please tell me what deals are waiting for lebron that he doesn't already have, please tell me who doesn't already know who lebron james is, even my grandmother in bolivia knows who lebron james is. the media comes to HIM, he doesn't need to come to them. otherwise warren buffet wouldn't be a billionaire in omaha, nebraska. the "big market" thing only helps players lower profile like michael redd to play in new york, not lebron james. seriously we probably hear more about lebron in america than we do about kobe, which proves it has nothing to do with it. lebron also makes more from sponsership deals than kobe right now, let me get the list.. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/specials/fortunate50/2009/index.html so lebron is at #3, shaq is at #5, and kobe is at #7?? if the big city theory held true then kobe would be higher than lebron for sure.
1st thing, speaking of ignorance, look up the definition of per capita and then eat a "VERY" big helping of crow. I also said LeBron doesn't need a chinese owner to be popular in China. 2nd thing, there are a number of places more exciting to live for wealthy people than Cleveland. I never said it was the worst. It's just very very far from the best. If you don't understand that, feel free to be wrong. You admit Cleveland doesn't have much glamour. This is exactly why it's likely somebody like LeBron leaves. He wants more limelight. 3rd, when it comes to the NBA, the Cavs aren't just small market, they are tiny market. Nobody outside the metro area will give one flip about the Cavs if LeBron leaves. In terms of fan interest, they won't be much more than the Grizzlies. The natural order of sports will return to Cleveland after LeBron leaves: The Browns will be everything, the Indians will be way behind them and the Cavs may as well not exist.
http://www.stationindex.com/tv/tv-markets I don't understand how it's a "tiny market" considering it's ahead of a lot of solid NBA teams, it's mid market. and like I just posted... so where are kobe's endorsement deals in this big city of L.A?? I know what per capita is bro, it's basically the average spending, the average spending doesn't matter whatsoever when you compare 1.3 billion people vs just about 20 million people, even with the exchange currency rate being 8:1 chinese people's spending still blows it out of the water. this means that america spends a lot more money than china but that new york by itself is no where near. anyway I'm done with this thread now and won't be checking it, I feel like there is nothing left to say and it's beating a dead horse at this point. bottom line: it's the uncertainty of lebron staying or not that kept away ariza along with texas having no state income tax... not the city, and the fact that ariza would be a starter here with the rockets in a much bigger role. all the other FAs mentioned were not sought out after the cavs, or were able to sign with another team for more money(villanueva, CLE can only offer MLE). shaq requested not to be traded to portland, but favored a trade to cleveland.
Not sure how accurate it is. Forbes has Kobe earning 45M, tie with Jordan and he's in front of Lebron James. http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/17/top-earning-athletes-business-sports-top-earning-athletes.html
China is all about Kobe, new generation worship him as Jordan of this decade, and LBJ isn't even 1/10 of the impact. Just check the screaming Kobe received everywhere he went in Olympics. Chinese people value who overcame all the obstacles to be the one, not the one forced fed to the throat.
If your argument in defense of Cleveland hinges on the fact the suburbs are "fine" then you have no argument. Yes, a lot of players live in suburbs like Sugarland here in Houston, but they don't party in Sugarland. The night clubs aren't in Sugarland. The fine dining restaurants are not in Sugarland. The museums, art shows, concerts, plays, comedy shows, etc are not in Sugarland. Cities are supposed to be hubs of culture. Cleveland? Not so much. Also, many people (including myself) believe suburbs to be intolerable generic hell holes. And if you live in a city in which you have to live in the suburbs for life to be tolerable, you live in a really ****ty city. And yes, I have spent time in Cleveland.
You're comparing apples to apple pie. 20 million state population compared to a entire country population. Lebron isnt just trying to focus on the state of New York's 20 million by itself. But you include NY and leave out the entire USA. No doubt there's big time growth potential in China more than anywhere else. Impossible as it seems, who's to say the USA as a whole cant fit in a little more Lebron mania? What about Europe and the other countries? Its still about his global outreach, which could still be helped a little more in New York instead of Cleveland. But you're not checking in anymore and locked yourself out the thread anyway.
<br> This guy does understand that Kobe has been milking those huge endorsement deals in L.A. for more than a decade, right??
except for last year, when he did?? houston attracts nba players with little problem...that's pretty well known.
Pretty illogical statement since we're not comparing apples to apples here. You can't sit there and just say Lebron in Cleveland makes the same as Lebron in NY/LA because he's "Lebron James". This becomes even more illogical if you're discussing Chinese fans. Young male Chinese's knowledge of US cities usually doesn't go past NY/LA/Washington/San Franciso/Chicago. Lebron in one of those cities would by much more familiar to a Chinese fan. And yes, this means that even Yao would've benefited if he had gone to NY or LA. But unlike Lebron, The fact that never entertained such offers speaks more to his loyalty than being a smart business decision.
