LeBronathon Thread
by Jordan Sams on Jul 8, 2010 3:20 AM PDT
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The Sixers have a game tonight.
Big Brother starts tonight.
LeBron chooses his team tonight.
What to watch?
Mama, there goes that man.
Have at it.
Another user-created commentary provided by a Liberty Ballers reader.
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"Leaning towards Miami"
according to ESPN. But I don’t want him to sell out. I think he should resign and embrace the new contenders of the East (76ers included. Right now, I’m thinking 7th or 8th seed, but it’s still too early.) instead of combining to make one of the most unstoppable big threes in league history. There’s just no thrill in that anymore. If he’s that good, he should be able to beat them, not join them.
For someone who seems so painfully aware of things like “public perception” and “legacy,” I have a really hard time seeing LeBron actually going to to Miami. Rightly or wrongly, it will be perceived as him riding Wade’s coattails to whatever success he has.
Chicago still makes an awful lot of sense to me (Boozer isn’t Bosh, but the core there is still awfully good, and I really buy Thibodeau as an excellent hire); New York is a nightmare scenario (really, he’d want to play with Amar’e?); and I guess I’m just hard-pressed to see him go through this whole charade of having an ESPN special and then returning to Cleveland.
so, you saying pippen was a d wade? Maybe closer to a chris bosh. See sean, I just dont see it. He had his scrub players like varajao, a good shooting center in Ilguaskus, Mo Will was streaky but he was decent. He had pieces, enough, for all the writers declaring the cavs champ before the playoffs even began. Magic johnson, jamaal mashburn, lots of pundits who even played the gama at that level saw that team as good enough to win it all.
How does Bosh and Wade have anything to do with the teammates LeBron had and how they compare to MJ’s teammates?
Pippen and Grant/Rodman are leagues better than what LeBron had. The fact that they were favorites had nothing to do with the supporting cast. It was all LeBron. Mo Williams couldn’t guard anybody and it hurt them when Rondo came along. Jamison couldn’t guard anyone and KG had his best offensive series of the playoffs. Not even Ilgauskas in his prime was as good as some of the teammates MJ had.
You are treating a man unfairly because he wasn’t able to win a championship by himself. It is EXTREMELY rare that a player wins a title without significant help. MJ never did it. Kobe never did it. Duncan never did it. The only example I can find is Wade and the Heat and even he had a slightly past prime Shaq.
Jumping back into this discussion a few days later, but…
I don’t at all begrudge LeBron leaving Cleveland; I agree with you that the supporting cast there wasn’t championship caliber. What I do begrudge is: (1) him essentially putting a hard ceiling on his legacy by teaming up with another top 3 player in the league; and (2) going on national TV to stab Cleveland in the back in the process.
Had he simply let someone break the story that he was going to Chicago or New York, I wouldn’t have had a problem with it at all.
by PhillyFriar on Jul 10, 2010 12:11 PM PDT up reply actions
I still think that it's a smokescreen
And that he’s going back to Cleveland.
There’s been rumblings he’d throw out incorrect info to try and get a buzz going so he can spring a “surprise”
Miami will end up with a lineup of Felton/Wade/Miller/Haslem/Bosh (or something to that effect), which is good enough to be one of the top 2 or 3 in the East (depending on where LeBron goes)
Yep – if he does do the "surprise, I heard a calling from God that said ‘stay in Cleveland’….Im guessing he only signs a 2/3 years deal or more likely a 6 yeras max, with an ETO at 2/3 yrs.
I think the PR hit for leaving Cleveland in this “zoo of a fashion” may be too much and the best way to repair it would be to “find jesus close to home”.
Exactly what I've thought
He’ll sign the 6 year deal in CLE, 2/3 year ETO. If the Cavs haven’t given him enough to win after nearly a decade, nobody could blame him for going.
(and yes, he needs more. Outside of Detroit’s ‘04 title, when’s the last time a team won the title without having at least two superstars?)
who cares about lequeen? Its all about his ego. I give some credit to wade and bosh, they didnt feel the need to have their own tv show for an our “the decision.”
Please stop calling him lequeen. It’s not clever and it’s getting annoying. This isn’t an attempt at me being mean, I would just like to politely ask you to stop — you’ve made your feelings quite known about LeBron, it’s time to give it a rest.
Liberty Ballers / Ridiculous Upside / @TAFKAMikeBourn
The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Michael Bourn
by Michael Levin on Jul 8, 2010 1:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh come on Prince James has had a 100x better team then MJ ever had. If he can’t win with Shaqapottumus, No Mo’ Williams, ILL-Gauskis, and company, then he is like the worst thing since The Happening.
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
Are you kidding me?
Jordan had Pippen, who was named one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time. For the last 3 titles he had Rodman, who certainly deserves to be a HOFer purely on talent (but won’t get there for obvious reasons)
Shaq’s washed up, Mo Williams’ reputation is entirely made on the fact that LeBron made him look like a decent player, Zydrunas is old… he has nobody. As I said above: You need at least two superstars on your team to win a title. LeBron’s the only one on that Cleveland team.
