NBA Offseason Thread.

[The Third Man]

Maybe not as many as in Miami, but he already has one kid right? The night life and women have nothing to do with it.

Dude, this is the NBA.

[vinsanity]

I don't. But maybe he doesn't care about that anymore. Whether that's a failing or not, I don't know. But he's given himself a good shot to win several titles and he won't have to deal with lifting a team on his back. I don't think that makes him a "coward" or anything. I also don't think that if LeBron had a Pippen/McHale/Kareem/Shaq to his Jordan/Bird/Magic/Kobe that we're even having this conversation at the moment. Yeah, Jordan waited it out, but Jordan is possibly the most competitive great athlete in American sports history. Tim Duncan is an interesting point of comparison.

I like the Shaq comparison best.

More worried about his own hype than the game, a hired gun who likes to count his money and his rings.

[The Third Man]

That's a good point. One big difference between LeBron and Shaq, if last night was any indication: Shaq is brilliant at marketing himself. Bill Simmons has touched on this before, how Shaq - who has bounced from team to team, had falling-outs with guys like Kobe and Wade et al, and has one of the biggest egos on the planet - has remained impervious to fan backlash and is seen as a giant cuddly teddy bear. That, and four rings - which makes me wonder if LeBron winning a few titles won't make all this stuff disappear.

EDIT: That's not even to mention Shaq's tendency to "play himself into shape" during the regular season. Say what you want about LeBron but all indications are that he's a very hard worker. Maybe not to the extreme of Jordan or Kobe but he doesn't take things lightly.

[vinsanity]

That's a good point. One big difference between LeBron and Shaq, if last night was any indication: Shaq is brilliant at marketing himself. Bill Simmons has touched on this before, how Shaq - who has bounced from team to team, had falling-outs with guys like Kobe and Wade et al, and has one of the biggest egos on the planet - has remained impervious to fan backlash and is seen as a giant cuddly teddy bear. That, and four rings - which makes me wonder if LeBron winning a few titles won't make all this stuff disappear.

True.

It's either the rings or he seems to be less of a jerk than the ones who gets in to tiffs with. He's usually a little more passive and gracious even when he's cutting someone down (if I recall correctly). Maybe it's just the way it's covered.

Had LeBron had a press conference Wednesday or Thursday with Wade and Bosh, thanked Cleveland for the opportunity to play at home for such great fans, but wanted to play with his friends in Miami - I think there would have been a little less backlash.

Instead he built it up. He had the special. He was taking 'his talents' to South Beach to the team that gave him the 'best chance to win now and in the future'. The part where he said it was hard seemed forced and contrived, he didn't seem to have any real remorse for leaving Cleveland in the dust.

I think he should've signed a 3 year deal with Cleveland, if Bosh/Mello didn't come help out he could still go chase his title with the Heat - then he would've come out smelling like roses.

[The Third Man]

Yeah, the ESPN thing is the one thing I think LeBron deserves the heat (no pun intended) for. He came off terribly not only in principle, but with his comments during the whole thing about how humble he is and how his real fans will stick with him. Ugh, dude, come on.

[Socnorb11]

That's a good point. One big difference between LeBron and Shaq, if last night was any indication: Shaq is brilliant at marketing himself. Bill Simmons has touched on this before, how Shaq - who has bounced from team to team, had falling-outs with guys like Kobe and Wade et al, and has one of the biggest egos on the planet - has remained impervious to fan backlash and is seen as a giant cuddly teddy bear. That, and four rings - which makes me wonder if LeBron winning a few titles won't make all this stuff disappear.

EDIT: That's not even to mention Shaq's tendency to "play himself into shape" during the regular season. Say what you want about LeBron but all indications are that he's a very hard worker. Maybe not to the extreme of Jordan or Kobe but he doesn't take things lightly.

Shaq has the rings (which is one thing), but not the "legacy", in my opinion. He's not on par with the Jordans, Kobes, Magics, Birds...... or even Tim Duncan, in my opinion.

I don't buy the theory that "championships are championships". The journey counts just as much, in my opinion.

[vinsanity]

Shaq has the rings (which is one thing), but not the "legacy", in my opinion. He's not on par with the Jordans, Kobes, Magics, Birds...... or even Tim Duncan, in my opinion.

I don't buy the theory that "championships are championships". The journey counts just as much, in my opinion.

That's why I like him as the comparison - he's a hired gun whose more in to his own hype than playing the game.

[The Third Man]

That's true, but of course Kobe wasn't even Kobe until he won these last two, and there's still the issue of Pau Gasol, the best offensive big in the NBA, to contend with. I guess I wonder how much this stuff will matter in the longer run. What about, for example, Wilt Chamberlain? I imagine he would show up on most people's lists of the top five players ever, and he doesn't have the "legacy." Wilt makes a good parallel for LeBron in a lot of respects, actually - absurdly hyped before they ever hit the pros, the most physically awesome forces of their days, knock on each is that they were/are selfish and couldn't win the big one, and nobody likes rooting for Goliath.

It was also said of Wilt that he cared more about his stats than winning, which is why, for example, Wilt never fouled out of a game. I don't know how valid that is, but it's the perception.

[jim]

Either Gilbert is overreacting, or something else happened over the last week or so. Simply leaving a team isn't betrayal.

Either way it's unprofessional.

But fun!

And basically professionalism has gone out the window with this entire deal, I will say that the term narcissist that he used to describe Lebron pretty much was the hammer and the nail meeting pretty squarely.

[lukethedrifter]

Either Gilbert is overreacting, or something else happened over the last week or so. Simply leaving a team isn't betrayal.

Either way it's unprofessional.

But fun!

And basically professionalism has gone out the window with this entire deal, I will say that the term narcissist that he used to describe Lebron pretty much was the hammer and the nail meeting pretty squarely.

No kidding. Besides, he's trying to salvage his fanbase. If he can unite them against LBJ then he's accomplished something. Of course that will only last so long with a team that's losing 50 games a year but whatever.