Lebron James (Los Angeles Lakers)

[Cornerback6]

I think what is becoming more infuriating about all of this for us Cavs fans is the abundance of people that aren't even superficially in tune with what has been going on espousing their views.

+1

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Lebron James....the best basketball player that franchise will ever see....says he wants better players around him. He's not asking for the Cavs to get Pippen out of retirement, he has the same pool of players to work with as every other team.

How did the Lakers get Gasol? Did he fall out of a tree? Why did they get Jamison instead of Amare?

Come on man, this isn't NBA live. There are logistics at play, contracts, location, friendships, families...And how about the the fact that some declined, because the superstar wouldn't commit to being there longer than 3 years...

Not excuses, one can only do so much. If it is so easy like you make it sound, suprised your not making millions putting together NBA championship teams...There are 29 other teams out there trying to surround their star players with the same players...

 

[jlb1705]

Bad drafting after selecting LeBron who was handed to them by the NBA.

Try NO DRAFTING. You can't fuck up draft picks when your predecessors don't leave you any in the first place. The Cavs lacked draft picks because of moves made by management - some before LeBron even arrived. That, and LeBron was good enough his own (and the East bad enough on it's own to play the Cavs out of the lottery in the formative years of the James era. In hindsight, the Cavs needed Jim Paxson to not be a complete and total fuck head, and for LeBron to take a little longer to develop as an NBA player so they could have had some higher draft picks.

 

[PlanetFrnd]

How did the Lakers get Gasol? Did he fall out of a tree?

Uh, kinda. Jerry West gave the Lakers a sweetheart of a lopsided deal. That and Gasol wanted to be in Los Angeles.

 

[billmac91]

Lebron James....the best basketball player that franchise will ever see....says he wants better players around him. He's not asking for the Cavs to get Pippen out of retirement, he has the same pool of players to work with as every other team.

How did the Lakers get Gasol? Did he fall out of a tree? Why did they get Jamison instead of Amare?

Did you miss the part where the Cavs had the best record in the NBA 2 years in a row? It's fair to critisize Mike Brown and why he was still romaing the sidelines, but he got booted this year and they tried addressing it. LeBron wanted no part of it b/c he already knew he was leaving.

Outside of LeBron not having the stones to compete in Cleveland my 3 biggest blunders/reasons for yesterday:

1. Carlos Boozer dupes Paxson and Gund. They take one of the NBA's most likeable players among the NBA fraternity at his word, and he straight plays them. Stupidity on the Cavs part, but also a stright slime-ball move by Boozer who shows ZERO integrity.

2. Mike Brown remains coach after Orlando series last year. Mike Brown was outclassed by Ron Jeremey, and showed he had zero abiltites to defend match-ups and create his own mis-matches. Brown won coach of the year, but as badly as he got beat in the coaching box, it was a huge blunder to keep him for 09-10 season. And he killed us against Boston as well, part of which wasn't helped by LeBron's mutiny.

3. Larry Hughes contract - Desperate signing once Redd and Ray Allen fell through. Felt like we scrambled for 3 years trying to unload that deal and Ferry did a nice job or working with it, but it was a hoorendous signing.

So yes, the Cavs made some mistakes...but in the last 3 years since LeBron signed his extension, there has been very little managemnt can do in terms of recruiting free agents. How nice would of it been to have Artest or Trevor Ariza as our #2 this year instead of Anthony Parker?? Neither would sign unless LeBron signed. Is that the Cavs fault? This roster could be completely different, although its very solid, if LeBron ever committed to the city.

But he wouldn't. And the rest is history.

 

[WolverineMike]

I'll bet Mike Brown really loved Gilberts letter about feeling betrayed.

 

[kn1f3party]

I'll bet Mike Brown really loved Gilberts letter about feeling betrayed.

I'm pissed now that Mike Brown is probably getting some semblance of satisfaction that he doesn't have to coach them through this now.

 

[jlb1705]

Come on man, this isn't NBA live. There are logistics at play, contracts, location, friendships, families...And how about the the fact that some declined, because the superstar wouldn't commit to being there longer than 3 years...

Not excuses, one can only do so much. If it is so easy like you make it sound, suprised your not making millions putting together NBA championship teams...There are 29 other teams out there trying to surround their star players with the same players...

Exactly. The NBA is completely byzantine when it comes to player contracts, the draft, trades and free agency. It's not like baseball or football. If you want to win in baseball you simply go out and spend the money. If you want to win in football you simply make the right draft picks.

If you want to win in the NBA, you have to draft well - if you're lucky enough for your ping pong ball to come up last. You have to manage the salary cap - except when you don't because of bi-annual exceptions, mid-level exceptions, minimum salary exceptions, trade exceptions and Bird rights. You can't trade established players for young talented first or second year players - the salaries have to match. And apparently there's one more new rule - if you want to win you have to avoid winning like the plague for at least three years (and hope your best player is cool with it), renounce the rights to every player on your roster except one, trade away a No. 2 overall draft pick for nothing and wait for free agents from other teams to collude and hope that they arrange to come to your city.

 

[NFBuck]

I'll bet Mike Brown really loved Gilberts letter about feeling betrayed.

Um, what? Are you actually saying that they "betrayed" Mike Brown? Mike Brown was an incompetent boob. He had the job a year longer than he should have to redeem himself for being played like a fiddle in the '09 playoffs. Incompetence gets you relieved of your duties pretty much everywhere...

