Yeah every Heat fan better hope they pull it off this year. If not things will get pretty bad. I wonder what joke Wade will think of next when the Heat go on a losing streak.
You might not be understanding this. James isn't a douche for leaving Cleveland. He's a douche b/c of his keeping his intentions on the DL and for agreeing to have the hour-long special on his personal sports network. I'm sure a lot of Heat fans equate him becoming a member of their team similiar to when Pennington became a Dolphin. Sure the Heat-Cavs and Jets-Phins rivalry was different but I bet a lot of Heat fans couldn't stand LBJ before all of this happened. It's funny how it works that way (I never liked C-Penn until he was on the Phins so I know the feeling).
You obviously never watched espn in the run up to this Free Agency period. They were so biased that they forgot how to use a calculator. For some reason, until they couldn't hide the fact anymore, they pushed the fantasy the Bulls could afford two max contracts and they were all gung ho about the Heat being left high and dry. Lebron to chicago..the mantra said...That is the best fit...the mantra said.... open your eyes. I know that you are on day 10 of your hissy fit, but it is only ten days...we remember what the media was saying. BTW, when do we get our ESPNmiami.com?
It was probably discussed, but until there's a signature on a contract it isn't final. Like when kids declare their college intentions. Its likely, but not definite. Again, how do we know that Cleveland or Chicago or New York weren't on the phones trying to work out deals with his representation 2 minutes before the show? In fact, by keeping it open, it let everyone in the sweepstakes, including Cleveland. I just don't get, how in this day and age, a player can be open and honest, raise money for charity, and agree to take less money to become a team player, all in one hour and there are those that are roasting him for it. And he did it all without bad mouthing his previous team. If you look at the way this was handled by all parties, the only one that comes away classless is the Cleveland owner.
I'm sure LBJ didn't know his intentions until the end. Most everybody involved has stated that they didn't believe it would happen until the end. And according to reports LBJ was actively recruiting Bosh to come to Cleveland. It wasn't until about a day or so before LBJ made his decision that Bosh announced that he was coming to Miami. So it's clear that this was far from the done deal that some are portraying it as. And not everybody hated CP and then changed their mind when he became a Dolphin. I never cheered for him, but he was always the Jet QB I least wanted to play against. I criticized him for his limitations, but I also acknowledged his strengths. It's exactly they same way I talk about him now. The only difference is that I also cheer for him now. You've admitted that you have looked at things only from your own team's perspective. The problem is that you're assuming that everybody else also sees things in such a biased manner.
How is he a douche? His hour long special got bigger ratings than the NBA Finals. If you're a fan of the NBA theres no way you can't say that it wasn't a complete success. The NBA is a lot more relevant now than it was before the decision.
Durant = poor marketer of the NBA LeBron = marketing and promotion genius If the nba relied on Durant to carry it, it would never reach the levels of popularity desired.
i still dont get how people say Lebron screwed Cleveland? he gave them 7 great years taking them to places they have never been he never griped about his contract, wanting to be traded, etc he was a model citizen in cleveland and an icon for the city people talk about him being paid 10s of millions... how about the hundreds of millions in value he upped the team for his owner? his contract was up, he wanted to be a free agent to explore options, he had teams come to HIS city so as to not go into every town, cause a frenzy for fans and media, be wined and dined and pampered, etc... so maybe you dont like his special on TV, but it raised lots of money for charity so I dont mind it, was it necessary? probably not, but it made no difference... he could have just announced it anyway and Cleveland still would have vilified him because they know he was their entire team and franchise... people harp on the special because they are just spiteful and need something to point their rage at... its pretty childish to me... and this is coming from a Sixers fan... i am not a heat fan...
I understand your guys' being defensive, I really do. I'm actually in a different camp than some of the other **** talkers you may see talking about your Heat. You guys are in the Eastern Conference so I could honestly give two ****s about what goes on over there. Just beat the Celtics for me and Lakers for me.
