Do you want to see LeBron James turn out to be a bust?

I hope he's all he 'promises' to be, and a terrific guy to boot. But how could a gabillionaire kid with all his adulation and pub etc etc be anything aking to normal and therefore terrific?

 

No. I hope he's as good as he's made out to be. It would be good for the game.

 

People actually wanting him to fail are just evil and sad. Sure, there's a lot of hype about him, but that's not his fault. He's been recruited since he was in junior high. People don't pick you to be the #1 pick in the draft after your junior year of high school if they don't think you can be successful.

Out of Carmello, Lebron, and Darko, I'd like to see two of them go to East teams so there can be a little balance. Barring injury, I would bet money that Lebron finishes in the top 3 in ROY voting, simply because he'll get starter's minutes right away...

 

I object to being described as evil.

I have no personal axe to grind with LeBron (although I haven't heard him interviewed much), but the hype machine that has gone into getting him huge endorsement contracts, and drafted No. 1 "guaranteed" really needs to get a bloody nose. For the good of the NBA.

 

Anything or anyone that is as ridiculously hyped as LeBron makes me recoil. That is why I hope he fails.

 

He's good for the league...I say let's get King James. Carrol Dawson should be calling whoever wins the lotto tonight asking "Would YOU like to see MY franchise?!" Of course they'd say, "NO". Unless Memphis wins and just terribly wants to exercise the remnants of the demons related to the Steve Francis debacle.

 

How is somebody failing good for the NBA?

Hoping that he fails just because you hate the media or a shoe company is pretty dumb also. If Lebron fails, then Nike will stop handing out $50 million dollar shoe deals? Yeah, and maybe if kids stop buying weed, then terrorism will fall. Trust me, Nike didn't become a multi-billion dollar company by being stupid. Don't think for a second that the $100 million that Lebron got is all guaranteed. If it's not Lebron, it will be Carmello, or Darko, or the next high school stud with a feather soft jumper...Let's face it, this is a media driven society, and it's not going away any time soon. If you're tired of Lebron hype, then just change the channel or go to another website, but to want him to fail, no matter what you think your alterior motive is, is a slap in the face to a kid that has done nothing wrong...

I bet if the Rockets had the #1 pick, you wouldn't want Lebron to fail...

 

He's too good to be a bust.

I do hope he winds up in the East. The West is already tough enough, and there isn't one team in the East that would make the playoffs on a WC regular-season schedule.

 

My point is, the NBA is not in a position of strength. Since Jordan's first retirement, the L's popularity is on the decline. It commands less TV revenues, and is watched by less people than ever (as always, please feel free to correct me on this!).

I have no doubt that LeBron's Nike deal is good for Nike. But it's too much expectation and hype to put on an 18-yo. No doubt, we'll scrutinise every move he makes, replay the spectacular dunks/flashy passes, and watch him lose a lot of games. What other sport would give so much money and acclaim as this?

I suppose that my problem is that the NBA is pre-occupied with financial reward. Who can blame LeBron for bypassing college, with the riches available to him? In fact, he would be foolish not to do what he has done. My problem is that he has been offered this cash because corporations perceive his earning potential.

By background is European, and I am therefore used to youngsters playing professional sport. There is a footballer in the UK, for example, who has been selected to our national team at the age of sixteen. This is on merit however, and his club team have been selecting him to play because he is ready (the impact has been tremendous).

I suppose it all boils down to the comparative systems. I don't believe that any 18-yo should command the money that he does, until he proves it. The draft process is so different, and the franchise system so different to the professional sports set-up I am used to, that it irks me.

And I still object to being described as evil.

 

I hope the East drafts him and he helps that conference. I hate NY, but it would be great for NBA to have him there.

 

Fans aren't necessarily hating on LeBron James for taking $90 million from a shoe company. I think they're pissed because an unproven 18-year-old (with no "real world" abilities) is handed that kinda money while the rest of us scrape to get by. Shoot, millions starve everyday.

Is this James' fault? Absolutely not. I hope he becomes a superstar and is happy the rest of his life. I'm pulling for LeBron to make it, but wish Nike would have given some of that $90 million to its child slaves who will make LeBron's shoes.

I also hope LeBron, Carmelo and Darko are all drafted by Eastern Conference teams. The Rockets don't need the extra competition!

 

All that stuff you describe has been around a lot longer than Lebron, though. Lebron hasn't been "commanding" anything. The rookie salary scale is set in stone, so that's pretty much non negotiable. As for the shoe money, you have some argument there, but they've been after him since he was 15, so it's not like he was banging on Nike's door begging for a shoe contract. There's a reason it's called a "bidding war". People do it every day when job hunting. One company offers them so much per year, then they call up another company that wants them and says, "Company X is offering me this much, what can you offer me?". Of course, instead of thousands of dollars, we're talking about millions of dollars, which people seem to have a problem with.

About the "earnings potential" statement. Well, you can blame Kobe, Garnett, McGrady, etc for all that. Nobody wants to be known as "the person that passed up Lebron." The risk of draft choices failing has been decreased because of the rookie salary scale. Unlike the NFL or baseball, a rookie can't come in and demand a huge signing bonus. The potential benefits of signing Lebron far outweigh the risk involved

oh, and there's nothing wrong with being evil.

 

I want excitement to the game.

A new rival for Kobe, Tracy, Francis, Garnett...

I want him to succeed to make the game competitive and flashy.

 

I think the NBA needs a new ultra star, I hope he lives up to all the high expectations. The dunk contest should be cool at least next year.

 

I hope he is good, but not that good. Unless the Rockets get him somehow. And I also hope he goes to the Least.

 

A-Train...you have my vote for senior of the year. Just keep up the good work, get some of these potholes (if you can get SLA, little123, KeepJuaquin to.... pick...one....already.....) fixed and my vote is yours for the taking.

 

Since he won't be a rocket. . . YES . . . YES I DO HOPE HE IS A BUST

Rocket River
Just Pro-Rocket. . not Anti-Lebron, etc

 

It's really, really, really sad that there are some "adults" here cheering for an 18 year-old to fail.

I guess envy can make people do the most irrational things.

Rockets fans should be the last ones to want a hyped #1 pick to fail. Remember how mad we were when people were wanting Yao to fail? I guess the short-term memory of some Rockets fans are shorter than Gary Coleman.