Well I gave the depressing Cleveland side to the leaving of LeBron James. So to be only fair I'll give the Miami reaction to LeBron James.
First here is Dan LeBetard's open for his Miami radio show from Friday. It is epic! My favorite part is him saying "our half filled sports bars went crazy!"
Here's the WWE type celebration Miami gave LeBron, Wade, and Bosh last night.
Kofod
Showing posts with label Lebron James. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lebron James. Show all posts
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
The Winners and Losers of NBA Free Agency
Alright here is my long list of winners and losers from NBA Free Agency. Enjoy!
Winners
The City of Miami: As Will Smith would say “South Beach bringing the heat.” You have the beaches, the sun, the ladies, and now you can add THE team to watch in the NBA. Love or hate the Heat now, and I am a hater, the fact is they are like the Yankees. If they are on you watch them. The Dolphins look to have a good future. Miami Hurricanes football seems to coming back around. And the Marlins seem to compete and win a World Series every 5 years. Miami is a great place to live in, and be a part of today and for a while.
Dwyane Wade: Wade comes out great here. Even with LeBron it still is his team. He looks unselfish by taking less to allow LeBron and Bosh to join. He was obviously Pat Riley’s right hand man powerbroker to make this all happen. And his “apparent” flirtation with Chicago made him seem genuine as his family and children were involved in it. Wade came out of all of this looking great.
LeBron James: Here is where LeBron James is a winner. The Miami Heat will win a championship with Wade, James, and Bosh. It may not be this year. It may be a few years down the road. But Miami will win at least one and probably more than one. They have too much talent not too. So LeBron assured himself of at least one title. And he gets to play with his buddies. It seems more than clear that LeBron is great friends with Wade and Bosh. And they get to play in sunny Miami. He did what we ask many athletes to do. Focus more on winning than money. He did that because he left a lot of money on the table he could have had if he stayed with Cleveland. Those are the positives of LeBron’s move to Miami.
Chris Bosh: Talk about a winner in this whole free agent chaos. He goes from the Raptors to the Heat with Wade and LeBron. He was referred to a Superstar multiple times. Sorry that’s way too much. He’s good, he’s an all-star. But not a Superstar! LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Durant, and Carmelo are Superstars. Not Bosh. And he obviously enjoyed this whole process. Tweeting away all the time. And he became a household name. As Bill Simmons would say he passed the “Mom Test.” My Mom only knows a few current active athletes. Lance Armstrong in bicycle racing. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees in NFL. Ryan Miller in the NHL. A-Rod, and Derek Jeter in MLB. And in the NBA she knows Shaq, Kobe, LeBron, Wade, Carmelo, and now Chris Bosh. The fact that Chris Bosh is now a household name among moms is amazing.
New York Knicks: I don’t want to hear one New York Knicks fan say they felt used by LeBron James. People in Ohio can say that. Not New York Knicks fans. He’s not yours, he’s never been yours. James was Cleveland’s. I mean for goodness sakes the Browns traded Braylon Edwards the second Braylon upset LeBron James and his boys. Even the Browns kissed LeBron’s ass. But he was not one of yours Knicks fans. Not one fan in New York should have booed last night. Fine he doesn’t want to be a Knick. Move on. You got Amar’e. I’m an Amar’e guy. Frankly I think he’s better than Bosh. I know he has health, maturity, and defense problems. But he is a freak of nature. And he will make the Knicks better. Yes the Knicks still need to make more moves. Maybe it will Carmelo Anthony and/or CP3 next year. But it’s clear the Knicks are heading in the right direction.
Pat Riley: The man has done it again. He won with Showtime LA Lakers in the 1980’s. He was the coach of the last great era of the New York Knicks in the 1990’s. He took over from Stan Van Gundy in 2006 to lead Shaq, Wade, and the Miami Heat to a championship over the more talented Dallas Mavericks. Then he was the smooth powerbroker in the suit to convince Bosh, and especially LeBron to take less money to join Miami. Now the question is how long will it take for him to remove Eric Spoelstra as head coach and become the Miami Heat coach again? I say the over/under in one season. I will take the under.
Kevin Durant: He very quietly signed a 5 year contract a few days ago. No press conference. No look at “ME, ME, ME.” He’s just ‘ballin.’ Taylor said he would take Durant over LeBron if he had to pick one today. I laughed at him when he said that. Not now. Not after LeBron gave up the “Top Dog” thrown to take the easy way out to win a title. I’ll definitely take Durant now. I believe he’s a guy that wants to be the “Top Dog.” And he has the game to back it up.
James Lacki: Last night I joked with James on Facebook that I hated him because he gets all the good things with his sports teams. UNC is back in basketball with a title in 2005, 2009, and will certainly compete for more Final Fours over the next decade. The Yankees are in it every year, and coming off a championship in 2009. The Steelers won Super Bowl XL, and Super Bowl XLIII. And now he gets his two favorite NBA players in Dwyane Wade and LeBron James on the same team. James is truly the luckiest sports fan I have ever met and known. All you need now is a college football team to root for now. I hear some guy named Nick Saban and Alabama are pretty good James haha!!!!
Joe Johnson: If I would have told you before free agency starts that Joe Johnson would have been the highest paid free agent you would have laughed at me. Well $123.7 million later Joe Johnson is laughing all the way to the bank in the ATL.
Chris Paul: The rumor has been going around forever that during the 2008 Beijing Olympics Wade, Bosh, LeBron, and CP3 were in a room when they decided to join forces together during the 2010 and 2011 free agent process, even if that meant taking far less money. Well ¾ of that is complete. And CP3 could join the three next year. Also word was that CP3 was one of the few people in LeBron’s ear trying to convince him to stay in Cleveland. Who knows if this is true, but it does seem whether it’s Miami, New York, or somewhere else CP3 will have a bright future somewhere else a year from now.
Boston Celtics: Doc Rivers comes back. They resign Pierce, and Allen. The Big 3 are getting older, but I guarantee they will give the Heat all they can handle next year. Now hopefully Rajon Rondo is practicing his free throws somewhere.
Dan Gilbert: The owner sent the letter from his heart. Did it go to far? Probably. Is their anyway the Cavs will win a title before LeBron? No, not a chance. But he did exactly what Cleveland fans wanted, and now has the whole city behind him. Oh and Dan Gilbert is not only the owner of the Cavs, but also FatHead. He put the price of all LeBron James FatHead's today for $17.41. Why 1741? That's the year Benedict Arnold was born. Haha love it!!!
Art Modell: Art Modell will still go down as the most hated person in Cleveland history, let alone Cleveland sports history for moving the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore. But somewhere Modell is smiling today, because LeBron James joins him right there at #2.
Cleveland Sports Radio: After “The Decision” ended last night I turned on Cleveland Sports Radio. It was great to listen to. The hosts blasting LeBron. Fans pouring out there emotions to the hosts. It was live drama to listen to. If you love sports radio, and have free time I suggest listening online, or over your radio you will hear some good stuff. And I guarantee the Cleveland sports radio stations got great ratings last night.
Here is the saddest story I heard from a caller in Cleveland last night. A dad called the ESPN 850 Cleveland station to tell the hosts how his 9 year old son handled “The Decision.” The father said when the son heard LeBron say he’s going to South Beach he immediately ran to his room. His room was filled with Cavs things all over the wall. Pennants, posters, all kinds of stuff. Anything that was LeBron James he took down. A FatHead, a poster, and a LeBron basketball. He did not destroy them, but just carefully took them down. He left Cleveland Cavaliers pennants and posters that were not associated with LeBron up on his wall. He went to his closet and took out his LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers jersey. He took all the stuff and ran back to his dad. He was in complete tears. He handed all the things to his dad in a box and told him to put it away somewhere. The 9 year old son said to his dad that he was not a LeBron fan anymore, but that he was always going to be a Cavs fan. That is just but one example of what LeBron James did to Cleveland last night.
Colt McCoy: If I’m a Cleveland sports fan today I go onto the Browns website and buy a Colt McCoy jersey. Here is a guy who seems down to earth, is an overachiever, and will do whatever it takes to try to win. I think Cleveland should back this guy now, and hope he is the bright future of the Cleveland Browns.
Toney Douglas: Amar’e Stoudamire will need a high IQ PG to flourish with the Knicks. Like Steve Nash in Phoenix he’ll need someone to set pick and rolls for him, and feed him the ball. I think the Knicks may have that man in Toney Douglas. Now certainly I have a huge FSU bias here. But I think if the Knicks let Douglas develop next year they will find a guy with that good offensive IQ. And as I can attest to at FSU he’s a tremendous defender. He could bring defensive intensity to the Knicks that has never been a part of Amar’e Stoudamire or Mike D’Antoni.
Skip Bayless: No one in the media criticized LeBron James more than ESPN2’s Skip Bayless. He constanly called him “Prince” James, and said he would never deliver what Cleveland wanted. Well it turned out he was right all along.
Stephen A. Smith: Stephen A. was the first person to break the story of LeBron, Wade, and Bosh going to Miami. Two weeks ago! He was blasted for it, but he came out smelling like roses. Who the hell would have guessed that after all this NBA Free Agent stuff that Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith would be the two analysts who were the most right on this story. What in the world haha?!?!
Brian Windhorst: He is the newspaper Cleveland Plain Dealer Cavs Insider. Throughought the free agent process through Tweets, and articles he gave the most factual, in depth analysis of how the whole LeBron James Free Agent sweepstakes were going. At times it seemed he was hiding inside the office when LeBron had his meetings with the 6 teams. Job well done by Windhorst.
Twitter: If you followed athletes, fans, and sports writers on Twitter it truly was the best place to go for constant updates, opinions and moves to NBA Free Agency. Facebook is for friends and family. Twitter is for sports and news. And if you love sports than there are a lot of great outlets to follow on Twitter.
Tom Izzo: Izzo ended up being completely right in turning down the Cavs coaching job and staying at Michigan State. Here is hoping Izzo wins a championship before LeBron does!
Brett Favre: As bad as the whole breakup between Favre and Green Bay was it pales now in comparison to the breakup between LeBron and Cleveland. Favre on multiple occasions, including both Vikings vs. Packers games last year made it clear how much he loved Green Bay, and how emotional it was for him. And I think it’s genuine. Plus he won a Super Bowl with Green Bay. LeBron did not win a NBA title with Cleveland. 20, 30, 40 years from now (even if the Vikings win a Super Bowl with Favre) I think Green Bay, and Wisconsin will think highly of Favre, and the glory years he had with them. As bad at times as Favre may have been in leaving and coming, and leaving and coming, he did nothing as awful and heartless as what LeBron did.
