Beat them or join them?

[Nature Boy]

Beat them. How can you consider yourself the best if you didn't beat the best?

 

[Irish]

Im tired of the Lebron talk and I am just gonna rant about this.

First off I have never been a fan of his and think he is overrated. He has a bad jumper and gets calls and whines when he doesn't. But saying that I support his decision. The guy wants to win championships. He gave up being the guy so he can win championships. If he won one in Cleveland and was "the guy" would he be in the consideration of best ever? Fuck no. Your lying to yourself if you put him ahead of Kobe, Jordan or whoever you want to throw in their.

For once in a long time a guy is throwing his ego to the side to be a role player so he can win. He wants to win. Maybe he doesn't want to be the man, who really cares. He will never be Jordan, nobody will be Jordan, Lebron had to be himself. The NBA created this problem of him ruining his legacy. Last time I checked basketball is a team sport, the only legacy that should matter is a TEAM LEGACY. The NBA is the only major league that markets players larger than teams. Marketing a player larger than the team is why this has become such a big debate. When A-rod went to the Yanks in his prime, did it tarnish his legacy? No. (The steroids did). Lebron would rather build a team legacy of winning multiple championships but since he is made out to be The King, thats not allowed?

And why are we hating on the guy because he wants to win. Remember when Kobe had Shaq, forced him out of town to become the guy, and then whine and complain cause he had nobody there, demands a trade, and gets Pau Gasol to help him win a few more rings. Remember that when everyone hated the guy. When it was ego maniacal Kobe. He wasnt about the team, he was about himself. EVERYONE ripped him for it. Now LeBron gets ripped for not being about himself but rather as trying to help a team. What do you guys want?

LeBron had to do him. He isn't Jordan, he doesn't have to be. Stop trying to make him out to be something he isn't. He is still a damn good basketball player and thats all that matters. Not that he did a unselfish thing and chose to win over fame and fortune.

And as for "The Decision" special, the guy said at the end that all the money raised for the program will go to the Boys and Girls club. The guy saw how much unnecessary publicity and dumb media coverage over it and tried to make it into a positive. It wasn't a back stab towards Cleveland, stop being bitter. He didn't owe Cleveland anything, in fact the city should be thankful he brought in so much money and publicity that he did. Lebron devoted 7 years to try to make Cavs a winner, and he almost did. Just be lucky you have a serviceable franchise still there. The Cavs knew he could be leaving, they shouldn't have put all their eggs in one basket. You can't hit the jackpot everytime, and you already did by having him for 7 years.

He wants to win championships which is what the sport is about, not money, not accolades. Since when is that looked down upon?


Sorry for all that.

 

[Primetime]

IMO Magic Johnson is considered one of the greatest of all time, similar to what LeBron would like to be. He's said in multiple interviews over the years that Jordan is the greatest ever and he always will be. Magic wasn't the man on his team when signing with the Lakers and he went to a team that had a player more impactful than Wade in Kareem. The man was a 5-time MVP and had already won a title, but not many people would put him over Magic.

It will be the same with LeBron. If he stays healthy and the Heat do exactly what they got together to do, win mulitple championships, he will be considered one of the greatest ever IMO.

 

[beamerball811]

You have to beat the best to be the best. If the best are on one team, you don't beat the best...so beat them. CP3 doesn't have a NTC so he doesn't choose where he wants to go. It's possible that CP3 ends up somewhere other than NY/Dallas/LA/Orlando

 

[FedEx227]

IMO Magic Johnson is considered one of the greatest of all time, similar to what LeBron would like to be. He's said in multiple interviews over the years that Jordan is the greatest ever and he always will be. Magic wasn't the man on his team when signing with the Lakers and he went to a team that had a player more impactful than Wade in Kareem. The man was a 5-time MVP and had already won a title, but not many people would put him over Magic.

It will be the same with LeBron. If he stays healthy and the Heat do exactly what they got together to do, win mulitple championships, he will be considered one of the greatest ever IMO.

Magic was drafted by the Lakers, he didn't sign with them. Pretty big difference.

 

[Sportsbuck]

Cleveland fans aren't bitter because Lebron left to go to the Heat. I've said this before but we're bitter because of the way he left.

 

[Fox1994]

Cleveland fans aren't bitter because Lebron left to go to the Heat. I've said this before but we're bitter because of the way he left.

Eh, that's easy to say when it happened this way.

@ Irish - you're right.

 

[FedEx227]

He's really not though. He's missing a lot of the reasons most people are upset. He's spouting the same crap ESPN and bullshit journalists are.

People are upset in the way he did it, the actions that led up to it, the backstabbing, hypocracy, etc. read an Adrian Woj. article and you'll see why many of us are upset. This wasn't a 2 week, oh well I guess I'll go here thing. There was much more too it. The worst part is treating your current team the way he did, even if he didn't go back to Cleveland there was no reason to not inform the Cavaliers ahead of time, not 5 minutes before your ESPN special.

