I dunno. Point is, LeBron wanted to play with Shaq. He wanted the Cavs to trade for him the year they were beat by the magic. So the Cavs sign Shaq. Lebron wanted to play with Jamison. Lobbied for 2 years to get him according to reports. So the Cavs get Jamison. I don’t think you can fairly critize deals for guys like Shaq and Antwan when it was pretty common knowledge that LeBron wanted these guys on his team.
The Mo Williams thing I can agree with to an extent. Never liked that deal. I guess you could fault them for not taking Amare, but honestly every team in the league wasnt sure about Amare and I cant really blame them with all of his injuries. Plus the Suns wanted Hickson and I cant blame the Cavs for not wanting to give him up either.
The biggest mistake Cleveland made was keeping that bum ass coach around for as long as they did.
[quote=“Powerbait, post:39, topic:23541”]Bosh is still better than anyone on the Cavs’ roster. Chalmers is as good as Mo Williams. And s***, the Cavs have been running with role players and winning the most games in the league. One other player to take the pressure off LeBron maybe all he needs.[/quote] I think you’re underestimating the importance of depth. We also don’t know if Lebron and Wade will play well together. They need an outside shooter to open up lanes for both of those guys (the obvious way to beat James is to turn him into a jump shooter), so they do still need to sign someone else. Not sure about Chalmers being equal to Mo Williams (look at his 3-pt percentage and lower assist-to-turnover). But looking further down the roster, I’d say Miami is worse off in general. I’ll be interested to see if they have to let some of their other players leave to make room for the huge salaries too.
I dunno. Point is, LeBron wanted to play with Shaq. He wanted the Cavs to trade for him the year they were beat by the magic. So the Cavs sign Shaq. Lebron wanted to play with Jamison. Lobbied for 2 years to get him according to reports. So the Cavs get Jamison. I don’t think you can fairly critize deals for guys like Shaq and Antwan when it was pretty common knowledge that LeBron wanted these guys on his team.
The Mo Williams thing I can agree with to an extent. Never liked that deal. I guess you could fault them for not taking Amare, but honestly every team in the league wasnt sure about Amare and I cant really blame them with all of his injuries. Plus the Suns wanted Hickson and I cant blame the Cavs for not wanting to give him up either.
The biggest mistake Cleveland made was keeping that bum ass coach around for as long as they did.[/quote]
yes, but LeBron wasn’t lobbying for JUST those two guys. They were just the two guys he was lobbying for that he got. There were a host of issues with the Cavs and I don’t blame him for wanting to get out. LeBron lobbied for other players because he knew he couldn’t do it on his own.
I’m really not. But the Cavs depth was just a bunch of role players. He’s going to be playing at Miami with a bunch of role players plus D-Wade and Chris Bosh. And LeBron will make those role players better, just like he did in Cleveland.
Bingo! While Lebron leaving does make it look like he didn’t feel like he could do it while being the “leader”. And the whole decision to make a show out of it is a joke.
But…as long as other teams (Lakers and Celtics) are able to put rosters together with all stars, I don’t blame Lebron for thinking they couldn’t get it done in Cleveland. I think people really underestimate how potent the Lakers roster is. You could argue they have the best SG and C in the NBA, with unbelievable role players in Artest, Odom and Bynum. Now they add a PG who shoots the 3 as efficiently as Fischer did and can run the pick and role better.
Bingo! While Lebron leaving does make it look like he didn’t feel like he could do it while being the “leader”. And the whole decision to make a show out of it is a joke.
But…as long as other teams (Lakers and Celtics) are able to put rosters together with all stars, I don’t blame Lebron for thinking they couldn’t get it done in Cleveland. I think people really underestimate how potent the Lakers roster is. You could argue they have the best SG and C in the NBA, with unbelievable role players in Artest, Odom and Bynum. Now they add a PG who shoots the 3 as efficiently as Fischer did and can run the pick and role better.[/quote]
Yeah, they have a guy who would be starting at 75% of the teams in the NBA coming off their bench.