You can't compare the professional sports and its contracts to any other real life situation IMO. It is and will never be the same. Kids going to college is not even close to being the same as millionaires deciding where they will continue to make their millions playing a sport. Less money? James will earn $14.5 million this season and $110 million over six years. Me taking a $60,000 job that's closer to my family vs a job that's farther away that pays $75,000 is a bigger deal. I've said it all along that I have no problem with LBJ leaving Cleveland. I don't know how they won 66 games even with him with the lack of real talent outside of him. I also don't mind that he and Bosh joined Wade in Miami. There's no law saying they couldn't, so they did. The only thing I've never liked about LBJ is his pompousness and holier than thou attitude. Period.
Nah I think the NBA is still as relevant as it was before. NFL is #1, MLB #2 and the NBA #3. It might always be that way IMO. He's a douche because of the televised special. You don't find it ironic that most non-Heat fans share the same view?
All I ever heard was Bosh was never going to join Cleveland. It may or may not be a coincidence that Bosh made the decision first, then James. I certainly didn't mean to make it seem like I was speaking for everyone regarding CP. I know that the majority of people found it really weird rooting for him on this team after all the years he was a Jet. Same can probably be said for those Jets fans right now when speaking about JT.
I hate the NBA, but I gotta say a lot of Miami fans on this board have blinders on. Like it or not, 90% of people outside of Miami will tell you he's a douche for what he did. And it has NOTHING to do with the city he chose. It was EVERYTHING to do with HOW he chose it. The man publicly waivered for an entire season, keeping his home town on edge while they begged him to stay, and then he booked a one hour primtime special on ESPN in which the world "basked" in his glory waiting for his very public rejection of his home city. Doesn't matter how you spin it, that's cold. The special may have netted a ton of viewers, but I can tell you that i didn't speak to a SINGLE person in the days leading up to the decision that didn't think that the whole charade was an absolute joke. I don't personally know a single person who tuned in to "see the decision", however I DO know a few people who tuned in just to watch the train wreck that was this circus. And I honestly haven't spoken to anyone who doesn't think that this wasn't a total ******* move. The only place I've seen support and rationalization for this whole debacle is on this board. You can be happy that you got a great young player..the Heat didn't do anything wrong. But saying LeBron wasn't a **** about it, is like accepting Bellicheat as our head coach and saying he's a stand up guy.
He's a douche that made the NBA a lot of money. What fans think is really irrelevant. They'll tune in more than they did last season, and when LeBron starts winning, they'll forget this. Of course if I was a fan of another team, I'd be angry, because my team wouldn't have much of a chance of winning a title anytime soon. NBA will surely surpass MLB after this summer FA period.
So you're saying that a TV event that attracted more viewers than a finals game, was worse than a press conference that 10% of those viewers would have watched? It doesn't matter why they tuned in, they tuned in. They obviously cared for some reason. Just like I'm sure they'll tune in next season to root against the Heat winning. If you have a problem with the hour long special, blame our culture. Don't blame LeBron for giving the culture what they ask for.
If people weren't idiots do you think Jersey Shore, Jon and Kate Plus 8 and The Hills would exist? Don't put your trust in humans at all, they get entertained watching other people live their lives on TV every single night. I blame the culture 100%. I hate reality TV. I hate ESPN for their East Coast bias.
Are you talking about the Celtics/Lakers finals this year? If so, I can see why you'd rather watch LBJ's "The Decision" over that. Ooooh, Celtics and Lakers. Again. Bryant the MVP. Again. Lakers win. Again. You have one phenomenon that's never happened before vs. a series that we saw a few years back. The two most storied franchises in the NBA. You see them all the time on regular TV. I can see not many people outside of those cities giving a damn.
I'm not angry at all. Is it fair to criticize Jets fans for their mouth-running about how they'll win the SB this year only to turn around and spew the same assumptions for the Heat? Let the Heat win the title, my team has four rings that I'll cherish forever.
"The Decision" was the highest rated news event in ESPN history. It was the highest non-NFL rated cable program of the year.
Congrats on having past titles. I don't criticize Jets fans. But regardless, the level of talent on their team does not compare to what the Heat have.
