Official LEBRON 2010 Thread (The Decision: MIAMI HEAT)

[xx legod xx]

Originally Posted by FIRST B0RN

From reading through all of these responses it has become evidently clear that individuals bashing Lebron are simply afraid of what is inevitable. This Miami Heat team is going to dominate the NBA for years to come. I have no doubt that Riley will continue to put the right pieces in place to ensure that. Anyone saying Lebron can't be mentioned in the same sentence as Kobe and MJ is clearly speaking out of their $$@@.

This.

 

[duba169]

he would get criticized for going to the bulls/knicks/clippers

but he just got crucified for going to the heat. big difference. once again this is supposed to be the person who had a shot to be the next MJ. that is all finished.

he is the chosen one third now

 

[philly035]

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

Another thing I don't get....a lot of folks wouldn't have bashed Bosh if he went to Cleveland to play w. Lebron...but now bron is playing with both Bosh & Wade, it's a problem? What's the object in professional sports? TO WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS!! That's why these guys play the game in the first place. Every GM REGARDLESS of sport tries their best to assemble a team that has a chance to compete for a title. Pat Riley worked some magic and made it possible for 3 of the best players in the NBA to be on one squad. There's a lot of boo-hooing and *****ing about this "new" Miami team. They were within the rules of the league to handle the signings, and CLEARLY Lebron, Bosh, and Wade value winning championships over critics opinions of what their legacies will be due to who they are now teammates with.

Most are mad because this guy has "CHOSEN ONE" tattooed on his back, and is said to be the greatest of all time to ever play the game. His name is The King for crying out loud. Yet he had to leave his team to join a stacked team in Miami. I'm not doubting that this was the best move for him to win, but it does ruin his legacy as being a ring chaser at the age of 25.

Here's a very good article for you all to read. Exactly how I feel about LeBron and his image.

After the Pistons had just wrapped up their second title in a row. MJ opted out of his contract with the Bulls and had this to say.....


GREENWICH, Conn., July 8, 1990 -- Michael Jordan announced on national television he's leaving Chicago to join the Detroit Pistons. Jordan said it was tough to bolt Chicago, where he was the most popular athlete in many years, because he thinks he has a better chance to win a championship if he plays with Pistons star Isiah Thomas. Jordan said by playing together, he and Thomas "won't have the pressure of going out and scoring 30 every night."

That would have sounded absurd, right? Well, it is no more absurd than what LeBron James is doing. Jordan was 27 years old in 1990, slightly older than James is now. He had never been to the NBA Finals. He had been beaten up by the Celtics and Pistons for years. He doubted his supporting cast was good enough.

But he never doubted himself.

And it became very clear Thursday night that LeBron James does doubt himself. James will be a champion in Miami -- if not next year, then sometime after that. If you put James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh together and give Pat Riley five years to find the complementary pieces, that team will win a championship.

But James does not have the heart of a champion. He does not have the competitive fire of Jordan, the bull-headed determination of Kobe Bryant, the quiet self-confidence of Tim Duncan, the willful defiance of Isiah or the winning-is-everything hunger of Magic Johnson.

He is an extremely gifted player who wants the easy way out.

And how do we know this?

James said so himself.

Oh, not in so many words. But once ESPN was done ESPN-izing its LeBron coverage -- filling it with babbling experts, needless hype and Jim Gray submitting his top six entries in the Stupidest Question Ever contest -- the self-proclaimed King said everything you need to know about him.

1. "You have to do what's best for you, and what's going to make you happy."

This is what's going to make him happy? Sharing a stage with two other stars? Really?

I guess that's all LeBron is: A complementary player with superstar talent. We should have figured this out before: He got that giant CHOSEN 1 tattoo on his back and calls himself King James because he is desperate for reassurance.

There is no greater challenge in sports getting drafted by a godawful team, planting your flag in a city and working like crazy until you have turned that team into a champion.

LeBron James didn't want the challenge. He wanted to play with his buddies.

2. "We don't have the pressure of going out and scoring 30 every night or shooting a high percentage."

Whoa. Hold on there. Scoring 30 a night is too much pressure for one of the five most talented players ever?

