OT: LeBron James

[scout]

Maybe I'm just misunderstanding you. But, IMO, clearing cap space in anticipation of a lot of high quality free agents being available does not signal a plan in place between the team and players to create a super team.



They're certainly one of the favorites. I need to see a complete team, though, before I label them the absolute favorites. Supposedly, the team put an enticing offer together for Fisher. If he comes aboard, I would go ahead and agree with Vegas odds about them being the front-runners. Fisher joining this team means the Heat have the luxery to do what the Celts did back in 2008, and that's to put a younger, inexperienced guy out there at center. Someone who can snag you a few rebounds and play defense, but won't be counted on to generate scoring.

My thoughts again. I believe from what has been said by players, tha t they wanted to play together. No team was involved with those discussions. Separately, NBA teams were anticipated those three (and others) becoming free agents and were clearing space for at least one. It is possible, that one or all of those players talked to an agent about the financial possibilities of playing together.

When the Celts won in 2008, the only one inexperienced was Rondo. Perkins was a vet who was a defensive presence. I don't see any team in the East contending with them. The team that they will have to beat are the Celtics, who will not be athletic enough to keep up with the new three. They will not be able to collapse on Wade or LeBron, and thats not even accounting for Bosh, who IMO, doesn't get enought credit.

 

[JoeSixPat]

The bottom line for everyone isn't the fact that a high profile free agent did what he had a right to do... it was just the way in which he did it

Much of this says a lot about LeBron's character - especially in the way he treated the fans in his very depressed hometown region - fans that have supported him since he was a freshman in high school.

My own belief is that Cleveland was NEVER a serious consideration and that LeBron's Freudian slip saying that he's going to "South Beach" rather than Miami provides some insight into that. Again - I've got no problem with that decision - I'd prefer to live in Miami rather than cold, depressed Cleveland... I'm just saying the way he made his decision and announcement was not respectful to his home town fans.

 

[Kontradiction]

The bottom line for everyone isn't the fact that a high profile free agent did what he had a right to do... it was just the way in which he did it

Much of this says a lot about LeBron's character - especially in the way he treated the fans in his very depressed hometown region - fans that have supported him since he was a freshman in high school.

My own belief is that Cleveland was NEVER a serious consideration and that LeBron's Freudian slip saying that he's going to "South Beach" rather than Miami provides some insight into that. Again - I've got no problem with that decision - I'd prefer to live in Miami rather than cold, depressed Cleveland... I'm just saying the way he made his decision and announcement was not respectful to his home town fans.

You may be right. But he DID try to convince Bosh to come to Cleveland with him.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

In the end, the pressure is on them to win. If they dont, then they all look stupid.

If they don't win a championship, why do they look stupid? New York and New Jersey weren't even close to championship contenders even if LeBron signed, Cleveland's franchise and owner are a disaster (not to mention without a GM or coach), and Chicago is a cold windy city that didn't have a major edge for the championship angle once Bosh joined Wade.

It seems that for a 25 year old like LeBron, going for a championship, wanting to play with two of your best friends, and living in a beautiful warm weather city, all make complete sense for choosing Miami. The no taxes in Florida also nearly make up for the 15M in pay cuts they took to play together.

 

[JoeSixPat]

It seems that for a 25 year old like LeBron, going for a championship, wanting to play with two of your best friends, and living in a beautiful warm weather city, all make complete sense for choosing Miami. The no taxes in Florida also nearly make up for the 15M in pay cuts they took to play together.

You may be right. But he DID try to convince Bosh to come to Cleveland with him.

I think for all of DropKickFlutie's reasons any effort by LeBron to recruit players to come to the warm sunny riviera of Cleveland was laughable...

All three to cold windy Chicago to follow in Jordan's footsteps and take advantage of a major media market? Maybe, but even that's a stretch. But CLEVELAND? They had a chance to keep LeBron - they'd done what he asked of them in the past, assembling a team that had the best record in the NBA - but it just wasn't going to happen in Cleveland with all three for a number of reasons.

That's part of the salt in the wound from LeBron's TV show - he said he went to Miami "because he wanted to win" - suggesting that he couldn't win in Cleveland when in fact they had the best record in the NBA.

