LeBronnn

[Pete]

How is nobody discussing THE largest sports story in the past couple of decades?

Is anyone surprised at his decision?
Is anyone pissed off about how the whole process went about?
How about the pageantry of it all?

[che]

Gulgulgulcgulcgulcgulc.

^Sound of everyone choking on his ****.

[Rocky]

James is doing the right thing. He spent seven seasons trying to make the Cavs into the best team in the league. After 7 seasons, there was nothing more that he could do to get them the championship, imo. He did the right thing by going after a wonderful opportunity with the Miami Heat. I hope he gets his championship.

When your team has the most wins in the whole conference and yet you still manage to take an early exit, then something on that team is not clicking right. The first ranked team shouldn't be getting a 5th-8th placing.

[Zargabaath]

How is nobody discussing THE largest sports story in the past couple of decades?

Is anyone surprised at his decision?
Is anyone pissed off about how the whole process went about?
How about the pageantry of it all?

One of the biggest stories but there are probably a few that are a bit bigger. I was surprised that he did go to the Heat - but I was going to be generally surprised in whatever he chose. This though kind of says that he does need big help in order to get a ring. One thing I hope happens is that he does get compared to early Kobe, since people say that he needed Shaq to get his first three rings (though people still try to rag on Kobe though he now has 5 - 1 more than Shaq and has beaten the Celtics the biggest rivals to the Lakers); I don't want that to be overlooked and that is if they win the championship, Lakers got all their key people returning including Phil Jackson. Celtics could make another run, but they are now older than last year but their determination may not be enough.

The process was too much and was just feeding his ego. Lebron is trying to make himself a big deal, the problem is he hasn't won any rings or 1 NBA Finals game in the least. Remember those puppet Nike commercials in the 2009 NBA playoffs with Lebron & Kobe in attempt to hype a much desired finals match between the Cavs and Lakers? What happened? Cavs got kicked out in the Conference Finals and Kobe won his fourth ring without Shaq. This year Cavs were favored to make it to the Finals and way favored to win against Boston, what happened? Lebron had a horrendous Game 5 - his last game in Cleveland and a pretty poor Game 6, though he did contribute more his shooting percantage was horrible and he was 1 turnover away from the dreaded quadruple-double. And once again Kobe and the Lakers won another championship. Lebron isn't a King and he did not deserve to have this whole spectacle.

[Dynamo]

lol, no idea who the guy is (never heard of him), assuming some american sports player/hero??

[Rocky]

lol, no idea who the guy is (never heard of him), assuming some american sports player/hero??

Yeah, he's one of the most talked about American NBA player at the moment. He's going on his 2nd NBA team in his career after playing for 7 seasons without winning a championship title, and now the team that he is on is going to be stacked.

In other news, how about that Heat salary cap? lol.

[Taco-Calamitous]

I don't really care too much about basketball outside of the Portland Trail Blazers, but I have heard about what's been going on with Lebron James. And I think... good for him. Cavaliers fans may not like it, but it's probably a good move for Lebron and his family. I heard like the General Manager or someone wrote a letter to the fans though, in which he totally trashes Lebron. That's classy. Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

EDIT: But more on the NBA, when I heard who was playing in the finals, I thought, "...awesome. The team who won last year versus the team who won two years ago. Really exciting for everyone else." Doesn't help that I was raised to hate the Lakers.

[Xithor]

I personally don't care that much about basketball but I think that Lebron did a great job of making his decision and being respectful about it. He took less money then he would've gotten if he returned to Cleveland and he organized that special for him to announce his choice in order to raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. I mean that is using your status for good.

The thing that surprises me and is very disappointing is the way that the Cleveland front office, mainly its owner Dan Gilbert, responded to the situation. Has anyone seen the letter that he posted on the Cavs website? Look at this:

Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE"

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue....



Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers

Are you kidding me? Putting a curse on him and calling it a "cowardly act of betrayal"? The man did everything that he could in order to help that team win a championship and he was there for 7 years of his career and if they would've given him someone around him to help him out then maybe they would've won a championship and he'd still be a Cav. I say good luck in Miami Lebron, it's gonna be a great show to watch. If I even watch basketball games lol

[Pete]

I actually agree with the Cavs on this one. I really dislike that there was such a spectacle made out of it, especially with LBJ taking out an hour special on ESPN to announce his decision. To me, that's pure arrogance.

