Thread: LeBron to refocus after vacation

Where is James whining?

Man, all this bullshit about how "LeBron carries the team" is so stupid to me. Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Ray Allen were all #1s superstars on the teams that drafted them. ALL OF THEM ARE SUPERSTARS. Sure, age does its thing, but those guys still contribute game in and game out (when their on the floor). I have zero sympathy for LeBron. He CHOSE this situation, remember?!?! The Spurs strategically out played and out coached the hell out of the Heat, plain and simple. The right team won for the right reasons and the Heat look tired, ALL OF THEM. Not just LeBron. Dwayne Wade won a championship before LeBron showed up.

Saying LeBron "makes the Heat players better" is complete fricken BS. That's like saying Michael Jordan made each of the Dream Team players, better. The core of the Heat team just looks tired, but they didn't play any more than any team they played against and lost to. I think the Heat run is over. As far as where do I think LeBron will go... I have no idea. Cleveland would be ideal if they'd take him back, but I think Miami is done, simply because they can't afford to keep everybody.

Originally Posted by TXBRONC

Jordan carried the Bulls to six NBA championship without complaining.

Yeah, he carried them. He didn't have a top 50 player of all time (Pippen), one of the greatest defensive/rebounding big min of his generation (Rodman), and one of the greatest sharpshooters of all time (Kerr) on his team or anything. Oh wait, he did have all of those things.

Now this isn't to take away anything from Jordan, although I'm sure that's how some will take it. I'm simply saying it's flat out incorrect to say that Jordan just carried teams on his back to win 6 titles. Obviously he had a great deal to do with those titles and I'm not saying he isn't the greatest player ever, but let's be real about what he had around him.

LeBron certainly had comparable talent to that around him the last two years, and that's why they won two titles. But this year, Wade fell off a cliff, Allen and Lewis didn't provide much 3 point shooting, Chalmers PG play was atrocious, and they had no post game to speak of. None of these are excuses, they are just facts.

Originally Posted by artie_dale

Man, all this bullshit about how "LeBron carries the team" is so stupid to me. Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Ray Allen were all #1s superstars on the teams that drafted them. ALL OF THEM ARE SUPERSTARS. Sure, age does its thing, but those guys still contribute game in and game out (when their on the floor). I have zero sympathy for LeBron. He CHOSE this situation, remember?!?! The Spurs strategically out played and out coached the hell out of the Heat, plain and simple. The right team won for the right reasons and the Heat look tired, ALL OF THEM. Not just LeBron. Dwayne Wade won a championship before LeBron showed up.

Saying LeBron "makes the Heat players better" is complete fricken BS. That's like saying Michael Jordan made each of the Dream Team players, better. The core of the Heat team just looks tired, but they didn't play any more than any team they played against and lost to. I think the Heat run is over. As far as where do I think LeBron will go... I have no idea. Cleveland would be ideal if they'd take him back, but I think Miami is done, simply because they can't afford to keep everybody.

Who is asking for sympathy for LeBron? LeBron isn't asking for it. No one in this thread is asking for it, I'm not really sure who you are directing this to.

Here are the stats of Miami's stars in the finals, just for the record.

LeBron: 28.2 pts, 7.8 reb, 4 ast.
Wade: 15.2 pts, 4.2 reb, 2.6 ast
Bosh: 14 pts, 5.2 reb, 1 ast
Allen: 9.8 pts, 30% 3pt
Chalmers: 4.4 pts, 2.8 ast, 11% 3pt
Lewis: 8.6 pts

Originally Posted by BroncoWave

Who is asking for sympathy for LeBron? LeBron isn't asking for it. No one in this thread is asking for it, I'm not really sure who you are directing this to.

BW, I wasn't saying "I don't have sympathy for LeBron" because he or someone was asking for it or wanting to give it to him. I was just saying that because some of the defense for LeBron is that he had to carry the team and that nobody showed up, yaddy, yadda, yadda. He made his bed, therefore, he gets to sleep in it. 2 Championships, and that looks like that'll be it in Miami. Unless, he stays and other younger players come. But, that would be weird to me because Wade is the original Heat and for LeBron to stay and for Wade to go... that'd be... who am I kidding. I know there isn't loyalty in professional sports (unless you are Troy Polumalu and the Steelers).

Originally Posted by BroncoWave

I was simply stating a fact. Love him or hate him, it's pretty clear he wasn't getting a whole lot of help in the finals. Their 3-point shooters weren't hitting threes, their PG and post play were non-existent, and Wade was totally out of gas. Is LeBron expected to simply carry a team to a title all by himself? Is that the ridiculous standard we are holding him to now?

