The LeBron James Thread

[Altimus]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

Remember when players in the NBA were so competitive that they wouldn't even hug off the court?

Now they are sitting down in a meeting to talk about where they should go and marketing deals? SMFH at players today...

I miss those days. NBA hasn't helped either. As JVG said.

NBA, where soft happens.

[Cebby]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

Remember when players in the NBA were so competitive that they wouldn't even hug off the court?

Now they are sitting down in a meeting to talk about where they should go and marketing deals? SMFH at players today...

1. That was before the internet. It was a lot easier to create an image back then. I highly doubt the players hated each other as much as they claim. I'm sure so did, but some don't like each other now. They clearly didn't hate each other enough to play at the Olympics together (aside from Isiah).

2. It's not 30 seconds after game 7. I don't think any of these guys even played each other in the playoffs this year.

[Altimus]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

Another owner gets fined for tampering, this time the Hawks owner.

"If somebody came to us tomorrow and said you can have LeBron for max money and it puts you in the luxury tax, I'd do it in a heartbeat," Gearon told the newspaper on May 19. "But am I going to do that for [Zydrunas] Ilgauskas? Am I going to do it for Jermaine O'Neal? I don't think so . . . "

[Kully]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

I wouldn't mind a bunch of super tandems in the NBA next year. Say like Wade/Amare in Miami, LBJ/Bosh in NY, and Johnson/Boozer in NJ (they had to go somewhere).

[utexas]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

Remember when players in the NBA were so competitive that they wouldn't even hug off the court?

Now they are sitting down in a meeting to talk about where they should go and marketing deals? SMFH at players today...

Don't believe the good ol' day rhetoric, players have always had friends in the league, much like boxers are friends and party together after the fights, its a business

[King_B_Mack]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

Pretty much, like Michael and Chuck being friends. There weren't that many people that hated each other really outside of Scottie and Dennis Rodman and Isaiah and Magic after that whole HIV thing.

[st0rmb11]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

Don't believe the good ol' day rhetoric, players have always had friends in the league, much like boxers are friends and party together after the fights, its a business

but they didn't openly show it on the court. I can still see pictures in my mind of Jordan standing over Ewing and pumping his fists. I can still see Shaq taking a swing at Barkley. I can still see Bird and Magic in the middle of a scuffle between the Lakers and Celtics in the finals.

[utexas]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

Guys still fight in preseason games lol. Thats just competition.

[wwharton]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nb...ory?id=5224873



So looks like D-Wade is firing the opening shot for Miami. I think he's way off base on this one though. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen aren't involved with the Bulls by their own choice. The Bulls have done a pretty solid job of looking after their own, like continuing to pay Jay Williams after ruining his career with the motorcycle or Johnny "Redd" Kerr having a job as announcer for as long as he did, Norm Van Lier, Pax being GM, Pete Myers, Cartwright, the list goes on. Jordan wanted to be an owner of the team. Pippen was brought back years after his prime to be apart of the team and was able to retire as a Bull.

I think this is a combination of Wade trying to recruit LeBron to Miami (which is ironic that he's going the loyalty route while trying to convince someone to be disloyal to their current team) and being upset that the buzz and focus in Chicago has jumped away from wooing him from Miami and to the LeBron hope train. Maybe I'm reading too much into his comments, but that's the way it seems to me.

I think he used some horrible examples but probably bc he didn't want to really get into (which is why he should've just kept his mouth shut all together). The Bulls of the "glory days" had serious problems with ownership and management. Jordan, Pippen and Phil all had their own issues... and it did seem like they each had a legit reason. The same people are in charge today. My guess is that's what he was really pointing at.

Remember when players in the NBA were so competitive that they wouldn't even hug off the court?

Now they are sitting down in a meeting to talk about where they should go and marketing deals? SMFH at players today...

Yeah I'm not really feeling the open attempts at collusion. It's not even about them being friends but trying to join up for a championship. Players have always been friends but they were more concerned about talking trash after beating their friend or (in the case of Jordan and all those guys) how many more rings they have. Aging superstars hoping on a contending team has been the closest... one last desperate attempt at a ring. But in their prime, all of those guys wanted to win it on their own.

[utexas]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

I think he used some horrible examples but probably bc he didn't want to really get into (which is why he should've just kept his mouth shut all together). The Bulls of the "glory days" had serious problems with ownership and management. Jordan, Pippen and Phil all had their own issues... and it did seem like they each had a legit reason. The same people are in charge today. My guess is that's what he was really pointing at.