Kobe Bryant: Kobe will still have haters. But after last night he’s now the most popular player in the NBA, and I think Nike’s most marketable athlete. He’s dissed Shaq, and Andrew Bynum in the past. He whined and wanted to be traded. But he never did anything as selfish and awful as what LeBron James did last night.
NBA on TNT, NBA on ABC, and NBA on ESPN Games in 2010-2011: I guarantee at least once a week the Heat will either be on TNT, or ESPN. They will get high ratings when the Heat are on. When the Heat play at Cleveland for the first time I think ABC has to jump on that. I don’t care if it’s during the week. Your telling me a Monday Night Miami at Cleveland game will not draw more viewers on ABC than the crap fest comedy night CBS has on Monday?! Or that the first Heat at Cavs game would not be draw out Survivor and CSI on a Thursday Night?! It would certainly beat out any crap NBC would show that night. You draw it out, bring the pregame show to Cleveland, interview fans. That will do MAJOR ratings. And you know Miami will be on Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. If ABC puts Miami at LA on Thanksgiving Night I guarantee more people will watch that than Bengals at Jets on NFL Network. I know I will and I love the NFL much more than the NBA. TNT, ABC, and ESPN will thrive with the Heat on TV.
NBA 2K11, NBA Elite 11: Whether you have a PS3, XBOX 360, or Wii, and are a sports fan how do you not get either NBA 2K11 with Michael Jordan on the cover, and/or NBA Elite 11 with Kevin Durant on the cover? Those two games will sell real good. Play against the Heat, or with the Heat. Plus play as Kobe in LA, Amar’e in NYC, Durant, Melo, or Dwight. I know I will probably buy one of these games.
Losers
The City of Cleveland: Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The Browns move to Baltimore, 1997 Marlins Game 7 World Series Win over the Indians, Tim Couch crying, 2001 Browns vs. Jaguars Beer Bottle Game, 2002 Browns vs. Chiefs Helmet Game, The Steelers comeback against the Browns in the 2002 AFC Wildcard Game , 2007 ALCS Indians blow 3-1 series lead to Red Sox, LeBron James No Handshake vs Magic in 2009, and the Cavs collapse vs. Celtics in 2010 make room. Alongside Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, and The Shot ,you can now add The Decision. Cleveland continues to get their heart broken in sports. LeBron has every right to leave Cleveland. But he did it in the worst fashion possible. He turned it into a reality show. People all over Cleveland, Akron, and all of Ohio were watching the televisions believing and hoping. The Decision got Super Bowl type ratings in Cleveland. And then without any emotion he said he was headed to South Beach. He drove the knife right through Cleveland, and Akron and let them bleed to death. It was heartless, and gutless. Look Buffalo has equal pains when it comes to sports. We have had our fair share of terrible moments. So I certainly feel for Cleveland and its city today, tomorrow, and in the future.
The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, and now The Decision will haunt Cleveland forever.
LeBron James: Here is where LeBron is a loser. First off he picked the worst way possible to hurt Cleveland. Look no matter what he did leaving Cleveland was going to sting. But he could have done it quiet and with dignity. Simply tell a NBA insider he’s going to the Heat. Show up to Miami for his introductory press conference to the Heat. There he could say how excited he was to join Miami, but at the same time thank the fans, ownership, Cleveland, and Akron for everything they gave him, and that his heart will always be in that area. He could have told Cavs owner Dan Gilbert in advance in person, or at least on the phone of his decision to leave. Leave with class.
Instead he chose the worst way ever imaginable to leave. He dragged out the process. He made his decision into a one hour reality show. He hid behind Boys and Girls Club of America Charity to rip the hearts out of Cleveland. He gave no emotion in saying bye to Cleveland. Never thanked the fans, teammates, ownership, and community. Absolute cold blooded. Worst way ever in the history of the world to leave a team. I don’t think any athlete will ever come close to creating a charade to leave a team in a worse way EVER! He will never be able to live in the Akron/Cleveland area EVER again! This is a guy who after his no show vs Game 5 against the Celtics in the 2010 Playoffs said he "spoiled" fans with his play. When Joakim Noah bashed Cleveland LeBron never defended the city and went after Noah. From LeBron wearing a Yankees hat to a Yankees at Indians playoff game, to doing any sort of charity or MVP presentation in Akron it seemed LeBron loved Akron, but never quite showed love to Cleveland. Just not right!
Also if/when he helps win a title in Miami it will not mean as much as other places. Miami does not have near the diehard fans of other places. No matter how many titles LeBron helps Miami win the 1972 undefeated Dolphins will still go down as the bigger deal, and the 1983 Miami Hurricanes will probably still be a bigger deal too. Had he gone to NYC and won 1 Championship he would have been a basketball God there. In New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets fans would have licked his balls for 1 title. If he went to Chicago he would be in Jordan’s 6 Championships Shadow, but with each title the Chicago fans would have appreciated it and enjoyed. And if he stayed in Cleveland and won just ONE championship he would have truly gone down as the KING of Cleveland, Akron, and probably all of Ohio. Instead not only did LeBron takes the easiest route to a championship in terms of a roster in Miami, but he took the easiest route to a championship in terms of fan’s expectations by joining Miami.
His Ego seems to be bigger than the size of Mount Rushmore. He and his brand thinks he’s bigger than a city, a game, a league. He single handedly took over multiple cities, the NBA, and ESPN in the last few weeks. Humble seems to be the farthest thing possible in describing LeBron James. He announced his decision as “I am going to take MY TALENTS to South Beach.” Not “I’m going to play for the Miami Heat.” Doesn’t that MY TALENTS statement scream egotistic?!?
Now on to his going to the Miami Heat. I don’t want to hear anyone ever call LeBron James “King” ever again. A “King” does not go to another leader’s team. Make no mistake this is Dwyane Wade’s team. He’s the man that brought the Heat a championship. He’s the one fans in Miami were willing to go to the wrong airport to greet him. Last night on Facebook I made the comparison that imagine if Magic and Bird played WITH each other, instead of against each other. That is how I feel about LeBron going to Miami. He took the easy way out. He was on the mantle, along with Kobe of “The Next MJ.” He left that mantle last night. It’s like when A-Rod went to the Yankees. He went to win a championship. But as he left he sacrificed two things. It would not be HIS team ever. It’s Derek Jeter’s team. And he could never go down in the conversation of “Greatest Baseball Player Ever” because of it. Now he won a Championship last year, and was clutch in the playoffs. He has his ring. But he won’t have the immortality that seemed all but likely when he was with the Mariners and Rangers. Same can be said for LeBron. He will win a championship, and probably championships in Miami. But he will not go down in the conversation of “Greatest Basketball Player Ever.” No way! He went from being in the discussion of “The Next MJ” to now probably going down as “The Next Scottie Pippen.” He’ll go down as a better Scottie Pippen instead of possibly the closest thing to MJ. In the 1980’s you would have never seen Isaiah Thomas try to leave Detroit to join Boston or LA before he won his two rings, or Jordan leave to join Detroit, Utah, Houston, LA, or Boston before he won his 6 rings. But in this day in age of every athlete loving each other it should not have come as a surprise to see LeBron sacrifice the Top Dog model to join Miami. Some King!
ESPN: ESPN caved into LeBron James. Let him have this stupid and ridiculous one hour show. All those analysts kissed his ass during the interviews (especially Stuart Scott who I will get to in a little bit). Softball questions galore. ESPN has turned for the worst. But we can’t ignore ESPN. They are like the Wal-Mart of sports entertainment. I wish there at least was another channel that could compete with ESPN. I wish CNNSI was still around. I wish there was a cross country Fox Sports channel that was good. Or MSNBC Sports channel. But all of this is wishful thinking, and ESPN will always own the sports entertainment access. Oh and one more thing ESPN. Everyone patted Chris Broussard on the back for “breaking” the LeBron James is going to Miami Heat 3 days ago. Hello ESPN, Stephen A. Smith broke this story TWO WEEKS AGO. I know he doesn’t work for ESPN anymore, but for goodness sakes ESPN give credit where credit is due.
Toronto Raptors Fans: Look Toronto don’t have nowhere close to the horrible feeling people in Cleveland have. But don’t think for a second Raptors fans don’t have a reason to gripe. Raptors fans who gave nothing but love to Chris Bosh got nothing in return from him. As soon as the NBA season ended Bosh tweeted asking people where should he go now. What an insult that was to Raptors fans! At no time did Bosh ever thank the city of Toronto or Raptors fans when he made his decision to join the Heat. The Raptors two greatest players are Vince Carter and Chris Bosh. And both left Toronto with no class. Well at least Toronto you have the Maple Leafs. Shit…Well you have the Blue Jays…right they can’t win either…you get a Bills game once a year…oh yeah you could care less about that…well you have the Argonauts in the CFL I guess?!?!
Eric Spoelstra: I’m sure he’s a fine man and a good young coach. But no coach will have more pressure on him than Eric Spoelstra the Miami Heat coach. Like Stan Van Gundy when he had Shaq and Wade, you can only think it’s only a matter of time before Pat Riley swoops in and becomes head coach.
Mikhail Prokhorov: Prokhorov came in proclaiming the Nets would turn around and win a title in 3 years, and be a dynasty in 5 years. The Blueprint for Success mural was draped right by the MSG. He promised to be the basketball capital in the NY/NJ area. Well the Knicks got Amar’e Stoudemire. The Nets?! Travis Outlaw. That dynasty seems right on schedule!!!
Jay-Z: He couldn’t convince his buddy LeBron to come to the Nets. He can’t even watch his boy Bron in MSG. So much for all that star power he has. Though he still married to Beyoncé. So he’s got that going for him.
Derrick Rose: Reports are that Derrick Rose was not very hospitable to LeBron James coming to Chicago. It seems Rose was not all open arms to being the Robin to LeBron’s Batman. He preferred Joe Johnson. Look Derrick Rose is a fine talent. But the more I hear and see of him, the more I think he is an absolute idiot. He couldn’t take his SAT in high school. He failed to foul Sharron Collins when John Callipari told him to. And now it seems he had no interest in trying to recruit LeBron. Don’t think Derrick Rose has a very high IQ.
Richard Jefferson: He left $15 million dollars with the Spurs. Is there any way he will make close to that money somewhere else? Or go to a team as good as the Spurs? What the Hell was Richard Jefferson thinking?!?!