It's not just about winning championships... yeah titles are great and all but again, we aren't talking about a 35 year old Karl Malone, we're talking about a 26 year old freak athlete. We're talking about a guy absolutely in the prime of his career. We're talking a guy who marketed himself as "The King", told everyone he wanted to be the greatest ever, wanted to be a billion dollar athlete and wanted to be legendary. However, when the time came he withered under pressure and went with the easiest, least personally responsible route and did it in an extremely self-centered, maniacal way.

Again, I'm not pissed at him per say, just disappointed. There's nothing wrong with going this route, it's just sickening that someone at 26 years old with all the physical tools in this world took the easiest possible route instead of following in the footsteps of other legendary players in his sport.

Also as Sportsbuck said, it's not just what happened, but how. The entire process was handled so poorly by LeBron and his shitty inner circle of childhood friends and childhood friends with fledgling marketing firms.

 

[Palooza]

Beat those fucking pussies.

 

[Juggernaut]

Again, I'm not pissed at him per say, just disappointed. There's nothing wrong with going this route, it's just sickening that someone at 26 years old with all the physical tools in this world took the easiest possible route instead of following in the footsteps of other legendary players in his sport.

Bingo. That's how a lot of people feel, as they saw this promising young man who was oozing potential to be the G.O.A.T and yet, when the time came for him to choose championships over greatness, it was a great let down.

I rather see LeBron go the way Malone and Stockton did than see him take the easy way and win championships by signing with Wade and Bosh.

 

[Irish]

In the way he left Cleveland? The guy coulda pissed all over the town if he wanted to. He owed Cleveland NOTHING. If he woulda not told Cleveland 3 days after he decided he can damn well please do it. Instead not once did he ever talk down about Cleveland. Why did he not tell anyone his decision? Who knows. Would it have been more professional? Yes. But I feel that even if he told Cleveland the day of he announced it to everyone, this reaction is still the same. Cleveland is still bitter, or disappointed as you guys say. It was a bad situation from the start for LeBron James. But he did what was best for him.

when the time came for him to choose championships over greatness, it was a great let down.

This is the problem everyone is having. The sport isn't about being the best ever. Its not. No one should care who is cause you will never figure it out because it is an opinionated matter. He plays a sport. The main goal of the sport is to win. LeBron has a desire to win championships, not become the greatest ever. Since when is that a bad thing?

Even what Primetime says disagrees with me and he thanked my post. Sports arent about becoming the greatest person ever. LeBron wants to win, not be the GOAT. Stop ripping the guy because you want him to be in the GOAT conversation, because in the end f the day the sport won't care how many points you scored. Its about winning as a team. And I think he will win a lot with Miami and create a team dynasty that we will remember. Like what the game is supposed to be about.

 

[Sportsbuck]

In the way he left Cleveland? The guy coulda pissed all over the town if he wanted to. He owed Cleveland NOTHING. If he woulda not told Cleveland 3 days after he decided he can damn well please do it. Instead not once did he ever talk down about Cleveland. Why did he not tell anyone his decision? Who knows. Would it have been more professional? Yes. But I feel that even if he told Cleveland the day of he announced it to everyone, this reaction is still the same. Cleveland is still bitter, or disappointed as you guys say. It was a bad situation from the start for LeBron James. But he did what was best for him.

It would've been much different. If he had left with class and handled it all like a man, you wouldn't have people burning his jersey, villifying the man, and genuinely hating him on a level not seen since Art Modell packed things up and moved to Baltimore. By no means am I suggesting that people would love the man after he left, but to say that the reaction would be the same is pure ignorance.

So Lebron can do what he wants, but Cleveland fans have no right to be angry or bitter? Pretty hypocritical stance you got there Irish.

 

[Irish]

Comparing this to Art Modell is laughable. Cleveland knew he could leave. Its been evident for like 2 years now that LeBron wasn't a lock for Cleveland and wanted to maybe find a new place. Modell left without all this hubbub. He did it in secret and one day he left. LeBron never gave the city false hope.

Lebron can do what he wants and Cleveland fans can do what they want. I feel like the way Cleveland fans feel just isnt justifiable. Its like someone gave a kid a a free toy, you told the kid one day you will probably take it back. Cleveland fans are acting like children whining and bitching about him actually going away, a fate he didnt hide. I just think Cleveland showing a lack of maturity during it isnt classy either.

So LeBron is trying to handle the situation in a much more classy way than Cleveland is. He is handling it like a man, Cleveland fans are the ones whining like children burning his jersey.

They are entitled to act that way if they want. I just think its immature. Not hypocritical.

 

[Sportsbuck]

Comparing this to Art Modell is laughable. Cleveland knew he could leave. Its been evident for like 2 years now that LeBron wasn't a lock for Cleveland and wanted to maybe find a new place. Modell left without all this hubbub. He did it in secret and one day he left. LeBron never gave the city false hope.

