Lebron James Show

[technoCat]

personally, i loved the move. actually i think he'd have been better off in chicago but this is still a great fit. maybe...just maybe, he doesn't care about his legacy. he's always said that he just wants to win. and to top it off he left over 30 million on the table to leave cleveland and try to win a championship. not to mention he's always been a very unselfish player, and i really don't think egos will come into play. i guess boston bought their championship too when they added garnett and ray allen to paul pierce. when the lakers couldn't get the job done they bought their championship by adding all star pau gasol. i guess i just don't see it that way. if anything it was refreshing to me to see a guy who puts rings in front of money.

all that said the hour special was ridiculous. it was awkward, and i think it was a crappy thing to do to the cavs franchise. i would have liked him to have told them before that he was planning on leaving rather than having them find out when you and i did. seems like he owed them more than that. but i just can't fault the guy for making this move.

Imho, Garnett and Allen went to Boston after their prime and were kinda always on crappy teams. Lebron is just hitting his prime along with Bosh and Wade and has been on a pretty good team the last couple of years. Cleveland put a lot of work into trying to build a team for him. Pau Gasol is different because he was a trade, he didn't chose to go to the Lakers and lets face it, he's good but he's not in the same hemisphere as Lebron and Wade.

PS I find it rather confusing how we are lauding these guys for choosing winning over anything else(money, loyalty, legacy) but don't we try to teach our kids that winning isn't everything??? Obviously if you are going to play the game then winning should be important, but to give up everything else just to win seems a little strange to me.

[LTown Cat]

personally, i loved the move. actually i think he'd have been better off in chicago but this is still a great fit. maybe...just maybe, he doesn't care about his legacy. he's always said that he just wants to win. and to top it off he left over 30 million on the table to leave cleveland and try to win a championship. not to mention he's always been a very unselfish player, and i really don't think egos will come into play. i guess boston bought their championship too when they added garnett and ray allen to paul pierce. when the lakers couldn't get the job done they bought their championship by adding all star pau gasol. i guess i just don't see it that way. if anything it was refreshing to me to see a guy who puts rings in front of money.

all that said the hour special was ridiculous. it was awkward, and i think it was a crappy thing to do to the cavs franchise. i would have liked him to have told them before that he was planning on leaving rather than having them find out when you and i did. seems like he owed them more than that. but i just can't fault the guy for making this move.

If Dan Gilbert is always that big of a d-bag and obviously Lebron would know this, then why would he deserve a call in advance. Gilbert says that what we saw last night was the real Lebron whom people have been covering for, for years. I think more than likely what we see now is the real Dan Gilbert and who can blame Lebron for not wanting to put up with him anymore?

[whitetrashgriz]

Imho, Garnett and Allen went to Boston after their prime and were kinda always on crappy teams. Lebron is just hitting his prime along with Bosh and Wade and has been on a pretty good team the last couple of years. Cleveland put a lot of work into trying to build a team for him. Pau Gasol is different because he was a trade, he didn't chose to go to the Lakers and lets face it, he's good but he's not in the same hemisphere as Lebron and Wade.

PS I find it rather confusing how we are lauding these guys for choosing winning over anything else(money, loyalty, legacy) but don't we try to teach our kids that winning isn't everything??? Obviously if you are going to play the game then winning should be important, but to give up everything else just to win seems a little strange to me.

well i agree that garnett and allen were probably past their prime. however, i don't see how that matters. either way they were highly sought after free agents who decided to play for the same team and in the end won a championship. lakers are the same thing. they didn't need a superstar of the caliber of lebron or wade because they already had that in kobe. but he couldn't get it done alone so they brought in another all-star that made them a far better team. i just don't see how this is the heat "buying" a championship because every team in every sport tries to get the best free agents available. the heat were just lucky enough to be the team with enough cap room.

i totally disagree with you in thinking the cavs built a team about him. in fact, that is the biggest knock on the cavs right now. if they would have gotten amare stoudemire last season, or another great player to compliment james we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. they did nothing. they traded boozer away years ago. they fired their coach and tried to hire tom izzo of all people. they brought in an old and fat shaquille oneal. they fired one of the better gm's in basketball in danny ferry. the list goes on and on. if they had surrounded james with the right pieces to begin with, i promise he wouldn't be in south beach right now.