He signed with "South Beach" because he wanted to win, and wanted the year round lifestyle... I don't blame him, but still criticize the way in which he conducted himself and tortured his hometown fans.

LeBron's also secured jobs with the Heat for his Posse, just like he did in Cleveland. One has to wonder if the NBA wants to look into that too - it wouldn't be hard for well paid "friends" of LeBron to kickback money to him and circumvent the salary cap and the luxury tax - not that I think they are but the whole notion of him making demands to hire all his high school buddies is something the NBA should be wary of

 

[DropKickFlutie]

I think for all of DropKickFlutie's reasons any effort by LeBron to recruit players to come to the warm sunny riviera of Cleveland was laughable...

I respect LeBron's initial efforts to stay in Cleveland. LeBron's efforts to woo others to sign with Cleveland show that part of him still wanted to stay in Cleveland out of loyalty, and he still made efforts to recruit great players to join him in free agency... which makes the accusations that he's a traitor even more silly. When no great players wanted to join and signed elsewhere, LeBron went with what pretty much any other person who wanted rings would do and left (though the way he did it was poor judgement). The owner, besides demonstrating that he's a petulant immature child, also showed poor judgement by having no GM or coach with the team to help with recruiting during the free agency period.

As for Cleveland having the best record... that was all LeBron, and it shows just how good he is. The NBA usually requires 2 elite players to do what LeBron did in Cleveland, resurrecting that franchise, having the best record, and going to the NBA Finals once. Cleveland simply wasn't a championship level franchise, nor will they ever be with this owner and management. Danny Ferry isn't even an above average GM, Mike Brown was a bad coach, the owner is a whiny little girl, and the team now has no GM or coach. No quality free agent wants to play for this franchise, even when LeBron was recruiting them to play with him, and especially not now after the owner's tirade and with LeBron gone.

Those trying to make Kobe seem like Jordan now in that they would have supposedly stayed unlike LeBron, are playing revisionist history. Around 2006 or 2007, Kobe demanded a trade, even flew to Spain to tell the owner he wanted no part of the Lakers anymore... then shortly after Pau Gasol magically appeared as a gift from Jerry West.

Cleveland didn't do all they could do to field LeBron a championship team. They had 7 years. 7 years. The best they could muster was Mo Williams, 37 year old Shaq, and a broken Antawn Jamison. There were so many different moves they could have made. LeBron never had a solid #2 player to take the pressure off. Look at the Cavaliers rosters during LeBron's career there. Those rosters were pretty poor and they only won because LeBron had to single handedly carry the team every night.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Didn't the Cavaliers have the best record this year?


2010 > 61-21

2009 > 66-16

2008 > 45-37

2007 > 50-32

2006 > 50-32

So he's going to Miami to win 67 games ... or 68 games :confused2:

Forwards who handle the ball all the time don't win LeBron ... are you going to play without the ball LeBron? :nono:

 

[Kontradiction]

Didn't the Cavaliers have the best record this year?


2010 > 61-21

2009 > 66-16

2008 > 45-37

2007 > 50-32

2006 > 50-32

So he's going to Miami to win 67 games ... or 68 games :confused2:

Forwards who handle the ball all the time don't win LeBron ... are you going to play without the ball LeBron? :nono:

So you'd say the Cavs records all those years were more because of LeBron's supporting cast, then?

Heat sign Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Forwards who handle the ball all the time don't win LeBron ... are you going to play without the ball LeBron? :nono:

Magic Johnson wasn't too shabby as a point forward in winning a handful of rings. Scottie Pippen too.

LeBron is going to settle in as the 2nd banana to Dwayne Wade, and they have a decent chance to someday three-peat under Pat Riley.

All of this LeBron hating is going to go away, in as amazing a way as Kobe's image has totally changed since his Colorado rape trial.

 

[ausbacker]

Magic Johnson wasn't too shabby as a point forward in winning a handful of rings. Scottie Pippen too.

LeBron is going to settle in as the 2nd banana to Dwayne Wade, and they have a decent chance to someday three-peat under Pat Riley.

All of this LeBron hating is going to go away, in as amazing a way as Kobe's image has totally changed since his Colorado rape trial.

