The LeBron James Thread

[KG]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Well I'm glad to see that people are still ignorant.




Once again, for those of you in the back:

Show me one person who is mad because he left. Disappointed? Sure. Hurt? Maybe. But it is not because he left, we all knew that it was a possibility, especially after this last playoff "run".

People *at least in Cleveland* are angry that LeBron decided to do this on live TV. That LeBron had blatant disrespect towards the Cavaliers organization by not returning one phone call since the end of the season and by not letting them know before 9:20 pm the day of.

LeBron is free to go wherever he wants, just as I am, you are or really anyone is. But LeBron stepped over the line with this BS he pulled with the TV interview. You don't think it's disrespectful to Cleveland? Okay. I think it's incredibly disrespectful to go on national TV when he clearly knew he was not staying.

Why did he need to whore himself out to the entire nation? If he would have just released a piece of paper and went to Miami, no harm would have been done.

Instead, LeBron lit a match, dumped gas all over a dying man, pissed on him, then lit the fire. And to me, as a Cavalier fan, yes, I felt embarrassed. LeBron made Cleveland a BIGGER national joke than it already was.

Whenever Cleveland tries to make a comeback or win a title, we tend to flame out in incredible fashion. Add another notch on the belt.

You have been very level-headed about him leaving since Game 6 but you know folks can't go calling out any other posters anymore, lol. Not with the instabans these days.

[jbrew2411]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

We as fans are such hypocrites. Who here would not do the samething in their professional career?

I dont get it Jordan takes less money to win and he just want to win. LeBron takes less money to win and he's a coward. SMH.

I agree 100%. I have been there. I was coaching at a school that had not won a single game in its first five yeras. They gave me a chance to be a head coach when most would not let me coach the 9th grade team. I worked hard to change things. I spent hours with youth coaches and the middle school teams to build the program. I gave the money they paid me to coach back since I had a second income(own rental real estate). I became a hero in a small town but winning 10 games a year was not what drove me. I want to win state championship rings. So when a school that had a good program in place come calling I did what was best for me. I didn't want to leave the kids I had worked with for 5 years and move my family but in the end the change was what was best for me. I was told by my AD that I was "a worthless human", "would not pee on me if I was on fire" and so on. Then parients telling me "to watch my back" and "keep an eye on my family". They could not see that I had showed their kids they could win at life. I help jump start a program and it had more money in the pot then when I got there.
Unless someone can say they had to make a choice like he had to make then they can't be mad. The desire to win is a strong thing.

[BrianFifaFan]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Everyone wants to compare Lebron to Kobe/Jordan/Bird/Magic the difference here is they all played in big market basketball cities. LA/Chicago ... Small market team's in the last 20 years to win a title are few and far between. Lebron saw the writing on the wall

Gary Payton Sonics failed
Reggie Miller Pacers failed
Stockton Malone Utah Jazz failed
Barkley wherever failed
KG failed

Kobe and Jordan had organizations behind them that allowed for them to stay and wait, big money teams. Lebron is suppose to build a dynasty in Cleveland? the guy is great and all but Cleveland is the next location of an NBA dynasty I'm not buying it. He knew it and being a student of the game and "knowing his history" why would he stay when he knows what happened to every other superstar playing on a small market team in the last 20 years.

If you have a chance to be on a potentially great team that has money to spend how do you turn it down?

Also, please tell me how him joining Miami is riding coattails?, Pat Riley bought Wade a championship and after that the last few years they have been not a good team. The comparison of Jordan joining the Pistons or Lakers is reaching. The Pistons and Lakers at the time were championship winning teams the heat barely made the playoffs. It's not like Wade had some powerhouse down in Miami by himself. Just a bunch of people with sour grapes today pilling on cause it's the thing to do.

None of them failed. They just didn't reach the promised land. The funny thing about sports, only one team wins. I think that LeBron gets that part. But he compromised himself to chase the ring, took the shortcut. He might win the prize, but history will put the big * on it. Either way, he loses..... He should've stayed the course. If he didn't win, that would suck, sure. But he'd know that he ws always true to his stated values. Now it all seems like a show, a sham. The only identity he has to cling to now is that of a gun for hire. He'll never be the face of the Heat, he's finished in Cleveland. Michael will always be the Bulls, Magic and Kobe the Lakers, Bird the Celts. He blew it, plain and simple.

[Illustrator76]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

And its not that small market teams can't win titles ,but that team could'nt.

Kobe already was ready to leave and if Jordan just kept losing I'm sure he would have left sooner or later.

Chicago wasn't a big market until JORDAN got there, LeBron could have done the same for Cleveland. Even Shaq said that he loved living in Cleveland and would retain a home there if he ever left.

