Charles barkley bark his opinion about lequit decision

The interesting thing is that Chicago could have provided legacy AND winning. Honestly, that Chicago team with LBJ > Miami with LBJ.

 

we all saw what kobe + shaq + malone + payton didn't do (despite malone and payton past their primes)--although they went to the finals. talent doesn't mean anything.

what will elevate lebron (moreso than just winning rings) is separate himself even more from the rest of the players despite playing with 2 top players.

nobody has done this. lebron may be the first one.

what will we all say when lebron wins 3-4 more straight MVPs playing with wade and bosh while winning multiple rings?

in my mind, that should elevate him even more in people's eyes.

 

LOL, Russel did it for 11 seasons, he's a great player. But nowhere close to GOAT status.

For now, LeBron is copying Big O's career. Stat padder early, MVP, couldn't win a thing, later joined a powerhouse to be a second fiddle.

 

1) russell's stats were mediocre, esp. offensively. if lebron's stats go down the drain and he wins rings, then yes, he won't be anywhere to GOAT status.

but if he gets a triple double, win an MVP, and win a ring, he'll be in the GOAT conversation.

2) lebron is a 2nd fiddle to who? wade? bosh? are you saying wade is a better player than lebron? not one person in the NBA will say that with a straight face. even wade conceded that. so really, how does the best player in the NBA play 2nd fiddle to anybody.

 

LOL, that's Wade's house. KG had a more elite status than PP when he joined the Celtics, but he conceded to PP because it's PP's house.

MIAMI, July 8 – Miami HEAT President Pat Riley and HEAT guard Dwyane Wade
released the following statements tonight:

PAT RILEY:
“We are thrilled that LeBron James and Chris Bosh have decided to come to
Miami to join forces with our truly great player, Dwyane Wade. We are
looking forward to the opportunity of building something that our fans in
Miami will be proud of for a long, long time. The journey is just beginning.
”

DWYANE WADE:
“I am thrilled to welcome LeBron James to the HEAT family. I look forward
to playing alongside LeBron, Chris Bosh and our teammates, and together
representing the great city of Miami. There's magic in the number 3. This is
the beginning of new chapter in HEAT history and very exciting for both
fans of the Miami HEAT and the NBA.”

 

Don't forget Wade will always have one more than LeBron too.

 

but the thing is, lebron is by far the best player in the L. those statements are formalities.

if riley had to choose to pick bron or wade, you think he'd pick wade?

there's something you called "PR" my friend.

 

so...manu ginobili has more than wade and lebron and bosh combined. if lebron joined the spurs, he wouldn't be the best player and is playing 3rd or 4th fiddle?

your logic is pretty ridiculous.

 

You're hating on Barkley cuz he's got no rings but as it stands he's still a hall of famer and one of the top 50 greatest. His legacy would be tarnished if he left Phoenix after they got to the Conference finals or Finals then 'piggy-backed' Michael Jordan and won a championship. The greats don't take the easy way out. They take the hand that was dealt to them.

 

There are several issues here.

1. Did Lebron take the easy way out? Sure, he did but you can't be mad at him for that. Disappointed? Yes, but not mad.

2. Will this impact Lebron's legacy in a negative fashion? Absolutely. He basically said "I can't do this alone. I'll join a another guy's team and be super-Scottie Pippen." Again, that's his prerogative but he pretty much removed himself from being in GOAT conversations ever again no matter how many titles he and the super friends in Miami might win.

3. Did he screw Cleveland? Abso-freaking-lutely. There's nothing wrong with the guy wanting to go somewhere else whether that be for basketball reasons or financial ones but you don't do it this way. You don't hold them hostage for several years and then break their hearts on national television. You don't do that to the team that gave you everything you asked for and fans who thought of you as a hero. Cleveland and the Cavs organization deserved better than that.

 

He joined Wade's team. Wade is widely considered a far superior closer, leader and he has a ring.

You can't be in the GOAT conversation when you aren't even the best closer on your team. Obviously, Lebron doesn't want the pressure or he wouldn't be joining Wade's team. He's out of the GOAT conversation barring something incredibly weird happening in Miami.

 

But still in the HOF....

Besides Charles, MJ was with a losing team and he stuck it out and that seemed to turn out well for him....

But at least but of them had the balls to create their own path and who's to say that Lebron was guaranteed a ring.... They still have to fill that roster up with players that can play.

