He Who Took His Talents To South Beach

[bucksfan76]

I totally disagree about the Paul Pierce because thier heads did not get in the way only his did. James Jones did nothing wrong in this so called scuffle that Paul Pierce started. James Jones committed a hard foul (non flagrant just hard) and Pierced acted like a little PUNK because of all people it was James Jones getting the best of him.

So I guess the majority of the NBA are punks if Lebron is one for leaving during free agency. I agree he should have told the cavs he was not going to resign but other than that he done nothing wrong. If the Cavs really wanted him to stay then maybe they should have done a better job to get him some help like kobe has had over the years. Just think if the cavs would have sent J.J to the suns for Stoudemire instead of getting Jamison do you think Lebron would be in miami right now? I dont think so.

Still would like your opinion on Kobe and his colorado incident since Lebron is a punk for not telling a team he was leaving I cant wait to hear what you have to say about Kobe.

[JChipwood]

To me Kobe is the biggest narcissist I have seen playing a pro sport yet he is glorified because he has rings???? He held his team hostage to a point that no other team offered him a sweet deal when he was originally a free agent adn forced their hand. Then after realizing he was not MJ and could not win with average players around him, he demanded help and the Lakers, with the help of Jerry West and David Stern, got help in a huge way for nothing. Mix that in with not playing ANY d for years, not rebounding, and the constant whining to the refs to a point that he would miss multiple defensive transitions per game really showed his true colors. In fact he acted worse on the court than he did in CO. However since Kobe played for Coach K (and maybe it was just maturing) his entire attitude and game has transformed and he is actually a likeable player to watch now, he plays d sometimes and plays to help his team win games and will even pass the ball and rebound.

Lebron has a huge ego. He didn't tell the city he was leaving but everyone everywhere knew he was being courted to play in another city and most people realized that Cleveland did not make a very good attempt to put winners around him including the coaching staff. They offered the most money and thought, like many, that his ego would keep him where the money was......wrong again. Most people knew he was going elsewhere to play ball and that was solidified when he wouldn't rule out options or name Cleveland as a favorite during any part of the recruitment process. The tv show was wrong but ESPN makes a living ruffling feathers and stirring $hi!.

[Dean]

GAHS---I am the farthest thing from a "bleeding heart" liberal. I have read all of your thoughts on Lebron James and there is no intellectual aspect to your argument. It is all based on emotion. I do not care how you feel about a pro athlete, but when you say ridiculous things you need to be called out on them.

[Dean]

Awfully defensive, aren't we?

[gymrat88]

The notion that James/Wade/Bosh all conspired during last season and before that to play in South Beach is total ludicris, and the only reason anybody even sponsors that notion is just to stir the pot of hatred for James. Did they most likely talk about the prospects of playing on the same team? I'm sure they did, and I'm sure every group of superstars do, but not formally or with totally serious intentions. The main "evidence" for James conspiring prior to the end of his time in Cleveland was that he supposedly quit on the Cavs in the Boston series. Here are some stats that for those with a logically thinking mind should put this theory to rest :

Game 1- 35 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast
Game 2- 24 pts, 4 reb, 7 ast
Game 3- 38 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast
Game 4- 22 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast
Game 5- His only true blemish IMO, 15 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast
Game 6- THE GAME THAT MATTERED THE MOST IN THE ENTIRE SERIES. Cleveland would have sent the series back to Cleveland for Game 7. James has 27 Pts, 19 reb, 10 ast,

So will somebody tell me how a player in the game that mattered most, has a triple double, including 19 rebounds which for a small forward is incredible, and quit. The only stat that fluctuates in this series is points, and SHOOTING POORLY DOES NOT EQUAL QUITING, sometimes that's just good defense or poor offense. The reason James appeared to "quit" was because he didn't have teammates around him that could step and carry the load if he had an off game. More than any other superstar in the NBA last year James didn't have good players on his team. Did Dwight Howard quit this year against the Hawks just because he didn't lead his team to victory? No. When nobody else on your team steps up, or in James' case and maybe Howards' case are incapable of stepping up, it's not that you quit your team, in a sense your team quit you.

