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I'm happy for the fans of Cleveland but.....

9K views 217 replies 29 participants last post by  King Sancho Fantastic 
#1 ·
IMO LeBron James is STILL an ego-maniac dick. First it was that ridiculous "THE DECISION" where he needed a half hour of air time to announce where he was going.


Then there was that moronic "Not one, not two, not three, not four" etc etc bullshit when (again IMO) he knew all along that he was going to opt out after 4 years.

And Finally "I'm coming home" No LeBron you followed the money, so stop making the great fans of Cleveland think that you did it for THEM when you know that (as usual) this was all about YOU and the attention you would get.

LeBron you're a great player but...............get over yourself.
 
#2 ·
How did he follow the money if he just got a 2 year contract and could've signed a bigger deal in Miami? He went back to CLE when he didn't have to, and for a 2 year contract Miami was a much better basketball situation so I think CLE being "home" has a lot to do with it, you're hating hard.
 
#3 ·
C'mon this is not my first rodeo, the two year thing is for salary cap purposes only because in 2016 the cap goes up to 80M where he'll do the other two years. At least that's what Cleveland management is hoping for.

And hating? no its not that, I failed to mention that I'M NOT a Heat fan.

After running out on you guys four years ago I hope he can help bring a title to the long suffering fans of Cleveland but seriously, I know you're happy he's back but he's no hero. Just another spoiled athlete who like to see his poster & name in lights.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I mean now that I think of it, this is incredibly stupid. What if Lebron knew that he wanted to go back home to Cleveland during the season. So according to you, that thought would've been "un-classy" since he's not being loyal to the team that he's playing with. Also had Lebron made such thoughts public, it would've jeopardized the team because team chemistry and the media ruckus would've been quite negative. So in order to rectify such un-classyness, he should pretend that he haven't made up his mind until the season is over. But because it's still "un-classy" to declare I'm leaving right after the team lost, he should again pretend to be undecided. However do not wait too long as the window of "Classyness" is a delicate one. If you wait a few days extra, that would've been unclassy to some fans. There is a perfect time to break the news so that he'll be classy, any earlier or later would mean that all respect is lost from dumb fans everywhere.
 
#21 ·
So what your saying is that, because there are grossly inappropriate ways that he could have handled things, there's no more appropriate way to go about things than he could have? Look, I'll put it this way - I have a good relationship with my boss. We'll occasionally catch a beer at the end of the day, he gives me whatever flexibility I need at work, and he pulled some strings to get me into a better grad school than I probably would have otherwise. I'll even wind up at his house for dinner once every couple months. Now, that doesn't mean I'm going to work for him forever, but if and when I do take another job I'll either let him know in person or call him directly if he's on vacation or something, rather than keeping quiet until I give HR my two-week notice and letting them notify him via email.

Now, by all accounts, it doesn't sound like Pat Riley was told that Lebron was leaving in that in-person meeting Thursday. If Lebron knew beforehand that there was no way he was going back to Miami, Riley at least deserved an in-person thank you for the last several years and a little bit of a heads up on the coming news, and if he truly didn't make up his mind until after that sit-down (which doesn't seem likely, since his camp was arraigning for the journalist to fly out the weekend prior), he should have given Riley a call to let him know. It doesn't mean that Lebron's a terrible person or anything, and what he wants to do is his choice, but the way he announced was a publicity stunt, just better-handled than the last one.
 
#22 ·
Holy crap easy there professor, LOL I didn't know this thread was going to take such a comedic turn. Histrionic, Thrombosis, what did you do swallow a dictionary. You must be a real thrill at parties.

Okay kid I'll let it.

And Bogg, you're thread was right on target.
 
#36 ·
At the point of opting out, you don't belong to any team. Hence being a free agent. The Heat don't have any stake on LeBron more than any other team. LeBron didn't hinder the Heat from signing someone any more than he hindered the Suns, or Mavericks, or Rockets, or Bulls from signing someone.

The Heat felt like they had a good chance of re-signing him, so they waited. That was a decision they made based on their own risk analysis. You can't condemn LeBron for being in such demand that teams would rather wait on his decision than pursue inferior free agents.
 
#38 ·
No ones condemning him for that. What was brought up is that its fairly unprofessional (and highly egotistical) to wait on telling your former employer you're leaving until you can make a dramatic letter drafted by your PR team.

Most people, myself and yourself probably included, thought Lebron going back to Miami was all but a certainty. So again, if your contention is that its Miami's fault for not making offers to Lowry and Gortat and telling Lebron they weren't interested in waiting, then I find that to be ridiculous.
 
#37 ·
LeBron made the decision to go to Miami for him, he made the decision to go back to Cleveland for everybody that he cares about. He needed those rings to solidify himself as a great, he got over what appeared to be a massive hurdle at the time (the ridiculousness about him not being clutch, or shrinking in big moments), and honestly it looked like he had fun living that life.

Going back to Cleveland is still about him to an extent (since any move where you dictate your professional fate is about you, being that it's YOUR professional fate and all), but it's more than just that. He did it for his family who he wants to raise in that area, he did it for his friends and extended family who all are there, he did it for the downtown area that lost money when he left, he did it for the betterment of an entire region.

Having LeBron on your team increases it's value and the value of everything surrounding it by hundreds of millions of dollars, how can you blame him for wanting to give that to the place and people he cares the most about?

As far as how he announced this, or even how he announced The Decision, he really can't win. He's the biggest news story out there, no matter if he approached it like Tim Duncan or JR Smith, EVERYBODY is infatuated with wanting to know what he is going to do.
 
