The LeBron James Thread

[Epiffani]

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

I know people will always use Jordan as the bar for all things basketball, but if it took last night for people to realize that LeBron is cut from a completely different clothe from MJ, then I'm not sure what people have been watching the past 7 years. From the river dancing on the sidelines (while blowing out the other team), to using an analogy of getting beat up by someone after losing in the playoffs to justify not congratulating the opposing team (even though he congratulated the Spurs after being swept in the finals before losing to the Magic years before). I mean I could go on, but the Jordan comparisons should have ceased a long time ago...

[Pared]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Woj ripped him here: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slu...decision070910

Man this guy can rant

Great article!

I noticed this as well:

“I’m taking my talents to South Beach,” James said, and it was like time stopped because – even for him – this was a moment so devoid of reality and free of concern of consequences. South Beach? He wasn’t picking a basketball team as much as a party. He’s 25 years old, and yet somehow this felt like a cloistered teenager picking a party school for college.

He didn't even mention the Heat first. More concerned with Miami.

[jeremym480]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Cleveland fans are the most fair weather fans I have ever seen. If you burned a jersey last night then you were never a lebron fan to begin with so who cares what they think. More to the point this whole we gave lebron the team is crap. You could have gotten amare but instead you get jamison. Why would he stay when you get rid of one of the top 5 GM's in the league who didn't even want mo williams. And honestly you can tell me the team around him could have one a championship. The only reason they were relevant was because of shaq who wasnt going to resign so lebron is supposed to go to this team right

Delonte West Daniel Gibson
Mo Williams anthony parker
JJ Hickson Anderson Varejao
antuan jamison Big Z

Now you are telling me this roster of journeyman who have never won anything is what lebron should have stayed with. I remember when Barry Sanders wanted to leave the lions and he had as good of a supporting cast as lebron in basketball and the fans of Detroit Appreciated what barry did for us and wanted him to be able to leave and were upset with how the team handled it. That is because we were true fans of barry and came to the conclusion we couldnt selfishly keep him here

Yeah that's all well and good. But, how would you have felt if Barry left and went to the Cowboys to play Robin to Emmit's Smith's Batman?

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Woj ripped him here: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slu...decision070910

Man this guy can rant

I agree with what he said, especially since he's talking from both sides perspective(those blaming the Cavs and those blaming Lebron).

[jbrew2411]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

And James had just as much as a role in that as anyone else in that FO.

I'm not saying he is not a fault but he did stay for 7 years. I thought the night they drafted him he would be gone after his rookie contract runs out. A big name free agent could have signed a shorter deal in those 7 years to play with him. Players knew they could not win there like James found out. We will see how much Dan Gilbert wants to win now. I'm a Falcons fan, we had the Smith family that owned the team for ever. They didn't spend money and the team showed. Then Blank comes in and changes that. We now sign free agents even the casual fan may know of. The ownership of teams in Cleveland are to blame. They don't spend money and have nothing to offer free agents. You can't make me beleive that no free agent wanted to play with LeBron. I think they did just not in Cleveland.

[BrianFifaFan]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

I think the people saying "this move is fine" are younger fans...maybe teenagers who really don't know what has made the NBA.

Older fans (and Cavs fans) are the ones who are angry.

Michael Jordan was the Bulls. You forgot pippen, rodman, PHIL JACKSON, oh yea and the fact jordan was thinking about leaving chicago at the same age but they got phil and scottie

Stockton and Malone were the Jazz. and never won a ring and have that stigma attached to their legacy, both of whom stated regret

Gary Payton was The Sonics. had SHAWN KEMP and also wish he left earlier and was way more egotistical than lebron ever was

Dream was the Rockets. and had horry, kenny smith, clyde the glyde and i forgot who cause im kinda young and the won rings cause jordan was gone

Ewing was the Knicks, o and he had anthony mason, latrell, john starks, allan houston, and said he would have maybe left if he knew he wasnt getting a ring

KG was the T-Wolves. Really i cant even believe you are using a player who flat out said he wish he didnt stay there that long and he shouldnt have made that decision out of emotion

Reggie was the Pacers. Cant really argue this but he had a great team to and thanks to tayshaun never won

how is this a great post i mean really a player is supposed to have loyalty to a team and owners that don't have loyalty to players and this whole concept of the cavs showing love for big z is even funnier because they cavs kept him so long because they were irrelevant and no body wanted him and as soon as somebody did they traded him. Yea thats so much loyalty from cleveland

The older mindset is that rings aren't everything. All thoise things you mentioned, including the Bulls stuff are about the old way. Jerry got Pippen through drafting. All these teams back in the day were built, not manufactured. It took Jordan 7 years, and there was some of the best Basketball the NBA has ever seen. Every year it was a battle. Even when Jordan was losing to the Pistons, you knew it was gonna be his time, at some point sooner than later. The younger generation doesn't get that. It's not sweet to just get the ring, it's how you get that ring that builds the legacy..... I would have to say that Kobe understands it. Of course he had a dad that made him see the bigger picture and Kobe really understands the larger world. He speaks Italian fluently. He likes soccer! LeBron has Gloria and the posse'....... Read what you will into it, but LBJ has showed himself to far less worldly, wise or classy. Pepsi met Coke, and LBJ came out with new Coke. He blinked. We saw Kobe named player of the Generation last night.... Wait and see.......

