LeDecision... Who's watching?

[Vintage]

I don't think it matters. Ultimately if he left it's him leaving regardless, like your point about Kobe Bryant, MJ, Bird, etc.

Fact of the matter is LeBron should have left 3 or 4 years ago when his rookie contract expired and he gave that franchise 7 years. In 7 years the best they were able to do was Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Anderson Varejao? And sign a 36 year old Shaq and trade for Antawn Jamison?

LeBron doesn't owe anyone anything. This is just as much an admission by Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh that they can't do it alone, WHICH IS FINE BECAUSE ITS A TEAM SPORT!

Wade has proven he can win as the main guy, that's the point.

2006 Miami Heat.

He had 17/7 Shaq as his "help", plus a lot of hot garbage: end of the road Payton, end of the road Walker, Mr. Mediocre Haslem, White Chocolate Chunks, and decrepit Zo.

And still somehow won it all.

 

[rkstevens]

Lebron wants a ring. He knows he cant do it by himself. Im paraphrasing what he said but it was something along the likes of you become a great player on your own, but a champion as a team.

I understand his move, he is getting those rings- but wont be regarded as GOAT. Ultimately, he felt a ring is more important. I cant fault him for that.

I understand the move too but I can see where people feel he's taking the easy way out joining up with two top players and Olympians instead of being the top player on a team. I don't think he could have won a title in Cleveland, but he could have made Chicago the top team in the East for a long time with the young roster they have. You could argue that the team the Bulls have now is better than the Lakers minus Kobe. He could have teamed up with Amare in New York and made them a very good team. People may scoff at the idea but in 2009 when the Lakers won, who did they have besides Kobe and Gasol? They had some quality vets like Fisher, but no other all stars. The Knicks may have been able to make some moves to try to get some players of the caliber of Odom, Fisher or Ariza. And Lebron would still be the top dog on either team. It doesn't surprise me, though... Lebron never appeared to me as someone who wanted to take challenges head on like MJ or Kobe.

 

[Vintage]

This **** keeps getting better and better.


http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/father-beasley-traded-for-looking-like-delonte-28665

 

[Joe Realist]

This **** keeps getting better and better.


http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/father-beasley-traded-for-looking-like-delonte-28665

ah Good old Delonte West. I wonder if he will still see LeBron's mom.

 

[casmith07]

Wade has proven he can win as the main guy, that's the point.

2006 Miami Heat.

He had 17/7 Shaq as his "help", plus a lot of hot garbage: end of the road Payton, end of the road Walker, Mr. Mediocre Haslem, White Chocolate Chunks, and decrepit Zo.

And still somehow won it all.

LoL...that being said, it was the Dallas Mavericks. The softest 7-footer in the game plus hot garbage.

Those were dark times in the NBA. Lots of garbage on all the rosters across the league.

 

[casmith07]

I understand the move too but I can see where people feel he's taking the easy way out joining up with two top players and Olympians instead of being the top player on a team.

Why wouldn't you put yourself in the best position to win? When taking a job, would you want to start at the bottom and work your way up, or walk into the job paying six figures to start?

I don't think he could have won a title in Cleveland, but he could have made Chicago the top team in the East for a long time with the young roster they have. You could argue that the team the Bulls have now is better than the Lakers minus Kobe.

No. You can't. The Lakers are deeper and have better players at every position starting except PG.

He could have teamed up with Amare in New York and made them a very good team.

Please. The Knicks have a horrendous roster outside of Amare now, and their coach is a proven loser when it counts most and doesn't coach defense at all, which is a big part of LeBron's continued attempts to improve his game. The Knicks would've still struggled to beat the Heat or the Celtics or even the Magic. Don't forget Dwight Howard is still in the Eastern Conference.

People may scoff at the idea but in 2009 when the Lakers won, who did they have besides Kobe and Gasol?