as far as winning goes, i think it's obvious that there is a big difference between the lessons we teach our kids, and the characteristics of a professional athlete. sure, when our kids lose and their feelings are hurt, we'll comfort them and tell them that winning isn't everything. however, they are not idiots, and it doesn't take long to realize that this isn't how life works. hell, we fire high school coaches for not winning! college coaches have a couple years tops to win or their out. and it's no different in the pros. so yes, i applaud proffessional athletes for choosing winning over money, endorsements, city-life, legacy, etc. in this day and age in sports you don't see that often. guys talk about wanting to win more than anything, but when the opportunity arrises you see them go to a horrible team for a huge paycheck. lebron left 30 million dollars on the table. it was his. can you imagine leaving your job for another just like it and even leaving 30 thousand dollars on the table?

[technoCat]

Imho, Garnett and Allen went to Boston after their prime and were kinda always on crappy teams. Lebron is just hitting his prime along with Bosh and Wade and has been on a pretty good team the last couple of years. Cleveland put a lot of work into trying to build a team for him. Pau Gasol is different because he was a trade, he didn't chose to go to the Lakers and lets face it, he's good but he's not in the same hemisphere as Lebron and Wade.

PS I find it rather confusing how we are lauding these guys for choosing winning over anything else(money, loyalty, legacy) but don't we try to teach our kids that winning isn't everything??? Obviously if you are going to play the game then winning should be important, but to give up everything else just to win seems a little strange to me.

well i agree that garnett and allen were probably past their prime. however, i don't see how that matters. either way they were highly sought after free agents who decided to play for the same team and in the end won a championship. lakers are the same thing. they didn't need a superstar of the caliber of lebron or wade because they already had that in kobe. but he couldn't get it done alone so they brought in another all-star that made them a far better team. i just don't see how this is the heat "buying" a championship because every team in every sport tries to get the best free agents available. the heat were just lucky enough to be the team with enough cap room.

i totally disagree with you in thinking the cavs built a team about him. in fact, that is the biggest knock on the cavs right now. if they would have gotten amare stoudemire last season, or another great player to compliment james we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. they did nothing. they traded boozer away years ago. they fired their coach and tried to hire tom izzo of all people. they brought in an old and fat shaquille oneal. they fired one of the better gm's in basketball in danny ferry. the list goes on and on. if they had surrounded james with the right pieces to begin with, i promise he wouldn't be in south beach right now.

as far as winning goes, i think it's obvious that there is a big difference between the lessons we teach our kids, and the characteristics of a professional athlete. sure, when our kids lose and their feelings are hurt, we'll comfort them and tell them that winning isn't everything. however, they are not idiots, and it doesn't take long to realize that this isn't how life works. hell, we fire high school coaches for not winning! college coaches have a couple years tops to win or their out. and it's no different in the pros. so yes, i applaud proffessional athletes for choosing winning over money, endorsements, city-life, legacy, etc. in this day and age in sports you don't see that often. guys talk about wanting to win more than anything, but when the opportunity arrises you see them go to a horrible team for a huge paycheck. lebron left 30 million dollars on the table. it was his. can you imagine leaving your job for another just like it and even leaving 30 thousand dollars on the table?

Who did Lebron have the one year he made the finals? Gibson, Verajao and.... (Boozer??)

[Billings Cat]

Lebron is perhaps the most physically talented player in the NBA and hasn't even reached his prime. Yet, he showed that he simply didn't believe enough in his abilities to think he could actually ever win a title in Cleveland. Can you imagine Bird, Magic, MJ, Akeem, or Tim Duncan thinking this way? He took the easy way out. Folks talk about there not being enough talent in Cleveland around him, and gave him pretty much everything he asked for, but in the end does anyone really think that he raised the level of play of his teammates around him all that much and made them a whole lot better than they were?