P.S. I'll be 44 this month, so I fit your profile.

[KG]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Great article!

I noticed this as well:



He didn't even mention the Heat first. More concerned with Miami.

Everyone knew that he was referring to the Heat. That's just the author trying to throw gasoline on the fire.

[jmood88]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

And that's where we'll have to agree to disagree. It was never what sports were meant to be, that's what sports have become. Even in the college ranks. LBJ sold himself as something different and when the chips were down, he balked. He hid behind the supposedly selfless things he was doing by taking less money and trying to build something special. He just became a mercenary, like many pros really are. He became an Albert Haynesworth in my book. I do find it ironic that the Celtics "Big 3" strategy didn't work this year. Instead, the Lakers prevailed. The Lakers, who were built through trades and the draft, not guys colluding to make a Dream Team. Even with the Celts, it was a totally different situation. Like others have said exhaustively, they were all older. This is nothing more than a giant ego stroke, by all three kids who didn't have the heart to do things the old fashioned way. I do hope they fail. Not in that I'm trying to be a *****, but in that I like to see a league based on superior teams that grow up together through adversity. Not teams that are "ringers", like I used to see them all pile out of the car at the rec center so they could run the floor all day and never lose. I guess I'm just a fan of fair play. Go Kobe! Go old school!

Albert Haynesworth signed a contract and then tried to force a trade because he didn't get what he wanted. Lebron honored his contract and left. The two situations are completely different.

The biggest winner in all this is Kobe since now Lebron is public enemy #1

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

I'm not saying he is not a fault but he did stay for 7 years. I thought the night they drafted him he would be gone after his rookie contract runs out. A big name free agent could have signed a shorter deal in those 7 years to play with him. Players knew they could not win there like James found out. We will see how much Dan Gilbert wants to win now. The ownership of teams in Cleveland are to blame. They don't spend money and have nothing to offer free agents. You can't make me beleive that no free agent wanted to play with LeBron. I think they did just not in Cleveland.

Why would any FA set themselves up to sign to play with Lebron when Lebron himself wasn't even sure if he'd be on the team? Makes no sense, especially when there are possibly better options out there. Obviously playing along side Lebron was the only thing they could tell any other FAs but again why would anyone commit there if he wasn't committed? It's a two way street and James had just as much a hand in that as Gilbert, Ferry and Brown had.

[Kashanova]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Also this kobe crap is abusrd, He's not a true competitor like kobe.... Well if i remember correctly he asked to be traded... because the team wasn't up to par with his standards

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2004-07-01-dupree-free-analysis_x.htm

I'm pretty sure if a team had the cap space to do it Kobe would of done the same thing... if he knew he weren't going to win with out help

[jmood88]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

The older mindset is that rings aren't everything. All thoise things you mentioned, including the Bulls stuff are about the old way. Jerry got Pippen through drafting. All these teams back in the day were built, not manufactured. It took Jordan 7 years, and there was some of the best Basketball the NBA has ever seen. Every year it was a battle. Even when Jordan was losing to the Pistons, you knew it was gonna be his time, at some point sooner than later. The younger generation doesn't get that. It's not sweet to just get the ring, it's how you get that ring that builds the legacy..... I would have to say that Kobe understands it. Of course he had a dad that made him see the bigger picture and Kobe really understands the larger world. He speaks Italian fluently. He likes soccer! LeBron has Gloria and the posse'....... Read what you will into it, but LBJ has showed himself to far less worldly, wise or classy. Pepsi met Coke, and LBJ came out with new Coke. He blinked. We saw Kobe named player of the Generation last night.... Wait and see.......

Kobe got Shaq and Phil Jackson in his 4th year, Lebron in his 7th year with the Cavs had Mike Brown and a Shaq who played on a pitcher's schedule with the Suns and didn't even play for most of the year with the Cavs. Please stop trying to make Kobe some kind of standard bearer for the mythical old school NBA. Michael Jordan got an improved Pippen and Phil Jackson before he was able to win championships with the Bulls. Lebron would've had to play for Byron Scott.

[phenom1990]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Also this kobe crap is abusrd, He's not a true competitor like kobe.... Well if i remember correctly he asked to be traded... because the team wasn't up to par with his standards

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2004-07-01-dupree-free-analysis_x.htm

I'm pretty sure if a team had the cap space to do it Kobe would of done the same thing... if he knew he weren't going to win with out help

As much as I haven't liked Kobe in the past. My feeling is that the major difference was Kobe competitively would have wanted to compete against anyone that was in the same conversation with him ( Lebron, Wade and maybe like 2 or 3 other guys) instead of playing with them because he would want to play against the very best and probably also for his legacy.