Lamar Odom was very instrumental in the win. Trevor Ariza also played a good part. But you're kind of contradicting yourself by claiming that they had only two stars. The Knicks would only have two if they had got LeBron, and neither LeBron nor Amare is on the same plane as Kobe or Gasol.

They had some quality vets like Fisher, but no other all stars. The Knicks may have been able to make some moves to try to get some players of the caliber of Odom, Fisher or Ariza.

What players? And what do you give up to get them? Danilo Galinari? Nobody wants that stiff.

And Lebron would still be the top dog on either team. It doesn't surprise me, though... Lebron never appeared to me as someone who wanted to take challenges head on like MJ or Kobe.

Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant both benefitted from being on teams that have ownership and front office personnel that value winning and are able to do what it takes to get the pieces necessary to compete. Dan Gilbert and the Cavaliers went out and signed a 36-year-old completely done Shaquille O'Neal, traded for an aging Antawn Jamison, and signed bums like Delonte West and Anderson Varejao. The only person that can blame the Cavaliers for this is themselves.

 

[tecolote]

I don't have a problem with him going to the heat (I hate team nicknames that don't end with an "s"), but I do have a problem with the way he did it, he basically dumped his longtime girlfriend on national television.

That was pretty classless and he will deserve every boo coming to him for the rest of his career.

 

[casmith07]

I don't have a problem with him going to the heat (I hate team nicknames that don't end with an "s"), but I do have a problem with the way he did it, he basically dumped his longtime girlfriend on national television.

That was pretty classless and he will deserve every boo coming to him for the rest of his career.

If you think that's classless (he handled himself very professionally) you should read Dan Gilbert's "open letter."

 

[tecolote]

If you think that's classless (he handled himself very professionally) you should read Dan Gilbert's "open letter."

It's not how he handled himself, but why do it like a reality show, just imagine if Tony did that and announced he was going to another team, how would you feel?

I have always been a Lebron fan, but yesterday was not his finest hour.

And I agree about the letter.

 

[casmith07]

It's not how he handled himself, but why do it like a reality show, just imagine if Tony did that and announced he was going to another team, how would you feel?

I have always been a Lebron fan, but yesterday was not his finest hour.

And I agree about the letter.

It was ESPN's idea - they approached his manager Maverick Carter about the idea. LeBron ran with it and donated the revenue to charity...it would've been more humble to just make an announcement, especially since he has yet to even come close to winning a single game in the Finals, but it wasn't as bad as people are making it out to be.

The very media that's created "King James" is now tearing him down because they expected their monster to lift his pinky while drinking tea...it's ridiculous. I blame ESPN and the sports media 100%.

 

[Reality]

It was ESPN's idea - they approached his manager Maverick Carter about the idea.

That's weird .. the sports guys on ESPN Radio were saying it was LeBron who contacted ESPN to set it up in the days leading up to it.

-Reality

 

[casmith07]

That's weird .. the sports guys on ESPN Radio were saying it was LeBron who contacted ESPN to set it up in the days leading up to it.

-Reality

Of course they would, it's ESPN! Can't harm the coverage agenda!

 

[tecolote]

It was ESPN's idea - they approached his manager Maverick Carter about the idea. LeBron ran with it and donated the revenue to charity...it would've been more humble to just make an announcement, especially since he has yet to even come close to winning a single game in the Finals, but it wasn't as bad as people are making it out to be.

The very media that's created "King James" is now tearing him down because they expected their monster to lift his pinky while drinking tea...it's ridiculous. I blame ESPN and the sports media 100%.

And when he wins his first title, which he will, they will be on his jock again.

Look, LeBron is a very smart man, he just needs better advisors, I can't believe no one in his posse went "YOU'RE GOING TO DO WHAT?" when they heard about "The Decision".

I'm sure he regrets doing that now.

 

[casmith07]

And when he wins his first title, which he will, they will be on his jock again.

Look, LeBron is a very smart man, he just needs better advisors, I can't believe no one in his posse went "YOU'RE GOING TO DO WHAT?" when they heard about "The Decision".