I don't care that he signed with the Heat, hell, if I were him, I'd want to win championships too. What bothers me though, is how he went and ripped the Cavs fans hearts out, with zero forewarning. I know, he technically couldn't have, in order to preserve the mystique of his special, but in all reality, he totally dicked Cleveland over, and left them in a pretty big lurch, as all of the big free agents are already signed to deals.

As a Knicks fan, I'm a little upset, seeing as he was supposed to come to us for over a year, according to all of the speculation, and even James himself. It's more of an "oh well" feeling though, since I never really expected him to come to such a shit franchise as of late. It would've been asking him to do more with less than what he was asked to do with the Cavs.

As for the Cavs owner, I love it. He's firing up the fan base, and feeding on their hatred of LeBron right now. It's a smart business move.

[Zargabaath]

Are you kidding me? Putting a curse on him and calling it a "cowardly act of betrayal"? The man did everything that he could in order to help that team win a championship and he was there for 7 years of his career and if they would've given him someone around him to help him out then maybe they would've won a championship and he'd still be a Cav. I say good luck in Miami Lebron, it's gonna be a great show to watch. If I even watch basketball games lol

Dan Gilbert calling Lebron's decision a "cowardly act of betrayal" is nonsense. Gilbert must have forgotten that a lot of owners aren't loyal to their players but I don't see their decisions being called "cowardly acts of betrayal". Lebron owed the Cavs nothing; he was a free agent - not a slave to the Cavalier organization till that at least won a championship.

As a Knicks fan, I'm a little upset, seeing as he was supposed to come to us for over a year, according to all of the speculation, and even James himself. It's more of an "oh well" feeling though, since I never really expected him to come to such a shit franchise as of late. It would've been asking him to do more with less than what he was asked to do with the Cavs.

I forget if it was Donnie Walsh or the owner but somebody big in the Knicks organization made the comment that it "takes courage to play where the lights are the brightest" - totally stupid comment. The Knicks may play in N.Y. but they have nothing besides Stoudemire. Also, the Knicks were trying to spin that in NY Lebron could be bigger - Lebron is already big he didn't need NY.

As for the Cavs owner, I love it. He's firing up the fan base, and feeding on their hatred of LeBron right now. It's a smart business move.

The Cavs owner is just going to be made to look stupid when most likely Lebron wins a championship before that skeleton of it former self Cavaliers. He may be firing the crowd up, but he's just spouting BS. He may not truly care about his promise that the Cavs would win before Lebron but I feel that a person's word is important and he is gambling with the odds stacked against him. Though when Lebron (if he does) when a championship before the Cavs Gilbert will probably cop out and say that was just to fire his team up and that he wasn't serious - that's cowardly. I also like how Gilbert is jumping on Skip Bayless' train of thought about Lebron; before that he was "A" ok with having King James - somebody is angry.

[Pete]

Dan Gilbert calling Lebron's decision a "cowardly act of betrayal" is nonsense. Gilbert must have forgotten that a lot of owners aren't loyal to their players but I don't see their decisions being called "cowardly acts of betrayal". Lebron owed the Cavs nothing; he was a free agent - not a slave to the Cavalier organization till that at least won a championship.

This is totally true. LeBron did his 7 years and fulfilled his contract to the best of his abilities. The only real issues I had with him were when he clearly gave up in the playoffs this year. I think he took something like 12 shots in game 5 against the Celtics. You don't have possibly THE best player in the league only take 12 shots in a do or die situation. The other thing I didn't like was how he got Cleveland's hopes up, and then broke their hearts on national tv. It'd be one thing to be up front with them, thank the fans for their support, but he totally just surprised everyone. The whole charity thing was just to soften the blow, and to make him seem like he wasn't being as bad to Cleveland as he was.

I forget if it was Donnie Walsh or the owner but somebody big in the Knicks organization made the comment that it "takes courage to play where the lights are the brightest" - totally stupid comment. The Knicks may play in N.Y. but they have nothing besides Stoudemire. Also, the Knicks were trying to spin that in NY Lebron could be bigger - Lebron is already big he didn't need NY.