Lebron never gave the city false hope? LOL. He said since Day 1, "I'll do whatever it takes, I WILL bring a championship back to Cleveland." He talked about how he was one of us, how he wanted to play his whole career in Cleveland. All the while behind everyone's back he, DWade, and Bosh were planning to team up in a couple of years.

Lebron can do what he wants and Cleveland fans can do what they want. I feel like the way Cleveland fans feel just isnt justifiable. Its like someone gave a kid a a free toy, you told the kid one day you will probably take it back. Cleveland fans are acting like children whining and bitching about him actually going away, a fate he didnt hide. I just think Cleveland showing a lack of maturity during it isnt classy either.

Cleveland isn't acting classy, far from it, I agree. It's a blue collar town... when its disrespected you get that disrespect shoved right back at you. There is no analogy or past situation that can be compared to this IMO, its one of the most unique in sports history.

So LeBron is trying to handle the situation in a much more classy way than Cleveland is. He is handling it like a man, Cleveland fans are the ones whining like children burning his jersey.

Lebron handled the situation like a man? He refused to return phone calls and texts from the Cleveland brass. He didn't have the balls to tell the Cavs he wasn't coming back, he had one of his high school buddies do that over the phone. We must have entirely different definitions of what handling a situation like a man is like.

Lebron made his bed. Now he's gotta sleep in it.

 

[Bear Pand]

Personally I'd rather see stars battling it out but I'm not gonna hold it against James for teaming up. I think part of the problem is people put James on such a high pedestal it was inevitable he'd let everyone down. He has all the physical tools to be one of the GOATs but he isn't there mentally. The way he handled this whole situation just shows how immature and retarded he is. Probablly for the best he's on a team that isn't totally reliant on him now.

 

[Rayman]

When I was a kid, I wanted the Knicks to knock off Jordan and the Bulls as constituted.

It never worked out that way, but I would have been pretty fucking sour if Patrick Ewing had ever bailed on us to be Jordan's lackey for the sake of winning a title.

He didn't win jack shit, but the man had pride.

 

[Shwayzed]

In the way he left Cleveland? The guy coulda pissed all over the town if he wanted to. He owed Cleveland NOTHING. If he woulda not told Cleveland 3 days after he decided he can damn well please do it. Instead not once did he ever talk down about Cleveland. Why did he not tell anyone his decision? Who knows. Would it have been more professional? Yes. But I feel that even if he told Cleveland the day of he announced it to everyone, this reaction is still the same. Cleveland is still bitter, or disappointed as you guys say. It was a bad situation from the start for LeBron James. But he did what was best for him.

No, he doesn't owe Cleveland anything, but thats not the discussion. He could've been a man... given Cleveland enough time to try & fucking prepare for his departure. They still felt like they had him. By the time he made his decision, what FAs were left? Brad Miller (I think?), Kyle Korver..?

All the big names were signed already. He left the city in ruins with his departure.. giving false hope that they still had a chance.

This entire back & forth front was complete bullshit. Many experts agree that Wade, Bosh, & Bron basically knew what they were gonna do since their Team USA & All Star Game appearances together.


I don't hate the guy. Good luck in Miami.. its just that his way of leaving was complete bullshit.

 

[jags224]

im impressed with lebron though putting his ego aside. he knew from day one that its Dwyane Wades team not his. and i think fedex said it, lebron left in his prime becauase he didnt want to sign a huge contract and be 31 years old or however with no ring and no legs. alot of people do that towards their end of their career but me personally i dont want to win a championship by not competing 100%. i want to have a huge role and impact in winning a nba championship not just floating by. and LBJ found an oppurtunity where he can win potentially SEVERAL championships and still be in his prime. one thing I didnt like about the whole situation is how LeBron kept having cleveland thinking how he was going to resign up to the very last day and then he goes on a fucking national televised show on espn named "the decision" and tell the city of cleveland how he chooses to play in south beach and says it with a nice little grin. but i cant blame him about going playing with two of his good friends and living in south beach, cmon now. as some people said though its how he left that made me mad and alot of other people.

and one thing about Michael that LeBron doesnt have is the whole mental game which jordan excelled in, the will to win, leadership and most importantly, heart. MJ talked shit and got in people's heads and ripped hearts out day in and day out, LeBron lacks all of that.

 

[jeffx]

...and one thing about Michael that LeBron doesnt have is the whole mental game which jordan excelled in, the will to win, leadership and most importantly, heart. MJ talked shit and got in people's heads and ripped hearts out day in and day out, LeBron lacks all of that.

Then we were all wrong about LeBron. He was marketed as 'King James' and 'The Witness', but he doesn't have the stuff to back it up - Michael, Magic, Larry & Isiah did.