I guess this process further illuminates the difference between those players who Lebron aspires to be like and himself. None of the elite would ever spend their off-season wishing how much they'd like to play with their rivals. Bird, Magic, MJ, even Kobe, would be working their tail off thinking about how they wanted to kick their tails next season. All these guys were/are all great basketball players with killer insticts. Lebron is a great basketball player. Period. The self-appointed Chosen One is simply the Tin Man. Lebron's got no heart. He's A-Rod to Wade's Jeter, he's someone who while infinitely talented will never be The Man in Miami. He'll probably win titles, but the adulation and adoration that he so desperately seeks will never come in the form he thinks it will in Miami. Again, like the Yankees, Jeter (D-Wade) is revered, but A-Rod (Lebron) is merely cheered when the team wins and he plays well. But if the team ever loses and he doesn't play well, forget about it!

BTW, when did Lebron start referring to himself in 3rd person which he did at least 5 times last night? He was clearly nervous and wasn't able to keep his full-on media front up the whole time.

As for the biggest winner last night...it's Kobe. Lebron damaging his image only helps make Kobe look at that much better. As a Laker hater I can only say that it will be surprisingly easy to root for them against the Heat.

[whitetrashgriz]

Lebron is perhaps the most physically talented player in the NBA and hasn't even reached his prime. Yet, he showed that he simply didn't believe enough in his abilities to think he could actually ever win a title in Cleveland. Can you imagine Bird, Magic, MJ, Akeem, or Tim Duncan thinking this way? He took the easy way out. Folks talk about there not being enough talent in Cleveland around him, and gave him pretty much everything he asked for, but in the end does anyone really think that he raised the level of play of his teammates around him all that much and made them a whole lot better than they were?

I guess this process further illuminates the difference between those players who Lebron aspires to be like and himself. None of the elite would ever spend their off-season wishing how much they'd like to play with their rivals. Bird, Magic, MJ, even Kobe, would be working their tail off thinking about how they wanted to kick their tails next season. All these guys were/are all great basketball players with killer insticts. Lebron is a great basketball player. Period. The self-appointed Chosen One is simply the Tin Man. Lebron's got no heart. He's A-Rod to Wade's Jeter, he's someone who while infinitely talented will never be The Man in Miami. He'll probably win titles, but the adulation and adoration that he so desperately seeks will never come in the form he thinks it will in Miami. Again, like the Yankees, Jeter (D-Wade) is revered, but A-Rod (Lebron) is merely cheered when the team wins and he plays well. But if the team ever loses and he doesn't play well, forget about it!

BTW, when did Lebron start referring to himself in 3rd person which he did at least 5 times last night? He was clearly nervous and wasn't able to keep his full-on media front up the whole time.

As for the biggest winner last night...it's Kobe. Lebron damaging his image only helps make Kobe look at that much better. As a Laker hater I can only say that it will be surprisingly easy to root for them against the Heat.

that was a good post. one thing though, is it's really not fair to compare what lebron did in order to have a shot at a title and guys like magic, bird, jordan, and kobe. magic got to play with kareem and james worthy, jordan had pippen, bird had mcale and parrish, and kobe won titles with shaq and gasol. everyone of those guys besides pau are in the hall of fame! pippen gets in this year. so, who's to say what those guys would have done in order to get a title? they din't make any drastic moves because they didn't have to. and because their front office made the moves to surround them with talent. it was mentioned before that they had boozer at one point but they traded him away 2 seasons before the cavs made the finals. he had no one. that year the second best player on his team was ilgauskas or drew gooden! the best guy lebron ever got to play witrh was shaq and that was about 5 seasons past his prime. i mean what did he average this season...like 8 minutes a game? i don't agree with how lebron went about leaving. but i will never be convinced that lebron had enough talent around him to win. another thing that people may not see, is maybe he doesn't care about being the next jordan. clearly if that's what he cared about, and if he insisted on winning alone he would have stayed in cleveland. or worse, he would have went to the clippers! all i see is a guy who wants to win, and if that means teaming up with some other stars to do that who cares?

[whitetrashgriz]

Who did Lebron have the one year he made the finals? Gibson, Verajao and.... (Boozer??)

nope. ilgauskas was the 2nd best player on that team! then drew gooden. they did have varejao but he played about 10 minutes a game then. gibson had some huge games we all remember, but he still only played about 10 minutes a game and averaged 8 points throughout the playoffs. they also had sasha pavlovic and eric snow! he had no one.

