I was thinking the same thing. If bosh had gone to cleveland, I am sure james would have stayed there. of course, its cleveland...
I am not bothered. I watched his interview, and I didn't think "Fuck LeBron. Fuck the NBA." I don't really understand all the venon and anger - outside of Cleveland fans. Seems a little mysterious to me. And so many of the comments seem contradictory. If you are going to go on a LeBron bitchfest, have the decency to be logically consistent. Please.
As a fan of the game of basketball, IMO, the NBA's product just improved. I can't wait until I get the chance to watch three great players in their primes play together.
This, I disagree with. When healthy, there have been few if any 3 players - in their prime - as good and LeBron, Wade and Bosh. That top 3 consists of the reigning two-time MVP, and a Top 5 player, and a Top 10 player. The problem is lack of quality proven vets at the critical PG and C spots and lack of depth. We won't know how well they address these problems until next summer to see who they get with their MLE, and what collection of min sal ring-chasing vets they attract. Even without getting good "free" players, this team - with a healthy big 3 - will win a ton of games and advance deep into the playoffs. Those 3 are just too good for the team to stumble badly.
So, is Dan Gilbert saying that his children have epic meltdowns when they don't get their way and call people names? Interesting parenting, Dan.
Kobe whined about getting better players and once literally quit playing while on the court against the Suns in the playoffs. MJ quit on the Bulls to play baseball after a 3-peat. Time heals all wounds, and if James wins, only the bittermen will hold this against him.
You have a problem with $5 million being raised for the Boys and Girls Club in this economy? Also, of course James is egotistical. Most superstars in any industry are driven in part by ego.
So that makes it all better....see what a good person I am? LOL...seriously? How warped or just plain stupid do you have to be to think that? Here let me GUT an entire state and all those CLE fans who have followed me the last 7 years on national TV...but see, the proceeds of my 1hr self-promotional show are going to charity.... If you can't see the irony or indecency in that, then well maybe you need to look in the mirror.... I'm taking your wife, but you can keep her engagement ring....I wouldn't want you to think I wasn't sympathetic to your situation... MJ lost 3 times to DET before he finally broke through....he didn't quit CHI at 25 to go play with them....Kobe played through the gap b\t Shaq and Gasol, discontent and all, he didn't leave them... Yesterday, Lebron transistioned from a "franchise player" to a "Franchise killer" ....maybe he should pat himself on the back....actually, I am sure he did. Oh and David Stern, do yourself a favor just fold up the CLE franchise, after this what players are EVER going to want to go and STAY there under the way the rules are written now... and as much as Dan Gilbert said what a lot of people are feeling regarding Lebron, he unfortunately just shot himself in the head with his remarks in terms of luring other players there....This whole situation is sad and says a lot (none of it good) about the crumbling state of sports in general....
Ha, really? You think the 1 hour show will be remembered in 10 years? I think it'll be forgotten by next year. The idea that that show has destroyed his legacy forever is beyond funny. It's killed James' image with a certain number of fans today. And maybe a few of them will hold onto that disgust forever. But the vast majority of basketball fans (counting in casual fans who don't read sports forums) have probably already forgotten it.
I disagree Minstrel.... Has Kobe fully recovered with many fans for his discretions? Has Tiger? There are still many people out there who still dislike those two greatly.... I don'ty know how you could say that niether of those 2 players has damaged thier legacies...Kobe great player, multiple championships...but....still not as good as Jordan and never will be...funny how that works... If Tiger breaks Nicklaus's records will he still be held in the same regard as Jack? Probably not.... and frankly niether of those guys did such a despicable thing to thier fanbases as Lebron did last night....
Kobe was charged with rape. Are you really comparing that with a self-aggrandizing one-hour TV show? And, that example doesn't really illustrate your point, because Kobe really has recovered from it, as far as basketball legacy goes. Many people may consider him a creep, but every week there's a new article about how Kobe is still the best player in basketball and maybe the best ever. Tiger Woods' issues (and again, they're a lot more serious that a silly TV show) are current. Of course, they're still hurting him. In 10 years, I don't think anyone will be thinking about Woods' sexual indiscretions. Kobe never has been as good as Jordan and yet there are still many fans and writers who consider him a candidate for greatest ever. This example really is disproving your point...with a much worse "indiscretion," Kobe is actually overrated. A one-hour TV show is definitely not going to cause James to be underrated.
The Drive. The Fumble. The Shot. The Move. And now The Decision. I don't think it'll ever be forgotten. Especially in Cleveland, and in every NBA city Miami pays a visit to throughout next season it'll be talked about.
When Shaq made his move there was only 1 ESPN channel. Now they have god knows how many channels to fill with programming. And trust me, there was TONS of ink spilled over the whole Shaq drama, with, predictably, lot of people moaning that Shaq was "wrong". Nowadays, pretty much everything gets airtime. Bass fishing and Snooker for christsakes. This is also the age of full exposure all the time. Facebook, Twitter, etc. In a few years, all this furor over the LeBron public airing of a previously private process will seem dated and quaint.
I feel the same way this elevates the product on the court for teams vying for a title. This will alter the landscape of the league and hopefully more superstars go to situations where they can win instead of going for the highest bidder. I don't blame LeBron for leaving the Cavs to play with his buddies in Miami, but the way he handled it was disingenuous. He should have just had a "White Party" announcement poolside (filled with 'The Decision' flavored Vitamin Water) with Wade, Bosh, Riley, P Diddy, Kanye, the 'Team' and the Miami cheer leaders celebrating while LMFAO's "I'm in Miami Bitch" is blaring in the background. That would've been a 1 hour special worth watching.
It's because Bosh and James left teams that treated them very well, giving Miami an obscene amount of talent. I've been watching the NBA for almost 40 years, and I've never seen two players of the caliber of James and Bosh join another team already with its own superstar.
For many of those 40 years, players didn't have the same kind of mobility in terms of opportunity to choose where they played. It's impossible to say what would have happened had there been unrestricted free agency from the start of the NBA.
