all the greatest of all time did it alone or as the main guy and pretty much played for one team their whole career. It's shameful because LeBron was on route to be the greatest but cowardly quit to joined his rivalry to win. We thought he was a competitor, but i guess he isn't. Dude doubts himself. Last year LeBron vs Wade was a classic game, you don't get to see that anymore.
cleavelanders and fans would have been upset no matter what. The decision show just gives them an out and excuse to unload all their immature comments and hate. No one mad anyone watch that, you and everyone else that watched the decision did so cause they wanted to on their own free will. Cleavelands would b**** about it no matter what. If they found out through the internet, the the espn ticker on the 5 espn channels or the radio, this decision to join wade would split nba fans down the middle no matter when or how it was released. Everyone should shut up and let the man do what he wants. It's lebrons life get off his already. Atleast he hasn't raped anyone yet...
I could never cheer for LeDouche or the heat, unless they played the lakers as I could never root for kobe or if yao or nash were on the heat.
You know what the best lesson Kobe ever learned was? It was to be a basketball player and leave the team building to the GM. Lebron thinks he knows how to put together a winning team. It's what sank Cleveland and it will sink Miami. Do you think they'll make smart choices in filling those roster spots? They'll simply pick the biggest names they know to play with like this was NBA2K. Watch Iverson, Shaq, and Tmac join that team. Oh, and for the record, I'm a fan of chaos so I don't feel the least bit sorry for Cleveland. They didn't suddenly become cool in my book because they pose no real threat any longer. I reveled in Cleveland's failure this last post season, but I will also root for them to humiliate Miami next they meet. I don't even hate Lebron. I just like to watch failure of epic proportions for anyone other than the Rockets.
I have to say that the most bizarre part of all of this is that Joe Johnson ends the offseason as the highest paid free agent signing...who knew.
just look at this new you will guess why.LeBron's decision has great impact on and off the court Posted Jul 9 2010 10:30AM Welcome to a special prime-time, ego-feeding, media-slobbering edition.... He had to go. If it is about hometowns, comfort zones, family and pure emotion, staying in Cleveland is great and understandable. But LeBron James couldn't say with a straight face that it's about winning championships and re-commit to a team going backward. The Cavaliers lost in the Conference finals in 2009 and a round earlier in 2010 and this season probably wouldn't have had anything close to a championship roster, depending on decisions later in the summer. He couldn't have said it was about the best chance for titles and stayed. Look at the supporting casts on the teams courting James during this free-agent bonanza. The second and third-best players in Miami are Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The second and third-best players in Chicago are Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer. The second and third-best players in New York are Amar'e Stoudemire and Danilo Gallinari or maybe Wilson Chandler. The second and third-best players in New Jersey are Devin Harris and Brook Lopez, with No. 3 pick Derrick Favors on board. The best players in Cleveland after James? Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams. Basketball wise, the Cavaliers were the least-attractive option. Somehow Chris Bosh will become a major villain in all this just because he didn't want to play in Cleveland. A lot of people don't want to play in a lot of places. Their choice. But the sense that James would have stayed if Bosh went to the Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade, if one could have been worked out, turns Bosh into the guy who could have stopped the giant asteroid from hitting Cleveland. It's not fair, but the people of northeast Ohio don't want to hear about fairness right now. The first Heat visit to Quicken Loans Arena could be a bad scene. Even if nothing happens, tensions will be very high, security will be increased and the game itself will mean nothing, unless some Cavalier wants to earn a lifetime of free drinks and meals by dropping LeBron as he comes down the lane. Pacers-Pistons for the first time at the Palace after the brawl will shrink in comparison. The first Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal reunion will become a summer-league game. Speaking of the soon-to-be-released schedule: Will the Lakers be in Miami on Christmas or will the Heat be in L.A.? Love the read by Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, via Twitter: "Mario Chalmers might want to call Rajon Rondo. Suddenly Chalmers becomes Rondo, circa 2008. Lot of pressure." Spot on. Rondo was viewed as the weak link as a second-year point guard when the Celtics added Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Paul Pierce, then quarterbacked the Celtics to a championship. Chalmers is a third-year point guard as the Heat add James and Bosh to Wade. The only difference is James and Wade will handle the ball a lot anyway. The Cavaliers roster is, obviously, cratered, but it will take years to total the financial impact for the city of Cleveland, especially downtown. The likelihood of small crowds at the Q and fewer home dates as the playoffs disappear means less eating in the surrounding neighborhood, less parking, less excitement to buy Cavs memorabilia from stores. The little guy is told to take the charge. This was always about so much more than just basketball. That's why the story deserved so much attention, as much as it too often veered into silliness. It's about a city with a history of sporting heartbreak that just couldn't take another devastating blow but got it anyway, a city that did commendable work to put a new arena and baseball stadium downtown to help rebuild and change an image problem beyond sports, and a guy who just became a villain in his own hometown. That's compelling theater even if it was bad TV on Thursday. "I know how loyal I am," James said during the televised announcement. Reached for comment, Ohio disagreed.
