Considering Lebron would leave ASAP, that's possibly the dumbest trade I've ever heard, and that's saying something. Thanks for the laugh.
Sorry wasn't well written. Lebron is the 2nd best player in the world. I say 2nd best because if I had to choose between him and Kobe at the end of the game, I choose Kobe and I hate Kobe. Kobe is cold blooded and hits his free throws. That said Lebron is the smoothest basketball player I have ever seen play. I'm 38 and seen MJ's best days, Bird, Magic, Drexler, Barkley, etc and no one can match how easy it seems for Lebron. That said I just don't like what I see off the court with Lebron. He is cocky, errogant and shamelessly playing up his free agency in 2010. There was no reason for him to answer any questions about his free agency, if he cares about his current team/fans/ city he should say I'm not going to get into that until the time comes. Instead he's playing it up and seems to love the attention he's getting from it. IMO shows immaturity and a complete lack of respect to his current team. Do I respect his game of course, but doesn't mean I have to respect him (I realize he could give a shit about my opinion).
I'll take a lineup of PG: Brandon Roy SG: Rudy Fernandez SF: LeBron James PF: LaMarcus Aldridge C: Greg Oden Make it work KP, I'm sure Cleveland is interested in an expiring contract in Raef, with Bayless, Outlaw, Blake, Frye, Przybilla, Sergio and everyone else. (Kidding of course)
There is no chance, at all, that Cleveland will trade LeBron. Simmons was saying that LeBron would come here as a free agent, which would make alex42083's line-up real. The problem with the proposed trade is that it makes Portland not a whole lot better the Cleveland is right now. In fact, it might be worse, since Frye would be the power forward. LeBron would bolt after 2 years without bringing a title to Portland, leaving the Blazers right back at square one. Not a good deal.
I am sick and tired of all the LeBron bullshit. He's a great player, but the Blazers are putting together a TEAM to win multiple titles. Bluntly said, the Blazers don't need LeBron. They don't need Kobe. They don't need me-first, arrogant, selfish superstars who hog the ball and the spotlight. They've got what they need to win it all, the pot just needs to cook for a while. Once it's done, they'll be unstoppable. Besides, if LeBron doesn't stay in Cleveland, he's proven himself to be just another whiney selfish "superstar" who'se ego is bigger than his game. If he really gave a shit about winning over everything else, he'd restructure his contract and take less money from the Cavs so THEY could be a free agency player and get pieces to win championships around James. But you don't hear that from him, do you? You just get this "will he/won't he" dance that he's playing with the media, which must make Cleveland fans feel awesome. And if some-fucking-how he ends up in Los Angeles with the Lakers in a Pau Gasol-type theft trade, then it's one last nail in the theory of "The NBA is a large-market driven rigged piece of shit league".
There is no way to 100% guarantee that LeBron would re-sign with Portland. He would still have the option of signing straight up with NY in 2010. Because of that it would be COMPLETELY FUCKING INSANE TO TRADE ROY AND ALL THAT OTHER GOOD STUFF FOR LEBRON. Just ESPN filling pages with whatever.
Yeah, that's a real negative on him. Get back to me on the last NBA player you heard of who cut his own salary significantly during the prime of his career so the team could spend more on the supporting cast. As far as this idea goes, IMO, it would be totally dependent upon whether LeBron was willing to commit to a long term contract. I doubt you're going to get any such committment so this would go under the heading of fun to think about but not likely to happen.
"They don't need me-first, arrogant, selfish superstars who hog the ball and the spotlight." Funny, since me-first and selfish don't describe LeBron. Arrogant is hard to judge on, since we don't know him personally Yeah, I bet Roy, Oden, LMA, and Rudy all sign for the league minimum so LeBron and Paul sign with them for the MLE.
Larry Bird was cocky and let everybody know it. Jordan was an asshole to many of his teammates, was insanely competitive and a gambler. Barkley was a gambler and didn't play defense, costing his team's rings. Kobe was accused of rape and is cocky and a Jordan wannabe and has had run ins with players and coaches through his career. He played up the Free Agency bit with LA like few have. Yep, that LeBron, he is a one-of-a-kind, never before seen, cocky and flawed SuperStar. We need to stay away from that and get us a perfect SuperStar.
give me a fucking break. in what alternate universe is lebron a me-first arrogant selfish ball-hog? lebron can't restructure his current contract, he IS doing everything he can to help the cavs win this year and most likely will next year also, and for all you know he IS planning to re-sign with them. the only thing he hasn't done is commit to his plans 2 years from now, and you can't fault him for that.
