LeBron going to Miami

shadofuckingrin, how is he not a victim in this case?

Don't be a hypocrite. Are you telling me classless billionaire clown owner and his stupid followers are the victims here? We only talking on this simple issue of Lebron signing with the Heat over Cavaliers and his current bashers.

Both are to blame. Now that LeBron isn't Dan Gilbert's spoiled (franchise) player anymore, Gilbert's basically pissed. LeBron was coddled by Gilbert when he was still a Cavalier. The same thing you're doing right now by making LeBron look like "the victim" of all these without taking the accountability of both parties.

ZanShadow is whining himself.

If Lebron signed with the Bulls or the Nets we would be more peacefull now!

R u sure? I am pretty sure, I'd be doing what shadowgrin's doing to Lebron myself.

Aaahh maaaan


^^ Bosh and Wade on Lebron joining the Heat.

Chris Bosh is always making me laugh,those three guys will have a lot of fun this season but i think it wouldnt be that easy to win the championship.

What am I doing to LeBron that he hasn't done to himself already?

Last edited by shadowgrin on Sat Jul 10, 2010 12:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

Gilbert's outburst was surprising. Understandable he was upset but let the fans write letters like that. Lebron went about it in completely the wrong way but take the higher ground, you are a businessman after all.

Don't really care much about Lebron going to Miami, but loving that Bosh went there.

If Lebron signed with the Bulls or the Nets we would be more peacefull now!

I doubt it though but if he done it privately instead of announce it on public. Then things would be peaceful I guess

So how many moves did Cleveland make to try to free up cap space to sign another star?

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5366029

Noah's comment for LeBron

well that's the story..

What am I doing to LeBron that he hasn't done to himself already?

I agree, as much as his douchebaggery is reigning over his amazing talent atm, I still am really geed up to see how the Heat go this season

These are left from Lebron's Cavs history...
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,5776732_4,00.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrBr1k9BcFk

dan gilbert strikes again- LBJ stuff on fathead.com is 17.41.. benedict arnold was born in 1741. Gilbert owns fathead

potential for multiple championships increased, this is going to be a tough team to beat for the next 10 years no matter how they fill out the roster

potential for great individual stats decreased because with 3 great players means 3 guys dominating the ball, not one.
i see everyone averaging in the low 20's ppg, no more mvp type seasons for bron or wade.

potential for mvp awards decreased for same reason

potential to be the G.O.A.T. drastically decreased when you dont have the numbers to back it up

i would say these guys are willing to sacrifice status to win titles

on a side note, i think Shaq will likely take the veterans minimum and join the heat as well. i cant imagine him passing up the opportunity to play on a team like this and anything else at his age would be a waste of time, except possibly joining the lakers again. wouldnt that be some shit? but stay in cleveland??? no way!

i picture a starting lineup of

c shaq (in limited minutes)
pf bosh
sf james/miller
sg miller/wade
pg wade/james

with wade and james each playing pg from time to time and miller shifting from 2 to 3 spots depending on who is where. this seems like a nightmare for any team to match up with

If you say so...

James did not sacrifice $. florida has no state income tax. that makes up for what he would have gotten from Clev or from any other city

i successfully did not watch the hour show. watched some tosh.o episodes instead

from what i'm hearing from my friends- MR james did not seem comfortable. did he/his group not handpick who was going to interview him? for something that was probably staged for sometime now, how could James fuck it up?

already mentioned but Beasley for a 2nd rounder??!!

reading some of the comments over at

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf ... nts-3.html

and just laughing my ass off. fans can be so egotistical and disloyal. they only come around when stuff is good. lebron never owed them anything, he didnt have to stay in cleveland, he didnt even have to announce his decision differently. they act like they gave him everything and he didnt give them nothing in return while he was solely responsible for putting cleveland back on the basketball map. its funny how they act like they own him just because he was from there, he has no commitment to that place. how about all the other players that have come out of cleveland that are less known and not as good, does anyone get mad when they dont play for cleveland? and all the talk about not being loyal - like franchises are loyal to players when they trade them? people are mad cause he was their meal ticket and now they have nothing left. lebron shouldnt even say thank you to the fans cause he doesnt owe them anything , the fans however do.

