This blog has been created since I spend all of my life arguing sports with Willis Austin. Being the two knowledgeable sports fans that we are this is our first attempt to include people on the daily banter that often consumes one's life. This blog will often have a daily topic in which you the public will have the opportunity to chime in and give your respective opinions.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Legacy and Image
What are your thoughts after Lebron's announcing that he will join Dwayne and Chris Bosh in Miami? What does his going to south beach tell you about him as a competitor?
I am still in shock with so many thoughts and emotions over LeBron cowardly decision to go to Miami. I'm not sure how much my heart is talking bbecause he didn't come to my Bulls but he is akin to a Clyde Drexler in my book now who is never thought of as the greatest player of all time. This man had his own team where there was no doubt who the man was and he chose to give that up to joins WADE'S TEAM where its ok if he plays second fiddle. I don't wanna hear anywhere he goes is his team crap. D-Wade will for the forseeable future always have one more ring that "the King" cause he's been to the mountain top without him.
I think the main thing that disgust me about is that it was all planned. If these guys all wanted to play together which in hindsight is clear they always wanted to then just do it. Don't give me this Brett Favre like soap opera where "I'm not sure", "I gotta think long and hard about it" bull crap. Just do it so and let the pieces lie where they may. This goes for Wade and Bosh too as they all knew what was they were gonna do and they played us all for whatever reason.
As for the main question I think LeBron has short changed his legacy by going down south. I realize this is a histoirc moment and they are gonna be a great team (though the Lakers are still better) that will probably get a couple rings but this is not what superstars do. MJ didn't leave the Bulls when they couldn't get by the Pistons! Lebron claimed going to Miami provides the biggest challenge which is both true and false. Its true because anything less than a title is unacceptable but hasn't that been the case for him for a while now. Kobe who I must say I respect even more now, knew that if he never won a title without Shaq his legacy wouldn't be complete. But Lebron picks the only option where he won't most of the credit and glory if/when he wins it all. You may see it as selfless and feel thats the way athletes should be but I feel its gutless. Y
With all that said I'm more hyped for the upcoming NBA season then I've been in a long time. The NFL is my 1st love and right now I can't even think about training camp. I have a new team to that I despise more than the Lakers.
Basketball is a business. And Lebron is an employee in the business. He looked at this as an opportunity to excel in the game. If anything, it should show that for the first time ever, WINNING has become more important than ego and $$$$$$. Lebron wants to win. If there was ever going to be a chance for him to do it for years to come, this was it. Who gives a fuck who "he man" is on this team. The guy made a good decision. The moment Delonte West fucked his mom, he wasn't going back to Cleveland. So he clearly went with his perception of best chance to win.
That being said, the press conference was one of the biggest jokes I have ever seen. It took him 12 seconds to say he was going to South Beach next year. That's the part about last night that makes me madder than anything. I don't blame the guy for wanting to win, but that was just a 1 hour 20 minute advertisement for Lebron. I can't believe he didn't have a Big Mac in one hand, sprite in the other, while chewing bubbliciious and wearing a Nike fitted cap. Kevin Durant did it right. He went entriely under the radar during this whole process. I'm on his bandwagon now.
You 2 were the same people saying Lebron was the best player in the league!!!! Now he leaves his team and now your jumping off, back the Kobe bandwagon. It's sad, but I told you before this guy wasn't it and this shows that he knows it too!! He keeps saying he wants to win a championship, ok well go win one!!! What's stopping you!!?? Your the "King" right??
Apparently he isn't, he was the king in Clevland but now you're in D-Wade's castle and he rules these parts. I can't believe an alpha male would do something like this in the prime of his career. Now Mark I'll have to disagree with you there, Clyde Drexler was traded to Houston and he went to the Finals twice before wtih his own team and only had 3 left in his career after the move. Lebron is 25!!! He could've signed with anyone else and then after that contract, conceded that he couldn't do it alone and then align himself with other superstars who haven't won before and go for it then. That's the way its supposed to be done right??
