“The way (James) managed what he just did speaks volumes about who he is and whether he is a team guy — not because he left Cleveland, but the way he did it,” Saban said. “ … That’s not the kind of trust and respect you’d like to have in a team organization.” Interpretation? “LeBron, it’s all about you, huh? Well, not in my organization, Nancy.” It’s an interesting quote considering the way Saban left the Miami Dolphins to come to Alabama. It’s also interesting in that Nick Saban has specifically mentioned the talented basketball player to his team when referring to what excellence looks like. Apparently not anymore. http://capstonereport.com/2010/07/16/nick-saban-punks-lebron-james/7168/
I'm not sure how anyone could make an argument that LeBron left Cleveland the right way. I mean an hour long mememe show and no communication with the ownership of Cleveland? This after he had decided weeks ago that he was leaving for the Heat? I know Heat fans are on the guys nuts right now and don't want to hear that everyone but them thinks LeBron was selfish and immature about how he handled his departure, sad that Saban is actually right here. LeBron leaving was his right, I understand why he left but he handled it like an idiot. Even David Stern (who obviously loves the new dream team its great for his league as is LeBron) criticized him for leaving the way he did.
He had absolutely no obligation to Cleveland. I dont understand the whole "leaving thing" because the second his contract ran out they were just another team.
You're completely missing the point in this. Saban Bailed on Michigan ST to go to LSU. Then he Bailed on LSU to go to Miami. Then he Bailed on Miami to go to Alabama. Each and every time he Lied on television stating he wasn't going anywhere. If there was ever a classic case of pot calling kettle black this is it! This is not about whether or not Lebron did or didn't do the right thing this is a thread of Pure irony and every thing Saban said in his comments is nothing but pure and utter fail. Not because he is right or he is wrong but simply because it is coming from him. To think that Nick said the above and meant it us completely laughable.
Not to mention when was the last time Nick Obligated a contract? Hell he could learn a thing or two from Lebron.....
Conversely, I don't know how someone insists that there is a right way. If so, what was it? LeBron tried to do the opposite of what Art Modell did. Let's at least recognize and give credit for that.
exactly anyone, nick saban included, outside of Miami, regards LeBron as a grade A douche. Anyone thats asked is going to have the same answer. I doubt Saban went out of his way to offer his opinion. He was probably asked and responded like 99% of Americans would
IMO the show's intent was misunderstood and people are so busy hating on LBJ that they can't be bothered to see the other side. As for not returning calls, it would depend on how it went down. It seems likely to me that LBJ was not taking direct calls from any teams during the FA period. I haven't heard of any reports from other having conversations with LBJ during FA. And I haven't heard of any other team trying to stay in contact with him. Only Cleveland seems to believe that he owed them some level of constant updating.
The right way would have been to just tell Cleveland that you were leaving for Miami when the FA period started and let them make their plans and move on. Not too difficult. I don't see what the comparison between LeBron and Art Modell is, I mean I guess if you're saying that LeBron isn't as big a dick as Modell I guess thats true.
There wasn't any legal or financial obligation from LeBron, I don't think anyone implied that. People are talking about just common decency which I guess some people really can't comprehend or care about, guess I'm from a different generation or have different standards for myself. If someone gave me 10s of millions and basically catered to my every whim I'd give them a courtesy phone call and a simple heads up, seems like the decent thing to do. Its like breaking up your steady girlfriend of 7 years by text message, I mean an adult would tell them to their face and at least treat them with decency. LeBron isn't under any obligation to act like an adult or be a decent person, would have been nice if did that though. Seems pretty stupid to make yourself a target for criticism and a public enemy in your homestate if you could have just made a simple press conference or statement to the people of Cleveland instead of leading them on, thinking they had a chance, then breaking their hearts on a national televised event. Like I said, even David Stern was critical of LeBron and he loves this dream team.