 

[Tlangs]

I would argue that the last thirty days have shown him to be possibly the biggest prima donna and media whore in sports.

How many interviews has he given in the last month? He hasn't been a media whore at all in the last 30 days. It isn't his fault ESPN reports on his wherabouts every 5 minutes.

1 hour special or press conference...doesn't matter. It is Lebron dumping cleveland on national television. A press conference would have been worse, it would have been on about 50 stations instead of just 1.

 

[kn1f3party]

Exactly. The NBA is completely byzantine when it comes to player contracts, the draft, trades and free agency. It's not like baseball or football. If you want to win in baseball you simply go out and spend the money. If you want to win in football you simply make the right draft picks.

If you want to win in the NBA, you have to draft well - if you're lucky enough for your ping pong ball to come up last. You have to manage the salary cap - except when you don't because of bi-annual exceptions, mid-level exceptions, minimum salary exceptions, trade exceptions and Bird rights. You can't trade established players for young talented first or second year players - the salaries have to match. And apparently there's one more new rule - if you want to win you have to avoid winning like the plague for at least three years (and hope your best player is cool with it), renounce the rights to every player on your roster except one, trade away a No. 2 overall draft pick for nothing and wait for free agents from other teams to collude and hope that they arrange to come to your city.

This.

It is scary what is happening to the league.

 

[NFBuck]

1 hour special or press conference...doesn't matter. It is Lebron dumpbing cleveland on national television. I press conference would have been worse, it would have been on about 50 stations instead of just 1.

Please. That was 50x worse than a press conference. He could have done all this quietly like Wade or Durant. Instead, his handlers set up a primetime special on the "world wide leader" knowing full well he's going to rip the hearts out of the fans that have adored him for seven years and turn his back on the city/region he grew up in. It was the very definition of attention whoring.

 

[Piney]

Did you miss the part where the Cavs had the best record in the NBA 2 years in a row? It's fair to critisize Mike Brown and why he was still romaing the sidelines, but he got booted this year and they tried addressing it. LeBron wanted no part of it b/c he already knew he was leaving.

Outside of LeBron not having the stones to compete in Cleveland my 3 biggest blunders/reasons for yesterday:

1. Carlos Boozer dupes Paxson and Gund. They take one of the NBA's most likeable players among the NBA fraternity at his word, and he straight plays them. Stupidity on the Cavs part, but also a stright slime-ball move by Boozer who shows ZERO integrity.

2. Mike Brown remains coach after Orlando series last year. Mike Brown was outclassed by Ron Jeremey, and showed he had zero abiltites to defend match-ups and create his own mis-matches. Brown won coach of the year, but as badly as he got beat in the coaching box, it was a huge blunder to keep him for 09-10 season. And he killed us against Boston as well, part of which wasn't helped by LeBron's mutiny.

3. Larry Hughes contract - Desperate signing once Redd and Ray Allen fell through. Felt like we scrambled for 3 years trying to unload that deal and Ferry did a nice job or working with it, but it was a hoorendous signing.

So yes, the Cavs made some mistakes...but in the last 3 years since LeBron signed his extension, there has been very little managemnt can do in terms of recruiting free agents. How nice would of it been to have Artest or Trevor Ariza as our #2 this year instead of Anthony Parker?? Neither would sign unless LeBron signed. Is that the Cavs fault? This roster could be completely different, although its very solid, if LeBron ever committed to the city.

But he wouldn't. And the rest is history.

Point #1 & #3 are the biggest issues looking back. #1 hurt the most, because Boozer was a legit #2 to LeBron and Gund/Pax messed that up, which isn't a surprise since that org was a gigantic cluster fuck.

#3 seemed like it should have worked, Remember Hughes was considered a raising star. While some prefered Redd he never lived up to his contract either. But imagine if they got Allen there instead of Hughes?

But since that mess of a free agency year, really the organization has done little wrong in getting players. Dealing for Gooden/AV, Getting rid of Hughes, getting Mo Williams (which was a HUGE improvement, if people can remember Eric Snow). They got Jamison, which should of worked. But it was mostly coaching/player failures that had us fall short.

 

[kn1f3party]

How many interviews has he given in the last month? He hasn't been a media whore at all in the last 30 days. It isn't his fault ESPN reports on his wherabouts every 5 minutes.

1 hour special or press conference...doesn't matter. It is Lebron dumpbing cleveland on national television. I press conference would have been worse, it would have been on about 50 stations instead of just 1.

You're ignoring that 7.2M viewers tuned in... more than 95% of basketball games, more than the 2007 finals.

A press conference at noon with Wade and Bosh would have been preferred a thousand times over.

 

[Tlangs]

Correct. And I was 100% dead on. Thanks.

LeBron commits to the Cavs for 5 years, and he gets the side-kick he needs. 2-3 years left on a deal isn't enough for another super-star to take on a 5 year deal and possibly be left holding the bag when he leaves. The Cavs spent the first 4 years re-working the roster as much as possible under Gund and Paxson, and then Ferry and Gilbert over-hauled some things and made it a solid core. In next year they could have put together something special.

LeBron would rather be Scottie Piipen. More power to him. Enjoy South Beach and the "role player" label you've forver adopted.

Scottie Pippen was not a "role player". He is a top 50 NBA player of all time. Robert Horry is a role player. Lamar Odem is a role player. I think Lebron would be happy to retire with 6 championship rings.