In reality I'm not really mad at Lebron, he may have turned down a better opportunity with Chicago. They have more pieces in place with the addition of Boozer, with Rose and Noah. So if Lebron went there he would've been a hero but since he chose Miami he's a villain?? Maybe we should applaud Lebron for being a player of that stature and putting winning before everything. He really wants a championship and he put everything on the line to get it. His name, his reputation, his stats, his kingdom(Ohio), and his legacy to go for a ring. I just hope this once and for all puts the Lebron is better than Kobe to talk to bed.
Lebron James; is he friend or foe? (Jay Z reference)
I think there are two ways to look at this Lebron James saga. 1. LBJ the competitor and 2. LBJ the player and there is a difference btw player and competitor.
First lets take LBJ the competitor has taken a big-time hit as of yesterday. Not only did Lebron's jersey got burned last night but so did his cape. Lebron's legacy as being a great competitor is now extinct. No doubt lebron has immense physical talents but for him to sign with Miami is one of the biggest chump moves in the history of sports as a competitor. For him to join Miami and join D-Wade's castle instead of creating or finishing his own (Cleveland) is an absolutely ridiculous. How bout this joining the Knicks with Amare and saying we ll take wade and bosh out next year is something a competitor would do. Or saying hey Carlos and Derrick lets go knock the heat the out next year and try to take down Kobe would given no one anything to complain about today. What kind of man are you is what im asking? I hope he knows every championship he's with Wade; Wade will always have one more. And that will always be argued when the two of them are discussed. Thats why no one can say anything to Kobe about Shaq b/c he has won more rings than Shaq since the two split. Lebron will never get credit for winning his own championship at this point. Its to early in his career to go this route in my opinion. A 25 year old phenom should be building his legacy instead of tarnishing at such a young age. Lebron will never be viewed as an all-time great b/c of his decision last night. I dont want to hear anymore of this Jordan talk let alone the Kobe talk. Yea Kobe demanded a traded but his intent was to never leave LA just to force their hand. Everytime kobe had the opportunity to leave he always signed his extension. We understand Wade and Lebron are boys off the court and thats cool but on the court they should be going head up. Wade and Lebron should be rivals on the court at this point in their careers. For example, off the court Will is my right hand man, but if i we were ever facing each other in any type of competition im gonna try and kill him and i know for a fact he try to kill me. As a competitor you need that kill or be killed attitude and Lebron obviously doesnt have that. And annoying this may sound and as annoying as he is yesterday kind of gave validation to Skip bayless's Prince James stigma b/c thats exactly what he is now is a Prince in Wade's palace.
2. Im not mad at Lebron James the player. James the player made a great move yesterday if he wants the chance to win right away and he dropped his "ego" and took less money to go play with two other people. These athletes have image that all they care about is money and ego's and fame and to lebron's credit he bucked everyone with him signing in Miami and he does care about winning most. But I do believe Chicago would have been a better for him (Bulls fan here) personally. Lebron. But like will said he said screw all the criticism and said I want to win and that part of Lebron you have to respect.
Now to the Cleveland owner and the city of Cleveland you ought to be ashamed of yourself. For Dan Gilbert to rip lebron like that is ridiculous. Lebron for 7 years and at least 41 games a season absolutely filled ur building and your pockets. He comes off as looking like the bitter ex girlfriend. Lebron i believe gave you all he had for his career and sometimes it just isnt enough. Lebron is has been loyal to that city since he was in grade school. And as a city i do understand that you put your eggs in that one basket. But be grateful and maybe your beef should be with ownership.
PS Lebron fatheads $17.41 for being 1741 the year benedict arnold was born. Terrible job by Dan gilbert.
My thoughts are simple, I think he has been wanting to play with Bosh and Wade for a long time. I think he made Cleveland think that they were in it when they really weren't. I think it was always Miami because they were the only teams that had the ridiculous amount of cap space that had one of the big three already on the roster. There was no need to go through with this charade all they had to do was just say in the beginning of free agency that he was leaving. He embarassed Cleveland on national T.V. and then has the nerve to say that I hope the fans will be respectful when he didn't reciprocate that respect. He is an absolute jerk. So is Wade so is Bosh. Don't meet with teams if you have no interest.
As far as his legacy, I don't think it is the same as a Kobe situation because we already saw Lebron carry garbage players really far. So he really doesn't have to justify how great he is to me. Because Cleveland won't make the playoffs next year not even close.