Does the income tax savings come close to the $30 million more that Cleveland could have signed him for? Miami is definitely a nicer place to live, but I don’t think the 6% tax savings equaled $30 million.[/quote]
Have the terms of the contract even been released? Is the $30 mill you’re talking about for a 6 year contract in Cleveland vs a 3 year contract in Miami? From what I understand, he can opt out of his Miami contract after 3 seasons. Do we even know what Cleveland offered him?
Gasol is better than Bosh. I think the Heat now have the best three man team in the NBA. It should be enough to win a couple of titles, especially since they drafted support at the front line. They will still need PG support though. LeBron will split time at the 2/3. They are going to be nasty.
My comparison was prior to the Lebron and Bosh acquisitions(09-10 season). It was an explanation as to why Lebron felt the need to move.
Obviously now Miami has to be the favorite for next season.
Plus, that wouldn’t be the comparison. It would be Kobe vs Wade, Gasol vs Bosh, then Artest vs Lebron. I’d say the first 2 are pretty much a wash, then Lebron would get the nod over Artest. But Artest is not a terrible match up for Lebron. He can play him rough and they still have Odom and Bynum to waste fouls.
Have the terms of the contract even been released? Is the $30 mill you’re talking about for a 6 year contract in Cleveland vs a 3 year contract in Miami? From what I understand, he can opt out of his Miami contract after 3 seasons. Do we even know what Cleveland offered him?[/quote]
Since the Heat traded Beasley and freed up an additional $5 mil (along with the new cap $2 mil higher than previously thought) all three should get close to max contracts. The no state income tax will make up the difference he left behind in Cleveland.
I agree with all those posters saying the supporting cast was poor. Just look at the Cavs awful record their last two years (127-37). Terrible.
LBJ doesn’t need a PG or a C. He needs a f***ing heart. LeBron could not get it done in the playoffs. He quit. Watch the tape. Instead of manning up and getting it done he tucks tail and runs. He takes the easiest way out. He was hyped as the next Jordan (HA!HA! Jordan took the team he had and won championships. He didn’t hand pick his team). However, he won’t even be the next D Wade because no matter how many titles he wins in Miami, D Wade will have more.
“I’m taking my talents to South Beach,” James said, and it was like time stopped because – even for him – this was a moment so devoid of reality and free of concern of consequences. South Beach? He wasn’t picking a basketball team as much as a party. He’s 25 years old, and yet somehow this felt like a cloistered teenager picking a party school for college.
Yes, James will take his talent to South Beach and leave his soul in Cleveland. His hometown won’t hate him as much for leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers as for the way he left them. Leaving never would’ve been easy, but he went out of his way to humiliate them. LeBron James can never go home now. He’s the Browns leaving town, The Fumble, The Shot, all rolled into one colossal disappointment.
If Lebron and Bosh simply said, “I went to where I thought was the best fit for me and my family”, all of this we have been better received. Once you prematurely start talking about championships and how money didn’t matter, it’s not going to be well received.
[quote=“Normmm, post:56, topic:23541”]If Lebron and Bosh simply said, “I went to where I thought was the best fit for me and my family”, all of this we have been better received. Once you prematurely start talking about championships and how money didn’t matter, it’s not going to be well received.[/quote] Good point. If Lebron couldn’t take the pressure of expectations in Cleveland, he’s really in for a more severe test now. It will be interesting to see if Lebron can adjust to playing second fiddle to Wade. Not to argue their respective talents, but I have family in Miami and I happen to know that Wade is absolutely adored by Heat fans so if they assume equal roles on the team, Dwayne will still be the favorite.
There is no way that D-Wade will be the favorite. Bosh either. These guys are second fiddle to LeBron. Dwyane is great, but he’s not LeBron James.[/quote]
You’re right. He’s not. He has a ring.