Stuart Scott: I can’t take Stuart Scott anymore. No one on ESPN kissed LeBron’s ass more last night than Stuart Scott. Hey LeBron next time I play one-on-one vs Obama can you be my coach LeBron? What the Fuck is that?!?! Does Scott have any journalistic integrity?!?! He just wants to be “boys” with every popular athlete. He did not ask LeBron one tough question. All of them were softball questions. Look Stuart Scott was born for doing highlights on SportsCenter. He is as good as anyone doing that. But Stuart Scott doesn’t deserve to stand in the piss of studio hosts like Bob Costas, Jim Nantz, Greg Gumbel, Bryant Gumbel, Brent Musburger, James Brown, Chris Fowler, hell even Fox’s Chris Rose!!!! Stuart Scott take your “what’s up ya’ll” shtick, and your lazy eye, fake eye, whatever the Hell it is and GO AWAY!!!!
Michael Beasley: He went from the #2 pick in the NBA Draft two years ago, and a possible future star to the Miami Heat, to now being traded to the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves. He seems to have emotional issues, alcohol problems, and has underachieved. He’s too talented to have done so little so far.
Mark Jackson: He’s a great to listen to on NBA on ABC games, but sometimes he says stupid things. Last night was one of them. He said LeBron James “handled this beautifully.” I’m pretty sure that opinion on LeBron is in the minority on that one.
Vitamin Water: Right after LeBron said he was going to Miami and ESPN cut to the commercial we all got to see that stupid Vitamin Water ad with LeBron James voicing it over. And how about that stupid Facebook Vitamin Water question a fan sent that was chosen to ask LeBron?!? How would LeBron do in a game of horse against Obama?!?! What booger eating retard sent that question?!?! And who decided that was the best fan question to ask LeBron? I’ll tell you the answer to that stupid question. LeBron would beat the Hell out of Obama. He’s a fucking NBA player!!! Who the Hell do you think will win that competition?!?! Just because Clark Kellogg threw his HORSE game with Obama during the Final Four, does not mean Obama is some HORSE World Beater!!! I will tell you one thing. I’ll never drink a Vitamin Water again. I’ll take Beyoncé’s Sobe Life Water over LeBron James’ Vitamin Water any day of the week.
Nike: It’s top two athletes are Tiger Woods and LeBron James. Ouch! Who would have ever thought that Nike’s most marketable athlete was probably Kobe Bryant?!?! Nike has to just be hoping that Tim Tebow thrives in the NFL so they can market him big time.
Shoe Stores in Cleveland, Akron, and all of Ohio: From Footlocker to Finish Line, and any other store, how in the world will Nike be able to sell any LeBron James shoes in Cleveland. I mean seriously?!?! What kid is going to buy the next Bron shoe? What parent in Ohio will buy their son a LeBron shoe?!?!
LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers Jerseys in Ohio: They are either being burned, thrown away, or will collect cobwebs in someone’s closest. They will be sold now down there real cheap.
World Wide Wes: William Wesley was supposedly the powerbroker for LeBron James, and James’ right hand man throughout this whole process. Instead he was brushed aside. LeBron did not even mention him last night. Frankly I am tired of hearing about World Wide Wes, Maverick Carter, LeBron’s Akron boys, and anyone else associated with LeBron’s posse. It’s nauseating, annoying, and I think in a lot of ways represents a lot that is wrong with sports. I think they fuel LeBron’s ego, kiss his ass, and never check him. Never tell him this isn’t right. I mean his posse, Nike, and LeBron himself tried to get this hard to watch video of Jordan Crawford dunking over LeBron to go away. What an ego! And finally where was the PR guy to tell LeBron that this reality show “The Decision” was selfish and completely stupid?!?!
Kofod
Winners
The City of Miami: As Will Smith would say “South Beach bringing the heat.” You have the beaches, the sun, the ladies, and now you can add THE team to watch in the NBA. Love or hate the Heat now, and I am a hater, the fact is they are like the Yankees. If they are on you watch them. The Dolphins look to have a good future. Miami Hurricanes football seems to coming back around. And the Marlins seem to compete and win a World Series every 5 years. Miami is a great place to live in, and be a part of today and for a while.
Dwyane Wade: Wade comes out great here. Even with LeBron it still is his team. He looks unselfish by taking less to allow LeBron and Bosh to join. He was obviously Pat Riley’s right hand man powerbroker to make this all happen. And his “apparent” flirtation with Chicago made him seem genuine as his family and children were involved in it. Wade came out of all of this looking great.
LeBron James: Here is where LeBron James is a winner. The Miami Heat will win a championship with Wade, James, and Bosh. It may not be this year. It may be a few years down the road. But Miami will win at least one and probably more than one. They have too much talent not too. So LeBron assured himself of at least one title. And he gets to play with his buddies. It seems more than clear that LeBron is great friends with Wade and Bosh. And they get to play in sunny Miami. He did what we ask many athletes to do. Focus more on winning than money. He did that because he left a lot of money on the table he could have had if he stayed with Cleveland. Those are the positives of LeBron’s move to Miami.
Chris Bosh: Talk about a winner in this whole free agent chaos. He goes from the Raptors to the Heat with Wade and LeBron. He was referred to a Superstar multiple times. Sorry that’s way too much. He’s good, he’s an all-star. But not a Superstar! LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Durant, and Carmelo are Superstars. Not Bosh. And he obviously enjoyed this whole process. Tweeting away all the time. And he became a household name. As Bill Simmons would say he passed the “Mom Test.” My Mom only knows a few current active athletes. Lance Armstrong in bicycle racing. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees in NFL. Ryan Miller in the NHL. A-Rod, and Derek Jeter in MLB. And in the NBA she knows Shaq, Kobe, LeBron, Wade, Carmelo, and now Chris Bosh. The fact that Chris Bosh is now a household name among moms is amazing.
I can't believe this guy is now a household name!
New York Knicks: I don’t want to hear one New York Knicks fan say they felt used by LeBron James. People in Ohio can say that. Not New York Knicks fans. He’s not yours, he’s never been yours. James was Cleveland’s. I mean for goodness sakes the Browns traded Braylon Edwards the second Braylon upset LeBron James and his boys. Even the Browns kissed LeBron’s ass. But he was not one of yours Knicks fans. Not one fan in New York should have booed last night. Fine he doesn’t want to be a Knick. Move on. You got Amar’e. I’m an Amar’e guy. Frankly I think he’s better than Bosh. I know he has health, maturity, and defense problems. But he is a freak of nature. And he will make the Knicks better. Yes the Knicks still need to make more moves. Maybe it will Carmelo Anthony and/or CP3 next year. But it’s clear the Knicks are heading in the right direction.
Knicks fans should be smiling just like Amar'e.
Pat Riley: The man has done it again. He won with Showtime LA Lakers in the 1980’s. He was the coach of the last great era of the New York Knicks in the 1990’s. He took over from Stan Van Gundy in 2006 to lead Shaq, Wade, and the Miami Heat to a championship over the more talented Dallas Mavericks. Then he was the smooth powerbroker in the suit to convince Bosh, and especially LeBron to take less money to join Miami. Now the question is how long will it take for him to remove Eric Spoelstra as head coach and become the Miami Heat coach again? I say the over/under in one season. I will take the under.
Kevin Durant: He very quietly signed a 5 year contract a few days ago. No press conference. No look at “ME, ME, ME.” He’s just ‘ballin.’ Taylor said he would take Durant over LeBron if he had to pick one today. I laughed at him when he said that. Not now. Not after LeBron gave up the “Top Dog” thrown to take the easy way out to win a title. I’ll definitely take Durant now. I believe he’s a guy that wants to be the “Top Dog.” And he has the game to back it up.
James Lacki: Last night I joked with James on Facebook that I hated him because he gets all the good things with his sports teams. UNC is back in basketball with a title in 2005, 2009, and will certainly compete for more Final Fours over the next decade. The Yankees are in it every year, and coming off a championship in 2009. The Steelers won Super Bowl XL, and Super Bowl XLIII. And now he gets his two favorite NBA players in Dwyane Wade and LeBron James on the same team. James is truly the luckiest sports fan I have ever met and known. All you need now is a college football team to root for now. I hear some guy named Nick Saban and Alabama are pretty good James haha!!!!
Joe Johnson: If I would have told you before free agency starts that Joe Johnson would have been the highest paid free agent you would have laughed at me. Well $123.7 million later Joe Johnson is laughing all the way to the bank in the ATL.
Chris Paul: The rumor has been going around forever that during the 2008 Beijing Olympics Wade, Bosh, LeBron, and CP3 were in a room when they decided to join forces together during the 2010 and 2011 free agent process, even if that meant taking far less money. Well ¾ of that is complete. And CP3 could join the three next year. Also word was that CP3 was one of the few people in LeBron’s ear trying to convince him to stay in Cleveland. Who knows if this is true, but it does seem whether it’s Miami, New York, or somewhere else CP3 will have a bright future somewhere else a year from now.
Boston Celtics: Doc Rivers comes back. They resign Pierce, and Allen. The Big 3 are getting older, but I guarantee they will give the Heat all they can handle next year. Now hopefully Rajon Rondo is practicing his free throws somewhere.
Dan Gilbert: The owner sent the letter from his heart. Did it go to far? Probably. Is their anyway the Cavs will win a title before LeBron? No, not a chance. But he did exactly what Cleveland fans wanted, and now has the whole city behind him. Oh and Dan Gilbert is not only the owner of the Cavs, but also FatHead. He put the price of all LeBron James FatHead's today for $17.41. Why 1741? That's the year Benedict Arnold was born. Haha love it!!!
Art Modell: Art Modell will still go down as the most hated person in Cleveland history, let alone Cleveland sports history for moving the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore. But somewhere Modell is smiling today, because LeBron James joins him right there at #2.
Cleveland Sports Radio: After “The Decision” ended last night I turned on Cleveland Sports Radio. It was great to listen to. The hosts blasting LeBron. Fans pouring out there emotions to the hosts. It was live drama to listen to. If you love sports radio, and have free time I suggest listening online, or over your radio you will hear some good stuff. And I guarantee the Cleveland sports radio stations got great ratings last night.
Here is the saddest story I heard from a caller in Cleveland last night. A dad called the ESPN 850 Cleveland station to tell the hosts how his 9 year old son handled “The Decision.” The father said when the son heard LeBron say he’s going to South Beach he immediately ran to his room. His room was filled with Cavs things all over the wall. Pennants, posters, all kinds of stuff. Anything that was LeBron James he took down. A FatHead, a poster, and a LeBron basketball. He did not destroy them, but just carefully took them down. He left Cleveland Cavaliers pennants and posters that were not associated with LeBron up on his wall. He went to his closet and took out his LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers jersey. He took all the stuff and ran back to his dad. He was in complete tears. He handed all the things to his dad in a box and told him to put it away somewhere. The 9 year old son said to his dad that he was not a LeBron fan anymore, but that he was always going to be a Cavs fan. That is just but one example of what LeBron James did to Cleveland last night.
