The LeBron James Thread

[Murkurial]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

It seems appropriate after everything that's happened.

"It's not about sharin', it's about everyone gettin' they own spotlight..."

[jeebs9]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

This thread is still going....Wow!

[wwharton]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

This thread is still going....Wow!

Actually your post was the first in 3 days.

[jeebs9]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

LoL!...Thanks for pointing that out to me. Didn't even notice. lol

[ehh]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

I kinda assumed that this will be the LeBron thread until he retires, no?

[BaselineBakes]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

I like the new name of the thread, very fitting

[LingeringRegime]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

I just saw this, even though the statement was made right after, "The Decision." Very succinct.

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[Jonesy]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

You know looking back when you think about it if it wasn't for the espn show this whole drama would not have eventuated to the extent it has. LeBron went to 6 interviews in 3 days and announced his decision on the very first day he was able to. He didn't drag it out, didn't go on some massive tour of all the possible cities etc.

Cavs fans were always going to be hurt but i think if it wasn't for the espn special and how it was all handled there would not have been anyway near the universal uproar and hatred towards LeBron. If i was LeBron i would be pissed at whoever organized it and pissed at ESPN (unless of course it was his idea which i guess it could have been ).

[jeebs9]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

I kinda assumed that this will be the LeBron thread until he retires, no?

I guess so...lol

[King_B_Mack]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

You know looking back when you think about it if it wasn't for the espn show this whole drama would not have eventuated to the extent it has. LeBron went to 6 interviews in 3 days and announced his decision on the very first day he was able to. He didn't drag it out, didn't go on some massive tour of all the possible cities etc.

Cavs fans were always going to be hurt but i think if it wasn't for the espn special and how it was all handled there would not have been anyway near the universal uproar and hatred towards LeBron. If i was LeBron i would be pissed at whoever organized it and pissed at ESPN (unless of course it was his idea which i guess it could have been ).

Correction, LeBron did not announce his decision the first day he was able to. LeBron could have announced July 1st where he was going, after he held his meetings with the teams he could have announced his decision Sunday, Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Hell he didn't even have to announce his decision, he could have just agreed to terms with a team and it would have been reported at some point like every other player that did it. He announced his decision the first day players could officially sign contracts with teams.

He can't be pissed at anybody about the decision cause that was he and his moronic team's plan to do that crap. I know after the decision came and went there were some reports trying to do damage control saying that it was Jim Gray's idea and LeBron didn't want to do it, but LeBron clearly said after they got eliminated by the Celtics with regards to his free agency. "My team has a plan and we're going to execute it." That mess is all his and Maverick's.

[utexas]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

I just saw this, even though the statement was made right after, "The Decision." Very succinct.

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I completely disagree with nearly every one his points. You play to win rings period. If he played for anything else, trust me me Gumbel would find a way to steal ratings by dogging him for saying that. Modern day free agency is different than what most of his examples even had the chance to do.

[wwharton]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

You know looking back when you think about it if it wasn't for the espn show this whole drama would not have eventuated to the extent it has. LeBron went to 6 interviews in 3 days and announced his decision on the very first day he was able to. He didn't drag it out, didn't go on some massive tour of all the possible cities etc.

Cavs fans were always going to be hurt but i think if it wasn't for the espn special and how it was all handled there would not have been anyway near the universal uproar and hatred towards LeBron. If i was LeBron i would be pissed at whoever organized it and pissed at ESPN (unless of course it was his idea which i guess it could have been ).

LBJ and his people planned "The Decision". He/they hand picked ESPN and Jim Gray. ESPN was pissed bc Gray isn't an employee but didn't want to pass up the opportunity to have the exclusive on their network. Basically he orchestrated it and even screwed over ESPN in the process.

[Brankles]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

I completely disagree with nearly every one his points. You play to win rings period. If he played for anything else, trust me me Gumbel would find a way to steal ratings by dogging him for saying that. Modern day free agency is different than what most of his examples even had the chance to do.

I'm with Gumbel in the fact that our society puts too much stock into championships, at least when using it as a barometer of individual success. People will pick an average player on a championship team ahead of a better player on a playoff team. Is it just because that average player is in a better situation or is there something else that makes him more valuable than the better player on a lesser team? Or is it just what we're told, that a guy with a ring is usually better than a guy without one?