The hating has centered on the "way" he left. Sounds like an excuse to me. Well..the "way" he left, raised a couple million for charity. Had he gone to Chicago or New York nobody would care. But since he comes to Miami, Miami now has spread a feeling of inadequacy to the rest of the league and they have resorted to snide remarks and flat out hate. On some boards..they have taken to wishing injury on Wade or lebron. On others, they hope for WORSE. anyway, the real fun starts around halloween. How fitting.
The comparison comes from two major figures in Cleveland sports leaving town. One left under cover of darkness, taking a franchise literally with him, earning the city's ire specifically for leaving in a cloak and dagger style. LeBron announced his intention on national TV. That's as far from Modell as one can get, which was the point. This "ego" crap is whining from people who didn't like and didn't know what they were watching and why.
The Colts were the ones that packed in the middle of the night without a word. Modell danced around with Cleveland's local politicians for a long time and left when they wouldn't pay for a new stadium. Greedy but he didn't just not say anything and leave one day. He certainly didn't hold a hour long TV special to announce he was screwing Cleveland over and taking the same contract just in a different city. LeBron has every right to be in Miami, I for one am going to enjoy watching the Heat play, I'm not a Cleveland fan but I can sympathize with them, they have a right to feel like he dumped them, he did.
Well I think its fair to have an issue with the way people do things if its tacky. Couldn't he have just raised the money by say doing an interview exclusive hour long special on ESPN after announcing his decision to Cleveland and the ownership? Instead it was hype buildup for himself, lets be honest he took some bad advice, it wasn't smart. Even David Stern was critical of it, I mean David Stern, cmon now this guy would get on his knees for LeBron and he said it wasn't a good move. You can be happy he chose Miami, heck I'd have loved for him to have chosen my Wizards and I would accept him doing it in a classless way but I'd still think he was stupid for doing it that way when it would have been easy to just do it with some class.
If anyone on planet Earth should shut his pie hole when it comes to this issue it's Saban. His comments are so hypocritical they're funny. And Saban's wife should shut her trap if she feels the need to say anything in this vein as well. She had plenty to say down here.
No way in hell Cleveland was just another team. They not only signed James out of high school but they gave the keys to the franchise to him. I don't know if there have been many instances where a team has bent over so much to give one player all of the glory. They sucked without him and they'll be bad now b/c of it. Him leaving is fine, no one said he had to stay. But being a pretentious reality-tv wannabe is what ruined his image to every non Heat fan. I think the problem with how James left Cleveland was that he never told the Cavs what his intentions were. He claimed to have made his decision to join the Heat either the night before or the morning of his televised publicity stunt. If that was true, calling Cleveland then wouldn't have made much of a difference because they were already SOL with signing potential stud free agents since most of them were already gone.
That is all fine...I agree with most of it. but let's not kid ourselves as to the real reason all the hating is going on. Just a suspicion mind you, but I don't think it would be this pronounced had he chosen the Knicks or Bulls.
Of course there would be no problem if LBJ had picked the Knicks or Bulls. The problem that national media has is simple. LBJ chose to leave Cleveland for a market/sports town the media considers inferior. The fact that Miami is a crappy sports town inevitable gets brought up by all these guys. And it doesn't help that LeBatard agrees with them and says it himself.
Love how Nick Saban continues to make himself look like an idiot. Michael Jordan, too. Yes, "God" you're an idiot.
Durant showed how it shouldve been handled. Kevin Durant didn't need an hour-long TV special to tell the world where his NBA career would continue. The Thunder's prized franchise player announced via Twitter that he agreed to a five-year extension. Durant became the youngest scoring champ in league history last season and made his first All-Star team. The 2008 Rookie of the Year had completed the first three years of his rookie contract, making him eligible for an extension that would kick in next summer. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/okc/report#notes_quotes "My situation is different from all those guys. Mine was a little easier. It didn't take all that stuff. I just wanted to keep it quiet. That's the kind of person I am." —F Kevin Durant on his decision to sign a contract extension with the Thunder. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/okc/report#notes_quotes Durant = class / LeBron = d'bag
D'Bag or No D'bag I'm going to thoroughly enjoy running away with the east this year. I'm also going to relish listening to fans of all the teams that didn't get Lebron come up with new nick names and new reasons why he won't do well in Miami. Because when its all said and done and we win another Championship the last thing that I'm going to worry about is what some nicks fan thinks of Lebron.