I'd say its indicative of what the NBA has to offer the masses. Lots of circus, little athletics. The ego's, attitude, and money make it unwatchable for people like me. The LeBron circus only served to cement my distaste for it. I do blame our culture, the idiots that tune in, and the idiots who stand on the pedastil and bask the greatness of themselves. Lebron James Decision=Jersey Shore= Keeping Up With the Kardashians= Whatever other kind of show gives over indulgent people lots of money and a podium to promot themselves we come up with next.
There were many reports that LBJ was trying to get Bosh to come to Cleveland. I don't think LBJ realized how undesirable Cleveland was as a FA destination until Bosh turned him down. He probably thought he could convince a good friend to join him, but even that wasn't enough. I think it was at that point that LBJ realized that he would never get any player above a Mo Williams type to go there. The choice at that point was between staying in Cleveland and being seen as the lovable loser who garnered individual accomplishments but would probably never win or going to the place that would give him the best chance to win but at the expense of at least short-term scorn, less money and fewer individual accolades.
His team won a playoff series for 5 consecutive years. You can't say that for any other team in the league. Compare him to Kobe when they had comparable talent, and you reach one big conclusion; nobody can do it all alone. Championships are a reflection of team success.
The NFL draft isn't over indulgent? Watching Mel Kiper blabber for 3 hours for the 5-6th rounds isn't over the top? Everything we see in entertainment is over the top. Was "The Decision" any more unpleasant to watch than the Super Bowl halftime show? Was it anymore unpleasant than watching Mark McGuire's interrogation by Congress? The OJ Simpson trial? So you can say "The Decision" was over the top, but I don't think there is anything, NFL included, that doesn't try to go over the top to attract viewers.
The incessant harping on "how" he did it just reveals there are ulterior motives. like you said..."blinders". Heat fans eyes...and for that matter..Fans of all teams "miami's" eyes are wide open.
NFL network did a 2 hour special revealing the 2010 NFL Schedule. Where were the complaints about that?
I thought I had made it quite clear in an earlier post but I could care less if Fans of other teams think he's a douche. Hell I could care less if some of the heat fans think he's a douche. I find the whole thing sour grapes and as a Heat fan I will continue to laugh at those people as we win our Next Championship. Here is a quick re post to bring us up to speed.
IMO the people outside of Miami are the ones that are rationalizing every thing. They only see things from one side and that colored by a media driven point of view. And it has everything to do with the city he chose. If he had gone to NY then the media would have said "the biggest star in the biggest city was a natural fit". If he had gone to Chicago then all of the analysts that had spent months saying that Chicago was the best fit would have applauded the decision. If he had gone to Cleveland then he would have been applauded for his loyalty. But what I see is that the media is starting to come around. I've seen at least a couple of articles in the last week from reporters outside of Miami asking how we can criticize a player for taking less money and putting team accomplishments and winning first. I expect that you will see more of this shift in opinion over the next couple of years assuming Miami wins. Obviously they have to win b/c you can't say that winning is the most important thing and then fail to win. What I have learned is how easily public opinion is driven by what the media is saying. For most of this they said Cleveland, Chicago and NY so if any of those were the choice then the media would have understood and public opinion would have quickly followed. The media has been slower to come around to why Miami was a logical choice for LBJ. They first reacted defensively b/c they were so obviously incorrect in their reporting. But now more media members are reporting the positive sides of the choice and that will start to sway public opinion.
The big three are allowed to talk about going to the same team. It's already been ruled on and the Heat are totally in the clear. Lets get past it as there is nothing to see here. No one is arguing the fact that folks outside of Miami think he's a douche. Lets also concede the fact that some people in Miami think he's a douche. Who the hell cares though? I don't. Do you think it bothers the Pats fans after winning 3 Championships that others think their coach is a douche? It shouldn't. It's all just sour grapes. If Miami Wins the SB this year and folks start to insult Ronnie becuase of his DUI and call him a douche will that bother you? I hope not. Trust me when this Heat team starts lighting it up no ones going to care if some of you guys or even most of you guys think he's a douche. I mean seriously....
The NFL Draft has been televised for years. Same for the halftime show. 'The Decision' was unique in itself for opposite reasons.
And I've said you better hope so. Title or bust with this group. But apparently that's wrong of me to say b/c it's criticism. Least from others I've spoken to.
