Nervous Guy Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Jordan played in a different era. It wasn't that long ago, sure. But the difference in media coverage then to now is major. Plus, I dont remember Jordan ever becoming a free agent (at least for this long, and with where he would go being questioned). I also think the NBA had a different FA setup back then, much like how players for the 90s Bills were the last to stick with their teams. You can't truly say that Michael Jordan, if put in this situation with today's circumstances, wouldn't have done the same thing. Didnt he retire and comeback a few times? Didnt he try to go play baseball? No question the era was different for both the NBA and the media, but Jordan would never have pulled this crap at a similar stage of his career, and as far a retiring and coming back or to baseball, that was after he was the unquestioned best of all time, truly the King. Lebron is no where near that. You know it's not like the Bulls were loaded with huge talent either and Jordan got them the championship, over and over and over...but it took time. What really annoys me about this whole fiasco is that he could do it simply as a brief news conference...however I will change my tune if he jumps ship and spends most of that hour honoring Cleveland and his teammates, that will make me eat my words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 He won't be leaving the Cavs. So don't worry. And the Cleveland Cavs should give you insight into the mentality of pro players and how they don't want to play in certain cities, like Buffalo. Here the Cavs were the best team in the regular season last year, have arguably the best player in LBJ, and still NONE of the top FA's wanted to go there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous Guy Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 He won't be leaving the Cavs. So don't worry. And the Cleveland Cavs should give you insight into the mentality of pro players and how they don't want to play in certain cities, like Buffalo. Here the Cavs were the best team in the regular season last year, have arguably the best player in LBJ, and still NONE of the top FA's wanted to go there. though some of that could be ego...that's the King's team...maybe it's about him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tomcat Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 he becomes the biggest jerk in pro sports to me. Great basketball player, mind you....but an ass. He apparently approached ESPN to buy an hour of airtime, to have a LeBron James special, at the end of which, I am assuming, he will announce where he will play basketball for the next 6 years or so. If he uses this forum to kick his hometown of Cleveland in the sack, my opinion of him will sink very low. I think he would deserve whatever backlash he gets in Ohio. All that said, I think this has to mean he is returning to the Cavs...surely he can't be this crass and clueless... The money will be donated to the Boys and Girls for the hour long show fyi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 though some of that could be ego...that's the King's team...maybe it's about him. He'd be the king wherever he goes. Chris Bosh said he'd like to play with James, just not in Cleveland. I bet Wade would say the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 They should turn that hour special into some sort of reality show where the teams compete for his services. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ieatcrayonz Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 he becomes the biggest jerk in pro sports to me. Great basketball player, mind you....but an ass. He apparently approached ESPN to buy an hour of airtime, to have a LeBron James special, at the end of which, I am assuming, he will announce where he will play basketball for the next 6 years or so. If he uses this forum to kick his hometown of Cleveland in the sack, my opinion of him will sink very low. I think he would deserve whatever backlash he gets in Ohio. All that said, I think this has to mean he is returning to the Cavs...surely he can't be this crass and clueless... He will do what Stern and the scripts says he'll do. That's it. "Free" agent. Lolololololololololololol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heels20X6 Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 You know I admire his skill...but when I saw that "announcement" this morning, my first thought was "what an ass". You do know that he called the special so that he could raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, right? He knew that people would pay to see him say: "I'm going to xxxxx" so he used that thirst for that info to raise funds for a CHARITY. I agree, what a diva....how dare he use his fame and notoriety to raise money for a worthy cause!?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ieatcrayonz Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 You do know that he called the special so that he could raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, right? He knew that people would pay to see him say: "I'm going to xxxxx" so he used that thirst for that info to raise funds for a CHARITY. I agree, what a diva....how dare he use his fame and notoriety to raise money for a worthy cause!?!? Lol. Like he couldn't use his CHECKBOOK for the worthy cause. He is about as in control of this "TV special" as he is in control of his "decision" on where he'll play. This is all about $$$$ maximization. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew in CA Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 The money will be donated to the Boys and Girls for the hour long show fyi. Precisely why this is a good thing. His decision is going to get attention no matter what; if he can turn that attention into money for a good cause, I think it shows character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous Guy Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 You do know that he called the special so that he could raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, right? He knew that people would pay to see him say: "I'm going to xxxxx" so he used that thirst for that info to raise funds for a CHARITY. I agree, what a diva....how dare he use his fame and notoriety to raise money for a worthy cause!?!? nope I didn't know that...thanks for the info, it wasn't mentioned in the article I read. If that's the case good for him. Still doesn't make me a huge fan of his. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 No question the era was different for both the NBA and the media, but Jordan would never have pulled this crap at a similar stage of his career, and as far a retiring and coming back or to baseball, that was after he was the unquestioned best of all time, truly the King. Lebron is no where near that. You know it's not like the Bulls were loaded with huge talent either and Jordan got them the championship, over and over and over...but it took time. What really annoys me about this whole fiasco is that he could do it simply as a brief news conference...however I will change my tune if he jumps ship and spends most of that hour honoring Cleveland and his teammates, that will make me eat my words. But how utterly hilarious would it be if, at the end of his hour, he announces "I haven't decided yet." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ieatcrayonz Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Lebron, Dwayne and Chris' theme song Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted July 7, 2010 Author Share Posted July 7, 2010 But how utterly hilarious would it be if, at the end of his hour, he announces "I haven't decided yet." Very Farvian! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trolls_r_us Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Be honest with yourselves. If Buffalo had an NBA team, and Lebron grew up in Amherst or something and was drafted the Buffalo NBA team, became the biggest name in the NBA (maybe even sports) then left for somewhere "sexier" like New York or Miami, you would ALL be screaming bloody murder. NO Buffalo sports fan would be "cool with it" just because they want to see their local boy make good in a "real city." PLEASE. It's easy for me: the tough (but correct) decision for him is to stay in Cleveland and bring a title to a rabid sports town that is just as starved for a title as Buffalo. The easy decision is to leave Cleveland for a "sexy" city (as if that somehow matters to basketball). If he leaves Cleveland, he becomes my most hated sports figure in any league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heels20X6 Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 nope I didn't know that...thanks for the info, it wasn't mentioned in the article I read. If that's the case good for him. Still doesn't make me a huge fan of his. For some reason, it's been glossed over..... I wasn't specifically going after you NG, a lot of people across many boards are scoffing at the special. I say more power to him. He knows people care about what his decision is, why not get some money sent to the B&G Clubs? And yeah, he makes a ton of money but he's using his notoriety for a good cause, that's much more than some other highly-paid athletes do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted July 8, 2010 Author Share Posted July 8, 2010 For some reason, it's been glossed over..... I wasn't specifically going after you NG, a lot of people across many boards are scoffing at the special. I say more power to him. He knows people care about what his decision is, why not get some money sent to the B&G Clubs? And yeah, he makes a ton of money but he's using his notoriety for a good cause, that's much more than some other highly-paid athletes do. It's been glossed over, because it isn't a significant part of the story. If LeBron was only doing this to bring attention to a good cause, he could donate his own money (he likely does...pro athletes are normally required to do this kind of stuff), or do it in a way that is much more effective. Don't be naive! The B&G Clubs angle was tacked on by LeBrons' people, no doubt, to deflect much of the criticism they were sure he was going to receive... btw- if you believe the rumors...this one may indicate that the King is leaning toward the Knicks, or maybe the Nets: http://www.shelterpop.com/2010/07/06/lebro...ouse-hunting%2F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phlegm Alley Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Someone who has an ego the size of Lebron's will go to the place that possesses the most ego-maniacs: New York. I read an article that talked about NY Knicks executives pitching Lebron on the amount of money he could make playing in NYC and the number was $1Billion. I'm sure Lebron, who had stated that he wanted to be the first billionaire athlete, will have that number weigh heavily on his decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous Guy Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 Heard some talking heads on ESPN this morning say it's Miami, also, if he leaves Cleveland he'll be more infamous than Art Modell...YIKES! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartshan-83 Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 I have to believe he already decided on Miami awhile ago and both Wade and Bosh know it. If he wants to win multiple championships, he really has two choices...Miami or Chicago. Teaming up with Amar'e in NY doesn't make them much better than Miami (maybe even worse). Staying in Cleveland is a great story, but its a losing proposition. Going to NJ/Brooklyn is stupid. Chicago with Rose, Boozer and Noah would be pretty filthy. And as I mentioned in another thread, it's his best chance to win and not tarnish his brand. If he goes to Miami and wins 6 rings, people are still going to always make the argument that, at best, he needed Wade and/or Bosh, and at worst, Wade was actually the driving force. And while I sort of agree that this whole thing is a little ridiculous (the announcement special), remember that he will announce within the first 10 mins. It won't be 59 minutes of lead-up. And honestly, if there weren't crazy ass people to watch these kinds of things (myself included), there wouldn't be a market for it. Buftex, I agree that this would be an unnecessary kick in the nuts for Cleveland if he spurns them. But I also don't think it really matters that much. If he's leaving, it will devastate that city and its fans...the method in which they hear about it won't really make that much of a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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