MJ: "I would never have called up Larry, Magic & say lets get together."

i think either way of quitting is stupid, but in this case i think it really is better to quit later than earlier.....think about it...righ tnow there's people talking about how he quit a few games, not even 3...if people saw that and can point to several things just in those games, imagine if he did it over a season. Not to mention he'd have to have one hell of a letdown statistically to pull it off and what his explanation? He struggled all year, agains tseveral teams, several defenders? That's no realistic at all for someone as talented as he is, makes more sense to dominate most of the time, then "struggle" against one opponent and say they just were too good that series to overcome.

what was suggested is that he lost on purpose to have a way out, as oppose to not quitting and risking coming to close to a ring or even winning it, because then it wouldnt make sense to leave to win when he got so close already.

 

Looks at Kobe with Shaq, then looks at Kobe with Gasol. Then sees KG with Pierce, Allen and Rondo in the corner, then remembers Tmac with Yao Ming a few years back. You were saying?

Honestly speaking, LBJ didn't even need another top 10 NBA sidekick, he needed a deep bench, a good coach and a legitimate star. The fact is no one on the roster in the Cavs can be considered a "star", even when they got Antwan Jamison and Shaq, none of those guys can be considered people who can carry their team if LBJ gets injured for some time. Of course, I shift the blame on Ferry here, he's just incompetent, and Dan Gilbert or LBJ didn't deserve the fallout that happened. Gilbert was a great owner who spent whatever it took to win, while LBJ was of the league MVP two times in a row.

LBJ wasn't asking for immediate help either, he spent 7 years in cleveland already d'oh. Again no one is demanding that the Cavs should have pulled a Celtics and got KG and Allen to play with him, what I'm saying is Ferry should have built a team that grew as LBJ grew, not surrounded him with has-beens or just overpaid terrible players. Look at what the Thunder did with Durant, they got him a really good player in WB, then surrounded him with guys like Jeff Green, Cole Aldrich, James Harden and Sefalosha, all of whom are young and would grow and mature as he does.

We're talking about LBJ not Kobe Bryant.

MJ did not build a team. The Bulls' GM was the one who did it. MJ is a player, he's supposed to play, period. Team upgrades or whatever are not his responsibility and he shouldn't be worrying about it. In fact he didn't have to worry about it, he wakes up one morning and Pippen and Rodman were waiting for him in the gym. LBJ on the other hand wakes up and finds Delonte West and Sideshow Bob shooting jumpers.

Also just because its harder doesn't mean its the right choice. Do you walk to work instead of taking a car just because its harder? Do you hunt for your food and create fire caveman style just because its harder than buying food from McD's? To do so just because its harder is idiocy, which is what you're saying LBJ should have done.

He's a FA. Its his right to switch teams when he feels his team stinks. Yet you want him to languish in Cleveland, just because its "harder". LOL great logic there.

 

the playoffs bring a bigger magnifying glass to every game and every movement. there's no rationale for quitting in a playoff game, as opposed to a reg. season game.

he doesn't have to "quit" all reg. season. if lebron average 25, 5, 5 (yes, kobe-like numers), and although that would be below expectations and average defense, those are still great #s. but the cavs won't win at such a rate with him putting up those #s. they might be a 6 or 7 seed and face a boston or magic team earlier on and lose in the first round. all great players have that one down year. if lebron wanted to lower expectations, he could have played at a 75% level for 30% of the year and get a lower seed and lose in the first round. and chalk that up to a down year.

 

People were going to criticize him either way. I think it's pretty foolish to think he lost on purpose because he wanted a way out.

They lost because Boston was the better team in that round. Like I said Mike Brown did not make any adjustments to help Cleveland win that series.

 

and one of them is not playing hickson at all. jamison was getting thoroughly outplayed by KG and hickson's athleticism would at least provide some help.

instead, he sat on the bench.

 

In 2009, the Cavs swept the first two rounds by double digits IN EVERY GAME. I remember watching them played the Hawks, it was like adults playing with kids. Then they lost to Orlando in 6 games in a fairly close series.

This past playoffs. They again, in the first round, trounced the Bulls, only lost one game by 2 points. Against Boston, before that infamous Game 5, they were tied 2-2, once beating the Celtics by 29 points IN BOSTON. Honestly, at that point, did any of you really believe that they were not a title contender?

 

You wasted your time with all of that. I really don't care what he does. I was just trying to explain that what Jordan managed to accomplish was more difficult. It has become unlikely for Lebron to ever have that same sort of accomplishment with a gift-wrapped championship team. Therefore, he will never have the legacy of Jordan. Simple as that.

And do I feel a greater sense of accomplishment running 50 yards or running a marathon?

Seriously, those analogies are completely horrible when you factor in competition. I think it's that same logic that defined the steroid era in baseball. Isn't taking the easy road to pretty much counter to everything competition stands for?

 

They were favorites, in Vegas, by ESPN experts voting, you name it.

Saying they were not a true contender is LeBron revisionists' best shot to get him out of this.

MVPs and best regular season records, no excuse.

 

the cavs WERE title contenders. nobody is arguing that (or should not in my opinion).

however, the cavs' supporting cast isn't as strong as the title contenders.

 

I don't get it either. He had a 27/19/10 performance on the night he 'quit'.