Its not about the team he chose its the way he carried himself throughout the process. It was terrible.
I don't want to repeat everything that has been said because its how I feel as well. I will admit, everyone in my circle knows I am not a fan of Lebron at all. I feel like he was annoited the "King" without going to war. There's this quote "You have to die first before you go to Heavan." This is the perfect example of why I never took a liking to him. He's a great player- unstoppable, but the things he does through media and PR, I always felt, were staged and carefully crafted rather than coming from the heart and genuine.
My take on him going to Miami is that it was way too soon. He cop'd out (quit) and went to a stack'd team just to chase a ring people work so hard to get (I must say that Bosh is overrated at best.) He's 25. He came into the league barely 18. Yes he was in Clev for 7 years, so what? He's only 25. He was the face of that City, Franchise, the leader of the people etc. He went to the finals within 5 years of entering the league. He lost. He came back and almost went to the finals 2 times after that, He lost. This is why I say too much was given to him too soon. He didn't know how to handle loosing. No one is going to give you shit in the NBA-even as soft as that league is today, not to mention in Life as well. His time was coming to bring that ring to Clev as much as I hate to admit it. With the aging of Boston and the Lakers, Orlando not being good enough, and Lebron getting better, his time was coming. He should have signed on for 3 years and if nothing happened, opt out at the age of 28. Still young enough for another big contract and young enough to compete. We all remember or have seen highlights of MJ's first ring. He was on the ground crying. Literally blood, sweat, and tears pouring out of his eyes from going to war against the Lakers, Pistons, Celtics for the 7 to 8 seasons before and puttin in work in the off season. We saw that and empathized with him and felt good for him and his teammates. That first ring in Miami will never feel the same as that first ring he could have won in Cleveland. Not to the Fans, and if Lebron was a true competitor- not to him.
As a Chicago Bulls fan I am totally deflated. I thought the bigger story would have been the three of them coming to the bulls which would have been a neutral destination. None of the three having a stake in that city. By LeBron going to Miami, a lot of people will attack him for going to play in Wade County. When you really look at the big picture, can you blame Lebron for being 25 and having the opportunity to play with two of the best players at their respective positions in the NBA. South beach is a beautiful place and to top it all off Florida doesn't have state income tax only federal think about it.
I am still in shock with so many thoughts and emotions over LeBron cowardly decision to go to Miami. I'm not sure how much my heart is talking bbecause he didn't come to my Bulls but he is akin to a Clyde Drexler in my book now who is never thought of as the greatest player of all time. This man had his own team where there was no doubt who the man was and he chose to give that up to joins WADE'S TEAM where its ok if he plays second fiddle. I don't wanna hear anywhere he goes is his team crap. D-Wade will for the forseeable future always have one more ring that "the King" cause he's been to the mountain top without him.
ReplyDeleteI think the main thing that disgust me about is that it was all planned. If these guys all wanted to play together which in hindsight is clear they always wanted to then just do it. Don't give me this Brett Favre like soap opera where "I'm not sure", "I gotta think long and hard about it" bull crap. Just do it so and let the pieces lie where they may. This goes for Wade and Bosh too as they all knew what was they were gonna do and they played us all for whatever reason.
As for the main question I think LeBron has short changed his legacy by going down south. I realize this is a histoirc moment and they are gonna be a great team (though the Lakers are still better) that will probably get a couple rings but this is not what superstars do. MJ didn't leave the Bulls when they couldn't get by the Pistons! Lebron claimed going to Miami provides the biggest challenge which is both true and false. Its true because anything less than a title is unacceptable but hasn't that been the case for him for a while now. Kobe who I must say I respect even more now, knew that if he never won a title without Shaq his legacy wouldn't be complete. But Lebron picks the only option where he won't most of the credit and glory if/when he wins it all. You may see it as selfless and feel thats the way athletes should be but I feel its gutless. Y
With all that said I'm more hyped for the upcoming NBA season then I've been in a long time. The NFL is my 1st love and right now I can't even think about training camp. I have a new team to that I despise more than the Lakers.