Yeah, the comment wasn't the smartest, but it is true. There are only 4 real sports cities, where the media will really play a huge role. New York, Boston, Chicago and Philly. New York's media has been too much for several players to handle, along with the pressures of playing here. And yeah, the Knicks suck. I like Stoudemire's passion, and how he's saying the Knicks will be relevant again, but for 100 million, he'd better be saying that.

It's bullshit though, because if LeBron didn't win in NY within a year or two, people here would be calling for his head. That's the fickle beast that is NY sports. If you wanna be big, win. If he wins his championships, he'll make all the money that he could have won in NY. Sports contracts are loaded with incentives like, "win and you get a bonus of x amount; become an All Star and get x amount; score x points" and so on and so forth. He'll make his money, that's not an issue.

I just didn't like how he was always talking about how much he loved NY, came out with his I love NY sneakers in Knicks colors, always rocked his Yankees fitted, and then went to Miami. I can respect his desire to win, but I'd much rather see him win on his own, as opposed to just admitting he doesn't have what it takes to lead his own team to victory.

The Cavs owner is just going to be made to look stupid when most likely Lebron win a championship before that skeleton of it former self Cavaliers. He may be firing the crowd up, but he's just spouting BS. He may not truly care about his promise that the Cavs would win before Lebron but I feel that a person's word is important and he is gambling with the odds stacked against him. Though when Lebron (if he does) when a championship before the Cavs Gilbert will probably cop out and say that was just to fire his team up and that he wasn't serious - that's cowardly. I also like how Gilbert is jumping on Skip Bayless' train of thought about Lebron; before that he was "A" ok with having King James - somebody is angry.

I agree. I like the motivation, but the Cavs have absolutely nothing at this point. Their franchise is just about where the Knicks were 2-3 years ago. It's sad to think that one single player can make such a ridiculous impact over the sport, because the Cavs were a contender year in and year out, and now they don't have a shot at the playoffs.

[Zargabaath]

I will say one thing about Lebron which also applies to Wade and Bosh. All three have said that they would take less moneyto be able to play on the Heat together. It may not have much impact on the NBA or in any other major sport in the US, but it should be an important message to the other players. Those three want to win a championship or more and are willing to take less money to accomplish that goal; the championship is more valuable to them than their contracts. An all too common complaint about professional sport players is that they care about the money and not about winning; these three super-stars (though I Bosh is the most dim) put their focus on where all players should have their attention on - the championship.

However, this train of thought isn't limited to the players as I was watching a sports radio show on the Comcast channel about where would Lebron go (before his announcement). I believe they got onto to the topic of Johnson signing a huge deal with the Hawks; one of the commentators said that he and other players got to take care of their families. By families this guy was including, parents, siblings, etc.; in reality a player only needs to worry about his wife and kids. But what irked me more about that comment was that these players are getting paid millions that is enough to take care of their family. What these players need to learn his fiscal responsibility.

While I was watching the NBA playoffs this year one the commentators was talking about the financial trouble of a retired player - he spent way too much money. The commentator brought up some data that around 6 years after retirement, on average, NBA players no longer have any money while I think retired football players on average last 4 years after retirement. Now people could speculate as to why the retirees in NBA and NFL have no money after such a short time, regardless they need to handle their money better.

[Xithor]

I actually agree with the Cavs on this one. I really dislike that there was such a spectacle made out of it, especially with LBJ taking out an hour special on ESPN to announce his decision. To me, that's pure arrogance.

The thing that I liked about him having the press conference was that he donated all the money that was put into it as far as ads to the Boys and Girls clubs of America. His heart is definitely in the right place so I don't think it was all about him being arrogant and making the world revolve around him. I'm sure ESPN was just as welcoming to the idea as Lebron and his representatives were.

I don't care that he signed with the Heat, hell, if I were him, I'd want to win championships too. What bothers me though, is how he went and ripped the Cavs fans hearts out, with zero forewarning. I know, he technically couldn't have, in order to preserve the mystique of his special, but in all reality, he totally dicked Cleveland over, and left them in a pretty big lurch, as all of the big free agents are already signed to deals.