well they better win. if they dont they become the laughing stock of the NBA and all because of the way Lebron handled his exit. Had he done it with class there wouldnt be the anymosity and there would be a three year window to win it all
I got news for you. Had he spent the hour telling Cleavland he was sorry people would still call him a douche for leaving. Had he went to NY perhaps even Miami fans would join the bandwagon and call him a douche too. Who knows. Only one team was going to be happy with the way it turned out. In this case that was Miami. It could just as easily have been the Bulls or the Nicks. One thing that keeps getting over looked here is that he honored his contract. Lebron could teach Nick Saban a valuable lesson here.
without the pompous one hour special he wouldnt be called a douche. he might still be getting flak for running to another city (wouldve been the same if it had been chicago or new york) but that wouldve been regarding him and being compared to the all time greats (like someone said if you're the man, you get people to come to your team not the other way around). what made him the villain was the manner in which he left and the reaction wouldve been the same no matter the city
At the same time of their careers, Wade, Lebron and Bosh handled it the same way. Wait till Durant's contract runs out. Then compare.
Again, I don't know much about basketball, but I'm not sure what James owed to Cleveland. Cleveland may have bent over backwards for him, but it was far from a one sided deal. Cleveland got plenty out of the deal as well. How many dollars in Gilbert's bank account have James' name on them? A lot more than Gilbert put into James' account, I'm sure. James played out his contract and let everyone know at the same time what his decision was. For all anyone except James knows, it was about the same time he made the decision. He owes Cleveland the town nothing, he helped make them relevant again. He owes the organization nothing for the same reason plus the money brought to the team. And sports writers taking him to task are the worst of all, because their entire job consists of taking the spotlight, like James did for an hour. Lastly, if you watched "The Decision" then you also can't really ***** about it, because..well..you watched it.
The whole thing is just sour grapes. Cleavland is mad because he left. The Nicks, Bulls and others are made because he didn't chose them. The "decision" is just something all these bitter people are rallying around. They are unified in their conviction that it's the way he left that upset them rather than the simple fact he didn't chose their teams. They are talking about how his reputation will forever be tarnished over this. They speak of his legacy as if his career is at its end. Bottom line he is only 25 years old. 25 years old people! His Legacy is still being written. When he wins a couple of championships or more people aren't going to put an asterisk next to his name because he did it on one of the best teams in the NBA. If you bitter over is get over it. He didn't hold out for more money. He didn't hold his team hostage. He didn't cause trouble in Cleavland is simply made them relevant. All he did was fulfill a contract and leave.
that would be true if the only people ripping Lebron were New Yorkers, Clevelanders and Chicagoans. The fact is, the entire country is bashing Lebron from sea to shining sea. You guys should just accept the fact that he ****ed up by how he left and accept that you have the most hated player in basketball. What do you care? You just want a ring
Even if we some how came to an agreement on how he handled it the fact still remains is it wont mean squat as far as his legacy goes. If he goes on to win Multiple championships (Which I would wager he will) and plays well in the post and regular seasons no one is going to go weigh that against the amount of crying that took place with his decision. His Legacy is still being written.
yeah I agree with that. Right now this is Wade's team. If he somehow makes Wade seem second fiddle and bags some rings then he can resuscitate his legacy.
The television media is in New York so we will get more coverage but how do you figure they love Chicago? Because of the Bulls? They didnt even pay attention to that team before MJ. I dont see any love towards the Bears and the Cubs, White Sox and Blackhawks all got pity coverage when they had teams that could challenge. The so called media that hates Miami is giving the Dolphins quite alot of props this year, more than I expected. Explain that