 

Jordan developed his teammates into stars? What teammate ever said this? What great teammatem, like Pippen, ever said this?

 

I don't think folks are saying the Cavs were a crap team. There is a difference between being a good team and a title winner. Outside of their star players (Kobe, Melo, Howard, KG or whoever), the top teams over the past 2 seasons all have had more supporting help than LeBron. There was no 2nd star on that team. Gasol, Odom, Billups, Lewis, Carter, Hedo, Allen, Pierce, Rondo would all be the 2nd best players for the Cavs.

He keeps asking but no one is answering. How many games do you think the Cavs will win next season? We have a chance to see just how good they are now.

 

I think most people say lebron wont live up to jordan I say lebron is taking a completely different route and trying to make a case where he is greater than jordan.

If lebron avg a triple double more than once, some how wins more than 6 championships and wins more MVPs than jordan, even with this stacked team can you really say that hands down his legacy isnt as great, sure he had a stacked team but he would have accomplished MORE.

 

It's a good question, but ultimately I think it will be difficult. He would have to establish himself as the undisputed leader of the team. It would have to be Lebron's Miami Heat, just like it was Jordan's Chicago Bulls. Unlikely.

 

Let me know when LBJ wins a champion with DWade championship squad team against Dallas.

O wait it can't happen because he is on Dwade's team.

LBJ the worlds greatest sidekick, at least we know something.

According to posters since he did everything on the Cavs team, than his numbers are inflated. Hell sort of reminded me of Tmacs greatest single season.

 

Yes I am. I don't know why, but you're refusing to recognize how important Robinson was to his Spurs team. Sure, Charles Smith missed some games, but Perdue and Herrera played more minutes and increased their production.

And yes, Elliott missed games too, but like I said, Wilkins provided a similar stat line. And btw, a 33.3% 3 pt shooter is not a threat.

And yes, Maxwell was an inferior shooter to Chuck Person, and players rotating in and out of the lineup can cause chemistry problems.

But David Robinson solves those problem. If he were healthy that season, they would've made the playoffs despite his teammates' injuries...maybe even as high as the 6th seed.

Remember, this whole argument is whether or not a "championship caliber" should be good enough to perform well despite losing its best player. And that depends entirely on how integral that player was on both sides of the ball.

The Cavs probably will be the worst team in the league next year. But that doesn't mean they didn't have a championship caliber supporting cast when Lebron was there. Don't forget that in this offseason, they've lost both Shaq and Z, and they might even try to tank to get a high draft pick.

 

Um, I don't anyone can argue at this point in time that what LBJ has done is nothing compared to what MJ has accomplished. MJ won 6 rings in 8, and has the highest PER differential in history. LBJ doesn't even have a ring to his name. So yeah, right now MJ>>>>>>LBJ.

What exactly is your point man? Are you saying Lebron failing to win a ring with Big Z and Mo Williams makes him a lesser player simply because MJ won with Pippen, Rodman and Phil Jackson?

Like I said MJ didn't take the hard way to a ring, he had been gifted with a strong supporting cast in his entire career, which is why he didn't even consider leaving the Bulls. LOL you act like MJ was rolling around with a bunch of scrubs when he was collecting rings, FYI the Bulls under Pippen reached the ECF while MJ was retired.

This where you were wrong. The Bulls lacked a dominant big man but they were complete with every other need, including a top 50 all time sidekick, a defensive rebounding demon, and knockdown role players. MJ was gifted with a power team, which is why I don't see why you keep saying MJ didn't take the easy way out. MJ was lucky with a great GM, just like how Kobe was lucky with West and Kupchak, and how Durant was lucky with Presti. If you can't even see how these three guys have been blessed by a good team while LBJ hasn't then I'm done with you. We'll never see eye-to-eye on this issue.

 

that WAS wade's team in 06. this is 2010. lebron is a better player than dwayne wade for the past 2 years bar none.

what's your point?

 

I don't think its that hard. Fact is Dwade is already 28 going on 29, just 2 years younger than Kobe Bryant. LBJ is only 25 turning 26. He's younger, and better than Wade in every single facet of the game. He has a better jumper, better rebounder, defender, passer and more athletic than Wade. He's also healthier, with last season being his first injury marred one. More importantly LBJ has been averaging a near triple double all season long. By season's end I don't think there will be any question as to who's team it is: LBJ's and Wade's. Justice league was headed by both Batman and Superman after all.

Even in the game that people accuse him of quitting in, he put up 27 pts, 10 assists, 19 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block. That's quitting? LMAO. That would be every other player's career game, and yet with LBJ that's quitting. If that's when he quits, I don't want to see what happens when he isn't quitting

 

I can also say Dwades team has been inferior to LBJ in the last 2 years.......today he has the world's greatest sidekick.

LBJ where the best NBA joins Dwade's team.

No mistake about it, this is Dwade's team, he joined it. Apparently the greatest player in the NBA was unable to convince them to come to NY or anywhere else.

You guys can debate about LBJ poor team mates, no help, poor coach, hurt elbow, triple doubles......in the end he opted for Dwades help because he simply didn't get it done. You would never see Kobe or MJ have 2 60+ winning seasons and cry I need help.

Lebron "Jester" James formerly known as the King.