Colt McCoy: If I’m a Cleveland sports fan today I go onto the Browns website and buy a Colt McCoy jersey. Here is a guy who seems down to earth, is an overachiever, and will do whatever it takes to try to win. I think Cleveland should back this guy now, and hope he is the bright future of the Cleveland Browns.
Toney Douglas: Amar’e Stoudamire will need a high IQ PG to flourish with the Knicks. Like Steve Nash in Phoenix he’ll need someone to set pick and rolls for him, and feed him the ball. I think the Knicks may have that man in Toney Douglas. Now certainly I have a huge FSU bias here. But I think if the Knicks let Douglas develop next year they will find a guy with that good offensive IQ. And as I can attest to at FSU he’s a tremendous defender. He could bring defensive intensity to the Knicks that has never been a part of Amar’e Stoudamire or Mike D’Antoni.
Skip Bayless: No one in the media criticized LeBron James more than ESPN2’s Skip Bayless. He constanly called him “Prince” James, and said he would never deliver what Cleveland wanted. Well it turned out he was right all along.
Stephen A. Smith: Stephen A. was the first person to break the story of LeBron, Wade, and Bosh going to Miami. Two weeks ago! He was blasted for it, but he came out smelling like roses. Who the hell would have guessed that after all this NBA Free Agent stuff that Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith would be the two analysts who were the most right on this story. What in the world haha?!?!
Brian Windhorst: He is the newspaper Cleveland Plain Dealer Cavs Insider. Throughought the free agent process through Tweets, and articles he gave the most factual, in depth analysis of how the whole LeBron James Free Agent sweepstakes were going. At times it seemed he was hiding inside the office when LeBron had his meetings with the 6 teams. Job well done by Windhorst.
Twitter: If you followed athletes, fans, and sports writers on Twitter it truly was the best place to go for constant updates, opinions and moves to NBA Free Agency. Facebook is for friends and family. Twitter is for sports and news. And if you love sports than there are a lot of great outlets to follow on Twitter.
Tom Izzo: Izzo ended up being completely right in turning down the Cavs coaching job and staying at Michigan State. Here is hoping Izzo wins a championship before LeBron does!
Brett Favre: As bad as the whole breakup between Favre and Green Bay was it pales now in comparison to the breakup between LeBron and Cleveland. Favre on multiple occasions, including both Vikings vs. Packers games last year made it clear how much he loved Green Bay, and how emotional it was for him. And I think it’s genuine. Plus he won a Super Bowl with Green Bay. LeBron did not win a NBA title with Cleveland. 20, 30, 40 years from now (even if the Vikings win a Super Bowl with Favre) I think Green Bay, and Wisconsin will think highly of Favre, and the glory years he had with them. As bad at times as Favre may have been in leaving and coming, and leaving and coming, he did nothing as awful and heartless as what LeBron did.
Kobe Bryant: Kobe will still have haters. But after last night he’s now the most popular player in the NBA, and I think Nike’s most marketable athlete. He’s dissed Shaq, and Andrew Bynum in the past. He whined and wanted to be traded. But he never did anything as selfish and awful as what LeBron James did last night.
NBA on TNT, NBA on ABC, and NBA on ESPN Games in 2010-2011: I guarantee at least once a week the Heat will either be on TNT, or ESPN. They will get high ratings when the Heat are on. When the Heat play at Cleveland for the first time I think ABC has to jump on that. I don’t care if it’s during the week. Your telling me a Monday Night Miami at Cleveland game will not draw more viewers on ABC than the crap fest comedy night CBS has on Monday?! Or that the first Heat at Cavs game would not be draw out Survivor and CSI on a Thursday Night?! It would certainly beat out any crap NBC would show that night. You draw it out, bring the pregame show to Cleveland, interview fans. That will do MAJOR ratings. And you know Miami will be on Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. If ABC puts Miami at LA on Thanksgiving Night I guarantee more people will watch that than Bengals at Jets on NFL Network. I know I will and I love the NFL much more than the NBA. TNT, ABC, and ESPN will thrive with the Heat on TV.
NBA 2K11, NBA Elite 11: Whether you have a PS3, XBOX 360, or Wii, and are a sports fan how do you not get either NBA 2K11 with Michael Jordan on the cover, and/or NBA Elite 11 with Kevin Durant on the cover? Those two games will sell real good. Play against the Heat, or with the Heat. Plus play as Kobe in LA, Amar’e in NYC, Durant, Melo, or Dwight. I know I will probably buy one of these games.
Losers
The City of Cleveland: Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The Browns move to Baltimore, 1997 Marlins Game 7 World Series Win over the Indians, Tim Couch crying, 2001 Browns vs. Jaguars Beer Bottle Game, 2002 Browns vs. Chiefs Helmet Game, The Steelers comeback against the Browns in the 2002 AFC Wildcard Game , 2007 ALCS Indians blow 3-1 series lead to Red Sox, LeBron James No Handshake vs Magic in 2009, and the Cavs collapse vs. Celtics in 2010 make room. Alongside Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, and The Shot ,you can now add The Decision. Cleveland continues to get their heart broken in sports. LeBron has every right to leave Cleveland. But he did it in the worst fashion possible. He turned it into a reality show. People all over Cleveland, Akron, and all of Ohio were watching the televisions believing and hoping. The Decision got Super Bowl type ratings in Cleveland. And then without any emotion he said he was headed to South Beach. He drove the knife right through Cleveland, and Akron and let them bleed to death. It was heartless, and gutless. Look Buffalo has equal pains when it comes to sports. We have had our fair share of terrible moments. So I certainly feel for Cleveland and its city today, tomorrow, and in the future.
LeBron James: Here is where LeBron is a loser. First off he picked the worst way possible to hurt Cleveland. Look no matter what he did leaving Cleveland was going to sting. But he could have done it quiet and with dignity. Simply tell a NBA insider he’s going to the Heat. Show up to Miami for his introductory press conference to the Heat. There he could say how excited he was to join Miami, but at the same time thank the fans, ownership, Cleveland, and Akron for everything they gave him, and that his heart will always be in that area. He could have told Cavs owner Dan Gilbert in advance in person, or at least on the phone of his decision to leave. Leave with class.
Instead he chose the worst way ever imaginable to leave. He dragged out the process. He made his decision into a one hour reality show. He hid behind Boys and Girls Club of America Charity to rip the hearts out of Cleveland. He gave no emotion in saying bye to Cleveland. Never thanked the fans, teammates, ownership, and community. Absolute cold blooded. Worst way ever in the history of the world to leave a team. I don’t think any athlete will ever come close to creating a charade to leave a team in a worse way EVER! He will never be able to live in the Akron/Cleveland area EVER again! This is a guy who after his no show vs Game 5 against the Celtics in the 2010 Playoffs said he "spoiled" fans with his play. When Joakim Noah bashed Cleveland LeBron never defended the city and went after Noah. From LeBron wearing a Yankees hat to a Yankees at Indians playoff game, to doing any sort of charity or MVP presentation in Akron it seemed LeBron loved Akron, but never quite showed love to Cleveland. Just not right!
Also if/when he helps win a title in Miami it will not mean as much as other places. Miami does not have near the diehard fans of other places. No matter how many titles LeBron helps Miami win the 1972 undefeated Dolphins will still go down as the bigger deal, and the 1983 Miami Hurricanes will probably still be a bigger deal too. Had he gone to NYC and won 1 Championship he would have been a basketball God there. In New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets fans would have licked his balls for 1 title. If he went to Chicago he would be in Jordan’s 6 Championships Shadow, but with each title the Chicago fans would have appreciated it and enjoyed. And if he stayed in Cleveland and won just ONE championship he would have truly gone down as the KING of Cleveland, Akron, and probably all of Ohio. Instead not only did LeBron takes the easiest route to a championship in terms of a roster in Miami, but he took the easiest route to a championship in terms of fan’s expectations by joining Miami.
His Ego seems to be bigger than the size of Mount Rushmore. He and his brand thinks he’s bigger than a city, a game, a league. He single handedly took over multiple cities, the NBA, and ESPN in the last few weeks. Humble seems to be the farthest thing possible in describing LeBron James. He announced his decision as “I am going to take MY TALENTS to South Beach.” Not “I’m going to play for the Miami Heat.” Doesn’t that MY TALENTS statement scream egotistic?!?
Now on to his going to the Miami Heat. I don’t want to hear anyone ever call LeBron James “King” ever again. A “King” does not go to another leader’s team. Make no mistake this is Dwyane Wade’s team. He’s the man that brought the Heat a championship. He’s the one fans in Miami were willing to go to the wrong airport to greet him. Last night on Facebook I made the comparison that imagine if Magic and Bird played WITH each other, instead of against each other. That is how I feel about LeBron going to Miami. He took the easy way out. He was on the mantle, along with Kobe of “The Next MJ.” He left that mantle last night. It’s like when A-Rod went to the Yankees. He went to win a championship. But as he left he sacrificed two things. It would not be HIS team ever. It’s Derek Jeter’s team. And he could never go down in the conversation of “Greatest Baseball Player Ever” because of it. Now he won a Championship last year, and was clutch in the playoffs. He has his ring. But he won’t have the immortality that seemed all but likely when he was with the Mariners and Rangers. Same can be said for LeBron. He will win a championship, and probably championships in Miami. But he will not go down in the conversation of “Greatest Basketball Player Ever.” No way! He went from being in the discussion of “The Next MJ” to now probably going down as “The Next Scottie Pippen.” He’ll go down as a better Scottie Pippen instead of possibly the closest thing to MJ. In the 1980’s you would have never seen Isaiah Thomas try to leave Detroit to join Boston or LA before he won his two rings, or Jordan leave to join Detroit, Utah, Houston, LA, or Boston before he won his 6 rings. But in this day in age of every athlete loving each other it should not have come as a surprise to see LeBron sacrifice the Top Dog model to join Miami. Some King!
ESPN: ESPN caved into LeBron James. Let him have this stupid and ridiculous one hour show. All those analysts kissed his ass during the interviews (especially Stuart Scott who I will get to in a little bit). Softball questions galore. ESPN has turned for the worst. But we can’t ignore ESPN. They are like the Wal-Mart of sports entertainment. I wish there at least was another channel that could compete with ESPN. I wish CNNSI was still around. I wish there was a cross country Fox Sports channel that was good. Or MSNBC Sports channel. But all of this is wishful thinking, and ESPN will always own the sports entertainment access. Oh and one more thing ESPN. Everyone patted Chris Broussard on the back for “breaking” the LeBron James is going to Miami Heat 3 days ago. Hello ESPN, Stephen A. Smith broke this story TWO WEEKS AGO. I know he doesn’t work for ESPN anymore, but for goodness sakes ESPN give credit where credit is due.