I would say not being loyal to the team that drafted him. I think that superstar players often stayed with the one team that drafted them, and were really team leaders. If the one team that drafted them made every kind of effort to keep them, they would stay, period. LeBron might be one of the most talented players in the league much like T-Mac was during his prime, but like T-Mac, you've got to wonder if you could even label him a superstar player since he will have played for another team even by choice as opposed to being traded a few times along the way while he's actually in his prime. One other thing to note: In the past, players who settled for less money to play for a team that they thought would have a chance to win a championship often wound up not accomplishing that goal. Will LeBron James wind up being one of those such players? LeBron's role with the Heat along with Chris Bosh will be more of a supporting role with D'Wade being the leader. Actually, I thought D'Wade was the leader of that 2006 Heat squad.
Oh come on now. Kobe put a number of players under the bus a few years ago (namely Bynum - check out youtube) when the Lakers were struggling. He wanted a trade to the bulls, but nixed it when Deng was to be involved in the trade. Then they got Gasol and obviously things changed for the better. It shouldn't be a surprise that he left. He did his time, and now he was a free agent. He wanted a chance to win, to be part of history (with two other great players). He doesn't owe the Cavs anything. The Cavs do what's best for them, and Lebron does what he thinks is best for him.
I guess most NBA fans, including myself, are used to seeing the top tier, best players in the league with fierce competitiveness. For example, I expected LeBron to want to get more rings than Wade. His goal is to win a championship. To him, a championship is a championship no matter what the means are. But to many fans and basketball purists, there can be a difference in the prestige of a championship. You either earn it, or you catch the next train with the most gas that will most likely get you there. Remember, this is how some view it, including myself. The other side is that a championship is a championship no matter how you get it. NBA fans miss out on these things: 1. No more LeBron/Wade rivalry and competitive games against each other 2. LeBron and Wade scaled back individually in order to create teamwork 3. On paper, other teams will miss out on championships until this is over Here is my conclusion: What LeBron did not break any rules. It's just frowned upon. There is a code of competition in basketball. Whether it's streetball or organIzation ball, you always want to take down the best. Not join them to guarantee a win
I'm just disappointed because I feel like I was lied to or lied to myself about LeBron being something special. Every year they lost and did not make the championship I kept telling myself that this guy is still one of the brightest stars to ever pick up a basketball and one day he will lead the team to a title. As a Houston Rockets fan, I can tell you that I would be happy if the Cavs won a title with him (as long as it wasn't by beating the Rox). But this was a cop out. And it's fine if he wants to do it. But you can't be the King or the Chosen One when players like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Dywane Wade have the competitive fire to WANT to take THEIR team to the promised land. So from now on, no matter how many triple doubles or slam dunks or SC highlights LeBron gets in Miami, we can never honestly say to ourselves that he was one of THOSE guys. The legends of the game. He'll just be another talented player with a lost cause. That's why people who love the NBA are disappointed.
I agree with you except you should take Kobe out of the post. He whine and threw the entire organization under the bus and threaten to leave before suddenly Lakers got the under table deal to being Gasol in. Everything suddenly become fine again and all his prima-donna acts got erased from the face of the earth. This is why I like KD and Wade much more than Kobe.