[23]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

I 'm talking about the mindset. IMO, LeBron took his ball and went home, or to his Wet-Dream Team, more to the point. You might have bought the media circus, and agree with the "me" mindset, it's the prevailing mindset of most people. I don't, team rules. But I really thought he was a throwback to the old days of the NBA, where team was "king," with the Superstars being the identity of the city they played for, not a glorified mercenary. All he proved is that he's a greater talker. He has the lingo down of a champ, but not the heart. I do agree with you about Kobe being the winner. I used to think that it was LBJ over Kobe in the character department. I was so wrong. Kobe's had some really public mistakes and came off as real aloof and arrogant for a long time. But the guy has heart and is a winner. LBJ, paper champ who is really starting to look like he views himself as the "King" with us all as "Witnesses" to his greatness. Problem, no rings. No legacy of his own now. He's starting to look like Mike Tyson after Buster Douglas. Lost heart, lost faith. Another paper champion exposed. D Wade's sidekick? Weak sauce.....

Sorry man, but when was Kobe a winner when Shaq left?
When he quit on the Lakers in game 7?
When he got spanked out of the 1st round by PHX?
WHen he went on every imaginable radio station crying
calling the owner a liar, bashing the GM, asking them to trade Bynum
asking them to trade him
Saying he'd rather play on Pluto?

See how winning changes perception even if it is far from the truth?
Im sorry but use somebody else to bash on LeBron with, but using Kobe as your example over and over makes your point look real bad.

If not for that trade that netted LA Gasol for freaking Kwame Brown the same thing would be happening in LA now.

[23]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

None of them failed. They just didn't reach the promised land. The funny thing about sports, only one team wins. I think that LeBron gets that part. But he compromised himself to chase the ring, took the shortcut. He might win the prize, but history will put the big * on it. Either way, he loses..... He should've stayed the course. If he didn't win, that would suck, sure. But he'd know that he ws always true to his stated values. Now it all seems like a show, a sham. The only identity he has to cling to now is that of a gun for hire. He'll never be the face of the Heat, he's finished in Cleveland. Michael will always be the Bulls, Magic and Kobe the Lakers, Bird the Celts. He blew it, plain and simple.

LOL funny man, real funny. What is this some kind of rally speech?

How hypocritical is it to tell a player not to take the opportunity to win if he can? That makes absolutely no sense at all

[OSUFan_88]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

LOL funny man, real funny. What is this some kind of rally speech?

How hypocritical is it to tell a player not to take the opportunity to win if he can? That makes absolutely no sense at all

Totally agree.

Cannot ask a guy to waste his career in an organization that has it backwards.

I believe, in the long run, this was probably better for all parties involved. Cavaliers learned a valuable *albeit extremely hard* lesson and LeBron went to a place he could win.

But they better win.

[wildcatchild]

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

DING! Winner!

Exactly. I've said this a million times.....it's like a little kid playing NBA 2K or NBA Elite and manipulating the rosters to make an All-Star team and then destroying the computer. How much fun is that?

Of course, I think Miami is going to have to EARN their rings. Next season is not going to be played on "beginner" level. Does this make Miami significantly better? Is it a slam dunk they are going to win multiple rings? I would say no. As the Olympics proved, a true "team" with lesser athletes can come dangerously close to knocking off a bunch of self-entitled superstars for the gold. Also, you better believe the Lakers, Magic, and Celtics are licking their chops at this new challenge, the same challenge LeBron ran from last night.

What a coward!

[KG]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Man, why is Kobe even brought up in this thread.

[Starlin4Prez]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

I haven't been following this thread since after the decision, but I imagine it hasn't been too pretty. But I wanted to throw my 2 cents in for discussions sake.

I get the feeling that the general consensus (Including my feeling) that this signing has angered alot of people. Not for the fact that he left the Cavs because that was inevitable, but the way he did it and where he ended up choosing and in the manner that he did it in. Putting on this soap opera only to stab a city in the back after they worshipped the ground he walked on.

To begin with this whole thing was a joke, a circus act, a side show to draw attention to the NBA. Did it work? Yes, of course it did because today we thrive on reality and drama and it played right into LeBron's hands perfectly. Sponsorships, his own hour special for "The Decision", having teams come to HIM to recruit. It was all a joke. All a lie. This was all planned, for a long time I would imagine. There was no dream that gave him the answer. That was about a big of a lie as this whole recruiting process.

And in hindsight, to me it represents LeBron and who he is as a person and his true colors shined brightly last night. To me it showed what LeBron's real qualities are and proved to me that the Game 2,4,5 LeBron of last year's playoffs was exactly who he was. A quitter. LeBron didn't just decide to quit in the playoffs last year. No. It goes further than that. Take it back to 07. After getting swept by the Spurs in the Finals. LeBron quit then, with seemingly the best roster they could have, and still couldn't win it.

We're not talking about a 32 year old fading star trying to win a ship on the tail end of his career. We are talking about a 25 year old superstar in his prime, already throwing in the preverbial white flag and quitting on a city and a franchise. To be honest, as a Bulls fan, I don't want that kind of player on my team. Period. A player that in the face of adversity and turmoil, runs with his tail between his legs. A coward. I came from an era (Like most of you) where players defined their greatness by leading their teams and rising up against the odds to win. People always give LeBron passes, oh his team wasn't that good, they didn't play playoff basketball. Why? What has he done to deserve that? Why has he been held to a higher standard? He hasn't proved anything and hasn't won anything to deserve that. Maybe it's a sign of the times that a player was crowned King before he even put on an NBA jersey and that we throw around that word like anyone can be one. A King is someone who is honorable, a leader, a decision maker. LeBron is none of those things.