Basketball is a business. And Lebron is an employee in the business. He looked at this as an opportunity to excel in the game. If anything, it should show that for the first time ever, WINNING has become more important than ego and $$$$$$. Lebron wants to win. If there was ever going to be a chance for him to do it for years to come, this was it. Who gives a fuck who "he man" is on this team. The guy made a good decision. The moment Delonte West fucked his mom, he wasn't going back to Cleveland. So he clearly went with his perception of best chance to win.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, the press conference was one of the biggest jokes I have ever seen. It took him 12 seconds to say he was going to South Beach next year. That's the part about last night that makes me madder than anything. I don't blame the guy for wanting to win, but that was just a 1 hour 20 minute advertisement for Lebron. I can't believe he didn't have a Big Mac in one hand, sprite in the other, while chewing bubbliciious and wearing a Nike fitted cap. Kevin Durant did it right. He went entriely under the radar during this whole process. I'm on his bandwagon now.
You 2 were the same people saying Lebron was the best player in the league!!!! Now he leaves his team and now your jumping off, back the Kobe bandwagon. It's sad, but I told you before this guy wasn't it and this shows that he knows it too!! He keeps saying he wants to win a championship, ok well go win one!!! What's stopping you!!?? Your the "King" right??
ReplyDeleteApparently he isn't, he was the king in Clevland but now you're in D-Wade's castle and he rules these parts. I can't believe an alpha male would do something like this in the prime of his career. Now Mark I'll have to disagree with you there, Clyde Drexler was traded to Houston and he went to the Finals twice before wtih his own team and only had 3 left in his career after the move. Lebron is 25!!! He could've signed with anyone else and then after that contract, conceded that he couldn't do it alone and then align himself with other superstars who haven't won before and go for it then. That's the way its supposed to be done right??
In reality I'm not really mad at Lebron, he may have turned down a better opportunity with Chicago. They have more pieces in place with the addition of Boozer, with Rose and Noah. So if Lebron went there he would've been a hero but since he chose Miami he's a villain?? Maybe we should applaud Lebron for being a player of that stature and putting winning before everything. He really wants a championship and he put everything on the line to get it. His name, his reputation, his stats, his kingdom(Ohio), and his legacy to go for a ring. I just hope this once and for all puts the Lebron is better than Kobe to talk to bed.
If Miami doesn't win a championship, Lebron is...
Lebron James; is he friend or foe? (Jay Z reference)
ReplyDeleteI think there are two ways to look at this Lebron James saga. 1. LBJ the competitor and 2. LBJ the player and there is a difference btw player and competitor.
First lets take LBJ the competitor has taken a big-time hit as of yesterday. Not only did Lebron's jersey got burned last night but so did his cape. Lebron's legacy as being a great competitor is now extinct. No doubt lebron has immense physical talents but for him to sign with Miami is one of the biggest chump moves in the history of sports as a competitor. For him to join Miami and join D-Wade's castle instead of creating or finishing his own (Cleveland) is an absolutely ridiculous. How bout this joining the Knicks with Amare and saying we ll take wade and bosh out next year is something a competitor would do. Or saying hey Carlos and Derrick lets go knock the heat the out next year and try to take down Kobe would given no one anything to complain about today. What kind of man are you is what im asking? I hope he knows every championship he's with Wade; Wade will always have one more. And that will always be argued when the two of them are discussed. Thats why no one can say anything to Kobe about Shaq b/c he has won more rings than Shaq since the two split. Lebron will never get credit for winning his own championship at this point. Its to early in his career to go this route in my opinion. A 25 year old phenom should be building his legacy instead of tarnishing at such a young age. Lebron will never be viewed as an all-time great b/c of his decision last night. I dont want to hear anymore of this Jordan talk let alone the Kobe talk. Yea Kobe demanded a traded but his intent was to never leave LA just to force their hand. Everytime kobe had the opportunity to leave he always signed his extension. We understand Wade and Lebron are boys off the court and thats cool but on the court they should be going head up. Wade and Lebron should be rivals on the court at this point in their careers. For example, off the court Will is my right hand man, but if i we were ever facing each other in any type of competition im gonna try and kill him and i know for a fact he try to kill me. As a competitor you need that kill or be killed attitude and Lebron obviously doesnt have that. And annoying this may sound and as annoying as he is yesterday kind of gave validation to Skip bayless's Prince James stigma b/c thats exactly what he is now is a Prince in Wade's palace.
