Let's also not forget that we have it on pretty good authority that Gasol and Deng both were coming to Miami for little money if LeBron was staying.
I strongly agree with this. I am bitter about the way LeBron left, but I could get over that and be happy for him. I just can't get on board with many of the fans of Cleveland and their attitude throughout the whole process. And worst of all, the thought of Dan Gilbert winning a ring makes me sick to my stomach. That guy deserves no success. A string of incredible luck has brought him to this point.
None of us can judge intentionality. IMO, though, Delly is just as dirty as Chalmers was for the Heat.
And yet Kyrie Irving has already missed more playoff games in his first go 'round than Wade did in the entire 4 year run
You bought that "returning home" story hook, line and sinker. What it was really about was he saw Wade deteriorating and a supporting cast that let him be embarrassed by the Spurs so he took the easy way out and went with the younger Kyrie Irving and the promising Kevin Love. Plus he could make the excuse that his team needs more time to develop if he loses in the Finals again. Plus he'd have way more power within the Cavs franchise than Riley would ever give up. And finally, he could sell the move as being this beacon of hope for the Cavs and regain the love of the national media and NBA fanbase. Business wise, it was the best decision for him. His PR is repaired, gains more power, sells himself better, shields his legacy, you name it. The man is all about himself, just like Revis. The Decision made that abundantly clear.
I would have no problem with LeBron if he had just said right away, "I'm going back to Cleveland. I feel it's something I have to do. Good luck with everything." If he gave a damn at all, this is certainly something he could've done, which wouldn't have stopped him from going to Cleveland, nor would it have hurt them in terms of getting Love or whatever. But he didn't do it. Not because he was truly conflicted about his situation. He clearly wasn't, if you take his essay as the truth. So he wasted all that time simply to stop the Heat from making any additional moves, for selfish reasons. And that I don't and can't forgive and that's what Riley is probably upset about. Not him leaving per se, but doing it in a way that caused maximum damage for no reason.
Oh and I forgot to mention how he left Miami. Almost as bad as he left the Cavs. Didn't let Riley know so he could adjust his offseason accordingly. Better players were available during the offseason. Instead we got Deng and Napier (who LJ explicitly stated was his favorite player in the draft). Guy has no class whatsoever. Left the Cavs on bad terms, same with the Heat and he HAD to publicize both occurrences.
Not really. LeBron met with half a dozen teams during 2010 free agency. It was not a secret he was looking at other teams. The Cavs could have walked away if they wanted to (obviously no one would do that, but they could have). At the very least, it was clear to everyone that there was a reasonably good chance he was going to leave Cleveland. Additionally, the Cavs had the cap space to do something which might've improved their chances. They failed to do so. Plus, there was at least the appearance in 2010 that he was conflicted about the Decision. Maybe he wasn't and just strung the thing along for drama but I don't know for sure. This year, he made no moves to seriously consider other teams. His agent took some phone calls. LeBron made no visits nor did he host any team officially. He met with Gilbert in Miami secretly. When Riley asked about this, he was clearly told by Rich Paul or whoever that there was no problem. Otherwise he wouldn't have been so confident and might've done things differently. Moreover, LeBron spent plenty of time with Wade prior to his essay and he both allowed Wade to opt out of $40 million guaranteed dollars without so much as a sideways glance, but also spent 3 days and a 5 hour plane ride with him saying absolutely nothing, even though the decision had already been made and the essay written, edited and ready to be published. The essay had probably already been written when he hosted Riley in Vegas. So don't tell me it's the same.
Don't forget that when LeBron returned to Cleveland for that first game back, the fans threw batteries at him.
I vehemently disagree with that. These people turned this into a basketball town, in order: Pat Riley, Dwyane Wade, Wanny, Jay Fiedler, Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland. Lebron cemented it for the younger generations.
Exactly. And this is my gripe. The media and most fans don't seem to see it that way. The narrative seems to be that when he went to Miami he did it the wrong way, but this time he did it the right way even though it was almost exactly the same. I don't think he handled it particularly well either time.
Yeah I don't disagree - and I believe I said as much here. Now, this idea that he screwed the Heat over more than the Cavs is pretty hard to swallow considering y'all got 2 rings out of it and still have a really good roster while the Cavs were left with a 26 game losing streak and are ready to throw a parade for a Finals appearance. But whatever.
Yeah, I don't really believe he screwed the Heat any worse than he screwed the Cavs originally. The only argument I can see is that the Heat had more potential for greatness than the Cavs do, but I don't know that that argument means he screwed them any more or less, really.
right for all the wrong reasons. Had he predicted that the Heat best 5 would play exactly ZERO minutes together, the Proj starting 5 play 37 minutes and that Bosh would almost DIE at mid season...I would have given him credit. As it was..it was a poor attempt at a troll job, given that Vegas, WS projections, and BBall Ref. all had them from 42 to 47 wins.
Beautifully said. Pretty much since Marino retired and the Heat drafted Wade, Miami has enjoyed the Heat more than the Dolphins. Who can blame us? The Dolphins are in a long, long drought. The Heat have won three titles in the short time they've been around. Touché.
It skyrocketed with LeBron. There's a fervor in this town for basketball that I did not feel before he got here.
Hey, you don't hawk subprime loans to thousands of Americans, and have it called luck. No sir. And you don't also bring full fledged gambling to a crippled, job-starved and already crime-ridden city, and have it called luck.
That was my initial prediction, I ended up elevating the heat into about four seed and they let me down
I think the Rockets win this game....... It's hard to get a read on what kind of person James Harden is, he has no emotion on his face, you don't know if he's down or not like you do with Dwight.... Last game Harden showed no quit in him... and I think that carries on today. It goes down to the final minutes for sure... Taking Rockets +11
From Chad Ford's chat today: I'd be ok with those three names, but I would hope Oubre and Booker are in the mix as well. I do feel like Kaminsky is being overlooked because he's a white big, and because he's a senior. If you look at the skill-set and production, he has everything you want and is an excellent fit on this team.
He's an excellent fit but it's a little crowded at the 4 and 5... Especially with McRoberts back.. Funny, Center used to be our biggest problem.. Now with Whiteside , and Bosh being able to play Center too.. mcRoberts.... You add Kaminsky and Now it's way crowded and our depth behind Wade and Deng is a gigantic void My issue with passing on Frank is if he becomes Dirk... Then you feel really stupid for passing on a talent like that. But him being a senior... You have to really zone in on how much potential he has or is here already near his ceiling.
I wish the Rockets would win this game for "LIL B THE BASED GOD" can stop being a thing... but seeing James Harden with 12 turnovers at the beginning of the 4th quarter... I'm pretty sure it won't end after tonight... and people will still make him a thing..
Imagine a team that not only had Kevin Durant.. they also had James Harden.. and just for the sake of argument had Westbrook. Think they beat the Warriors in the WCF?
Harden's last shot of the season was an airball. Followed by dribbling the ball off his foot for his thirteenth turnover.