Find me another all-time NBA great who would utter those words. Jordan would rather do an adidas commercial than say that. Bryant must have laughed as he heard the so-called "King" say that. Larry Bird? The next time he complains about pressure will be the first. Magic was the greatest team player of the last 40 years, but he was also so competitive that he wanted to play Jordan one-on-one in a promotional event -- and this was when Magic had won titles and Jordan had not, so Magic had more to lose.

3. "I know how loyal I am."

The man just dumped his hometown(s) on national television. Cleveland (and, by extension, Akron) happens to be the most tortured sports city in America. To do that, then say "I know how loyal I am" ... wow, wow, wow.

I wish I could sit in on one of LeBron's meetings with his advisers. Does he make them all wear mirrored sunglasses, so that when he looks at them he sees himself?

We really don't ask that much of our sports stars. Try not to get arrested for anything big. Don't curse at the fans. You know, small stuff. We even understand that 95 percent of the time, they will make career decisions based on money -- we might not love it, but we understand it.

But see, the biggest thing that we ask of our sports stars is this: Take the competition as seriously as we do.

When LeBron James loses to Boston in the playoffs, we want him to take the heat, not take the Heat's offer. We want him to spend the summer adding to his game, calling and texting his teammates, plotting to do better next season.

Instead, well ...

4. "It's about joining forces with the other two guys."

He sounds like a nine-year-old playing Star Wars games with his buddies at a sleepover. And again: I do believe this Miami team will win a title. But it won't be as easy as he wants it to be. Miami will have the weakest bench of any contender next season After that, the NBA will have a lockout, and the league could eliminate the mid-level exception, which would be Miami's best tool for adding talent.

So this is a cop-out, but it's not as easy of a cop-out as it appears. And that brings us to ...

5. "This is the greatest challenge for me."

LeBron James just jumped into an elevator and wants us to think he can fly. Sorry, but we know better. We know that he did something Michael, Magic, Bird and Bill Russell never would have done. We know he ditched Cleveland for an All-Star team.

But you know what? In Miami, anything short of a title will be a failure. Nobody outside of Miami will root for this team, and nobody in Miami roots for anybody. They're too busy enjoying the weather.

I thought he would stay in Cleveland, because I thought all he cared about was adoration. I was wrong about Cleveland, but he is wrong about adoration. He thinks he'll get it by winning a title. He has insulated himself from the world, surrounded himself with yes men. He has no idea how much backlash he is about to get.

That's one of the great ironies of this -- James is trying to flee pressure, but he will just face more of it. He is trying to maximize his "brand," but he just damaged it.

The first time I watched LeBron James live, I thought he could be the greatest player ever. The sad truth for us, for him, and for the NBA is that he never really believed it himself.

 

[abeautifulhaze]

Straight ho-move regardless of what anyone says.

I watched ball from as early as I can remember and this is the most spineless display from a superstar that I have seen in all of my years of watching the sport.

If the greats like Barkley and Walt Clyde can see this for what it is, "taking the easy way out"...everyone should be able to see it as well.

For years I defended Bron's character when ever someone called it out...but this is indefensible and proves those accusations of *****ism to be correct.

He's proven that hes not fit to be a leader, that he doesn't care about his legacy or potentially being GOAT...rather that hes a primadonna easily swayed by others and devoid of the heart of a champion.

He can't bare a Chicago winter like Mike, he can't stand up under the glare of NY lights like Patrick, he can't put a perennial loser on his back and carry them to the promised land like Dr. J...he's just a heartless, self-centered, mega-talented diva and i'm done rooting for him.

This ain't Kareem, Magic and Worthy, this ain't Mike and Scottie or Kobe and Shaq, this ain't even Boston's big Three....anyone who knows the history of the game knows that those comparisons are way off.

LeBron stared at the unwritten rules, which lay at the core of competitive sports, in the face, turned his head, sidestepped his questionable conscience and ran to party central in hopes of taking the easiest route to victory.

Mike and Kobe's grating ego and determination at all costs used to rub me the wrong way at times but now I respect it more than ever. To put the world on your shoulders you truly have to have a heart and soul made of the toughest material...and tough material can sometimes be abrasive. But I now see that it is far better to be tough and oft times abrasive, when you are really sacrificing yourself to share your greatness with others. I see that having a big ego but carrying on tradition is far better than having an out of control ego that overrides logic and loyalty.