Also, it's not like the Celtics were a bad team or anything, they pushed the Lakers to a game 7 in the NBA Finals. They're renowned for their defense, and they did a good job last year of containing LeBron. Mike Brown and his coaching staff wasn't smart enough to develop a motion offense that would prevent stagnation and the Celtics being able to double and triple team James.

gahs, We have debated back and forth on James for a while. Here is my one question that I would like for you to answer for me: Comapared to all superstars, in all pro sports, what exactly did James do that makes him more narcissistic in your mind than all the others? Just because he made the first choice of its kind, why is that bad? Just because something hasn't happened in the past or just because great players in the 50's 60's and 70's didn't make these kinds of free agency actions, why does that make you condemn James? He handles himself publically much more professionally than most superstars. If you actually listen to him speak you will know that he has a great mind for Basketball, Business, and handling the media. There are more types of intelligence than books, and when it comes to street smarts he has lots of intelligence.

[JChipwood]

I'm not busting your chops 4ever but he, like many other players, "rips" his jersey off after every game while leaving the court and has his entire career. 19 rebounds isn't giving up but the ownership was content with making huge bankrolls while spending as little as possible and will forever benefit from having Lebron on the team. The Cavs as a team weren't very good and were very poorly coached and the administration was horrible. I was very critical of Mike Brown from the beginning and he got worse. I have heard the notion that Lebron was calling the shots but a rinky dink player wouldn't want to play in that kind of system with a motionless offense and NO help. Not to mention they were among the worst in the league in execution coming out of timeouts and out of inbounds plays. Sitting in the stands, it was almost comical to see Brown's approach to TOs and times when the team needed him to lead. Add to that the fact that the Amare deal was all but finished and Gilbert dropped the ball because of salaries and the length of the deal.

Ray Charles could even SEE that Lebron was not going to be playing in Cleveland this year and anyone who thought otherwise (Gilbert) has a bigger ego than Lebron. Gilbert should have been proactive but instead chose to hold onto hope and pass blame when his plan of having all of his eggs in one basket fell apart. The Lakers did everyhting Kobe wanted including bring in a team that won championships. The Celts catered to Pierce, the Suns were proactive in dealing Amare as were the Nuggets with Carmelo. It's not like Lebron sat out a year like Elway or something, many worse actions have been taken by athletes.

Wait you mean opposing fans have vilified Lebron, get outta here. Just kidding with you but at some point you have to see the humor in that statement. A bigger question is how many of those fans boycott the games when their team plays the Heat? I think had he wanted to bankrupt Cleveland he would have stayed with them and took the big bucks to play for a loser of an owner and franchise. The fans had a year to prepare and most did plan for the end, most cannot admit that because people choose to live in drama rather than reality. Seems like everyone was in on the joke of him staying in Cleveland except for the city of Cleveland and people living in a fantasy world. Otherwise Lebron would have at least said he would like to stay in Cleveland or something positive during the course of an entire year that resulted in a circus surrounging him every day of the season and previous off-season.

[Rebels on 3]

Can MIA rebound tonight and get a win to take the series to 3-1?

[Rebels on 3]

MIA takes a 3-1 lead going back to South Beach.

[CLane]

As a person, LBJ is a POS. All you have to do is just watch him play closely. He whines constantly. Any mistakes he makes are not his fault based on his body language. He turns the ball over and yells at his teammates in lieu of the customary "chest bump" plus a "my bad". He takes way too many horrible shots because his ego gets in the way of his rationality.

However, he is easily one of the best 5 players to ever play the game. His combination of size, speed, streng(f?), and agility has never been seen. If his attitude matched his ability, most people would be saying, "Michael who?"

If you like/respect Lebron James for any reason other than his skills/ability on the court..........YOU NEED TO DO SOME SELF-REFLECTING!!!!