What comes up for me in all this is whether some cities will EVER have a championship team. This Lebron thing brings to the surface something that has been going on for some time. That super-mega players wont stay in losing situations. That certain places are always attractive to free agents and some not so. Ill agree that geographical location isnt the only factor here. The owner, the management, the general perception of the team, and its historical track record of winning, or not, factor in also. But the thing is, while owners & management can be changed, location is more complicated. And turning the tides of historical perception is very difficult. Chicago Cubs anyone? So seriously. Dont most places fall into either attractive/nuetral/unattractive? Sorry, but Cleveland, seemingly regardless of sport, has been unlucky. In fact, does it seem easy to envision any of these NBA cities as champions? Nets Raptors Cavaliers Bobcats Clippers Im not saying it CANT happen. But tidal forces seem consistently against these teams, possibly others. And it steers these teams towards the gutters. Others like the Knicks are a attractive city, but bad teams run by bad management & owners can certainly neutralize all and any advantages. Just like every once in a while, a unattractive city manages to neutralize its disadvantages. All in all what im trying to say is: Will things ever get to the point where the lower market unattractive cities just wake up to the fact that they may NEVER be champions and just give up? Whats the point of continuing to try to go all the way when your not playing on a level field in regards to an equal shot at signing players? Other teams get mulligans and you dont? This has to be the most frustrating situation imaginable. To feel like you cant win. Fate is against you. The basketball Gods spite the. Championships Team Years 17 Boston Celtics 2007-08, 1985-86, 1983-84, 1980-81, 1975-76, 1973-74, 1968-69, 1967-68, 1965-66, 1964-65, 1963-64, 1962-63, 1961-62, 1960-61, 1959-60, 1958-59, 1956-57 16 Los Angeles Lakers 2009-10, 2008-09, 2001-02, 2000-01, 1999-00, 1987-88 , 1986-87, 1984-85, 1981-82, 1979-80, 1971-72 (as Los Angeles Lakers) 1953-54, 1952-53, 1951-52, 1949-50, 1948-49 (as Minneapolis Lakers) 6 Chicago Bulls 1997-98, 1996-97, 1995-96, 1992-93, 1991-92, 1990-91 4 San Antonio Spurs 2006-07, 2004-05, 2002-03, 1998-99 3 Detroit Pistons 2003-04, 1989-90, 1988-89 3 Golden State Warriors 1974-75 (as Golden State Warriors) 1955-56, 1946-47 (as Philadelphia Warriors) 3 Philadelphia 76ers 1982-83, 1966-67 (as Philadelphia 76ers) 1954-55 (as Syracuse Nationals) 2 Houston Rockets 1994-95, 1993-94 2 New York Knicks 1972-73, 1969-70 1 Atlanta Hawks 1957-58 (as St. Louis Hawks) 1 Baltimore Bullets (defunct franchise) 1947-48 1 Miami Heat 2005-06 1 Milwaukee Bucks 1970-71 1 Oklahoma City Thunder 1978-79 (as Seattle Supersonics) 1 Portland Trail Blazers 1976-77 1 Sacramento Kings 1950-51 (as Rochester Royals) 1 Washington Wizards 1977-78 (as Washington Bullets) (nbauniverse.com) WOW.
This is what it was supposed to look like 17 Boston Celtics 2007-08, 1985-86, 1983-84, 1980-81, 1975-76, 1973-74, 1968-69, 1967-68, 1965-66, 1964-65, 1963-64, 1962-63, 1961-62, 1960-61, 1959-60, 1958-59, 1956-57 16 Los Angeles Lakers 2009-10, 2008-09, 2001-02, 2000-01, 1999-00, 1987-88 , 1986-87, 1984-85, 1981-82, 1979-80, 1971-72 (as Los Angeles Lakers) 1953-54, 1952-53, 1951-52, 1949-50, 1948-49 (as Minneapolis Lakers) 6 Chicago Bulls 1997-98, 1996-97, 1995-96, 1992-93, 1991-92, 1990-91 4 San Antonio Spurs 2006-07, 2004-05, 2002-03, 1998-99 3 Detroit Pistons 2003-04, 1989-90, 1988-89 3 Golden State Warriors 1974-75 (as Golden State Warriors) 1955-56, 1946-47 (as Philadelphia Warriors) 3 Philadelphia 76ers 1982-83, 1966-67 (as Philadelphia 76ers) 1954-55 (as Syracuse Nationals) 2 Houston Rockets 1994-95, 1993-94 2 New York Knicks 1972-73, 1969-70 1 Atlanta Hawks 1957-58 (as St. Louis Hawks) 1 Baltimore Bullets (defunct franchise) 1947-48 1 Miami Heat 2005-06 1 Milwaukee Bucks 1970-71 1 Oklahoma City Thunder 1978-79 (as Seattle Supersonics) 1 Portland Trail Blazers 1976-77 1 Sacramento Kings 1950-51 (as Rochester Royals) 1 Washington Wizards 1977-78 (as Washington Bullets)
personally im not upset but i can understand why people might be, at least bosh made it clear he was gona leave ahead of time and put toronto in good position to get something in return, the way lebron exited out of the cleaveland was not right, the cavs ended up with 2 1st round picks and 2 2nd round picks but you know their most likely gona be trash. Also in the that interview he sounded very egocentric. IMHO
This is why I'm afraid Rockets will not have another championship while I'm still alive! Damn, look at the last time the Kings won. Most of those fans who witnessed that championship are likely dead now.