Toronto Raptors Fans: Look Toronto don’t have nowhere close to the horrible feeling people in Cleveland have. But don’t think for a second Raptors fans don’t have a reason to gripe. Raptors fans who gave nothing but love to Chris Bosh got nothing in return from him. As soon as the NBA season ended Bosh tweeted asking people where should he go now. What an insult that was to Raptors fans! At no time did Bosh ever thank the city of Toronto or Raptors fans when he made his decision to join the Heat. The Raptors two greatest players are Vince Carter and Chris Bosh. And both left Toronto with no class. Well at least Toronto you have the Maple Leafs. Shit…Well you have the Blue Jays…right they can’t win either…you get a Bills game once a year…oh yeah you could care less about that…well you have the Argonauts in the CFL I guess?!?!
Eric Spoelstra: I’m sure he’s a fine man and a good young coach. But no coach will have more pressure on him than Eric Spoelstra the Miami Heat coach. Like Stan Van Gundy when he had Shaq and Wade, you can only think it’s only a matter of time before Pat Riley swoops in and becomes head coach.
Mikhail Prokhorov: Prokhorov came in proclaiming the Nets would turn around and win a title in 3 years, and be a dynasty in 5 years. The Blueprint for Success mural was draped right by the MSG. He promised to be the basketball capital in the NY/NJ area. Well the Knicks got Amar’e Stoudemire. The Nets?! Travis Outlaw. That dynasty seems right on schedule!!!
Jay-Z: He couldn’t convince his buddy LeBron to come to the Nets. He can’t even watch his boy Bron in MSG. So much for all that star power he has. Though he still married to Beyoncé. So he’s got that going for him.
Jay-Z couldn't get LeBron to the Nets. At least he still has Beyoncé.
Derrick Rose: Reports are that Derrick Rose was not very hospitable to LeBron James coming to Chicago. It seems Rose was not all open arms to being the Robin to LeBron’s Batman. He preferred Joe Johnson. Look Derrick Rose is a fine talent. But the more I hear and see of him, the more I think he is an absolute idiot. He couldn’t take his SAT in high school. He failed to foul Sharron Collins when John Callipari told him to. And now it seems he had no interest in trying to recruit LeBron. Don’t think Derrick Rose has a very high IQ.
Richard Jefferson: He left $15 million dollars with the Spurs. Is there any way he will make close to that money somewhere else? Or go to a team as good as the Spurs? What the Hell was Richard Jefferson thinking?!?!
Stuart Scott: I can’t take Stuart Scott anymore. No one on ESPN kissed LeBron’s ass more last night than Stuart Scott. Hey LeBron next time I play one-on-one vs Obama can you be my coach LeBron? What the Fuck is that?!?! Does Scott have any journalistic integrity?!?! He just wants to be “boys” with every popular athlete. He did not ask LeBron one tough question. All of them were softball questions. Look Stuart Scott was born for doing highlights on SportsCenter. He is as good as anyone doing that. But Stuart Scott doesn’t deserve to stand in the piss of studio hosts like Bob Costas, Jim Nantz, Greg Gumbel, Bryant Gumbel, Brent Musburger, James Brown, Chris Fowler, hell even Fox’s Chris Rose!!!! Stuart Scott take your “what’s up ya’ll” shtick, and your lazy eye, fake eye, whatever the Hell it is and GO AWAY!!!!
Michael Beasley: He went from the #2 pick in the NBA Draft two years ago, and a possible future star to the Miami Heat, to now being traded to the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves. He seems to have emotional issues, alcohol problems, and has underachieved. He’s too talented to have done so little so far.
Mark Jackson: He’s a great to listen to on NBA on ABC games, but sometimes he says stupid things. Last night was one of them. He said LeBron James “handled this beautifully.” I’m pretty sure that opinion on LeBron is in the minority on that one.
Vitamin Water: Right after LeBron said he was going to Miami and ESPN cut to the commercial we all got to see that stupid Vitamin Water ad with LeBron James voicing it over. And how about that stupid Facebook Vitamin Water question a fan sent that was chosen to ask LeBron?!? How would LeBron do in a game of horse against Obama?!?! What booger eating retard sent that question?!?! And who decided that was the best fan question to ask LeBron? I’ll tell you the answer to that stupid question. LeBron would beat the Hell out of Obama. He’s a fucking NBA player!!! Who the Hell do you think will win that competition?!?! Just because Clark Kellogg threw his HORSE game with Obama during the Final Four, does not mean Obama is some HORSE World Beater!!! I will tell you one thing. I’ll never drink a Vitamin Water again. I’ll take Beyoncé’s Sobe Life Water over LeBron James’ Vitamin Water any day of the week.
Nike: It’s top two athletes are Tiger Woods and LeBron James. Ouch! Who would have ever thought that Nike’s most marketable athlete was probably Kobe Bryant?!?! Nike has to just be hoping that Tim Tebow thrives in the NFL so they can market him big time.
Shoe Stores in Cleveland, Akron, and all of Ohio: From Footlocker to Finish Line, and any other store, how in the world will Nike be able to sell any LeBron James shoes in Cleveland. I mean seriously?!?! What kid is going to buy the next Bron shoe? What parent in Ohio will buy their son a LeBron shoe?!?!
LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers Jerseys in Ohio: They are either being burned, thrown away, or will collect cobwebs in someone’s closest. They will be sold now down there real cheap.
World Wide Wes: William Wesley was supposedly the powerbroker for LeBron James, and James’ right hand man throughout this whole process. Instead he was brushed aside. LeBron did not even mention him last night. Frankly I am tired of hearing about World Wide Wes, Maverick Carter, LeBron’s Akron boys, and anyone else associated with LeBron’s posse. It’s nauseating, annoying, and I think in a lot of ways represents a lot that is wrong with sports. I think they fuel LeBron’s ego, kiss his ass, and never check him. Never tell him this isn’t right. I mean his posse, Nike, and LeBron himself tried to get this hard to watch video of Jordan Crawford dunking over LeBron to go away. What an ego! And finally where was the PR guy to tell LeBron that this reality show “The Decision” was selfish and completely stupid?!?!
Kofod
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Cleveland Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert's Message to the Cleveland Cavaliers Fans
Here is the open letter Cavs owner Dan Gilbert just sent to Cavs fans. Don't believe it?! Here's the link itself straight from the Cavs website.
Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;
As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.
This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.
Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.
The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.
There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.
You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.
You have given so much and deserve so much more.
In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:
"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE"
You can take it to the bank.
If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.
Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.
Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.
This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.
But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.
The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.
Just watch.
Sleep well, Cleveland.
Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....
I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:
DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue....
Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;
As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.
This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.
Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.
The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.
There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.
You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.
You have given so much and deserve so much more.
In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:
"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE"
You can take it to the bank.
If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.
Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.
Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.
This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.
But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.
The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.
Just watch.
Sleep well, Cleveland.
Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....
I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:
DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue....
Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Response in Cleveland and Akron to Lebron James Going to the Miami Heat
Here are some videos of Cleveland's and Akron's response to LeBron leaving.
Respone of LeBron James' decision from Cleveland fans at a Cleveland sports bar.
Here is the story Cleveland Channel 3 NBC did after the LeBron annoucement. Notice the fans did a quick Fuck You LeBron chant during the live feed.
And here are Cavs fans lighting a LeBron James jersey on fire.
And here are some photos of the reaction in Cleveland.
Kofod
Respone of LeBron James' decision from Cleveland fans at a Cleveland sports bar.
| Cavs fan react to The Decision |
Here is the story Cleveland Channel 3 NBC did after the LeBron annoucement. Notice the fans did a quick Fuck You LeBron chant during the live feed.
And here are Cavs fans lighting a LeBron James jersey on fire.
And here are some photos of the reaction in Cleveland.
Kofod
Sunday, July 4, 2010
LeBron James More Than a Player
Well the Cavs, along with the Bulls, made their pitch to LeBron James yesterday in Cleveland. Part of the Cavs push to keep LeBron was showing him this 10 minute video on how the community of Akron and Cleveland is just as big a part of LeBron as winning. Notice the video also has music from the movie Gladiator playing throughout this. The Cavs did this on purpose, because that is one of LeBron's favorite movies. The video may be a little corny, but overall I think it's a pretty good sale pitch.
Kofod
Kofod
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Sports Tidbits June 30th
Come Midnight tonight NBA Free Agency begins. Of course players can’t sign with a team until July 8th, but over the next month it will be fascinating to see where LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Stoudemire, Nowitzki, and others will go. Here are my predictions for where the players will go, which will probably be all wrong. Also I do not think Chris Paul or Carmelo Anthony will get traded this offseason. Maybe later next season, but not this summer.
LeBron James- Chicago Bulls
Dwyane Wade- Miami Heat
Paul Pierce- Boston Celtics
Ray Allen- Boston Celtics
Shaquille O’Neal- Dallas Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki- Dallas Mavericks
Chris Bosh- Chicago Bulls
Nate Robinson- New Jersey Nets
Joe Johnson- New York Knicks
Amar’e Stoudemire- Miami Heat
Carlos Boozer- New Jersey Nets
Allen Iverson- Retirement
Tracy McGrady- Toronto Raptors
Jermaine O’Neal- Memphis Grizzlies
Derek Fisher- Los Angeles Lakers
David Lee- Los Angeles Clippers
Rudy Gay- Minnesota Timberwolves
Luke Ridnour- New York Knicks
Darko Milicic- Indiana Pacers
Zydrunas Ilgauskas- Cleveland Cavaliers
Kyle Korver- Orlando Magic
Raymond Felton- San Antonio Spurs
J.J. Reddick- Charlotte Bobcats
Speaking of NBA Free Agency, the ESPN NBA Free Agent Summit featuring Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon, Dan LeBatard, and Bill Simmons was thoroughly entertaining. It’s great to watch for guys passionate about the NBA argue about what LeBron and the rest of the free agents should do. You won’t be smarter by watching it, but it’s a great 24 minutes of sports talk.
Oh and by the way Sabres fans NHL Free Agency starts too. Look I am no hockey expert, but I will say two things. One the Sabres have to make some dramatic changes to the roster. Two is while I want the Sabres to do this, I’m not sure how they do it, because the list of NHL Free Agents for 2010 quite frankly sucks. It is the complete opposite of the 2010 NBA Free Agent list. You want a 34 year old Saku Koivu? How about 36 year old John Madden? Booom!!! Does 39 year old Mike Modano entice you? 34 year old Paul Kariya anyone? The fact is NHL Free Agency 2010 is like golfing at Cassadaga Golf Course. It’s alright, but nothing spectacular. NBA Free Agency 2010 is like golfing at Augusta National. You can’t beat it!