Could you picture Jordan bolting from the Bulls, or Miller from the Pacers. Ewing from the Knicks? This is the same...

Well, that "King" is now just a Jester in the Court of Wade's city. And maybe that's the way it should be, and should of been all along. LeBron showed before this whole process began that he didn't have a leaders personality, so why are we so shocked by his decision to ride on the backs of others to get that coveted championship that he so desperately wants?

I feel bad for Cleveland fans, not only for the fact that they lost the face of their franchise, but that they put so much stock in such a fraud. LeBron never had hometown pride, and from the minute he arrived in Cleveland, he was bigger than the city, bigger than the team. If him hanging out with Jay-Z, or showing up at an Indians game with a Yankees hat on wasn't a big enough sign, then I don't know what else you needed. In fact, LeBron couldn't of waited any longer to get out of there. If it wasn't about the money, then why not take less in Cleveland for them to make other moves? If he wins just one title in Cleveland, he is a god amongst men, a hero to a city that has been in dispair for decades. A savior and the real chosen one. Even if he doesn't win, he still goes down as one of the greatest of all time, and honorable for trying to bring a ship to his hometown and his legacy is in tact. Now if he wins one, he is just another name in the stat book, underneath Dwayne Wade's imprint. It's not "Wade" county for nothing.

Personally, I hope this fails miserably. Not because I am a *****, but for the sake of basketball. Too show that superstars are supposed to make history on their own. I guess that's me holding out hope that basketball will return to the glory days, and we will see another Jordan, but maybe it is a sign of the times. That there is no longer pride it doing it on your own, and that championships are something that you shouldn't have to work for to get.

Either way, I have never seen a player become so unanimously hated so quickly. Congrats LeBron, you truly are a "king" of your craft.



Here's to LeBron being the next Karl Malone...maybe Bron should of been nicknamed "The Mailman" for mailing it in on a city and franchise that so desperately needed something/someone to root for.

...This is my last rant on LeBron, he has already wasted too much of my time.

[da ThRONe]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Chicago wasn't a big market until JORDAN got there, LeBron could have done the same for Cleveland. Even Shaq said that he loved living in Cleveland and would retain a home there if he ever left.

First of all Chicago has alwaaaaays been a big market city. They just didnt have a history of winning before Jordan. Chicago is the 4th(if I'm not mistaked)city in the U.S. how is that not a huge market?

Nobody wants to play in Cleveland. Bosh left about 30 to 40 million dollars when he declined the S&T to play with the Cavs. And this was after all the reports that he was out for the biggest payday available.

[23]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Totally agree.

Cannot ask a guy to waste his career in an organization that has it backwards.

I believe, in the long run, this was probably better for all parties involved. Cavaliers learned a valuable *albeit extremely hard* lesson and LeBron went to a place he could win.

But they better win.

I dont know if CLE has it backwards or not (not sure what that means man) but those posts are totally off, then using Kobe as the example of professionalism is the worst thing in the world. Amazing how quickly people forget.

The lesson here is not to ever put all of your eggs in one basket....but then again the false impression that Gilbert giving off that he was okey doked and taken by surprise is what is making it shady on both sides to me.

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Damn Starling went in

Only thing I'll disagree with you with is that LBJ never had a solid support cast.

They had as much success as they did solely because of how good LBJ is.

Other than that, I see your points.

[da ThRONe]

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

Exactly. I've said this a million times.....it's like a little kid playing NBA 2K or NBA Elite and manipulating the rosters to make an All-Star team and then destroying the computer. How much fun is that?

Of course, I think Miami is going to have to EARN their rings. Next season is not going to be played on "beginner" level. Does this make Miami significantly better? Is it a slam dunk they are going to win multiple rings? I would say no. As the Olympics proved, a true "team" with lesser athletes can come dangerously close to knocking off a bunch of self-entitled superstars for the gold. Also, you better believe the Lakers, Magic, and Celtics are licking their chops at this new challenge, the same challenge LeBron ran from last night.

What a coward!

Thats funny because the Yankees do this every year in baseball. This is great for basketball. People are bandwagoners they love winnners or love to hate them. The one thing I learned from watching WWE is Love or Hate is equal the only bad thing for entertainment is being irrelevant.

[OSUFan_88]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

I dont know if CLE has it backwards or not (not sure what that means man) but those posts are totally off, then using Kobe as the example of professionalism is the worst thing in the world. Amazing how quickly people forget.

Gilbert bent over backwards for LeBron, Windy laid that out this morning. Gilbert spoiled him way too much and it came back to bite him in the ***.

And using Kobe as the example of professionalism is hilarious. Neither are professional, they just do it in extreme ways.

The lesson here is not to ever put all of your eggs in one basket....

Bolding for truth.

but then again the false impression that Gilbert giving off that he was okey doked and taken by surprise is what is making it shady on both sides to me.

I don't think he was taken by surprise, I think he just let his anger that was building since game 5/6 out in one night.