[Bleedinbluengold]

Lebron is perhaps the most physically talented player in the NBA and hasn't even reached his prime. Yet, he showed that he simply didn't believe enough in his abilities to think he could actually ever win a title in Cleveland. Can you imagine Bird, Magic, MJ, Akeem, or Tim Duncan thinking this way? He took the easy way out. Folks talk about there not being enough talent in Cleveland around him, and gave him pretty much everything he asked for, but in the end does anyone really think that he raised the level of play of his teammates around him all that much and made them a whole lot better than they were?

I guess this process further illuminates the difference between those players who Lebron aspires to be like and himself. None of the elite would ever spend their off-season wishing how much they'd like to play with their rivals. Bird, Magic, MJ, even Kobe, would be working their tail off thinking about how they wanted to kick their tails next season. All these guys were/are all great basketball players with killer insticts. Lebron is a great basketball player. Period. The self-appointed Chosen One is simply the Tin Man. Lebron's got no heart. He's A-Rod to Wade's Jeter, he's someone who while infinitely talented will never be The Man in Miami. He'll probably win titles, but the adulation and adoration that he so desperately seeks will never come in the form he thinks it will in Miami. Again, like the Yankees, Jeter (D-Wade) is revered, but A-Rod (Lebron) is merely cheered when the team wins and he plays well. But if the team ever loses and he doesn't play well, forget about it!

BTW, when did Lebron start referring to himself in 3rd person which he did at least 5 times last night? He was clearly nervous and wasn't able to keep his full-on media front up the whole time.

As for the biggest winner last night...it's Kobe. Lebron damaging his image only helps make Kobe look at that much better. As a Laker hater I can only say that it will be surprisingly easy to root for them against the Heat.

that was a good post. one thing though, is it's really not fair to compare what lebron did in order to have a shot at a title and guys like magic, bird, jordan, and kobe. magic got to play with kareem and james worthy, jordan had pippen, bird had mcale and parrish, and kobe won titles with shaq and gasol. everyone of those guys besides pau are in the hall of fame! pippen gets in this year. so, who's to say what those guys would have done in order to get a title? they din't make any drastic moves because they didn't have to. and because their front office made the moves to surround them with talent. it was mentioned before that they had boozer at one point but they traded him away 2 seasons before the cavs made the finals. he had no one. that year the second best player on his team was ilgauskas or drew gooden! the best guy lebron ever got to play witrh was shaq and that was about 5 seasons past his prime. i mean what did he average this season...like 8 minutes a game? i don't agree with how lebron went about leaving. but i will never be convinced that lebron had enough talent around him to win. another thing that people may not see, is maybe he doesn't care about being the next jordan. clearly if that's what he cared about, and if he insisted on winning alone he would have stayed in cleveland. or worse, he would have went to the clippers! all i see is a guy who wants to win, and if that means teaming up with some other stars to do that who cares?

I think the two of you nailed all the issues. Lebron wants a ring, and frankly, knew that wasn't going to happen in Cleveland. Had Cleveland been able to convince Bosh to play in Cleveland, then maybe. But, really? Cleveland vs. South Beach? Can any reasonable person not pick south beach?

I totally applaud Lebron for making a hard choice and to say to himself that "I have a better chance" in Miami. Frankly, I think he would have had a better chance in Chi-town but what the heck.

Gilbert's trying to cover his own butt for basically peeing down his leg during last year's and this year's free agency periods in regards to the letter he wrote. He's grasping at straws guaranteeing Cleveland will win a championship before Lebron. The only way that happens is if Lebron dies in the next 5 years. Cleveland will NEVER win an NBA championship. That's my guarantee.

God bless Cleveland, but be serious Cleveland fans. You love your pro teams cuz their your pro teams. Your pro teams are entertainment and help you get through daily life. Leave it at that...please.

[CelticCat]

The Heat aren't gonna win a championship until the Lakers break up their lineup. Artest plays solid enough D, and who on the Heat is going to stop Gasol/Bynum?

Heat don't have a big man. They won't get far.