#42 ·
another way of looking at this

as bidders for Lebron's continuing employment what did the Heat bring to the table? What was their offer and what was the game plan they put forth to make Lebron want to stay? do we even know?

was it: "Ok Lebron you take even less money to carry the team while Dwyane limps around on one leg and Chris continues to hone his corner 3 and maybe we can add Kyle Lowry"

because :thinking2:
 
#43 ·
That team with Lowry? Favorites to win the title in my opinion. The same team as last year with McRoberts and Granger? I wouldn't go back either. Lebron is the only reason they made the Finals last year in the first place.

He made the right choice in going to Cleveland. If he stayed in Miami Wade would have basically screwed him out of building a better team by sticking around and collecting checks.
 
#58 ·
As I said, their hands were basically tied. They either drop Wade and try to pick up Melo and make themselves and Bron look like scumbags in the process, or they try to add what little pieces they can with no money.

The Big 3 way of building a team worked perfectly....... right until Wade dropped off. Now hes seen as an anchor, not a superstar.

Again though I'll ask, are you arguing that Miami should have come out and said they were walking away from Lebron and tried to sign Lowry and Gortat? I've asked multiple times and when I do you guys clam up. Because if you're saying "They should have seen the writing on the wall" then isn't that exactly what you're arguing?
 
#57 ·
We didn't miss out on any free agents so no harm no foul. He obviously knew a while before he put it out, but it didn't hurt us and he has the right to announce it whenever he wants.

The thing that bugs me is that his move is being portrayed as a "homecoming" and some altruistic quest to get Cleveland their first title in 50 years. You're an idiot if you believe that. He knows that he only has to win one title in Cleveland to be celebrated by people and in Miami he would be criticized with anything short of seven. He knows that Kyrie and Wiggins have over a decade of ball left in them and the Cavs have a ton of assets. I accept his decision, moving forward, but I don't respect it because he's running away from a challenge.

If you caught Riley's press conference after the season, he talked about how the Lakers and the Bulls and the Celtics didn't quit when it got a little difficult. That sums up how I feel. LeBron is simply choosing the team with the most assets and can supply him with the most help in his mind. Maybe 1% of him is choosing Cleveland for "home" reasons. Again, I accept his decision. But don't sell me on him being a hero for jumping at the chance to play with a bunch of #1 picks.
 
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#90 ·
Man you are a bitter Heat fan and aren't hiding it well. You clearly don't have a damn clue about LeBron at all, which is of no surprise because you're a Heat fan. LeBron lives and breathes Akron, Ohio and that NEVER changed, even when he left. LeBron never wanted to leave in the first place, do you know how hard he tried to get people to come to Cleveland to play with him? Do some research man, LeBron's presence in Ohio is much bigger than basketball itself. You clearly don't realize how much LeBron means to Northeast Ohio. Him coming home is not bullshit at all, he had better options than Cleveland from a basketball standpoint (Houston and Phoenix for example), but like he said, if he ever left Miami it would only be to go back to Cleveland.

And it's laughable that you think LeBron would get criticized if he won anything short of 7 titles. He said that in the spurt of the moment during a pep rally to hype up the fans, the fact that anyone takes it seriously and holds it against him is hilarious. He's not better than Michael Jordan but he has to win more titles than Jordan otherwise he's a failure? Come on, be real here.

Finally, LeBron did not quit on the Heat and "staying the course" like the Lakers, Bulls, Celtics, etc. is completely irrelevant to this situation. Come on, you're a Heat fan, you watched the finals this year. Don't act like you don't remember how LeBron carried them all year and how his entire team failed him. It's not LeBron's responsibility to carry Wade's broken down ass anymore. What he's doing now in Cleveland is going to be much more of a challenge than had he stayed in Miami (this season). He's going to an extremely young and inexperienced team with a coach that has never coached in the NBA before. LeBron said himself that he doesn't expect them to win this year. They will contend sure because they are in the East but they aren't going to win anything (unless they somehow get Kevin Love and don't have to sacrifice Wiggins the process).

Seriously though, if you think "1% of him" wanted to go home, you're so far beyond delusional and uneducated on the man that I don't know what else I can say to you.
 
#62 ·
Until I actually see some evidence that supports the matter, people need to stop saying "Lebron knew where he wanted to go way before he made his decision". Enough already, you guys have no idea how stupid you sound when you say this. I don't know when he made up his mind, but this being something he decided on at the last minute makes a lot more sense than this being something he decided on a while ago and waited until now to announce. If this were something that happened in the past, you guys would have good reasoning for this but it didn't. The decision last year? That was something he wasn't fully decided on until the day before the show aired. And all the things that have happened now pretty much disprove the fact that he wanted to leave Cleveland long before his time was up as he clearly didn't want to actually leave in the first place.
 
#79 ·
I'm cool with LeBron going home. He's just trying to win as much as possible and I respect that. However, he goes about these things in just about the douchiest way possible (the decision, homecoming) but, I don't really care where a grown ass man decides to play basketball for a living. Good luck in Cleveland as far as I'm concerned.

The Heat will still make the playoffs simply because they play in the JV league.
 
#80 ·
I like this Rick kid.

One thing is certain: it's about f****** time the East becomes interesting. You've got Lebron jumping ship (again) to the Cavs, Rose should be healthy and playing with Pau Gasol, Miami still has Wade and Bosh... Should be a competitive season...

Indiana? **** Indiana.
 
#87 ·
Worse case he opts out again when the cap goes up to 80M and he signs with the first team that offers him 30M.

For now though yes I hope he does well in Cleveland & helps the city to there first title in many many years.
Sad part is that the current and previous owner didn't deserve that type of reward while running the Cav's into the graveyard.
 
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