Yeah I'm not really feeling the open attempts at collusion. It's not even about them being friends but trying to join up for a championship. Players have always been friends but they were more concerned about talking trash after beating their friend or (in the case of Jordan and all those guys) how many more rings they have. Aging superstars hoping on a contending team has been the closest... one last desperate attempt at a ring. But in their prime, all of those guys wanted to win it on their own.

I disagree, guys have always wanted to win rings with or without their friends, but if magic had a legit shot to play with Jordan he wouldn't have turned that down. Also look at the talent that was on the Celtics and Lakers in the 80's they were each stocked with HOF'ers.
The need to have a conversation wasn't necessary due in large part of not having any sort of salary cap or salary restriction.

[Cebby]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

Aging superstars hoping on a contending team has been the closest... one last desperate attempt at a ring. But in their prime, all of those guys wanted to win it on their own.

With how much earlier kids are starting in the NBA, this is their last shot to win in their primes.

Realistically you can add about two years to everyone's age given that they're jumping at 18-20 instead of 21-23.

For next season that puts Joe Johnson at 31, Lebron at 28, Bosh at 28, and Wade at 30. By the time this contract is over, they'll be on their last legs given how many games they'll have played.

Aside from Lebron on the Cavs, none of the Heat, Raptors, or Hawks are competing for a championship so I don't think it's a big deal if they want to hook up and win a chip.

Again, if they actually hated each other outside of the 2 hours 5-10 times a season the Dream Team would have been a disaster instead of the best team ever.

[King_B_Mack]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

I think he used some horrible examples but probably bc he didn't want to really get into (which is why he should've just kept his mouth shut all together). The Bulls of the "glory days" had serious problems with ownership and management. Jordan, Pippen and Phil all had their own issues... and it did seem like they each had a legit reason. The same people are in charge today. My guess is that's what he was really pointing at.

No the same people aren't in charge of the Bulls outside of Reinsdorf owning the team. They didn't have a problem with ownership, they had a problem with Jerry Krause. That was the problem with that team, Michael, Scottie and Phil all hated Krause and the talk has always been that Krause was actually jealous of those guys because he was overshadowed by their success. He put the team together and he's appreciated for that, but he didn't feel he got enough credit for it. He didn't like Phil and he made his time there hell. What ended that Bulls dynasty was Reinsdorf's LOYALTY. It was either Krause or Phil, Michael told him that, they chose Krause and the rest is history. I belive if he could do it all over, Reinsdorf would choose differently but he definitely wasn't the problem for Jordan and those guys. In fact he and Phil are still friends to this day. Hell, he paid Michael 60 something million dollars in his last two seasons with the team and hooked Scottie up with a sign-and-trade to Houston. Ownership wasn't they're problem, just Krause, why do you think Jordan went out of the way to rip him in his HOF induction.

[utexas]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

I don't think Wade is speaking for an uninformed point of view. I think that the players he named told him some things in private. You haven't seen anybody come out in defense of the organization. If that was a statement made about the Cowboys and Jerry Jones, there would be a parade of former players lining up defending him. Maybe there is a bit of truth to what Wade's concerns are.

[King_B_Mack]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

I don't think Wade is speaking for an uninformed point of view. I think that the players he named told him some things in private. You haven't seen anybody come out in defense of the organization. If that was a statement made about the Cowboys and Jerry Jones, there would be a parade of former players lining up defending him. Maybe there is a bit of truth to what Wade's concerns are.

There have been a ton of players come out speaking up for the Bulls, ESPN isn't covering it though lol. Jay Williams, Bill Wennington, Stacy King are just a few that I've heard from since this came out yesterday.

[King_B_Mack]

Re: The Official "Where is LeBron going?" Thread

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-bulls-confidential/2010/05/former-bulls-leap-to-the-defense-of-franchise.html

Here's some defenders for the franchise.

http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/pippen_091106.html

Scottie also writes for Bulls.com so it's not like he's just had nothing to do with the Bulls since 98. Keep in mind he also came back to play his final year with the Bulls and represented the team in All-Star festivties in 07. Like I said, Wade can't be this stupid, I think he was just trying to throw some dirt on the Bulls as they've been the sexy choice for a landing spot for at least one of the biggest prizes of the summer.