[jbrew2411]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

And that's where we'll have to agree to disagree. It was never what sports were meant to be, that's what sports have become. Even in the college ranks. LBJ sold himself as something different and when the chips were down, he balked. He hid behind the supposedly selfless things he was doing by taking less money and trying to build something special. He just became a mercenary, like many pros really are. He became an Albert Haynesworth in my book. I do find it ironic that the Celtics "Big 3" strategy didn't work this year. Instead, the Lakers prevailed. The Lakers, who were built through trades and the draft, not guys colluding to make a Dream Team. Even with the Celts, it was a totally different situation. Like others have said exhaustively, they were all older. This is nothing more than a giant ego stroke, by all three kids who didn't have the heart to do things the old fashioned way. I do hope they fail. Not in that I'm trying to be a *****, but in that I like to see a league based on superior teams that grow up together through adversity. Not teams that are "ringers", like I used to see them all pile out of the car at the rec center so they could run the floor all day and never lose. I guess I'm just a fan of fair play. Go Kobe! Go old school!

Sports are for fun when we are kids but when money moves in it becomes a business. Like I have said before I'm a high school coach and I keep my job year to year by winning not because I teach the kids life lessions. If I win and make the school some money then I get to do what I love if not I'm gone. In the end the Cavs have made business decisions since James showed up so now he makes one and gets bashed for it.
I like you miss the days of guys playing with one team but that is a thing of the past. If James had come out and said all he cared for was making the most money then I would hate him. But he has said for years all he wants is rings and like a lot of good players have found out you may have to make a choice that does not set well with others. I like players that stand up and say all I care about is winning. You can't fault that.
I do love what the Lakers have done and think Kobe is far better then LeBron. But don't forget Kobe forced the Lakers to make some moves a few years back. He was taking 60 shoots a game because they had no one. He told them he was going to leave and they did the right thing and went out and built a team. If its done by trades are by signing players the result is the same. They built a team that could win.

[da ThRONe]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

The older mindset is that rings aren't everything. All thoise things you mentioned, including the Bulls stuff are about the old way. Jerry got Pippen through drafting. All these teams back in the day were built, not manufactured. It took Jordan 7 years, and there was some of the best Basketball the NBA has ever seen. Every year it was a battle. Even when Jordan was losing to the Pistons, you knew it was gonna be his time, at some point sooner than later. The younger generation doesn't get that. It's not sweet to just get the ring, it's how you get that ring that builds the legacy..... I would have to say that Kobe understands it. Of course he had a dad that made him see the bigger picture and Kobe really understands the larger world. He speaks Italian fluently. He likes soccer! LeBron has Gloria and the posse'....... Read what you will into it, but LBJ has showed himself to far less worldly, wise or classy. Pepsi met Coke, and LBJ came out with new Coke. He blinked. We saw Kobe named player of the Generation last night.... Wait and see.......

P.S. I'll be 44 this month, so I fit your profile.

You mean the same Kobe Bryant that was crying for a trade until they pulled off the biggest steal in basketball?

[Rocky]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

The older mindset is that rings aren't everything. All thoise things you mentioned, including the Bulls stuff are about the old way. Jerry got Pippen through drafting. All these teams back in the day were built, not manufactured. It took Jordan 7 years, and there was some of the best Basketball the NBA has ever seen. Every year it was a battle. Even when Jordan was losing to the Pistons, you knew it was gonna be his time, at some point sooner than later. The younger generation doesn't get that. It's not sweet to just get the ring, it's how you get that ring that builds the legacy..... I would have to say that Kobe understands it. Of course he had a dad that made him see the bigger picture and Kobe really understands the larger world. He speaks Italian fluently. He likes soccer! LeBron has Gloria and the posse'....... Read what you will into it, but LBJ has showed himself to far less worldly, wise or classy. Pepsi met Coke, and LBJ came out with new Coke. He blinked. We saw Kobe named player of the Generation last night.... Wait and see.......

P.S. I'll be 44 this month, so I fit your profile.

Not to get this thread too off track, but I find it mind-boggling that people now speak of Kobe Bryant as a symbol of everything that's right with the NBA.

Seriously?

Back to the topic, the Cavs messed up when they gave in to Lebron's every whim. They also apparently played the loyalty card as number one. If I was a high ranking member in the Cavs organization, I would have:

1-First let him know straight up that his career will always have a blackmark if he leaves us now, at 25, without a ring. Russell did it. Kareem did it. MJ, Bird, Magic all did it. Duncan and Kobe did it. Do you deserve to be in that class, if you bail now? It might crush his ego a bit, but you gotta let him know that.

2-Give him a two to three year plan on how you plan to turn the organization around. This means doing everything in your power to get rid of bad contracts, draft/acquire good cheap players that fit our system.