LeBron can wain 4 championships with this team, to those that really follow the sport, he will never be in the discussion as the G.O.A.T.

 

[MVP]

Originally Posted by FIRST B0RN

From reading through all of these responses it has become evidently clear that individuals bashing Lebron are simply afraid of what is inevitable. This Miami Heat team is going to dominate the NBA for years to come. I have no doubt that Riley will continue to put the right pieces in place to ensure that. Anyone saying Lebron can't be mentioned in the same sentence as Kobe and MJ is clearly speaking out of their $$@@. Funny how some of you fail to remember Kobe was a second option for 3 of the titles he claims.

It was a different situation. Kobe was drafted by Charlotte, traded to LA, sat on the bench for 1 1/2 years basically. Shaq was already and established superstar. Then Kobe started getting his shine and shot up the ranks in the league. Shaq left. Kobe eventually won 2 more titles as the clear cut 1st option for his team.

Bron is a 2 time league MVP, who basically said I can't do it as THE MAN or 1st option on a team, hell even if he went to the Bulls or Knicks he would have been the clear cut 1st option and THE MAN on those teams. But to go to another man's city and team in Wade who has already won a title and Finals MVP being the man, and who is in the top 3 players in the league right now, just to me says a lot about what kinda player Bron thinks he is. He even said in the interview after "The Decision" that he needed someone to take some of the pressure off of him. It's just funny that he's been built up as the King, Chosen 1 and this alpha dog status, and is going to someone else's court.

He'll be the best player talent wise on the Heat, but that will forever be WADE COUNTY and WADE'S TEAM, not just for the on-court exploits of Dwyane, but for what he's done for that community. The ARod/Jeter comparison is about the best comparison, but the even the talent gap between Wade/Bron isn't that great as Jeter is on the downside of his career, these Heat dudes are both in their primes.

 

[abeautifulhaze]

That article is 100% on point.

 

[scuse7]

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

 What's the object in professional sports? TO WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS!!

Ding...Ding....Ding

 

[moneyisthemotive]

Originally Posted by abeautifulhaze

That article is 100% on point.

no bull ... smh

 

[rudemiester]

^Selfish. Yall would rather see Lebron stick it out in cleveland and possibly remain ringless for the rest of his career than see him fulfill his dreams. Ewing? Barkley? No championships to show for their hard work and dont even get me started on the disrespect the Knicks payed Ewing towards the end of his career.. AND BARKLEY is the biggest hypocrite out there..was he a Sixer for life or did he make the jump several times only to come up empty handed? Like I said before evryones overly concerned with Bron maintaining a legacy as an individual when in sports your true legacy will be defined by championship glory NOT individual accomplishments. Lebron did the right thing.

 

[trelvis tha thrilla]

Originally Posted by bilbo07

did anyone ever think maybe...he dosent care about being the best ever. maybe he just wants to be rich and play basketball with his friends is a beautiful city...

Well, that might be true, but that line of thinking really doesnt go along with someone who calls themselves the King and has said publicly multiple times that he wants to be a global icon and billionaire athlete.

 

[23kidd]

 

[put em up]

Never knew winning was so frowned apon in todays society.
Haze;

Who the @*!% in their right mind wants to battle that Chicago winter?

Beaches or blizzards...let's be smart about that one.


O well Bron gonna get his ring with another HOF like any other champion in the NBA has done.

He's gonna avg 22ppg 9apg and 9rpg. And still be in the race for another MVP year.

At the end of his career he will be judge on how many mvps he received and how many ring he got. Non of these nonsense yall talking.


No way in hell was he gonna win a ring in Cleveland.

Noth with that coach
Not with mo williams as his 2nd option.
Not with Jamison at the four.
No elite FA wants to go to Cleveland.

James smarten up and know to get outta there now, instead of when he's 30 and still didn't have a ring.
That was a easy choice. Business smart, lifestyle better, and a winning situation.

 

[gottig10]

Originally Posted by SCuse7

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

 What's the object in professional sports? TO WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS!!

Ding...Ding....Ding

 

[put em up]

@ that Barkley reference. Son played for 3 different teams chasing a ring.

