ticket sellers, guy who sweeps the floor, etc." That dogged the franchise and basically said they were bush-league. That got the letter (Gilbert's) to it's depths of name-calling. For you it's a cut and dried kinda thing, fine. But for the FANS of the Cavs, it was a huge slap in the face. Especially, when he was the whole show. Everything was done for him. The city and franchise were given to him in the greatest show of love that Cleveland has ever lavished on any player, even over Jim Brown. And he spit in their faces on national TV.

He really shouldn't have had it go into a Q&A thing. The way he really felt came out, the media glossing and handling aside. He said, in so many words, this team will never win and I don't have the time to waste.(especially in light of the leaked comments about ending up 31 with bad knees and no rings) I did my part for you, now it's about me. Funny thing is, he just showed that it was always about HIM. He was just willing to go along for the ride if he got what he wanted personally. I have no problem with his goals of winning, great players want that. But setting up your own AAU All-Star team with your FA buddies over the last couple of years in secret and then trying to play the innocent? He played Cleveland. In that, plan A was always the Dream Team. Plan B was to stay with the Cavs if it didn't pan out. In a way, it does kinda serve the Cavs right. They played Z hard last year, probably the most loyal Cav ever. LBJ played them even harder. Karma stinks...

P.S. BTW, since it seems you don't agree with a lot of us, here's a great write-up that continues the trend of this being viewed as a real classless move on LBJ's part: http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/l...0810?GT1=39002

How about you put up some supportive articles? This move is unprecidented in it's unpopularity.

[LingeringRegime]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

You must've seen a different interview than I did. LeBron made some pretty hurtful swipes in the one I saw. "A championship team isn't made up of 3,2 or even one player." "It's the front office, ticket sellers, guy who sweeps the floor, etc." That dogged the franchise and basically said they were bush-league. That got the letter (Gilbert's) to it's depths of name-calling. For you it's a cut and dried kinda thing, fine. But for the FANS of the Cavs, it was a huge slap in the face. Especially, when he was the whole show. Everything was done for him. The city and franchise were given to him in the greatest show of love that Cleveland has ever lavished on any player, even over Jim Brown. And he spit in their faces on national TV.

He really shouldn't have had it go into a Q&A thing. The way he really felt came out, the media glossing and handling aside. He said, in so many words, this team will never win and I don't have the time to waste.(especially in light of the leaked comments about ending up 31 with bad knees and no rings) I did my part for you, now it's about me. Funny thing is, he just showed that it was always about HIM. He was just willing to go along for the ride if he got what he wanted personally. I have no problem with his goals of winning, great players want that. But setting up your own AAU All-Star team with your FA buddies over the last couple of years in secret and then trying to play the innocent? He played Cleveland. In that, plan A was always the Dream Team. Plan B was to stay with the Cavs if it didn't pan out. In a way, it does kinda serve the Cavs right. They played Z hard last year, probably the most loyal Cav ever. LBJ played them even harder. Karma stinks...

Very well said. Lebron must have the most clueless handlers in the history of professional sports.

How could they think that holding a one hour infomercial about him slaying his "hometown" be a good idea?

If he handled it like every other FA before him the reaction would have been a lot less hostile imo.

[Pared]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Wade seriously made out like a bandit.

-Everyone thinks he's the reason those two signed in Miami

-There is no hate directed towards him

-It's still HIS team. HIS city

Seriously, he kept that pimp hand strong.

Hate to quote myself, but check this out:
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"I built something here."

It's all about him.

I still LOL thinking about the post yesterday that said it wasn't about egos.

[amedawg00]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Chris Rosenberg of CNNSI sums up my thoughts exactly:

Michael Jordan announced on national television he's leaving Chicago to join the Detroit Pistons. Jordan said it was tough to bolt Chicago, where he was the most popular athlete in many years, because he thinks he has a better chance to win a championship if he plays with Pistons star Isiah Thomas. Jordan said by playing together, he and Thomas "won't have the pressure of going out and scoring 30 every night."
That would have sounded absurd, right? Well, it is no more absurd than what LeBron James is doing.


Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz0tCLJmOoK

[Jeffx]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

If he handled it like every other FA before him the reaction would have been a lot less hostile imo.

I agree. I didn't have a problem with choosing to leave, but this whole dog & pony show was ridiculous.

[phenom1990]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

I liked what Eric Snow said on NBA TV last night before the decision was made. He felt that Lebron deserved some of the blame in Cleveland because since he was so non-committal, free agents were hesitant to sign there because they could be left out to dry if he left.

[jbrew2411]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Someone tell me what James owes to the Cavs? He made Dan Gilbert tons of money. He gave the city something to cheer for when no other team there was doing that. He gave them a chance to be great. What does Cleveland give him? A royal bashing for going on ESPN to tell the sports world he is leaving. He gave Cleveland more then they could give him. Like someone dug up Jordan did the same thing. Teams can call press in to make huge anouncements but James or any other player can't do the same. Its a bussiness and he made a bussiness chioce.

[LingeringRegime]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

This just in from the Dan Patrick show...

SAS was the lone clapper after the announcement was made at the Boys and Girl club.