No it won't or more likely not for a very very long time. Kobe was (wrongfully) accused and cleared by a jury of his peers and people slowly came around to see that. LeBron walked out on his hometown and their franchise in the most brutal of fashion.... and made a circus of it.

Once more it comes back to the way LeBron left. If he'd done it a different way, there wouldn't have been as much an issue for mine.

I have no attachment to Cleveland whatsoever and I feel like he dissed the entire city for the way he left rather than going about it the right way.

 

[scout]

No it won't or more likely not for a very very long time. Kobe was (wrongfully) accused and cleared by a jury of his peers and people slowly came around to see that. LeBron walked out on his hometown and their franchise in the most brutal of fashion.... and made a circus of it.

Once more it comes back to the way LeBron left. If he'd done it a different way, there wouldn't have been as much an issue for mine.

I have no attachment to Cleveland whatsoever and I feel like he dissed the entire city for the way he left rather than going about it the right way.

Yea, poor Kobe. Beginners luck.

 

[BradyManny]

Magic Johnson wasn't too shabby as a point forward in winning a handful of rings. Scottie Pippen too.

LeBron is going to settle in as the 2nd banana to Dwayne Wade, and they have a decent chance to someday three-peat under Pat Riley.

All of this LeBron hating is going to go away, in as amazing a way as Kobe's image has totally changed since his Colorado rape trial.

The thing with Kobe and his image is - I'm not sure he was ever a very likeable person. Whether he did rape the woman or not, he's still a pretty sketchy and loathsome figure. His own coach is on record for hating him and saying he's unliked by the players.

But with Kobe, it doesn't matter - you accept that he's a complete a-hole and a piece of shyt human being, at the same time accepting he's an amazing athlete and basketball player.

With Lebron, I think the guy is an all-around fraud. I think he's a fraud human being and a fraud basketball player. I do doubt he's as big a POS as Kobe, Lebron just happens to be an annoying attention-whore.

 

[Kontradiction]

Heat sign Ilgauskas...

2010 NBA Free Agents: Zydrunas Ilgauskas to follow LeBron James to Miami Heat, agent says - ESPN

 

[PatsFanInEaglesLand]

Haslem, Big Z and Mike Miller( 2 ex-gators) are not close to Posey, Powe and Baby. But hey this is ESPN's dream team, what do I know.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Magic Johnson wasn't too shabby as a point forward in winning a handful of rings. Scottie Pippen too.

LeBron is going to settle in as the 2nd banana to Dwayne Wade, and they have a decent chance to someday three-peat under Pat Riley.

All of this LeBron hating is going to go away, in as amazing a way as Kobe's image has totally changed since his Colorado rape trial.

Magic Johnson was a guard ... what school you went.

He was listed as a G/F but they had Cooper, Rambis, Worthy, Kupchak , AC Green ... he he mostly played guard.

LeBron is a quitter ... his team won the most games in the league this year.
He's great against weak opponents and cannot man up in the big games when it counts.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Heat sign Ilgauskas...

2010 NBA Free Agents: Zydrunas Ilgauskas to follow LeBron James to Miami Heat, agent says - ESPN

The Heat signed the big white corpse ....

 

[Kontradiction]

The Heat signed the big white corpse ....

Better than what we had before.

 

[ausbacker]

Better than what we had before.

Something is better than nothing eh Kontra . The make up of the Heat's final roster is going to be interesting. Ilgauskas won't get it done in the post season for your Heat.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Magic Johnson was a guard ... what school you went.

LeBron is a quitter ... his team won the most games in the league this year.
He's great against weak opponents and cannot man up in the big games when it counts.

Talk semantics all you want, but LeBron is one of the game's best big-man passers, and history has shown that players like Magic and Pippen can win rings at the point-forward position.

All the 'LeBron is a quitter' memes, are just smearing mostly propagated by the disgruntled childish Cavs owner. It isn't clear whether LeBron was playing hurt or not in the playoffs. The fact that Cleveland lost so quickly in the playoffs only shows how much that entire team was based on LeBron, with nobody else even close to capable to helping out to win a game.

 

[Kontradiction]

Something is better than nothing eh Kontra . The make up of the Heat's final roster is going to be interesting. Ilgauskas won't get it done in the post season for your Heat.

Disagree. We won't need him to score. We need him to grab rebounds and play defense, something he can do.