What a great year for Team USA Sports. First the Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey team took the nation on a ride, and lost the greatest hockey game I ever saw to Canada in the Gold Medal Final. Then U.S. Soccer kept coming back each game, and made it to the round of 16 before bowing out to Ghana. After that game Kase said on Facebook that the loss to Ghana was a terrible blow to U.S. Soccer. I could not disagree more. The U.S. met expectations by making it in the Round of 16. And the dramatic way they played captured the entire nation. They simply lost to a better Ghana team. Hopefully four years from in 2014 the U.S. Hockey team can make another run for the gold in Russia, and the U.S. Soccer team will make the Round of 16 again in Brazil, and maybe advance further. All I know is I want to thank both teams for their heart and the way they played. Who could forget Zach Parise’s goal to tie Canada with 24 seconds left in the 3rd period, and Landon Donovan goal in the 91st minute to beat Algeria 1-0, win the Group C for USA, and send U.S. to the round of 16. Probably the two best sports moments of the year in this country.
After that Donovan Algeria goal I heard people say this was the 2nd greatest moment in U.S. Team Sports history right behind the Miracle on Ice. Please!! First off it’s not a better moment then when U.S. Soccer beat Mexico in the Round of 16 in 2002 to make it to the Quarterfinals of the World Cup. Second off it’s not even the best Team USA moment of the past three years. That would belong to the Redeem Team lead by Kobe, LeBron, Wade, and Bosh and beating Spain in the Gold Medal game in one of the best basketball games no one saw (expect me I stayed up all night to watch that one). If you didn't see or don't remember that game here are the 1st and 2nd half highlights of that game below. Note Wade, Bosh, and LeBron all playing together. Will this happen again with the Miami Heat?
Can people stop calling Cristiano Ronaldo as simply “Ronaldo.” The Ronaldo I know was one of the greatest soccer players of all time for Brazil, who holds the record for all time World Cup goals with 15, lead Brazil to win the 2002 World Cup, and in 2008 had sex with three transvestites who all turned out to be men. Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t hold Ronaldo’s jock (and probably wouldn’t want to) when it comes to International Soccer competition. Cristiano Ronaldo may have Tom Brady looks, but he did not come up big when it mattered in the biggest soccer tournament in the world. So please refer to Cristiano Ronaldo as “Cristiano Ronaldo”, not Ronaldo. That includes you Homer Simpson (by the way that’s the best commercial going these days).
Same can be said for L.T. The L.T. I know is the greatest defensive player of all time, who currently is indicated on rape of a 16 year old girl. That’s Lawrence Taylor. The “other” L.T., or as I like to call him LaDainian Tomlinson is a washed up running back, who never came up big when it mattered in the playoffs, and has a tattoo of the New York Jets logo on his leg. Please don’t confuse Tomlinson with the real L.T.
I don’t want to hear a vuvuzlea while watching any NFL or College Football game this year, but I probably will. Damn those things!
Stephen Strasburg is the real deal. I have seen all of his starts and don’t let the 2-2 record fool you. If he had a better defense behind him, and if the Nationals could score more than the 0-1 runs they give Strasburg, and if he had a manager who was competent Strasburg could easily be 5-0. Should he play in the MLB All-Star game? Absolutely! Here are three reasons why. 1.) Based on how he’s pitched so far he has earned it. Besides Ubaldo Jimenez, and Roy Halladay I don’t think there is a better pitcher in the National League than Strasburg. That includes Tim Lincecum, and Johan Santana. 2.) It would create a dramatic spike in interest in the game, and boost Fox’s TV ratings of the broadcast for that game. He’s a star, he will generate viewers. 3.) MLB has the only All-Star game that actually has meaning. If Charlie Manuel is serious about winning this game, and finally giving the National League home-field advantage in a World Series than Strasburg should be on the roster.
One final tidbit. This is non sports related. Did anyone see Chris Brown’s crying performance at the BET Awards while he was doing a tribute to Michael Jackson singing Man in the Mirror?! I would never watch anything on BET, but when I heard about this on the internet I look around to find the video. Does anyone think those tears are sincere at all?! Was Chris Brown really choked up about it being one year since MJ’s death, or was he really crying because he knows his career has fallen down faster than BP stock?!?! Look I know I am riding the front seat on Team Rihanna, so I certainly have a bias here, but all I can say is shut up and go away Chris Brown!!!!
LeBron James- Chicago Bulls
Dwyane Wade- Miami Heat
Paul Pierce- Boston Celtics
Ray Allen- Boston Celtics
Shaquille O’Neal- Dallas Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki- Dallas Mavericks
Chris Bosh- Chicago Bulls
Nate Robinson- New Jersey Nets
Joe Johnson- New York Knicks
Amar’e Stoudemire- Miami Heat
Carlos Boozer- New Jersey Nets
Allen Iverson- Retirement
Tracy McGrady- Toronto Raptors
Jermaine O’Neal- Memphis Grizzlies
Derek Fisher- Los Angeles Lakers
David Lee- Los Angeles Clippers
Rudy Gay- Minnesota Timberwolves
Luke Ridnour- New York Knicks
Darko Milicic- Indiana Pacers
Zydrunas Ilgauskas- Cleveland Cavaliers
Kyle Korver- Orlando Magic
Raymond Felton- San Antonio Spurs
J.J. Reddick- Charlotte Bobcats
Where will Wade, Bosh, and LeBron land? Will it be all together?
Speaking of NBA Free Agency, the ESPN NBA Free Agent Summit featuring Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon, Dan LeBatard, and Bill Simmons was thoroughly entertaining. It’s great to watch for guys passionate about the NBA argue about what LeBron and the rest of the free agents should do. You won’t be smarter by watching it, but it’s a great 24 minutes of sports talk.
Oh and by the way Sabres fans NHL Free Agency starts too. Look I am no hockey expert, but I will say two things. One the Sabres have to make some dramatic changes to the roster. Two is while I want the Sabres to do this, I’m not sure how they do it, because the list of NHL Free Agents for 2010 quite frankly sucks. It is the complete opposite of the 2010 NBA Free Agent list. You want a 34 year old Saku Koivu? How about 36 year old John Madden? Booom!!! Does 39 year old Mike Modano entice you? 34 year old Paul Kariya anyone? The fact is NHL Free Agency 2010 is like golfing at Cassadaga Golf Course. It’s alright, but nothing spectacular. NBA Free Agency 2010 is like golfing at Augusta National. You can’t beat it!
What a great year for Team USA Sports. First the Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey team took the nation on a ride, and lost the greatest hockey game I ever saw to Canada in the Gold Medal Final. Then U.S. Soccer kept coming back each game, and made it to the round of 16 before bowing out to Ghana. After that game Kase said on Facebook that the loss to Ghana was a terrible blow to U.S. Soccer. I could not disagree more. The U.S. met expectations by making it in the Round of 16. And the dramatic way they played captured the entire nation. They simply lost to a better Ghana team. Hopefully four years from in 2014 the U.S. Hockey team can make another run for the gold in Russia, and the U.S. Soccer team will make the Round of 16 again in Brazil, and maybe advance further. All I know is I want to thank both teams for their heart and the way they played. Who could forget Zach Parise’s goal to tie Canada with 24 seconds left in the 3rd period, and Landon Donovan goal in the 91st minute to beat Algeria 1-0, win the Group C for USA, and send U.S. to the round of 16. Probably the two best sports moments of the year in this country.
After that Donovan Algeria goal I heard people say this was the 2nd greatest moment in U.S. Team Sports history right behind the Miracle on Ice. Please!! First off it’s not a better moment then when U.S. Soccer beat Mexico in the Round of 16 in 2002 to make it to the Quarterfinals of the World Cup. Second off it’s not even the best Team USA moment of the past three years. That would belong to the Redeem Team lead by Kobe, LeBron, Wade, and Bosh and beating Spain in the Gold Medal game in one of the best basketball games no one saw (expect me I stayed up all night to watch that one). If you didn't see or don't remember that game here are the 1st and 2nd half highlights of that game below. Note Wade, Bosh, and LeBron all playing together. Will this happen again with the Miami Heat?
Can people stop calling Cristiano Ronaldo as simply “Ronaldo.” The Ronaldo I know was one of the greatest soccer players of all time for Brazil, who holds the record for all time World Cup goals with 15, lead Brazil to win the 2002 World Cup, and in 2008 had sex with three transvestites who all turned out to be men. Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t hold Ronaldo’s jock (and probably wouldn’t want to) when it comes to International Soccer competition. Cristiano Ronaldo may have Tom Brady looks, but he did not come up big when it mattered in the biggest soccer tournament in the world. So please refer to Cristiano Ronaldo as “Cristiano Ronaldo”, not Ronaldo. That includes you Homer Simpson (by the way that’s the best commercial going these days).
Same can be said for L.T. The L.T. I know is the greatest defensive player of all time, who currently is indicated on rape of a 16 year old girl. That’s Lawrence Taylor. The “other” L.T., or as I like to call him LaDainian Tomlinson is a washed up running back, who never came up big when it mattered in the playoffs, and has a tattoo of the New York Jets logo on his leg. Please don’t confuse Tomlinson with the real L.T.
I don’t want to hear a vuvuzlea while watching any NFL or College Football game this year, but I probably will. Damn those things!
Stephen Strasburg is the real deal. I have seen all of his starts and don’t let the 2-2 record fool you. If he had a better defense behind him, and if the Nationals could score more than the 0-1 runs they give Strasburg, and if he had a manager who was competent Strasburg could easily be 5-0. Should he play in the MLB All-Star game? Absolutely! Here are three reasons why. 1.) Based on how he’s pitched so far he has earned it. Besides Ubaldo Jimenez, and Roy Halladay I don’t think there is a better pitcher in the National League than Strasburg. That includes Tim Lincecum, and Johan Santana. 2.) It would create a dramatic spike in interest in the game, and boost Fox’s TV ratings of the broadcast for that game. He’s a star, he will generate viewers. 3.) MLB has the only All-Star game that actually has meaning. If Charlie Manuel is serious about winning this game, and finally giving the National League home-field advantage in a World Series than Strasburg should be on the roster.