And that stunt Ewing pulled in Orlando before he hung them up? Really?

 

[abeautifulhaze]

Originally Posted by SCuse7

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

 What's the object in professional sports? TO WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS!!

Ding...Ding....Ding

Not like this though.

The object of all games is to win but there are unwritten rules to competition....like....IT HAS TO BE COMPETITIVE.

When you're playing playground ball and you choose up...do all of the biggest and most talented players join up to play against everyone else or do you attempt to pick evenly so that the game is competitive?

Any game you play, if you know that you and a couple others are the best at the game and the rest of the players are a level lower...you choose evenly so that you can go against the other greats, help make the lower level players better and keep things competitive. You don't join forces with the other top players and expect for your victory to hold as much weight.

Parity is at the heart or sports and LeBron knows this...thats why he was all shifty eyed and nervous at his announcement but as long as his ego is stroked in south beach...he'll be alright.

 

[TheGift23]

Originally Posted by abeautifulhaze


When you're playing playground ball and you choose up...do all of the biggest and most talented players join up to play against everyone else or do you attempt to pick evenly so that the game is competitive?

Smart people join up and beat the hell out of others

.

 

[duba169]

Ewing was old, injured, and most importantlytraded. And that team had zero percent chance of winning. and barkley didn't chase rings at the age of 25. these comparisons are horrible

 

[whywesteppin]

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

Originally Posted by whywesteppin

There are a lot of different things to argue here, but maybe it all comes from the same underlying issue.

The 1-hour special was gross and I think (or hope) everyone sees that, especially given the fact that you're leaving your team of 7 years in that fashion.

He chose not to take on the challenge of single-handedly taking his team all the way. Now, this is an impossible task. Allen Iverson almost did it. Scottie Pippen sort of got close. But to go all the way requires someone extraordinary.... Lebron could have been that guy. We've never seen anyone with that size and athleticism and skill and court vision before. I'm not saying he needed to do that in Cleveland, but he could have done it somewhere, and then he could actually justify the "king" moniker.

INSTEAD

He is now on a team where you could probably exchange Lebron with about 30 other NBA players and get a similar result. Woohoo, Lebron, you're going to buy your team an extra 5 victories each season. Spectacular! Like a KING! Now "king" is an sarcastic insult.

Let me ask you...(hypothetically, of course) to "justify" his king moniker, would his legacy be the same had he remained in Cleveland for his whole career and either NOT won a title, or walked away with one championship....or go to Miami and lets say...win 4 rings?  You gonna look at the dude any differently at the end of the day? 

Like I said before, no matter what the dude chose to do in FA, he would have been criticized.  He did all he could in Cleveland, and moved on.  There's nothing more to it. 

And on a side note, if Dan Gilbert was this disgusted at the dude for "quitting," did he take it up with Lebron after the series or did he continue to kiss his %$@?

If he stayed in Cleveland and won 0 or 1 versus going to Miami and winning 4... it would pretty much be the same.
I'm saying if he stayed in Cleveland and won 3 rings, he would be in the discussion for greatest of all time. Now there will always be doubts.

And to those of you saying it's all about rings... I'll give you an example. If you're playing the Lakers in the finals, any real competitor would rather Kobe not get injured so that you can say you beat the Lakers at full-strength. That's what it means to be competitive. As opposed to some %%!+@ who just wants the ring in the easiest way possible. Granted, it's not easy to get a ring. It's not like you're playing NBA Live or something. So you do want to field the best team possible. But this just feels like the wrong way to go about it.

 

[Master Zik]

Originally Posted by Put em up

@ that Barkley reference. Son played for 3 different teams chasing a ring.

And that stunt Ewing pulled in Orlando before he hung them up? Really?

How old are you?

Did the Orlando have a chance of winning a ring the year Ewing joined?

Charles Barkley had each team he went to built around him so how was he chasing a ring?

 

[put em up]

Originally Posted by Master Zik

Originally Posted by Put em up

@ that Barkley reference. Son played for 3 different teams chasing a ring.

And that stunt Ewing pulled in Orlando before he hung them up? Really?

How old are you?

Did the Orlando have a chance of winning a ring the year Ewing joined?

Charles Barkley had each team he went to built around him so how was he chasing a ring?