Miami as a whole sucked and I couldn't be happier. As far as James quitting with six and a half to go in game five, icing on the cake.

Originally Posted by MOtorboat

It surprises me how much vitriol James sees.

For me, it all boils down to the "I'm taking my talents to South Beach"

It was an egocentric ******* way of going about it. Yes, he had every right, yes, many others would have done the same...but not in the manner he did it. You act like an *******, a lot of people will treat you like an *******.

After reading the OP article, it seems to me that LJ is just doing the standard "no comment" when he's being pressed on what decision he's going to make on a largely financially based issue. Keep in mind that he has a pact with 2 friends/teammates & therefore need to 1st talk to them about what the 3 of them want to do.

Originally Posted by FanInAZ

After reading the OP article, it seems to me that LJ is just doing the standard "no comment" when he's being pressed on what decision he's going to make on a largely financially based issue. Keep in mind that he has a pact with 2 friends/teammates & therefore need to 1st talk to them about what the 3 of them want to do.

That, or maybe he sees the writing on the wall. All three of them are essentially perimeter players, and LeBron is the only one who is worth a max contract if they stay together. Bosh is a shooting gaurd in a power forward's body. I think he averaged about 4 rebounds a game in the finals, which is pitiful considering that's where they really needed help. Your small forward and shooting gaurd shouldn't be your best rebounders.

Originally Posted by BroncoWave

Originally Posted by TXBRONC

Jordan carried the Bulls to six NBA championship without complaining.

Yeah, he carried them. He didn't have a top 50 player of all time (Pippen), one of the greatest defensive/rebounding big min of his generation (Rodman), and one of the greatest sharpshooters of all time (Kerr) on his team or anything. Oh wait, he did have all of those things.

Now this isn't to take away anything from Jordan, although I'm sure that's how some will take it. I'm simply saying it's flat out incorrect to say that Jordan just carried teams on his back to win 6 titles. Obviously he had a great deal to do with those titles and I'm not saying he isn't the greatest player ever, but let's be real about what he had around him.

LeBron certainly had comparable talent to that around him the last two years, and that's why they won two titles. But this year, Wade fell off a cliff, Allen and Lewis didn't provide much 3 point shooting, Chalmers PG play was atrocious, and they had no post game to speak of. None of these are excuses, they are just facts.

Whatd the Bulls do without Michael Jordan after his 2 retirements? I'm curious...

















Oh yeah. No championships.

Originally Posted by GEM

For me, it all boils down to the "I'm taking my talents to South Beach"

It was an egocentric ******* way of going about it. Yes, he had every right, yes, many others would have done the same...but not in the manner he did it. You act like an *******, a lot of people will treat you like an *******.

It seems a little bit over the top to still be this angry about that quote 4 years later. Like, of all the shit you could be angry at pro athletes about (beating up women, roiding up, drunk driving, etc), this just seems really minor. I mean, the guy has never been in trouble with the law, is by all reports a great teammate, great father to his kids, great in the community, yet that one line he said that one day 4 years ago seems to outweigh all that and make him an egotistical jerk. I really don't get it. Hell Kobe raped a girl and didn't get close to the level of crap 4 years later that LeBron gets today.

Originally Posted by Shazam!

Whatd the Bulls do without Michael Jordan after his 2 retirements? I'm curious...

















Oh yeah. No championships.

Take away any championship team's best player and they probably aren't winning the title again the next year. That doesn't mean Jordan single-handedly won those titles for the Bulls. Take Pippen, Rodman, and Kerr off those teams and I bet Jordan isn't leading them to a title either.

Originally Posted by BroncoWave

It seems a little bit over the top to still be this angry about that quote 4 years later. Like, of all the shit you could be angry at pro athletes about (beating up women, roiding up, drunk driving, etc), this just seems really minor. I mean, the guy has never been in trouble with the law, is by all reports a great teammate, great father to his kids, great in the community, yet that one line he said that one day 4 years ago seems to outweigh all that and make him an egotistical jerk. I really don't get it. Hell Kobe raped a girl and didn't get close to the level of crap 4 years later that LeBron gets today.

Here's the difference.....

I think JR Smith who killed his best friend is a piece of shit.
I think Kobe who raped a girl is a scumbag.
I think LeBron who is a pretty decent guy is just a guy with an ego who I don't like much based on that ego. I just think he is incredibly naive if he thought those words wouldn't follow him after he said them.

Everyone understood WHY he did what he did, it was just the way he did what he did that was incredibly shallow and thoughtless to the people in Cleveland that loved that man. Besides...the fans in Cleveland have had to endure the Browns, they really don't deserve that.