He didn't have to announce his decision differently, but it's a fair call to say he should have. Just because you have the freedom to do something doesn't mean you should or that it's good idea and the way LeBron handled the situation - informing the Cavs at the last minute, the whole special - is not above reproach and is fair game for criticism. As for the fans, sure, there's hyperbole and a lack of acknowledgement that LeBron has the freedom to ply his trade where he likes, but given the way the announcement was made and the disappointment Cavs fans are feeling, they're entitled to blow off steam. Maybe some of the backlash is shortsighted, but the same goes for the backlash against the backlash in my view.

Mike Wilbon made a great point on PTI about our culture revolving around reality TV these days. He admitted mixed feelings because he was involved in the special which means he can't do much finger waggling, but still suggested that the unfortunate fact of the matter is that sensationalism like "The Decision" is how things are done in a culture where shows like American Idol are attempting to create the next big thing. A lot of people have been criticising Gilbert's letter and rightfully so, even if he's entitled his feelings and opinions. The situation has been handled poorly, childishly and unprofessionally on both sides.

The way I see it, for each of the parties under the microscope here:

LeBron James has every right to go to the Miami Heat if that's what he wants. You can make arguments about loyalty but he's not property or a commodity (though professional athletes certainly are treated as such at times), he's a human being that made a decision about his employment. He's also free to do what he did with "The Decision" and conduct himself however he sees fit. However, just because he's got the right to do it doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. He didn't handle his parting with the Cavs well and he made a spectacle of himself with the ESPN special. He could've handled it better.

Dan Gilbert's letter - while entertaining - does little to help the Cavs. It makes him look bad, it makes the team look bad and it's a heat of the moment reaction where he should've taken a few deep breaths and handled it more diplomatically. As I said before, his disappointment and anger is understandable and he's entitled to feel that way. If he wanted to publish an open letter to Cavs fans, he should've worded it more diplomatically; something along the lines of "I won't lie, this is a huge disappointment and a setback, but we're going to move on and do what it takes to rebuild. Thank you to all our fans for your passionate support, we hope we can continue to count on your support as we move forward". Then scream and rant and blow off steam behind closed doors.

Cavs fans may be going overboard with some of the comments, the jersey burning and all of that, but they're entitled to their disappointment and they feel hurt right now. If LeBron had handled the situation a little differently then maybe things would be a little different, a little less vitriolic. It's easy for the rest of us to say they should shut up and stop whining, because we're not dealing with that disappointment. If Wade had left the Heat, would Heat fans be as cool, calm and collected as some are claiming they would be? Maybe, but probably not. Would Lakers fans not curse Kobe had he been successful in his trade demands back in 2007? Judging by some of the remarks that were made at the time - now forgotten with the Lakers being back on top - I'd suggest they would.

If LeBron was always destined to leave the Cavs, if this has been decided for months, then this wasn't going to be an easy split. However, all concerned handled themselves and the situation badly, resulting in this ugly fallout. It's certainly got us all talking though and there's still an exciting situation admist all the chaos and anguish. But there's fair game for criticism too.

I think Adrian Wojnarowski's column, Bill Simmons' column and Simmons' podcast all have good takes on the matter. Worth a read/listen.

lol at cavs fans, calling lebron a traitor, him leaving cleveland was a betrayal, etc.they are so funny

I planning on having a Bonfire soon so I guess I can burn my Lebron things too.

Damn it, Andrew. 2 essays in one page. That was a lot to read.

lol at cavs fans, calling lebron a traitor, him leaving cleveland was a betrayal, etc.they are so funny

It's no different to Raptors fans booing Vince Carter six years after he left town or any other sign of fanatical devotion to a team.