[whitetrashgriz]

The Heat aren't gonna win a championship until the Lakers break up their lineup. Artest plays solid enough D, and who on the Heat is going to stop Gasol/Bynum?

Heat don't have a big man. They won't get far.

that i agree with. however, i still think they can do some damage in the east and maybe even still make the finals. they'll probably add a big guy like shaq and maybe even ilgauskas to take up space down there! but i'm with you. this move doesn't guarantee them a title by any means. but riley is pretty crafty and i would look for them to add some vets soom to boost up their roster some.

[Bleedinbluengold]

The Heat aren't gonna win a championship until the Lakers break up their lineup. Artest plays solid enough D, and who on the Heat is going to stop Gasol/Bynum?

Heat don't have a big man. They won't get far.

that i agree with. however, i still think they can do some damage in the east and maybe even still make the finals. they'll probably add a big guy like shaq and maybe even ilgauskas to take up space down there! but i'm with you. this move doesn't guarantee them a title by any means. but riley is pretty crafty and i would look for them to add some vets soom to boost up their roster some.

Does anyone have to guard Bynum?

I think the Heat will have trouble with Chicago, Orlando and Boston still. Yes, I think Boston (as much as I don't like Boston) will still be tough to beat in the playoffs for one more season. Boston just has to get into to the playoffs healthy and they'll be all anyone can handle. Boston's bench is deeper than anyone else's in the East, which will be a big edge come playoff time.

[CPACAT]

Did any catch the Heat TV introduction of the three amigos last night. How unbelievably cheesey.

I heard that the Heat are hiring Paula Abdul to help put together a team dance so everyone can keep up with Lebron's coreographed dance moves.

[whitetrashgriz]

Did any catch the Heat TV introduction of the three amigos last night. How unbelievably cheesey.

I heard that the Heat are hiring Paula Abdul to help put together a team dance so everyone can keep up with Lebron's coreographed dance moves.

that was my first thought too. however, every time i see things like that, i just try to imagine it was happening to the cats. if we signed the best recruiting class in montana state history, and packed the fieldhouse to welcome the new guys i probably wouldn't think it was that cheesey. now if the griz did it that's a different story! i'm just saying if the heat were your favorite team you'd probably think it was a pretty cool way to welcome new players.

[RMD]

and the circus continues!!!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5372266" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[CPACAT]

and the circus continues!!!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5372266" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think Jason Whitlocks response is the best summary of the situation yet. One of these days I will figure out to link stories. I found it on Fox Sports.

[coachouert]

and the circus continues!!!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5372266" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think Jason Whitlocks response is the best summary of the situation yet. One of these days I will figure out to link stories. I found it on Fox Sports.

Copy...then paste.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/Jess ... son-071210" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[technoCat]

and the circus continues!!!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5372266" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think Jason Whitlocks response is the best summary of the situation yet. One of these days I will figure out to link stories. I found it on Fox Sports.

"Jackson and other African-Americans need to follow LeBron’s lead. We look foolish. We look hypocritical. We come across like people who have little genuine interest in seeing racial prejudice disappear and more like people who just want it to swing in our favor."

Probably the best article I've ever read by Whitlock.

[MSU Toddler]

i'm just curious if Bosh and/or Wade had committed to play with LBJ in Cleveland if there would have been the same hub-bub about LeBron not being able to win it by himself or all the backlash. i imagine people would have taken that situation differently.

[whitetrashgriz]

i'm just curious if Bosh and/or Wade had committed to play with LBJ in Cleveland if there would have been the same hub-bub about LeBron not being able to win it by himself or all the backlash. i imagine people would have taken that situation differently.

most likely. and it'd still be stupid. people expected lbj to do something that i don't recall ANY player doing before...winning a title by himself. and when i say "by himself" i mean without the luxury of playing along side another hall of famer or even better...on of the nba's top 50 players. fans wanted him to be the next jordan. fans wanted him to be the g.o.a.t. fans wanted him to stay in a crap town and try to win titles with no help. fans care about his "legacy". he seems like he just wants a shot at titles. he at least has a better opportunity in miami with wade and bosh.

[whitetrashgriz]

little more insight on james and his crew. pretty interesting read.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=a ... ency071610" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;