Yea I agree with you that he kinda in a sense tore out Cleveland's heart by having everyone watch and choosing to go some where else but really that couldn't have been avoided. Even if it wasn't a special ESPN would have probably gotten together some kind of conference to have Lebron announce what team he was going to and if it was anyone but Cleveland it was gonna "break their hearts". But frankly it's a business and I think that he made the best decision for him. I'm am a Mets fan and I root for the hometown Rays because those are the games that I go to a lot, just came back from tonight's actually. Carl Crawford, one of our best players and arguably the best left fielder in baseball today is going to be a free agent next year. Now if Tampa hadn't gotten as competitive as they have in recent years I'm sure there would be a lot more fear in him leaving to go play for a championship caliber team but I think Tampa is championship caliber. They were AL champs two years ago and almost won it. If he signs with another team in the winter you can't be mad at the guy, he has a lot of things that are behind the scenes just like we all do in our lives that not everyone sees and a lot goes into making a decision like that. Never would Rays fans call him a traitor if he decided to take his talents elsewhere. Well I can't say never but I know I wouldn't and hopefully they wouldn't either.

I will say one thing about Lebron which also applies to Wade and Bosh. All three have said that they would take less moneyto be able to play on the Heat together. It may not have much impact on the NBA or in any other major sport in the US, but it should be an important message to the other players. Those three want to win a championship or more and are willing to take less money to accomplish that goal; the championship is more valuable to them than their contracts. An all too common complaint about professional sport players is that they care about the money and not about winning; these three super-stars (though I Bosh is the most dim) put their focus on where all players should have their attention on - the championship.

That is what I love about the three of them signing with the Heat, they all took less money in order to WIN which is where their focus and their hearts should be. I have to watch in frustration B.J. Upton's antics and laziness on the field far too much. He is getting paid millions of dollars to play a game, a game that I love and would give everything to play in the Major Leagues and he can't sprint down the line on a ground ball or chase a ball into the gap with everything that he has? It sickens me, but enough ranting lol

[Carnage]

Couldn't really care less about Lebron. Really hate how he hyped up his "decision" so much though, just to rake in some more cash and attention. Doesn't matter to me because Kobe is going to 3peat again, regardless of how many good players Miami signs.

[Pete]

I'm still pretty skeptical about his real reasoning for all of his charity. On one hand, it's good that he raised all of the money he did, but I really feel like it was to soften the blow caused by his decision. It's one of those "A LOT of people are going to be mad at me for this, so I'm gonna try and do something so I don't totally look like the bad guy here." I also thought it was pretty funny how there was a Vitamin Water vending machine right behind him too. If I'm not mistaken, he has stock in that company.

I agree with you though, that it wasn't a bad move for him to go to the Heat. Hell, if I could play ball with my good friends on a pro team, and have a ridiculous shot at winning some championships, I would do it as well. I think the biggest problem though is how he went about doing it. From all the sports talk radio I listen to, there have been numerous reports and reporters finding new information about phone calls he'd made to Wade and Bosh, before the decision was made. What bothers me though is that he wasn't up front and honest with anyone really. On one hand, he doesn't have to be, but on the other, he screwed his hometown team over on two fronts.

By making a spectacle out of everything, he was incredibly unprofessional, and most certainly burned bridges with Cleveland. That's his hometown team. To me, that's just really low. He left them clinging onto strands of hope, and then just cut them off on national TV.

Secondly, he screwed them over on the court. Granted, losing a player of his caliber will hurt any team, no matter the circumstances, but he was the last major free agent to sign with a team. Cleveland had cleared out all of this cap space to pay his salary, and to even give him the extra 30 million to max his contract. Now they have all of this money and nobody to sign. If LeBron had told them in advance, yes it would have sucked, but the Cavs could have started to make moves to trade or sign talent.


I'm a Mets fan too Xithor. It's been a painful few years. At the same time, I think that because there are so many more players per team, and that trades happen all the time, losing a franchise player isn't as big a deal. It sucks, but there's not a whole lot that you can do about it, since most players don't really have allegiances to anyone, and the rivalries aren't like they were in the past. That being said, if Wright were ever traded, I'd be crushed. I also think that in pro sports today, there are not nearly as many homegrown stars like LeBron. I can only really think of two guys in my head, and out of that only one of them is really established.

