LeBron James

once the other big names signed he was almost forced to leave Cleveland... had he signed first (w/ Cleveland) then he could have (maybe) gotten some help there and it would have been "his" team ... would/will mean a lot if he ever wins a championship... now it's Wade's team and he went to join him... sorta takes a bit of the luster off

think of some of the past "big name stars" (of the last 20 yrs or so) : Jordan, Kobe, Magic, Bird, Duncan...... they all stayed home and brought in others 'til the championship(s) happened

+1 for don't care.

There's very a very credible story that his teammate at Cleveland, Delonte West, was messing around with LbJ's mom, sometime around the playoffs. Would explain the I don't care, and I don't really feel like being here look that I saw from him about halfway through the playoffs. I can fully see why he'd wanna get out of there.

his leaving Cleveland won't change his Mom's sleeping around.... lots of choices in Miami...

Meh... Lakers will get the 3-peat anyways...

In reply to wbjones:

That wasn't my point. If that story is true, I don't think ANY amount of money would have kept him in Cleveland.

If you remember, when he was still in high school, mom got a brand new Hummer H2 based on her sons POTENTIAL earnings in the NBA. I see this move as an attempt to distance himself from her. Which sounds like a good thing.

Oh,who cares. It's not like this was important , or anything. Now, if this were a sports story about Sydney Crosby going to the Canadiens, then it would be of national importance !!! Says the Canadian guy...................

Stick and ball games of any sort bore me to tears. Add overpaid guys and 'fantasy leagues' and all the other crap that surrounds them, once again I despair of the future of humanity.

I'll go twist wrenches on the race car now.

Datsun1500 wrote:

z31maniac wrote: ^He actually took less money to go to Miami then he could have received by staying in Cleveland,

Don't make him out to be a fool or think he is doing it "for the team". Florida has no State income tax. He will net about $1M more by taking the Florida deal.

Why is there so much vitriol surrounding this?

I'm not saying he is a saint or holier-than-thou, christ, just saying the guy took less money so he could be on a team with other A-list players to have a better shot at winning the title.

I wonder if you guys would bash your friends who leave where you work because they received a better opportunity.

Sheesh.

This should be posted in the IGNORE thread.

did he really take less money. I think they got rid of Beasley to make more cap room for him. not that I care either - what with the crab/travelling/lebron rule, the NBA is a joke with not enforcing some of the simplest rules in the game. if you want to know about a real NBA travesty it was the Wizards paying that fool Arenas over $100 million, after a major knee injury.

It may appear that he's taken less money, but I seriously doubt his long term intent was not to earn as much as he possibly could. It's PROFESSIONAL sports. It's ALWAYS about the money. And I don't say that to be cynical. I say that as a fan. Making it all about the money makes the product better, and therefore I enjoy a product that is superior to any other product.

I also don't fault a guy whose career can end in an instant with one dumb foul or wrong step for cashing in while he can.

Look, I'm as jealous as the next guy that athletes make sick money while so many other worthy people toil for chump change. My wife is a teacher for chrissakes. Sadly, though, 8,000 people don't want to pay $60 a pop to see her teach her third grade class 82 times a year (more if her class makes the playoffs). And the last time I checked, there weren't many Dana Pasterjak jerseys blowing off the shelves at Sports Authority (I think I may have the only one, and it's really just a sock I stole from the laundry).

The guys I feel bad for is the rest of the Miami Heat. Between what they're paying James, Wade and Bosh and still stay under the cap, the rest of the team is probably having to play for Sizzler coupons and gas money. But I'm not a basketball guy. If the NBA's cap rules are anything like the NFL's are (or were, anyway), there's not really a cap after the numbers guys get done with it.

jg

Hmmm... when the mets make it post season, I shall once again care about sports...

JG Pasterjak wrote: And the last time I checked, there weren't many Dana Pasterjak jerseys blowing off the shelves at Sports Authority (I think I may have the only one, and it's really just a sock I stole from the laundry).

Cleaning off my keyboard now...

Queen LeBron, The RuPaul of big men, and so uninteresting you can't think of a catchy name Wade all on the court at once...they believe it's going to be like Team USA in the Olympics, I think it's going to be more of a cock fight for who gets the most attention.

The Magic will still run this division /thread

JG Pasterjak wrote: The guys I feel bad for is the rest of the Miami Heat. Between what they're paying James, Wade and Bosh and still stay under the cap, the rest of the team is probably having to play for Sizzler coupons and gas money. But I'm not a basketball guy. If the NBA's cap rules are anything like the NFL's are (or were, anyway), there's not really a cap after the numbers guys get done with it. jg

the rest of the team isn't exactly playing for chump change...

here's the minimum salary structure based on yrs in league:

Years of Service

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

0: 398,762 412,718 427,163 442,114 457,588 473,604 490,180

1: 641,748 664,209 687,456 711,517 736,420 762,195 788,872

2: 719,373 744,551 770,610 797,581 825,497 854,389 884,293

3: 745,248 771,331 798,328 826,269 855,189 885,120 916,100

4 771,123 798,112 826,046 854,957 884,881 915,852 947,907

5: 835,810 865,063 895,341 926,678 959,111 992,680 1,027,424

6: 900,498 932,015 964,636 998,398 1,033,342 1,069,509 1,106,941

7: 965,185 998,967 1,033,930 1,070,118 1,107,572 1,146,337 1,186,459

8: 1,029,873 1,065,918 1,103,225 1,141,838 1,181,803 1,223,166 1,265,976

9: 1,035,000 1,071,225 1,108,718 1,147,523 1,187,686 1,229,255 1,272,279

10+: 1,138,500 1,178,348 1,219,590 1,262,275 1,306,455 1,352,181 1,399,507

I can understand the anger from the Cleveland fans. First they live in Cleveland, now this. What I don't get is all the other cities that hate hime. He was on the cover of both New York papers like he was the first person to not come here.

Consider this: You are a pro basketball player making enough money every week to fill a swimming pool with. Not even considering the team, where would you rather be, Miami, or Cleveland?

A video comparison:

Cleveland!

vs.

Miami.

As a born and raised Miami Heat fan let me throw in some thoughts: As a Heat fan I'm ecstatic about LeBron coming to Miami. As an NBA fan I'm a little disappointed; I would have liked to have seen a little more of a competitive league and the Heat fan in me knows we now have less cap space to work with to fill the roster, which could be good (Boston being the example with Pierce, Allen and KG) or just horrible.

Needless to say, I think this reader letter to ESPN's Bill Simmons (who if you don't read I recommend you should; I don't care if you like sports a lot or not, he is a solid writer with a unique voice that deserves a look and is usually entertaining, whether you are a big sports fan or a guy who just checks the scores on ESPN to not look out of it at the water cooler):
City: New Canaan, Conn.

Name: Peter Kirschenbaum

I am a lifetime Heat fan. Last night: Mixed emotions. This free agency has been like winning two different lotteries. When Wade and Bosh chose the Heat, it felt like winning a $5 million lotto jackpot. Having LeBron pick the Heat feels like winning the powerball megamillion. Now nobody likes you and all of the sudden you have all these bandwagon fake friends wanting to hang out since you're finally worth something. You can't enjoy your money anymore because everyone wants a piece. Am I happy about winning the powerball? Yes, of course. Is it wrong though, that I feel like I might've been better off just winning the $5 million jackpot?

Personally I don't blame LeBron for leaving Cleveland. He's now playing with his buddies, getting to live in Miami and will almost definitely win one (hopefully multiple) championship(s).

And as a Heat fan, LeBron's decision pretty much (for now and I believe when the season starts will be further proven) confirms Wade as the more gifted player, someone we in Miami love. We'll give LeBron a new home, and a whole lot of press and maybe he'll prove to us that he is better than D Wade, but Wade is our BFF and I believe he'll come out of this whole scenario as the new king. As another of Simmons' readers said: City: Cleveland

Name: Jeff

I've figured out the moral of the story: Stay in school.

Wade: 3 years at Marquette Bosh: 1 year at Georgia Tech The kid from Akron: no college

The most educated guy convinced his dumber friends to come play on his team for less money. Sorry for the long post and not to sound like an infomercial but the rest of the letters to Simmons can be found here.

zomby woof wrote: Hockey starts soon

Heck yeah. Speaking on behalf of hockey's bastion of the South, I can't wait.

DeadSkunk wrote: Oh,who cares. It's not like this was important , or anything. Now, if this were a sports story about Sydney Crosby going to the Canadiens, then it would be of national importance !!! Says the Canadian guy...................

Bah, Cupcake can leave or join any team he wants. I'll still blow chunks when he puts on his dog and pony show.

Perhaps this Lebron bidness was all engineered by BP as a way to get the media off their backs? Hmmm?

poopshovel wrote:

DrBoost wrote: I DON'T CARE!!!!!!! Good lord. I can't believe that one over payed ball player can take up so much news time. And i don't even live in one of the cities he was considering. ENOUGH!!

Yet here we are...with a thread...about lebron james. Bravo.

Aye! and in the midst of World Cup! LeBron IS the only news these days

You know it's a big deal when Jesse Jackson gets involved (sic).

According to TMZ:

In a harshly-worded statement, Jackson took Gilbert to task for his open letter to Cavaliers fans which slammed LeBron's decision to sign with the Miami Heat. Jackson says, "He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave." He goes on, "LeBron is not a child, nor is he bound to play on Gilbert’s plantation and be demeaned. He has been a model citizen and has inspired the children of Akron, Cleveland, the State of Ohio and the United States."

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2010/07/11/jesse-jackson-lebron-james-dan-gilbert-cleveland-cavaliers/#comments-anchor#ixzz0tQLNjrKX

MitchellC wrote: Consider this: You are a pro basketball player making enough money every week to fill a swimming pool with. Not even considering the team, where would you rather be, Miami, or Cleveland? A video comparison: Cleveland! vs. Miami.

Come on, at least put a video with similar production values...Cleveland!

Also, hard to believe that silly rapper is Hollywood's most marketable name these days.

Jesse Jackson.... one of the truly shiny happy people of this world