I believe he was, in fact, kidding you.
Liberty Ballers / Ridiculous Upside / @TAFKAMikeBourn
The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Michael Bourn
by Michael Levin on Jul 8, 2010 4:53 PM PDT up reply actions
Lebron will always be looking up to MJ. Lebron had the help. MJ in his prime, just with mo williams and cast, could have won. Better yet, wouldnt have quit. And I dont hate lebron. His ego has just got way too far out of hand. Some will say, well, its espn and the media. Sure, they hype it up. But damn, he’s a man, and he can step forward and put a stop to it, like his “decision” tv show.
MJ in his prime, just with mo williams and cast, could have won.
Maybe. Maybe not. Hard to say. MJ couldn’t even make it out of the first round until Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, and Charles Oakley came around.
MJ won his first title at the age of 27 with two teammates who had win shares greater than 10.
None of LeBron’s teammates have ever had more than 10 win shares in a season. Mo Williams was close two seasons ago but the 3rd best player was Andy Varajao with 8. Yet LeBron has still led his team to 60+ wins the past two seasons and has made a finals appearance.
MJ has never won a title with as little help as LeBron has had in his career. Saying he would have won with LeBron’s lack of supporting cast is just conjecture.
I honestly don’t care much. Years down the road we’ll have a better grasp on the careers of both players and can decide that how their legacies have turned out. I think MJ has different strengths than Lebron. I give the edge to Jordan with jump shots and some intangibles (making those around him better) but I think Lebron’s size, strength, stamina and inside game puts him on a high level too (he can literally take over games many times). Whatever. We all know Evan Turner will eventually be the best player EVER. =D
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
Thanks man.
Liberty Ballers / Ridiculous Upside / @TAFKAMikeBourn
The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Michael Bourn
by Michael Levin on Jul 8, 2010 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions
simple answer.
No they aren’t.
Listing the potential playoff teams…
Miami, Celtics, Orlando, Hawks, Bulls, Bucks for the first 6 (no order)
And I don’t see the Cavs even getting near the last two spots (Knicks, Nets, Bobcats, Pacers, 76ers?)
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
So Miami has three all stars, a 2-guard a small forward and a power forward, and can only offer minimum contracts to anyone else. That’s an incomplete team even if they do have two players that are the NBA’s best at those positions.
Ordinarily, I’d think that older free agents seeking a title would want to come to Miami, but they’d be sacrificing a lot of Dollars in the last year where it’s possible to make big money before next season’s lockout. That’s a big sacrifice for a title.
It would be better for the team if LeBron, Bosch and Wade all took a little less in salary so they could attract some better players. A team means everyone sacrifices for the good of the whole, and I’m not sure if their ego’s can handle that idea.
AN Observation: Had the Sixers not gone after Elton Brand, it is possible that we could have participated in this derby and ended up with Bosch, LeBron and Iguodala. For all those who criticized the Brand trade, see what happens in Miami and how well they do next season. Miami took a huge gamble gutting their team, and the new look Heat will be dramatically different from the team that Wade won the championship with. Obviously there’s still more to come, and we’ll have to see what the full roster looks like before getting a better idea of Miami’s ability to compete.
I will say that in some of last season’s playoff games, LeBron was not at his best, being the only real star on his team, which is a difficult spot for anybody. This season, he won’t be the only man they have to worry about.
Although the Cavs won the most regular season games, they weren’t the best team, injuries and other issues caused the Celtics and even the Lakers to underperform, Winning regular season games is one thing, but winning in the playoffs against good teams is another. Cleveland wasn’t a complete team buy any means and comparing Lebron’s supporting cast with MJ’s in Chicago is absurd.
So Miami has three all stars, a 2-guard a small forward and a power forward, and can only offer minimum contracts to anyone else. That’s an incomplete team even if they do have two players that are the NBA’s best at those positions.
Not if they take less money. Rumor has it they already have Mike Miller locked up. He’s not signing for the minimum. If LeBoshade all take around 15 mill instead of the max they should have around $10 mill in cap room.
Meant to quote.
So Miami has three all stars, a 2-guard a small forward and a power forward, and can only offer minimum contracts to anyone else. That’s an incomplete team even if they do have two players that are the NBA’s best at those positions.
If the big three decide to sacrifice max contracts to leave enough for other players, I will be impressed, since it shows a maturity level, usually not associated with over-priced, over-esteemed athletes. But they still need a decent point guard and a Center to match with the other elite teams, plus a bench. That’s 7 decent salaries out of 10 million, which doesn’t seem like enough to me. There’s also the matter of who else is out there who’s willing to come. Let’s see what other tricks Riley has up his sleeve.
Chalmers will probably look like a decent PG with those guys around him.
As for center… who knows. They have Joel Anthony’s rights, so he’ll get re-signed, and they’ll go for guys like Brad Miller or even Zydrunas Ilgauskas (who’d probably go for a year to follow LeBron). They’ll fill it out somehow.
Plus there are always the veterans who are released at mid-season, and they’ll probably gravitate to Miami as well.
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