The Sports Guy weighs on the 'Big 3'...great read.
10. Let's say LeBron signs with Miami. Can you even make the Finals with LeBron, Bosh, Wade and nine minimum-salary guys? Because that might be next year's team ??¦ and if that's what happens, the answer is "no effing way." You don't win titles just because of your top three. That belittles the meaning of guys like Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, Steve Kerr, John Paxson, Brian Shaw ??¦ you could go on for hours naming role players who swung a title. The 2008 Celts lucked out by getting James Posey, Eddie House and P.J. Brown for practically nothing; Miami wouldn't have that luxury this summer, not with so many role players jockeying for contracts one year before the possible lockout. Nobody is taking less money to showcase themselves for a summer that might not happen. Even if Miami could spin Michael Beasley for a fourth guy (say, Trevor Ariza), that's still not enough. They'd need one more rebounder, point guard, a 3-point shooter and a center. Good luck.
11. Another problem: You realize how many minutes these guys would log on a three-man team? About 42-44 minutes for 100 games ??¦ and if anyone missed an extended stretch of games, then that would put even more pressure on the other two. Crazy. No way they win more than 50, especially with teams gunning for them every night. We've also never seen two perimeter superstar alpha dogs coexist for an NBA title -- not even when Jerry West and Elgin Baylor teamed up with Wilt Chamberlain against the aging Celtics in 1969. LeBron would have to accept becoming Mega-Pippen to Wade's Jordan. (Yeah, right.) Even during the final quarter of the 2008 gold-medal game, when everyone on the American team was staring at each other wondering who was going to step up against a red-hot Spain team, there were a few minutes of tentative, "I don't want to step on anyone's toes here" basketball before Kobe said, "Screw it, get out of my way" and took over the key portion of the game.
Well, at some point, Wade and LeBron will have one of those 2008 Spain moments ??¦ but what happens if both guys say, "Screw it, get out of my way"? You need to have a special type of mentality to want that moment; that's why Scottie Pippen melted down in that 1994 Bulls-Knicks playoff game, because Phil Jackson had spent that entire year building him up and making him think, "We can win without Jordan, you're just as good, we can DO THIS," then designed the biggest play of the season for someone else. It was a slap in the face. Pippen reacted terribly, but still, don't you want him to be pissed there? Isn't that what being an alpha dog is all about? Don't you need a special level of swagger and confidence to carry that load every night? And once you reach that level, doesn't it become impossible to share the spotlight with someone else? Of course ??¦
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100708
BB -- for some reason I always quote you
You must know something. Anyways, I read this article while in a meeting with my CEO (I didn't get caught, no worries). If you read the article, Bill puts LBJ's choices into perfect perspective. I have no doubt in my mind that LeBron B*tched out. Not only on his city, his team, his fans, but himself. If he wanted to prove something Chicago or New York were the best places to do that.
I refused to watch ESPN all day, go to their website, or participate in this bull**** circus. Do you really think for one minute they didn't know exactly what was going on? I have yet to even see replay of what LBJ said. Whatever it was, I guarantee it was a complete farse.
Heres the long-winded rant I went on earlier:
LBJ just cost Cleveland **** near a BILLION dollars in future revenue. That whole state is in more trouble than Illinois or Cali but noone knows/cares cause it's Ohio. Not to mention the 50 years of futility they have suffered through in sports. But LBJ knows nothing about that as a fair weather fan of the Bulls, Yankees, and Cowboys. Once again he showed his selfish attitude tonight.
By putting this whole thing on TV and making a mockery of the whole situation he has also made a joke of the NBA, the Miami Heat, and himself. He won't ever recover from the damage he did to HIMSELF today. His "brand" is tarnished forever and most people I know would rather cheer for Kobe ..never will be Jordan and had Shaq on my side.. Bryant than cheer for LeBron ..I'm a ho, can't do it with my own team, flushed my chances of being on Jordan or Kobe's level down the toilet, and it's all Clevelands fault.. James.
When details come out about the meetings these guys had across the NBA I will do nothing but lose more respect for each and every one of them. Loyalty is a word that doesn't even exist at it's true meaning anymore.
If LBJ wanted rings they were waiting in Chicago and there's no way to doubt that. If he wanted to save basketball in NYC, he could have done it (and I would have respected that). If he wanted to stay home and make his city crazy dollars, so be it, easy decision. Going to Miami, renting a cabana, and proclaiming to the world he's a backstabbing #$%^, and then go down in history as the biggest scum bag piece of s*^t is just gutless.
LeBron James is ******* *****. I hope nothing but the worst for him and I guarantee today they will NOT be a top 3 seed in the East. Book it. LeBron is an embarrassment, period.. not only to Cleveland but to professional sports. This isn't the *****ng WWE, it's the NBA. Get outta here with the BS theatrics. I LOVE everything Dan Gilbert said and I hope we see them in the Eastern Conference Finals before I see LBJ bitch out on the game winning shot and pass it off to Wade.
Have fun with minimum salary losers filling out your top heavy roster.
PS -- D Wade for daddy of the year .. glad he took his kids into consideration instead of using them as a pawn. Stay classy.
