LeBron to the Heat!

[Bright Moments]

Anyway, one more reason to root against the city of Miami.

sounds like:

[.:.impossible]

lebron gaga.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

[ejp626]

... Man, I'm going to sound very old-school saying this, but it sure makes me miss the MJ/Magic/Bird generation. None of those guys were saints, they all had egos too, but I don't recall them ever turning the promotion and selling of themselves into such a circus.

Dennis Rodman comes to mind. Not a top 5 player (unless looking solely at defense), but he made the Bulls "experience" quite a circus for rings 4-6.

Also, I think Allen Iverson was as much of a legend (in his own mind) as LeBron, but never took it quite as far. And for all Iverson's faults, he did know the history of the game in a way that LeBron clearly doesn't.

Edited July 10, 2010 by ejp626

[Noj]

The criticism I agree with most is that LeBron James is now on Dwyane Wade's team. It is not LeBron's team. The proven winner is Wade, the face of the Heat franchise, and LeBron has demoted himself to second fiddle.

[ghost of miles]

In defense of James' decision

Again, I'm not so much bothered by his leaving Cleveland--in some respects it seemed inevitable, though he probably could have made it clearer to all of the hometown fans that he was not likely to come back--but by the whole ESPN spectacle he and his business team made of it.

The Lebron James Prime Time Hour

Edited July 9, 2010 by ghost of miles

[Jazzmoose]

By all accounts the organization had catered to LeBron's every need and bent over backwards to make him comfortable, down to babysitting.

Yeah, but he's LeBron; he deserved that! I'd have been a lot more impressed by the Cavs owner if he'd spoke out before he lost the player; he has no place to bitch, he's part of the problem.

[Soulstation1]

If LBJ REALLY wanted a ring he shoulda went to the Lakers!!!!!

I hope the Cavs win the championship next year (won't happen) that would be some funny $hit

For each LBJ Cavs jersey that gets torched, he is selling 100 Heat jerseys

[Tom Cat]

i can't believe it wade, james and bosh...i'm sayin it now, there will be an ego battle between lebron and wade, meanwhile bosh will be sicked by the situation and will lost focus

[CJ Shearn]

As a Chicago fan, the Bulls really need someone like LeBron, or Kobe (not gonna happen cuz he wants to finish his career in LA).

[catesta]

What a ridiculous spectacle this whole fuckin' thing was. I hope NY is really proud of itself.

[ghost of miles]

Never has being a sports fan felt so stupid

... people will get over it--they're too addicted to professional sports (I certainly am with baseball), but that article articulates what I was feeling when I turned off "The Decision" at 9:03 p.m. last night.

[Ted O'Reilly]

I wonder if LeBron has any idea how badly he damaged his so-called "brand" last night?

I liked this quote: “His brand is [bleep] now,” one high-level NBA official said late Thursday. “He’s destroyed everything.”

Well, winning changes almost everything. If the Three Muskateers can bring a ring or two for Miami then the sport-writers will be all at their feet again. And most people outside of Cleveland will eventually "get over" whatever it is, so long as they were entertained during the Finals.

Frankly, I am amazed at how personally people are taking this. I'd say 90% of all athletes are ridiculously pampered individuals who have (unjustly) been put on a pedestal by society and are basically just a bunch of man-childs (many of the women as well). From a game theory perspective, it is actually pretty interesting watching what happens when collusion is allowed on one side but only partially allowed on the other (trades must be worked on for some contracts, not others).

I'd say the Cavs and the Knicks are the biggest losers, NJ didn't seem to improve itself (maybe an opportunity cost there), the Bulls are marginally better and the Heat are heads and shoulders above the rest (simply speaking about free agency).

[Ted O'Reilly]

Hmmmm....why can't I make the Reply work today? I can't make it accept these comments: Toronto Raptors were damaged by Chris Bosh in exactly the same way as James hurt Cleveland. No sign-and-trade, meaning The Old Team gets nothing in return. Bosh and James make up the difference in lost income by saving on taxes in Florida. Thus, in effect, FLK taxpayers make the collusion possible...

[ejp626]

Hmmmm....why can't I make the Reply work today? I can't make it accept these comments: Toronto Raptors were damaged by Chris Bosh in exactly the same way as James hurt Cleveland. No sign-and-trade, meaning The Old Team gets nothing in return. Bosh and James make up the difference in lost income by saving on taxes in Florida. Thus, in effect, FLK taxpayers make the collusion possible...

Yes, but Toronto was pretty sure from the start that Bosh wasn't coming back. AFAIK they didn't make any real attempt to keep him on board, nor is their team identity bound up with Bosh. I don't know what their plan going forward is, but they seem ok with being a team in the bottom half of the East. (Probably have some secret subsidy from Stern just so he can say the sport is international like baseball or hockey.)

[GA Russell]

I've read oblique references on The Globe & Mail's websites that say that in order to get Maple Leaf tickets you have to buy Raptors tickets too. I think they are both owned by the same company. I never get the impression that the folks of Toronto care all that much about the Raptors.

[Tim McG]

LeBron to the Heat!

And he has to announce this on a special ESPN show?

Seriously...who cares besides Heat fans and Cle'land fans?

What an ego maniac.

[Christiern]

I don't watch basketball, nor do I really give a damn who plays where, who wins, who loses, etc.

That said, I think LeBron has a perfect right to go with any team that wants him, I also believe it is naïve to think that he might have stayed in Cleveland, with a team that is very unlikely to get him that coveted ring. So, Cleveland fans should have known what to expect and tried to see it from his perspective, as well. Turning their love into hate in a split second tells me that it never was real love—he brought a lot of money to a somewhat dumpy city (I've been there) and it's really all about money, isn't it?

I don't know why anyone would want to live in Miami, a gaudy city full of very gross people, but This was a business decision.

Finally, I think LeBron and his handlers come out looking just as bad as the soured Clevelanders, because there was really no need for that brief televised drama on the outskirts of NYC. That whole thing was embarrassing and showed very poor judgement.

One thing I can quietly be thankful for: he did not choose New York. We have enough circuses in town.

[Bright Moments]

I don't know why anyone would want to live in Miami, a gaudy city full of very gross people,

painting with a pretty broad brush here. . .

[Patrick]

And I'm comforted to know he's actually been to Cleveland.

[Christiern]

I did that deliberately, BM—just to see how alert you are!

I'm impressed. Actually, Miami is not a place I have ever wanted to visit, ditto Las Vegas and, for that matter, the town of Velingrad (in Pazardzhikt, at the foot of the Rhodope mountains). The latter does not have any neon signs, but too many grubby tourists,

[sheldonm]

It will be interesting to see how the Heat fill out that roster, and how much over the salary cap they will go.

simple - we only need to field 3 players!

...were "you" a "we" before LeBron came to town:-)

[Bright Moments]

I did that deliberately, BM—just to see how alert you are!

i knew that!

It will be interesting to see how the Heat fill out that roster, and how much over the salary cap they will go.

simple - we only need to field 3 players!

...were "you" a "we" before LeBron came to town:-)

yep!

Edited July 10, 2010 by Bright Moments

[ghost of miles]

LeBron getting feisty on Twitter:

[Dave James]

Charles Barkley's Twitter take is right on the money.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUYCccbTkc4&feature=related

James is so insulated from reality that reality is irrelevant.