NBA Offseason Thread.

[InvincibleCakeEater]

You simply said "you play to win the game". Those guys won...... just like Lebron will.

Or are you saying now that there's more to it than simply winning?

I really have no idea what you're trying to say here.

Clearly.

You're still not making any sense.

[Socnorb11]

You simply said "you play to win the game". Those guys won...... just like Lebron will.

Or are you saying now that there's more to it than simply winning?

I really have no idea what you're trying to say here.

Clearly.

You're still not making any sense.

Simply put, I think (and most here have tried to explain it also) that HOW you win is as important as winning.

You said that winning is all that matters, and I don't necessarily agree. I don't think most people do.

[Lesson]

I'll say what I said earlier.

Jordan brought championships to his team. So did Bird. So did Magic. So did Duncan. So did Kobe. So did Hakeem. Heck, even Dwyane Wade. They toughed it out until it happened.

Lebron failed.

All of them, every single one, had a borderline to Hall-of-Fame player on their teams as well.

You think Tim Duncan did?

Lebron needed help in Cleveland. Nobody is denying that. But you keep fighting until you get help. Jordan didn't win until he was 28 years old, and his legacy is the greatest ever. Lebron is only 25. It could have happened.

Regardless, Lebron's legacy is virtually dead. He may win championships, but this whole thing is a major scar on his career.

Tim Duncan had David Robinson...

Not for the last one, right?

Correct. But you said, "Do you think Tim Duncan had a borderline to Hall-of-Fame player on any of his teams"?

That isn't the case at all. He had Robinson.

[InvincibleCakeEater]

Simply put, I think (and most here have tried to explain it also) that HOW you win is as important as winning.

You said that winning is all that matters, and I don't necessarily agree. I don't think most people do.

Guess I don't see it. He's not some broken down vet trying to chase a ring ala Karl Malone. He's in his prime and carried a [expletive] team on his back for 7 years with nothing to show for it. Maybe I don't "feel" the NBA the way you guys do or something regarding his legacy or "manliness." But I can guarantee you that LeBron could call Kevin Garnett right now and speaking from experience he would tell him he made the right choice.

[stlouie_lipp]

Simply put, I think (and most here have tried to explain it also) that HOW you win is as important as winning.

You said that winning is all that matters, and I don't necessarily agree. I don't think most people do.

Guess I don't see it. He's not some broken down vet trying to chase a ring ala Karl Malone. He's in his prime and carried a [expletive] team on his back for 7 years with nothing to show for it. Maybe I don't "feel" the NBA the way you guys do or something regarding his legacy or "manliness." But I can guarantee you that LeBron could call Kevin Garnett right now and speaking from experience he would tell him he made the right choice.

I think this is spot on. Do you really not see the train wreak that happened last night, or are you just playing devil's advocate?

[Socnorb11]

Simply put, I think (and most here have tried to explain it also) that HOW you win is as important as winning.

You said that winning is all that matters, and I don't necessarily agree. I don't think most people do.

Guess I don't see it. He's not some broken down vet trying to chase a ring ala Karl Malone. He's in his prime and carried a [expletive] team on his back for 7 years with nothing to show for it. Maybe I don't "feel" the NBA the way you guys do or something regarding his legacy or "manliness." But I can guarantee you that LeBron could call Kevin Garnett right now and speaking from experience he would tell him he made the right choice.

Kevin Garnett was traded, he didn't bolt via free agency. Not to mention he was 31 years old, and had tried for 12 years to get it done for Minnesota. Quite a bit different than Lebron.

I would actually have had more respect for Lebron if he was a "broken down vet" chasing a title. If you've given it all you've got and come up short, then I don't really have a problem if you want to catch a ride on a championship wagon. Lebron is 25 years old, for crying out loud. He's hardly "given it all he's got". He's 25 years old, and has already given up on trying to carry a team to a championship, and decided to let Wade & Bosh carry him to one. Lame.

[stlouie_lipp]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=a ... sion070910

As the worst idea in the history of marketing unfolded, James looked trapped somewhere between despondence and defiance. His bumbling buddy Maverick Carter had walked him into the public execution of his legacy, his image, and there was a part of James that clearly wished he could turn back through the doors and hide. Only, it was too late. No going back now. James goes to the Miami Heat, Cleveland goes into a basketball Hades and LeBron’s legacy becomes that of a callous carpetbagger.

“His brand is [bleep] now,” one high-level NBA official said late Thursday. “He’s destroyed everything.”

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/lebr ... ips-070910

The Summer of ’10 may have done irreparable damage to LeBron James.Thursday night, his LeBrontourage and ESPN enablers dressed him in a clown suit, topped it with a black hat and turned him into a buffoonish laughingstock and villain.

For seven years, James seemed to delight in, court and fuel himself with universal adoration and respect. It’s gone now, and it’s not coming back. He’s a hero in Miami, a coward in New York, a spoiled, narcissistic punk most everywhere else and Black Modell in Ohio.

“I wanted to do what was best for LeBron James,” King James told Wilbon. “What LeBron James was going to do to make him happy.”

Yep, his most memorable speaking line from LeDecision was delivered in third person. He’s a joke, and only the insanely dishonest will defend his performance and the decision to host LeBron-apalooza.

[cpebbles]

I don't know that Garnett will still be saying that in 30 years when he's regarded as a solid player who took the easy route to a championship though. The premiere players of the last few decades had great players around them, sure. They allowed a team to be built around them though, they didn't just all take advantage of a ridiculous salary cap that somehow manages to make the notion of competitive balance in the league a joke. The NBA is closer to a Globetrotters vs. Generals situation right now than any professional league in this country, and if it slips any further in that direction Lebron's championships are going to be about as respected as Harlem's.

[Socnorb11]

I don't know that Garnett will still be saying that in 30 years when he's regarded as a solid player who took the easy route to a championship though. The premiere players of the last few decades had great players around them, sure. They allowed a team to be built around them though, they didn't just all take advantage of a ridiculous salary cap that somehow manages to make the notion of competitive balance in the league a joke. The NBA is closer to a Globetrotters vs. Generals situation right now than any professional league in this country, and if it slips any further in that direction Lebron's championships are going to be about as respected as Harlem's.

+++

Said it better than I have. Thanks Pebbles.

[InvincibleCakeEater]

He's 25 and no longer wants to play for a [expletive] franchise that has only brought in [expletive] talent to surround him with. I really don't understand why he's supposed to be "loyal" to the Cavs, whatever that means. Again, he played there for 7 years and they surrounded him with [expletive]. Why should he just stick around hoping things will change? Because they drafted him?