 

[doublejs07]

Originally Posted by abeautifulhaze

Originally Posted by SCuse7

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

 What's the object in professional sports? TO WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS!!

Ding...Ding....Ding

Not like this though.

The object of all games is to win but there are unwritten rules to competition....like....IT HAS TO BE COMPETITIVE.

When you're playing playground ball and you choose up...do all of the biggest and most talented players join up to play against everyone else or do you attempt to pick evenly so that the game is competitive?

Any game you play, if you know that you and a couple others are the best at the game and the rest of the players are a level lower...you choose evenly so that you can go against the other greats, help make the lower level players better and keep things competitive. You don't join forces with the other top players and expect for your victory to hold as much weight.

Parity is at the heart or sports and LeBron knows this...thats why he was all shifty eyed and nervous at his announcement but as long as his ego is stroked in south beach...he'll be alright.

Haze....you and I both know there's a HUGE difference between picking teams on the playground and playing pro-ball.  If I'm playing pick-up hoops and MILLIONS of dollars are on the line, are you going to go for parity while picking teams, or pick the squad that gives you the best chance of winning?

Parity is not what sports are all about.  It's what many people would like to see, but it's not realistic.  This is why people cheer for underdogs.  And why is there an "underdog" term?  Because parity is NOT the norm while playing pro sports. 

 

[mr s j king]

Jordan this...Jordan that....u wanna see the truth about Jordan's legacy.
The TRUTH is he had help. As a matter of fact it was 19+ points a nite in the playoffs help.
If you take Scottie Pippens playoff points per game averages for the 6 seasons he and Jordan won titles, he averaged 19pts per game.
Please, I beg you, please show me a teammate of LeBron on the Cavs that averaged 19pts a game IN THE PLAYOFFS.

Not only did he average 19pts, he also contributed in other ways.
Pippen averaged 8 rebounds per game, 5.5 assist per game, 2.1 steals per game, and 1 block per game for good measure.
These are Scottie Pippens NBA PLAYOFF STATISTICS. That is night after night consistency on the biggest stage in basketball.
This made Jordan that much better because he had a consistent second option to help keep the flow of the game in control.
Pippen entered the league in '87. Three years later in 1990, Jordan had his first of 6 titles. Three years after entering the league in '84, MJ had his help.
Lebrons been in the league for 7 years with the Cavs and they have yet to get him a consistent accomplice.

I GREATLY respect what Mr. Michael Jordan did in the NBA, but I cant help but point out he had help.
So LeBron doing it "by himself" is a fairy tale. It wasn't going to happen. People were already saying he would be another Dominique Wilkins.
So now that he leaves to join other talented players he has "tainted his legacy". I'm wondering if anybody really understands what a legacy is?
Highlights and hyped up sports reporting has led a lot of so called sports fans to now think they KNOW what a champion is, or what a great player is.
A great player makes great decisions on and off the field or court. Professional sports is a business, not a job.

 

[put em up]

Zik:

"Charles Barkley had each team he went to built around him so how was he chasing a ring?"

And you sir have no clue of what you speak. Charles joined Houston with Hakeem, Pippen and Clyde.
Chuck was the last piece added to make a run at ring that year.

 

[Betonblck]

Originally Posted by abeautifulhaze

Originally Posted by SCuse7

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

 What's the object in professional sports? TO WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS!!

Ding...Ding....Ding

Not like this though.

The object of all games is to win but there are unwritten rules to competition....like....IT HAS TO BE COMPETITIVE.

When you're playing playground ball and you choose up...do all of the biggest and most talented players join up to play against everyone else or do you attempt to pick evenly so that the game is competitive?

Any game you play, if you know that you and a couple others are the best at the game and the rest of the players are a level lower...you choose evenly so that you can go against the other greats, help make the lower level players better and keep things competitive. You don't join forces with the other top players and expect for your victory to hold as much weight.

Parity is at the heart or sports and LeBron knows this...thats why he was all shifty eyed and nervous at his announcement but as long as his ego is stroked in south beach...he'll be alright.

Great way of explaining it Haze.  You get respect by beating the best, not joining the best and beating up on weaker competition.  

 

[miamib30514]

From the heat thread ...

Dan le batard going ham on his local radio show. pretty funny