Actually, I don't think that's true if the Blazers waited until next summer to make a trade. LeBron signed his contract in July of 2006. He could sign a contract extension in July of 2009 as part of a sign and trade with the Blazers.
So you feel anyone in the US who switches employers is a whiny, selfish egotist? Or is it only athletes who are not allowed to make use of capitalism and go to the highest bidder? Do you instruct your employer to cut your pay so that your company can succeed more? Are you a team player, or just in it for yourself?
well he could sign a 3 or 4 year extension right now if he wanted to. the point was hasn't and probably won't. he's gonna end up where HE wants to be in 2010, and neither the cavs nor anyone else including us have any real say in the matter.
Just expressing how I feel about the guy, sorry don't like it or disagree with it. Also thanks for the history lesson on all the superstars, I didn't say I liked any of those guys either so not sure what your point is. Again I have all the respect in the world for Lebrons game. I just don't like his antics with the press lately. I think it's bs that he is talking up his free agency when it's a YEAR AND HALF away. I think it shows a complete disrespect for his current team and fans. He can be a fan of whatever team he wants I don't care doesn't bother me one bit. Do I think it was kind of an asshole move to put a NY hat on during a playoff game against the Indians maybe a little, kind of shows he could give a shit about Cleveland.
It's happened in other sports, but your point is taken. The NBA is full of me-first selfish assholes who could give two shits about the cities they represent and the fans that buy their merch, watch their games (and support the advertisers of such broadcasts), and pay high ticket prices to pay their ungodly salaries.
No he can't sign an extension until the third anniversary of the signing of his last contract. That's not until next July. Obviously, he's not planning on signing an extension with the Cavs because they don't have enough talent and they're a small market city. Would he sign an extension to play with the Blazers in a small market if he thought that they had enough talent to put him in the MJ category of six championships? I guess only he knows the answer to that.
And I am only responding to the hypothetical in the original thread post. Since it said nothing about the trade occuring this summer, nor about an extension, no extension is presumed in my response. As others have done, you are free to say, "no, I won't do the deal as proposed, unless there is an extension", or "no, I won't do the deal with Roy, but would do it with X player", etc. I choose to say the deal - as proposed - is completely unacceptable.
No, it points to the fact that's been mentioned: player loyalty to a team, a city, and it's fans is a myth that's been debunked time and time again ever since the beginning of the free-agent era, and especially since the 1980s. Magic and Bird only stayed in their respective cities because the owners practically handed them the checkbook to the franchise, although being already in big-market areas didn't hurt. There are rare exceptions, like Stockton and Malone in Utah, (and Tim Duncan, as mentioned later in this thread) but they are the absolute rarity. LeBron shouldn't have to hide his feelings. He should have gone out in that press conference yesterday and said "HELL YEAH I'M GONNA BE A KNICK IN 2010! BANK ON IT! NEW YORK CITY, BAYBEE!". Should the Cleveland fans be upset? Why? They know that superstars don't stay in Cleveland. Or Denver. Or Portland. As a matter of fact, I give perhaps 25% odds that the Blazers will be able to keep Oden, Roy, Aldridge, and Rudy together for any amount of time once their original contracts end. There's more money elsewhere, more exposure, more ego opportunities for athletes that have been told since they were little that they were special, that they were above the system, above right/wrong and loyalty. It's all about the Cash. The endorsements. The SportsCenter highlights. The sooner that NBA fans (and pro sports fans in general) get it through their emotional, thick skulls that Seinfeld was right... we are all rooting for laundry, and the players that wear that laundry are just hired guns who are only loyal as long as you, as Rasheed Wallace perfectly put it, "CTC", the better.
Timmy, of course. Link: http://slamonline.com/online/nba/2007/10/tim-duncan-spur-for-life/ I'd argue that Duncan will still be in his prime (albeit the tail end) by the end of the 09-10 season.