To me, LeBron is the best player in basketball and has been for 2-3 years now. His last few seasons were better than any season any player has had in the last decade, sans maybe Shaq in the early 2000s. Because our society places all of this importance on team success, which somehow gets translated into how good an individual player is, LeBron was cornered into making a decision like this.

Gumbel kind of contradicts himself when he comments about both rings and legacy meaning so much, when really they're one and the same to so many people out there. Purists know that the game is a team sport, and there are some weaknesses on some teams that can not be overcome by even the best individual players in the game. Had LeBron stayed in Cleveland, continued getting handed mediocre players, and never won a championship, I would still remember him as one of the best to ever play. If Jordan never had Pippen, or if Magic and Bird never had their ridiculous supporting casts and never won a championship, I would still remember them all as three of the top five players ever.

There are people out there that look at championships as the defining characteristic of an individual in a team sport... and that's as backwards as it gets. No coach in the 90s would turn down Barkley, Malone, Ewing or Stockton even with 0 rings between them.

I respect Gumbel's opinion, but LeBron's decision to form a superteam was just as much his fault as it is our society's. I hate to use that argument, but it really is reflective of what our sports culture has become on a general level. If you win rings, people will love and respect you, despite how difficult (Wade's Heat/Detroit Pistons/San Antonio) or simple (Shaq/Kobe, the Boston Three, Kobe/Pau Lakers) the task was.

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

I'm with Gumbel in the fact that our society puts too much stock into championships, at least when using it as a barometer of individual success. People will pick an average player on a championship team ahead of a better player on a playoff team. Is it just because that average player is in a better situation or is there something else that makes him more valuable than the better player on a lesser team? Or is it just what we're told, that a guy with a ring is usually better than a guy without one?

To me, LeBron is the best player in basketball and has been for 2-3 years now. His last few seasons were better than any season any player has had in the last decade, sans maybe Shaq in the early 2000s. Because our society places all of this importance on team success, which somehow gets translated into how good an individual player is, LeBron was cornered into making a decision like this.

Gumbel kind of contradicts himself when he comments about both rings and legacy meaning so much, when really they're one and the same to so many people out there. Purists know that the game is a team sport, and there are some weaknesses on some teams that can not be overcome by even the best individual players in the game. Had LeBron stayed in Cleveland, continued getting handed mediocre players, and never won a championship, I would still remember him as one of the best to ever play. If Jordan never had Pippen, or if Magic and Bird never had their ridiculous supporting casts and never won a championship, I would still remember them all as three of the top five players ever.

There are people out there that look at championships as the defining characteristic of an individual in a team sport... and that's as backwards as it gets. No coach in the 90s would turn down Barkley, Malone, Ewing or Stockton even with 0 rings between them.

I respect Gumbel's opinion, but LeBron's decision to form a superteam was just as much his fault as it is our society's. I hate to use that argument, but it really is reflective of what our sports culture has become on a general level. If you win rings, people will love and respect you, despite how difficult (Wade's Heat/Detroit Pistons/San Antonio) or simple (Shaq/Kobe, the Boston Three, Kobe/Pau Lakers) the task was.

One of the best posts I've seen in a long long time.

The only thing I think you worded a bit broadly was your very last sentences. You cannot characterize any title run as "simple" no matter who was on the team.

But yes, I have been saying for the last two or three years, swap Kobe and LeBron and I would love to see what the result would be. IMO Cleveland would not have went past the second round while LA would have at least 2 titles.

[King_B_Mack]

Re: The LeBron James Saga

But yes, I have been saying for the last two or three years, swap Kobe and LeBron and I would love to see what the result would be. IMO Cleveland would not have went past the second round while LA would have at least 2 titles.

That's the thing though Ex you can't just swap Bron and Kobe on the two teams and yell 'see! Kobe couldn't even do anything with this roster.' Of course they probably wouldn't make it out of the second round because the compliment of players do not fit Kobe's style at all. The players on the Cavs were players brought in because they fit Brown's system (piss poor as it is) and LeBron's play style, the team would have to be completely rebuilt around Kobe to make it even close to being the same thing.