Jayson Heyward and Joe Mauer. Mauer's the hometown Minnesota boy, who spent his whole life in the shadow of the Metrodome. Earlier this season, when he was looking for a new contract, there were huge fears he'd go to the Yankees, since they had the money that he was looking for. He instantly would have been a traitor to Minnesota.

As for Heyward, it's still too early in his career, but he's an Atlanta kid, playing for the Braves. Give it a few good seasons, and if he winds up on the Yanks, I could see Atlanta feeling like he's a traitor too.

[Xithor]

I'm still pretty skeptical about his real reasoning for all of his charity. On one hand, it's good that he raised all of the money he did, but I really feel like it was to soften the blow caused by his decision. It's one of those "A LOT of people are going to be mad at me for this, so I'm gonna try and do something so I don't totally look like the bad guy here." I also thought it was pretty funny how there was a Vitamin Water vending machine right behind him too. If I'm not mistaken, he has stock in that company.

I agree with you though, that it wasn't a bad move for him to go to the Heat. Hell, if I could play ball with my good friends on a pro team, and have a ridiculous shot at winning some championships, I would do it as well. I think the biggest problem though is how he went about doing it. From all the sports talk radio I listen to, there have been numerous reports and reporters finding new information about phone calls he'd made to Wade and Bosh, before the decision was made. What bothers me though is that he wasn't up front and honest with anyone really. On one hand, he doesn't have to be, but on the other, he screwed his hometown team over on two fronts.

Yea donating the money to charity was probably just a way of trying to deflect some of the negativity from his decision off of him. They even said that after he made his decision on where to play he had another big announcement which ended up being he was donating the money to the Boys and Girls Club when I had heard it one Sportscenter several times over the past two days.

I do agree with you that he wasn't up front and honest with anyone but that is what having his decision on where to play put on national TV forced him to do. If I were ever at that caliber of a player where everyone wanted me to go to them would have personally made my decision in the meetings that they had. I would have told the Cavs very politely that I enjoyed being a part of their team and that no one could take away what the team meant to me but that I wanted to go to Miami to have a chance to win. I mean 7 years is plenty of time for them to bring in someone that could put them over the edge. Yea they brought in Shaq, and he's a great player, but not great enough right now to make a difference. Btw they prob have to worry if he might leave now after the outburst from their owner.

I'm a Mets fan too Xithor. It's been a painful few years. At the same time, I think that because there are so many more players per team, and that trades happen all the time, losing a franchise player isn't as big a deal. It sucks, but there's not a whole lot that you can do about it, since most players don't really have allegiances to anyone, and the rivalries aren't like they were in the past. That being said, if Wright were ever traded, I'd be crushed. I also think that in pro sports today, there are not nearly as many homegrown stars like LeBron. I can only really think of two guys in my head, and out of that only one of them is really established.

Jayson Heyward and Joe Mauer. Mauer's the hometown Minnesota boy, who spent his whole life in the shadow of the Metrodome. Earlier this season, when he was looking for a new contract, there were huge fears he'd go to the Yankees, since they had the money that he was looking for. He instantly would have been a traitor to Minnesota.

As for Heyward, it's still too early in his career, but he's an Atlanta kid, playing for the Braves. Give it a few good seasons, and if he winds up on the Yanks, I could see Atlanta feeling like he's a traitor too.

Yea Go Mets! I'm just a guy from Tampa and my dad grew up in the Bronx and my mom across the river in Elizabeth, NJ so I really should be a Yankee fan but I don't like conforming you know? Haha, been a Met for years now. Can't believe that Reyes just got injured again and what ticks me off even more is that Pelfrey didn't make the All-Star team. He was 10-2 with a 2.93 ERA when voting was happening, what happened!!

But I digress. I agree with you about Mauer and Heyward. Happy to see Mauer stay in Minnesota, he's one of my favorite catchers and I tried to model my game after his being a left-handed hitting catche after all Heyward already looks like a great player, him being on the first place Braves at the moment doesn't make me too happy but he definitely has a bright future and I hope he remembers why he plays the game and doesn't get to involved with the money aspect. And on a closing note, if Wright ever left I might die lol.