One final tidbit. This is non sports related. Did anyone see Chris Brown’s crying performance at the BET Awards while he was doing a tribute to Michael Jackson singing Man in the Mirror?! I would never watch anything on BET, but when I heard about this on the internet I look around to find the video. Does anyone think those tears are sincere at all?! Was Chris Brown really choked up about it being one year since MJ’s death, or was he really crying because he knows his career has fallen down faster than BP stock?!?! Look I know I am riding the front seat on Team Rihanna, so I certainly have a bias here, but all I can say is shut up and go away Chris Brown!!!!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Twitter All A Crazy About LeBron
So I have a twitter account. I don't tweet. I use it to follow celebrities, athletes, sports writers, and politicans. For major events it's a great thing to follow to see what all these people think. So before, during, and after last night's game many of these figures had their thoughts about LeBron, and last night's Game 6 of Cleveland/Boston. So I thought I would show a timeline of what all these major figures said. I don't have the times down, but they go in order from beg. to end of game, so you can figure it out.
Clay Matthews LB Packers-Excited about this Celtics, Cavs game. I don't think it's going past tonight...what do u guys think??
Bill Simmons ESPN.com Writer and Celtics Fan-Suggested chant No.1 (1st Qtr, any time LBJ is at the FT line): "New York Knicks!" "New York Knicks!" "New York Knicks!" "New York Knicks!"
Keith Bulluck LB Titans- The media is going so overboard with this Lebron legacy thing.
Bill Simmons-We're at No. 28 on Mike Brown's "How To Lose This Series" Checklist: "Put Shaq on KG, put Jamison on Perkins."
Jalen Rose ESPN Analyst-Cavs should have started Verajo he is only on the ALL-DEFENSIVE team-need to slow down KG early-Celts lead 18-11 6 left in 1st.
Bill Simmons- Looks like the Celtics chants failed. Oh, well-we gave it a shot. Always knew it was far-fetched.
Kevin Bulluck- Hate 2 say it but my boy Sheed's game is start'n 2 look like his hair...terrible!
Jalen Rose-Don't take Lebron out the game again unless winning by 25pts!
Jalen Rose- More mins for Glenn Davis..sit Rasheed 2day!
Chris Bosh F Raptors- It looks like its loud in Boston.
Warren Sapp Former NFL Star-Big Baby Be flopping!!!
Kevin Durant F Thunder- And if bron bron loe watch yall dummies on twitter say he doesnt deserve a max contract smh
Bill Simmons-Dramatic game? Yes. Well-played? Not even a little. Only KG, Rondo, Mo, and Verejao played well tonight so far. Lots of gakking out there.
Bill Simmons- Thinks I thought I'd never tweet again "Kevin Garnett has taken over!"
Rudy Gay F Grizzlies-This is my kind of game!
John Legend Musician-How many think we're gonna be seeing LeBron in New York playing for the home team next year?
Bill Simmons- This needs to be said by Jeff Van Gundy or Mark Jackson...Rajon Rondo has been the dominant player in this series.
Bill Simmons-It's on like Donkey Kong. Here we go.
JackO (friend of Bill Simmons)-First postgame question to LBJ should be: "Are you going to live in Westchester or Manhattan?"
Johnny Flynn G Timberwolves-And that's the game folks...
Michelle Beadle ESPN SportsNation-I'd love to tweet something witty and fun..I got nothin! I was wrong about the Celtics. And the Cavs are laughable! Beadle out!
Warren Sapp-Will LeBron Just Walk Off again?
Chad Ford ESPN.com NBA Insider- Will Republicans blame Obama for all the people in Cleveland who will lose their jobs tonight?
JackO- We are all witnesses...to Lebron dribbling off his foot.
Michael Strahan Former NFL Star- Why isn't Lebron the guy shooting every shot?? Put the ball in the stars hand every time down the court.
Rich Eisen NFL Network- As LeBron was hugging all the Celtics, I could read their lips: dude, we have cap room.
Bill Simmons-Unbelievable. The Cavs players/coaches rolled over and quit in the final minute. Never seen anything like it. They wanted out of there.
Chad Ford-Great shot of LeBron ripping off that Cavs jersey in the tunnel. Will he ever wear it again?
JackO-I don't watch a lot of NBA, but Doris Burke's vibrant magnetic personality could really draw me in!
Chris Bosh-That was a suprising series.
Rudy Gay-The Cavs are done! That's crazy!
Rey Maualuga LB Bengals-Kobe= 4 rings, LeBron= 0.
Rudy Gay-LeBron had a ok game! Tripple double (9 turnover tho) take it easy on him he's still a star!
Bill Simmons-Last 3 games=top-5 most shocked I've ever been by sports. Need a week to figure out what just happened. Happy though! Bring on Orlando!
Paul Pierce F Celtics- Halfway home that's all here come them CELTICS.
Bill Simmons-Mission accomplished-the last chant was deafening.
Ric Bucher ESPN.com NBA Insider-LeBron tired to take the game over at the end, rescue outcome, avoid blame...and wasn't sure exactly what to do. Stunning.
Chad Ford-Most of you think Knicks or Bulls(for LeBron). I just heard from 3 GMs. All said Bulls.
Jalen Rose- Now thru July 8 (when free agents can sign) all the talk will be about who wins it all & whether LeBron is staying w/the Cavs or leaving!
Kevin Durant-It's gonna be an interesting summer!
Question to Durant "would u want LeBron in okc?"
Answer by Durant-Honestly, nah I like who we have...I'm the leader of the team.
Chad Ford- Should we just cancel the NBA Finals to go to 24/7 LeBron James coverage? ESPN23-"The Elbow"
Chad Ford-Note to all of you bemoaning no Kobe vs. 'Bron Finals: If LBJ joins the Bulls this summer, you won't be waiting long.
Chris Bosh- I almost made it the whole day without anyone asking what I'm gonna do about next year.
Adam Schefter ESPN NFL Insider-Hard not to think back to last fall when, at work, upon being asked, Magic Johnson predicted LeBron James would be a NY Knick next fall.
Kofod
Clay Matthews LB Packers-Excited about this Celtics, Cavs game. I don't think it's going past tonight...what do u guys think??
Bill Simmons ESPN.com Writer and Celtics Fan-Suggested chant No.1 (1st Qtr, any time LBJ is at the FT line): "New York Knicks!" "New York Knicks!" "New York Knicks!" "New York Knicks!"
Keith Bulluck LB Titans- The media is going so overboard with this Lebron legacy thing.
Bill Simmons-We're at No. 28 on Mike Brown's "How To Lose This Series" Checklist: "Put Shaq on KG, put Jamison on Perkins."
Jalen Rose ESPN Analyst-Cavs should have started Verajo he is only on the ALL-DEFENSIVE team-need to slow down KG early-Celts lead 18-11 6 left in 1st.
Bill Simmons- Looks like the Celtics chants failed. Oh, well-we gave it a shot. Always knew it was far-fetched.
Kevin Bulluck- Hate 2 say it but my boy Sheed's game is start'n 2 look like his hair...terrible!
Jalen Rose-Don't take Lebron out the game again unless winning by 25pts!
Jalen Rose- More mins for Glenn Davis..sit Rasheed 2day!
Chris Bosh F Raptors- It looks like its loud in Boston.
Warren Sapp Former NFL Star-Big Baby Be flopping!!!
Kevin Durant F Thunder- And if bron bron loe watch yall dummies on twitter say he doesnt deserve a max contract smh
Bill Simmons-Dramatic game? Yes. Well-played? Not even a little. Only KG, Rondo, Mo, and Verejao played well tonight so far. Lots of gakking out there.
Bill Simmons- Thinks I thought I'd never tweet again "Kevin Garnett has taken over!"
Rudy Gay F Grizzlies-This is my kind of game!
John Legend Musician-How many think we're gonna be seeing LeBron in New York playing for the home team next year?
Bill Simmons- This needs to be said by Jeff Van Gundy or Mark Jackson...Rajon Rondo has been the dominant player in this series.
Bill Simmons-It's on like Donkey Kong. Here we go.
JackO (friend of Bill Simmons)-First postgame question to LBJ should be: "Are you going to live in Westchester or Manhattan?"
Johnny Flynn G Timberwolves-And that's the game folks...
Michelle Beadle ESPN SportsNation-I'd love to tweet something witty and fun..I got nothin! I was wrong about the Celtics. And the Cavs are laughable! Beadle out!
Warren Sapp-Will LeBron Just Walk Off again?
Chad Ford ESPN.com NBA Insider- Will Republicans blame Obama for all the people in Cleveland who will lose their jobs tonight?
JackO- We are all witnesses...to Lebron dribbling off his foot.
Michael Strahan Former NFL Star- Why isn't Lebron the guy shooting every shot?? Put the ball in the stars hand every time down the court.
Rich Eisen NFL Network- As LeBron was hugging all the Celtics, I could read their lips: dude, we have cap room.
Bill Simmons-Unbelievable. The Cavs players/coaches rolled over and quit in the final minute. Never seen anything like it. They wanted out of there.
Chad Ford-Great shot of LeBron ripping off that Cavs jersey in the tunnel. Will he ever wear it again?
JackO-I don't watch a lot of NBA, but Doris Burke's vibrant magnetic personality could really draw me in!
Chris Bosh-That was a suprising series.
Rudy Gay-The Cavs are done! That's crazy!
Rey Maualuga LB Bengals-Kobe= 4 rings, LeBron= 0.
Rudy Gay-LeBron had a ok game! Tripple double (9 turnover tho) take it easy on him he's still a star!
Bill Simmons-Last 3 games=top-5 most shocked I've ever been by sports. Need a week to figure out what just happened. Happy though! Bring on Orlando!
Paul Pierce F Celtics- Halfway home that's all here come them CELTICS.
Bill Simmons-Mission accomplished-the last chant was deafening.
Ric Bucher ESPN.com NBA Insider-LeBron tired to take the game over at the end, rescue outcome, avoid blame...and wasn't sure exactly what to do. Stunning.
Chad Ford-Most of you think Knicks or Bulls(for LeBron). I just heard from 3 GMs. All said Bulls.
Jalen Rose- Now thru July 8 (when free agents can sign) all the talk will be about who wins it all & whether LeBron is staying w/the Cavs or leaving!
Kevin Durant-It's gonna be an interesting summer!
Question to Durant "would u want LeBron in okc?"
Answer by Durant-Honestly, nah I like who we have...I'm the leader of the team.
Chad Ford- Should we just cancel the NBA Finals to go to 24/7 LeBron James coverage? ESPN23-"The Elbow"
Chad Ford-Note to all of you bemoaning no Kobe vs. 'Bron Finals: If LBJ joins the Bulls this summer, you won't be waiting long.
Chris Bosh- I almost made it the whole day without anyone asking what I'm gonna do about next year.
Adam Schefter ESPN NFL Insider-Hard not to think back to last fall when, at work, upon being asked, Magic Johnson predicted LeBron James would be a NY Knick next fall.