 

1) statistically, lebron is a better clutch player. someone brought up the stats from 82games.com

2) lebron is bar none the better player. when the season starts, everyone will know that. lebron will be in the MVP hunt, not wade or bosh.

3) he's not joining wade's team. he's joining wade AND bosh.

so if he wins an MVP with wade and bosh as his teammates, is he still out of the GOAT conversation?

if some of you really think lebron will not be the clear-cut best player on that eat team next year, your hatred for the guy is just too strong. the gap between lebron and wade are bigger than shaq and kobe.

lebron is a better scorer, rebounder, passer, defender, clutch player, effiency-wise, durability...

 

And each of those men you named had Hall of Famers that were in their primes (except Kareem and Parrish) playing alongside them when they won. I'm tired of people talking like these guys carried their teams on their backs. Yes, they were the stars of their teams but no way do any of them win without the likes of Magic (Kareem and Worthy for sure), Bird (McHale, Parrish and I'd also say Johnson), and Jordan (Pippen, Grant and Rodman). Kobe is the same, he has Odum, Gasol on his team. Those guys are upper echelon players, not elite but dang near.

I can see why people are upset about the way but people also have to own up here. This was one of the most watched things to take place in sports. Why did you watch it if you have such a problem with it? There is an article that really provides an interesting perspective on this hold thing: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/17867/name-the-crimes-of-lebron-james. Many players (e.g., Ray Allen) have acknowledged that LeBron maximized his leverage in this process which is what free agency is about. Now that he has signed/committed, he will no longer have the same level of leverage. This is a business after all. This loyalty thing is overplayed, the days of working for only one business your entire professional career are pretty much done in the mainstream workforce so why is it a problem in sports? James as any other professional player without a no-trade clause is subject to the whims of the organization that have them under contract. He's a commodity and it seems that James understands it and took that into consideration in this decision while having six NBA teams/cities and his feet (not to mention of us/those who tuned in to find out and/or blogged about it before or after it was made known). That is a player wielding power within professional sports in unprecedented ways. It has repercussions but hey, that's the price of the ticket. No player is above this reality, if Yao is no longer viewed as an asset to this team, guess what's gonna happen to him? Traded!!!

If a player is in it to make money then go for the highest bidder for as long as you can. It now appears that James is offsetting his NBA salary for the chance at championships. He'll recoup his money through endorsements and other ventures.

I always found it funny that people protest businesses and/or artists by first buying their merchandise and then turning around and destroying it. The only person who is monetarily hurt in this scenario is the person(s) who bought the item in the first place....

And Charles needs to rethink what he says. Neither Hakeem nor Clyde were "washed up" when he got here. The problem was moreso that Charles and Hakeem were somewhat redundant with his ballhogging back to the basket for 5-10 secs of the shot clock while waving Hakeem off to the top of the key or threat point line. That made me so sick! I never understood how Hakeem went from being a dominant low-post threat and the team's primary scoring option even with Clyde the year before Charles got here to only become a decoy. Unlike when Chuck was here, those 3 guys will play together without the ego that Barkley showed. Hypocrisy in action...

Something that people may not have thought about. This decision may actually lengthen his career. He won't have to play the major minutes that he did in Cleveland reducing the type of stress and wear-and-tear from the first 7 years while playing with his friends. Contingent on who fills out the roster, the Heat will be no less than 4 in the East and really don't that they will fall that low. Miami (both city and franchise) is about to make a boat load of money over the next 5 years!!!

 

Better player or not.. That is Wade's team... period

 

trust me, when the season starts, you'll hear the media says: "lebron leads the heat..."

hell, nobody is talking about wade or bosh. it's all about lebron.

so that notion will be erased once lebron suits up in a heat uniform and does his thing.

 

No offense to you or Durant, but you do realize he is 21 right now.

Signing a 5 year deal = 26 when contract is up.

Who's to say Durant won't pull a LeBron?

I love Durant though. Outstanding maturity for sure, but he is in a far better location in his career, than LeBron was ever in, for 7 years.

 

for people who's bringing up durant,

westbrook is a better #2 than any player lebron has played with so far.

 

And then the fireworks will start...

The Media can say all they want... The minute Lebron forgets who's team that is the minute the so called superstars will implode..

Don't get it twisted... Lebron went to be with Wade and not vice versa...