I'm sure he regrets doing that now.

The first time the Heat tip off this season, all will be forgotten.

Edit: the first NFL training camp that opens, all will be forgotten :laugh1:

 

[tecolote]

The first time the Heat tip off this season, all will be forgotten.

Edit: the first NFL training camp that opens, all will be forgotten :laugh1:

Training Camp starts in: 13 days 18 hours 22 minutes 56 seconds

It can't get here fast enough.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

He obviously made winning, not money, his #1 priority. I gotta applaud him for that.

Exactly.

I'm sure he could care less what a few butt hurt fans and haters think about the decision.

I can't argue that. I just couldn't see MJ or Kobe jumping ship for a so called power house. JMO.

MJ didn't have to. They brought the high quality pieces to him by coming up with players like Pippen, Grant, Kerr, Paxon. Then going out and getting a Rodman when he was available.

To this point the best Cleveland did to help him was to get him an end of the line Shaq.

You say this like he won't make 100 million.

He probably still will but I heard yesterday that he left 30 million on the table by not taking Clevelands offer. That's a lot of money, if its true of course.

It won't touch Cleveland money.

That's exactly what I heard.

Same here .. I am not a fan of any of the teams he was considering but I would have respected him more had he stayed in Cleveland or had gone to the the Knicks, Nets or Bulls. At least in those places he would have earned any championships he won.

-Reality

How will he still not have earned it? Are they just going to give the championship away to them now?

Bottom line no matter where he went, if they win, they earned it.

Some dumb posts in this thread. How is he not going to "earn" a championship just because he's playing with Wade and Bosh and not Rose and Noah?

Exactly. He'll have earned it regardless and I'm sure he wont lose any sleep any way on what some fans think about rather he earned his ring or not.

lol at those castigating Lebron for wanting to further his chances to earn a ring.

It's possible that he'll be sacrificing his stats by this move, which everyone here would applaud if he joined the Cowboys.

Excellent post Bob. I agree completely.

exactly he is basically sacrificing his chance at GOAT with this move.

Championships > GOAT tag

I don't blame Lebron at all.

 

[CATCH17]

Wade has proven he can win as the main guy, that's the point.

2006 Miami Heat.

He had 17/7 Shaq as his "help", plus a lot of hot garbage: end of the road Payton, end of the road Walker, Mr. Mediocre Haslem, White Chocolate Chunks, and decrepit Zo.

And still somehow won it all.

Refs.

 

[SkinsandTerps]

That's weird .. the sports guys on ESPN Radio were saying it was LeBron who contacted ESPN to set it up in the days leading up to it.

-Reality

It was. You are right.

Of course they would, it's ESPN! Can't harm the coverage agenda!

So they just flat out lie about the meeting/conversations when there are several "witnesses" ?

It was the other way around.
ESPN may have suggested the sponsorship, and then LeBron's camp wanted to donate to the kids which is reasonable. The whole hour part had to have been ESPN. But the show was Team LeBron.

 

[rkstevens]

That's weird .. the sports guys on ESPN Radio were saying it was LeBron who contacted ESPN to set it up in the days leading up to it.

-Reality

It was reported that Jim Gray of all people was the one who came up with the idea for the special and contacted Lebron's people. They selected ESPN to air it and ESPN agreed to allow Gray (who does not work for ESPN) to be the interviewer with the understanding that the ESPN crew would have plenty of time during the broadcast to interview Lebron themselves. Not only was the money from the advertising donated to the Boys and Girls Club, but ESPN paid for the travel and production costs. They basically footed the expenses to be able to air the decision.

 

[big dog cowboy]

It was reported that Jim Gray of all people was the one who came up with the idea for the special and contacted Lebron's people.

I heard Gray tell the story on the radio a couple of days ago on Dan Patrick's radio show on Fox Sports. It was his idea and it was a very interesting story.