Kofod
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Music Video of the Week April 17th
In honor of all the NBA blogs we had this week (my blogs on Iverson and Lebron James), and Kase's blog on the NBA Playoffs, this week's video has a NBA flair to it. It's the Forever rap song by Drake, Kanye West, Lil' Wayne, and Eminem. Lebron James' rise through high school is shown throughout the video. The song is in a documentary about Lebron James high school team, called More Than a Game, which I really want to see at some point.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Lebron James: It's His Time
This is his 7th year in the NBA. He's already won a NBA MVP (soon to get his 2nd for sure, been a 6 time NBA All-Star, and has been tabbed the best (or second best behind Kobe) player in the league. He's a veteran. Yet, we have not even seen the best of Lebron James. We are about too, though.
James is 25 years old. Old should really be replaced with "young." He's amazing and will get better. However, their are those out there who are not satisified enough with LBJ. They want more. They want a ring from James. It's without a doubt a legitimate "beef" to have with James. People scoff at the fact that he's compared to "His Airness" Michael Jordan when he's not won anything yet. It has to be said though that that the parallels between him and Jordan are legit and should be noted.
Both came into the NBA as rising stars. Jordan won a NCAA Championship for North Carolina with his game winning shot his freshman year in 1982 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2Nnc_itdEc&feature=related. He was named the college basketball player of the year his junior year. He was a high flyer heading into the NBA. But the hype for Jordan paled in comparison to the hype LBJ got. Lebron rose to the heavens while at high school at St. Vincent St. Mary's. His games were on national television. NBA scouts said if Lebron could leave his junior year in high school he would be one of the 10 best players in the NBA. They were right.
Both Lebron and Jordan took over the league the minute they stepped on a NBA court. Both became stars right away. Lebron haters will say how he hasn't won though. Well neither did Jordan. I think a lot of people forget Jordan's struggles in the playoffs early on. The fact is Jordan didn't win a NBA title until his 7th season in the league. And, ahem, this is Lebron James' 7th season.
People forget, or just don't know, the struggles Jordan had early on. Jordan was on inferior Chicago Bulls teams in an era where the Celtics and Lakers dominated. Finally, in the late 1980's, and early 1990's, when the Bulls became a legit team around Jordan (Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, etc.) Jordan still had constant losses to the 'Bad Boys' of the Detroit Pistons until he finally beat the Pistons in 1991, in which Isiah Thomas and none of the Pistons shook Jordan's hand. Jordan got over the hump, beat the Lakers, and won the first of his six NBA titles.
Speaking of not shaking hands Lebron James was famous for in last year's playoffs after losing to the Orlando Magic. The Magic are just a porition of struggles Lebron has gone through the past 6 seasons. Like Jordan, Lebron has had to go through incompetent teammates. I would argue he still has incompetent teammates. Lebron is so amazing though because he's lifted these incompetent players to great heights. It's so forgettable that Lebron James actually went to the NBA Finals in 2005. His team was so bad though they stood no chance in the NBA Finals against the Spurs, in what was probably the worst NBA Finals of all time.
Jordan had to go through years of battles against the Pistons before finally getting his first ring. Lebron has had to go through teams, like the Orlando Magic, and fail before he gets his first ring.
Since then Lebron James has tried and tried to get his team back to the NBA Finals. He has had incompetent teammates, an incompetent coach in Mike Brown (you have the best athlete in the world and you run a slow down half-court offense...what?), and like MJ, has had to deal with teams like the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic (Jordan battled the Pistons in the 80's) who, up to this point, have been to much to handle. More than likely Lebron will have to deal with one or both of these teams again to move on in this year's playoffs.
He can do it, and I think he will do it. With apologies to Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, and anyone else you want to throw at me Lebron James is far and away the best player in the league. It's his 7th year, and he's never been more prepared to take the lead on his shoulders to win a title.
Their are three more criticisms of Lebron people will throw at someone. 1.) He can't shoot. It's true he won't be compared to Gerry McNamara in terms of shooting anytime soon. However, Lebron has such brute strength he can just go to the lane and score anytime he wants. And he's proven when the game is on the line he can make a clutch shot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fD1MNjkPFs
The second criticism is Lebron gets so many easy calls, and would never make it in the 1970's-1990's NBA where everyone was pushed around in the "No Blood, No Foul" era. Yes, it is without a doubt true if you whisper on Lebron it's a fould. But that's the NBA we live in today. It's not going to change. However, at his size, strength, and ability I have no doubt Lebron would have flourished in any era in the NBA. He's a beast he would have taken the hits just fine. Yes Lebron whines a lot, but name me a star NBA player in any era who was not in the ref's ear. MJ did it too. They all did.
Finally, the third criticism is Lebron lacks the killer instinct needed. People look at the goofy things Lebron James does before each game. He throws chalk in the air. He does all these handshakes, chest bumps, and fake photographic poses with his teammates. He hugs and fist pounds the opponent before the game. These are all things MJ never, NEVER would have done. As soon as MJ touched the floor he wanted to rip your heart out. Don't think Lebron doesn't want to do the same thing. MJ was ready to rip the heart out in warmups. Lebron waits until tipoff. Don't mistake showmanship for not having a killer instinct. Magic Johnson was a showman. He won 5 NBA Championships. Lebron James is the showman of this era of the NBA. I will say it again. Don't think for a second that Lebron does not have Michael Jordan's killer instinct. Because he does.
Lebron James is in his 7th season. His career is so parallel to Michael Jordan's that it's scary. Can he be better than Jordan? He sure can be. Will he? Only time will tell. After Tiger Wood's infidelities became public Lebron James has as good a chance as ever to overtake him as the most popular athlete in the world. He has to win a title though this year. Will he? Yes he will. It's his time.
Kofod
James is 25 years old. Old should really be replaced with "young." He's amazing and will get better. However, their are those out there who are not satisified enough with LBJ. They want more. They want a ring from James. It's without a doubt a legitimate "beef" to have with James. People scoff at the fact that he's compared to "His Airness" Michael Jordan when he's not won anything yet. It has to be said though that that the parallels between him and Jordan are legit and should be noted.
Both came into the NBA as rising stars. Jordan won a NCAA Championship for North Carolina with his game winning shot his freshman year in 1982 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2Nnc_itdEc&feature=related. He was named the college basketball player of the year his junior year. He was a high flyer heading into the NBA. But the hype for Jordan paled in comparison to the hype LBJ got. Lebron rose to the heavens while at high school at St. Vincent St. Mary's. His games were on national television. NBA scouts said if Lebron could leave his junior year in high school he would be one of the 10 best players in the NBA. They were right.
Both Jordan and Lebron were stars before the NBA.
Both Lebron and Jordan took over the league the minute they stepped on a NBA court. Both became stars right away. Lebron haters will say how he hasn't won though. Well neither did Jordan. I think a lot of people forget Jordan's struggles in the playoffs early on. The fact is Jordan didn't win a NBA title until his 7th season in the league. And, ahem, this is Lebron James' 7th season.
People forget, or just don't know, the struggles Jordan had early on. Jordan was on inferior Chicago Bulls teams in an era where the Celtics and Lakers dominated. Finally, in the late 1980's, and early 1990's, when the Bulls became a legit team around Jordan (Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, etc.) Jordan still had constant losses to the 'Bad Boys' of the Detroit Pistons until he finally beat the Pistons in 1991, in which Isiah Thomas and none of the Pistons shook Jordan's hand. Jordan got over the hump, beat the Lakers, and won the first of his six NBA titles.
Jordan was reduced to tears in 1991 after 7 long seasons it took him to get that first championship. I have a feeling the same emotions will go through Lebron when finally gets his first championship.
Speaking of not shaking hands Lebron James was famous for in last year's playoffs after losing to the Orlando Magic. The Magic are just a porition of struggles Lebron has gone through the past 6 seasons. Like Jordan, Lebron has had to go through incompetent teammates. I would argue he still has incompetent teammates. Lebron is so amazing though because he's lifted these incompetent players to great heights. It's so forgettable that Lebron James actually went to the NBA Finals in 2005. His team was so bad though they stood no chance in the NBA Finals against the Spurs, in what was probably the worst NBA Finals of all time.
Since then Lebron James has tried and tried to get his team back to the NBA Finals. He has had incompetent teammates, an incompetent coach in Mike Brown (you have the best athlete in the world and you run a slow down half-court offense...what?), and like MJ, has had to deal with teams like the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic (Jordan battled the Pistons in the 80's) who, up to this point, have been to much to handle. More than likely Lebron will have to deal with one or both of these teams again to move on in this year's playoffs.
He can do it, and I think he will do it. With apologies to Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, and anyone else you want to throw at me Lebron James is far and away the best player in the league. It's his 7th year, and he's never been more prepared to take the lead on his shoulders to win a title.
Their are three more criticisms of Lebron people will throw at someone. 1.) He can't shoot. It's true he won't be compared to Gerry McNamara in terms of shooting anytime soon. However, Lebron has such brute strength he can just go to the lane and score anytime he wants. And he's proven when the game is on the line he can make a clutch shot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fD1MNjkPFs
The second criticism is Lebron gets so many easy calls, and would never make it in the 1970's-1990's NBA where everyone was pushed around in the "No Blood, No Foul" era. Yes, it is without a doubt true if you whisper on Lebron it's a fould. But that's the NBA we live in today. It's not going to change. However, at his size, strength, and ability I have no doubt Lebron would have flourished in any era in the NBA. He's a beast he would have taken the hits just fine. Yes Lebron whines a lot, but name me a star NBA player in any era who was not in the ref's ear. MJ did it too. They all did.
Finally, the third criticism is Lebron lacks the killer instinct needed. People look at the goofy things Lebron James does before each game. He throws chalk in the air. He does all these handshakes, chest bumps, and fake photographic poses with his teammates. He hugs and fist pounds the opponent before the game. These are all things MJ never, NEVER would have done. As soon as MJ touched the floor he wanted to rip your heart out. Don't think Lebron doesn't want to do the same thing. MJ was ready to rip the heart out in warmups. Lebron waits until tipoff. Don't mistake showmanship for not having a killer instinct. Magic Johnson was a showman. He won 5 NBA Championships. Lebron James is the showman of this era of the NBA. I will say it again. Don't think for a second that Lebron does not have Michael Jordan's killer instinct. Because he does.
This is one thing Michael Jordan would never have done before a game. But don't think for a second that onec the game stars Lebron doesn't have the same killer instinct Jordan had.
Lebron James is in his 7th season. His career is so parallel to Michael Jordan's that it's scary. Can he be better than Jordan? He sure can be. Will he? Only time will tell. After Tiger Wood's infidelities became public Lebron James has as good a chance as ever to overtake him as the most popular athlete in the world. He has to win a title though this year. Will he? Yes he will. It's his time.
Kofod
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