2. Im not mad at Lebron James the player. James the player made a great move yesterday if he wants the chance to win right away and he dropped his "ego" and took less money to go play with two other people. These athletes have image that all they care about is money and ego's and fame and to lebron's credit he bucked everyone with him signing in Miami and he does care about winning most. But I do believe Chicago would have been a better for him (Bulls fan here) personally. Lebron. But like will said he said screw all the criticism and said I want to win and that part of Lebron you have to respect.
Now to the Cleveland owner and the city of Cleveland you ought to be ashamed of yourself. For Dan Gilbert to rip lebron like that is ridiculous. Lebron for 7 years and at least 41 games a season absolutely filled ur building and your pockets. He comes off as looking like the bitter ex girlfriend. Lebron i believe gave you all he had for his career and sometimes it just isnt enough. Lebron is has been loyal to that city since he was in grade school. And as a city i do understand that you put your eggs in that one basket. But be grateful and maybe your beef should be with ownership.
PS Lebron fatheads $17.41 for being 1741 the year benedict arnold was born. Terrible job by Dan gilbert.
My thoughts are simple, I think he has been wanting to play with Bosh and Wade for a long time. I think he made Cleveland think that they were in it when they really weren't. I think it was always Miami because they were the only teams that had the ridiculous amount of cap space that had one of the big three already on the roster. There was no need to go through with this charade all they had to do was just say in the beginning of free agency that he was leaving. He embarassed Cleveland on national T.V. and then has the nerve to say that I hope the fans will be respectful when he didn't reciprocate that respect. He is an absolute jerk. So is Wade so is Bosh. Don't meet with teams if you have no interest.
ReplyDeleteAs far as his legacy, I don't think it is the same as a Kobe situation because we already saw Lebron carry garbage players really far. So he really doesn't have to justify how great he is to me. Because Cleveland won't make the playoffs next year not even close.
Its not about the team he chose its the way he carried himself throughout the process. It was terrible.
Shout out to Jamil and your blog.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to repeat everything that has been said because its how I feel as well. I will admit, everyone in my circle knows I am not a fan of Lebron at all. I feel like he was annoited the "King" without going to war. There's this quote "You have to die first before you go to Heavan." This is the perfect example of why I never took a liking to him. He's a great player- unstoppable, but the things he does through media and PR, I always felt, were staged and carefully crafted rather than coming from the heart and genuine.
My take on him going to Miami is that it was way too soon. He cop'd out (quit) and went to a stack'd team just to chase a ring people work so hard to get (I must say that Bosh is overrated at best.) He's 25. He came into the league barely 18. Yes he was in Clev for 7 years, so what? He's only 25. He was the face of that City, Franchise, the leader of the people etc. He went to the finals within 5 years of entering the league. He lost. He came back and almost went to the finals 2 times after that, He lost. This is why I say too much was given to him too soon. He didn't know how to handle loosing. No one is going to give you shit in the NBA-even as soft as that league is today, not to mention in Life as well.
His time was coming to bring that ring to Clev as much as I hate to admit it. With the aging of Boston and the Lakers, Orlando not being good enough, and Lebron getting better, his time was coming. He should have signed on for 3 years and if nothing happened, opt out at the age of 28. Still young enough for another big contract and young enough to compete.
We all remember or have seen highlights of MJ's first ring. He was on the ground crying. Literally blood, sweat, and tears pouring out of his eyes from going to war against the Lakers, Pistons, Celtics for the 7 to 8 seasons before and puttin in work in the off season. We saw that and empathized with him and felt good for him and his teammates.
That first ring in Miami will never feel the same as that first ring he could have won in Cleveland. Not to the Fans, and if Lebron was a true competitor- not to him.
As a Chicago Bulls fan I am totally deflated. I thought the bigger story would have been the three of them coming to the bulls which would have been a neutral destination. None of the three having a stake in that city. By LeBron going to Miami, a lot of people will attack him for going to play in Wade County. When you really look at the big picture, can you blame Lebron for being 25 and having the opportunity to play with two of the best players at their respective positions in the NBA. South beach is a beautiful place and to top it all off Florida doesn't have state income tax only federal think about it.
ReplyDelete