[91blue14]

can miami seal the deal

[bucksfan76]

People always say Lebron James is not clutch. That huge 3 that he put in Paul Pierces throat in game 4 and with the 10 straight points to end the celtics season tonight. If you ask me thats the definition of clutch. This just might be the time all the lebron fans have been waiting for to get his first ring. The heat are going to be tough to beat.

[gymrat88]

As a person, LBJ is a POS. All you have to do is just watch him play closely. He whines constantly. Any mistakes he makes are not his fault based on his body language. He turns the ball over and yells at his teammates in lieu of the customary "chest bump" plus a "my bad". He takes way too many horrible shots because his ego gets in the way of his rationality.

However, he is easily one of the best 5 players to ever play the game. His combination of size, speed, streng(f?), and agility has never been seen. If his attitude matched his ability, most people would be saying, "Michael who?"

If you like/respect Lebron James for any reason other than his skills/ability on the court..........YOU NEED TO DO SOME SELF-REFLECTING!!!!

I would rather a player whine than him say the F word every other play or smack shooters in the groin (Garnett). Have you ever watched Kobe play? He whines twice as much as LeBron. As far as your too many shots comment, out of all the superstars he takes less bad shots than anyone. If you have been watching the Thunder play lately, there is a certain guy named Russell Westbrook who is the definition of ball hog.

And as far as respect, I respect James for who he is on and off the court. You give me a reason why I should hate him as a person. What has he ever done to deserve anybody's personal hatred? The answer = nothing. I could name you a book of professional athletes who have committed acts off the court/field that are 10 times worse than James. O.J Simpson, Ray Lewis, Ben Roethlisberger, Tiger Woods, Mike Tyson, Michael Vick are a few that come to mind. Self-reflecting in this circumstance is unnecessary.

[dazed&confused]

As a diehard Celtics fan, I have to take my hat off to the Heat. Right now, they are the best team left in the playoffs. The Celtics are dead; long live the Celtics. We all knew it was a short-term run that Danny Ainge put together and the ride has now officially come to a stop. Celtics fans will not stand for OK. They will demand the team be re-built. That is why 17 banners hang from the rafters. Good is not good enough. Ray, Paul, Kevin, it was great to know you. Keep in touch.

[Rebels on 3]

Glad to see the Heat get that monkey off their backs. LBJ came up big in the clutch for the Heat. On to the next one.

[91blue14]

the heat are playing great defense

[JChipwood]

I'd bet Ainge is really second guessing things a little and looking to the future, it sure would have been a lot easier to "rebuild" around Perkins and Rondo than to just have Rondo.

The Heat look really good but I still say they will only get better in the future with the addition of pieces. This sesaon was not supposed to be the year but if it turns out to be the year then the next few years may be a formality. Surely nobody really expected them to beat the Celts in the playoffs this season and for the team to gels so quickly.

[Rebels on 3]

If MIA could get a guy like Mark Gasol they would be a scary team.

[Rebels on 3]

Heat, Bulls match up should be fun.

[bucksfan76]

The Bulls won all 3 matchups in the regular season by a combined 8 point if I remember correctly.

Game 1 99-96 (Lebron James did not play)
Game 2 93-89 (Bosh went 1-100 or something similar)
Game 3 87-86

So this series is a toss up IMO but I see the Heat winning in 6

[gymrat88]

I think the Heat/Bulls will be a very interesting series but I will take the Heat in 6 games. Despite the injuries Boston had the Heat showed a lot of grit and determination in that series to win Games 1, 4, and 5. The Bulls are a very solid team and Rose is a solid player, but when all 3 of the big 3 are playing well I don't see anybody beating the Heat. Two matchups in this series to watch closely: will Rose be able to penetrate and score as effectively if the Heat put Wade or James on him, and the skillset of Bosh vs. the defense and hustle of Noah and Boozer. If Rose isn't spectacular, the Bulls don't have a good chance of winning..........the same thing James faced while in Cleveland.