Re: The Official LeBron thread

[dbrown4]

Besides if LeBron is true to his word and winning championships is his only goal, Miami is the place to be right now.

[gyso]

The current rumor is that bron signs with the NY Knicks.

[tjmakz]

I think LeBron will sign with NY.
Cleveland has already said that if LeBron leaves, they are not participating in a sign and trade.

Why should Cleveland fans boycott everything LeBron touches? Should he have to stay there because Cleveland is not in a good condition economically?
LeBron earned his right to be a free agent. He is not tied to the Cavaliers for his whole career.

I moved out of state two times for a new job. Those were two of the best decisions I ever made. A big part of life is taking on new challenges and new endeavors.

[bobheckler]

Here's Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports' take on all this:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-lebrondecision070710

bob

.

[babyskyhook]

I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF YOU ARE TUNED TO THE TELEVISION AT 9:00 PM ON THURSDAY, ON ESPN. LEBRON IS GOING TO HAVE AN HOUR LONG PRESS CONFERENCE, AND ANNOUNCE HIS DECISION! STAY TUNED!

THIS GUY MAKES ME SICK!!!!

Rosie-

we're having a viewing party at my house in Santa Monica. You and all of the guys from the board are invited. It's going to be must-see TV.




Actually, I don;t know yet what I'll be doing at 6:00 PDT tomorrow, but I know what I WON'T be doing.


What a jackass- he is such a turd.

I hope he goes to the Knicks and stays forever ringless.

[babyskyhook]

For clarification sake, the was for the concept of this nonsense being must-see tv- not for the idea of you guys coming to my house for a party.

[Sam]

I said earlier, I planned to be flossing at that time.

[babyskyhook]

Here's Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports' take on all this:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-lebrondecision070710

bob

.

As usual, Woj nails it.


This entire debacle has been amazing to watch. Lebron keeps looking like more of a tool by the day. No surprise there, except that we've been able to see behind the facade pretty clearly, and there's an ugly, self-aggrandizing reality there.

It's hard to believe that LBJ and his team of Harvard and Wharton MBA's and marketing experts so carefully planned...... oh wait- James' team is a bunch of his high school buddies from Akron with no experience in the real world except for being LBJ jock-sniffers. So actually, this whole fiasco isn't hard to believe at all. These guys are in so far over their heads they don't even realized that they've drowned long ago.

When Kobe and Durant are getting praise in the media for quietly signing their extensions, you know that the worm has turned. And if LBJ doesn't sign with the Knicks, the NY media is going to turn on him worse than can be imagined.


I might actually tivo this horrendous display of narcissism tomorrow night as it might be fun to scan through later and see the incredible level of "amateur hour" theatrics these clowns come up with.

Not since Mickey and Judy were putting musicals on in the barn has America been exposed to this level of amateurism, and there's was at least scripted by professionals.

This show is going to be an epic fail, and the more I think about it, I'm definitely tivo-ing it for the unintentional comedy that will ensue.

[babyskyhook]

I said earlier, I planned to be flossing at that time.

I like it.

[gyso]

Privately, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh weren’t pleased on Wednesday morning with the belief that James’ camp was responsible for leaking their plans to a television partner, but then again it makes perfect sense: This isn’t about Wade and Bosh choosing the Heat. It’s about LeBron getting the stage to himself on Thursday night.

Wow!! I thought the three of them were forming a super team. I guess not.

bron, how to make friends and influence people!!

[RosalieTCeltics]

Shame on David Stern for allowing this foolishness to take place. I really don't care where he goes, but he is all about making himself bigger than the game and the NBA is allowing him to do it.

If, as it says in the Yahoo article, that Bosh and Wade were upset with James for leaking out their decision, touche' to them for announcing it today and taking some of the limelight away.

Now, all of this leads to one question in my mind. Who offers what to Ray?

[babyskyhook]

Shame on David Stern for allowing this foolishness to take place. I really don't care where he goes, but he is all about making himself bigger than the game and the NBA is allowing him to do it.

If, as it says in the Yahoo article, that Bosh and Wade were upset with James for leaking out their decision, touche' to them for announcing it today and taking some of the limelight away.

Now, all of this leads to one question in my mind. Who offers what to Ray?

I think Stern is probably liking how the NBA offseason has been the biggest story in sports for the last two weeks.

But I agree Rosie- good for Wade and Bosh for stealing some of the attention. those guys were probably sick of hearing how LBJ was going to be the first domino to fall, etc, etc. Last time I checked DWade is the one who carried his team to a ring with incredibly clutch performances throughout the Finals.

As for Ray, I just posted something in the Ray thread. Watch out for the Bulls is my guess.

[tjmakz]

I am sure David Stern is very happy that so many people are talking about the NBA a week into July.
Some people don't like the attention the superstars in the NBA get, but Stern & Co. have done an incredible job of marketing their sport and stars over multiple decades.
I think LeBron's Primetime Hour is a joke but it is good for the NBA.

[112288]

My latest conspiracy theory as to why he is going to New York.

My rational is based on four things:

1)He 's holding his press conference in Tony Greenwich CT, away from Cleveland so as not to get stoned.
2) Dolan who owns MSG (Knick's), Cable Vision and NewsDay has their family compound just across Long Island Sound in Oyster Bay New York. Does short helicopter trip across the Sound for a big party sound plausible after news conference? I spotted a lot of small truck traffic going in and out of their estate today.
3) LJ is attending a wedding for an NBA Star over the weekend in New York. Does rioting on the streets of New York come into play if he chooses Miami?
4) Shares in MSG were up today in after hour trading. Volume was up 5X average daily volume. See article below.

We will see.

Traders bet on LeBron James’ ESPN play

By Associated Press
Thursday, July 8, 2010 - Added 54m ago
E-mail Print (0) Comments Text size Share Buzz up!
Wall Street’s bulls are betting that LeBron James ends up playing basketball in New York, not Chicago.

Despite President Obama’s hope that the NBA free agent will leave his native Ohio for the Windy City, traders are betting that the superstar will announce today that he’s leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to play for the New York Knicks.

Shares in Madison Square Garden Inc., the owners of the Knicks, jumped $1.30, or 6.4 percent, to close at $21.57 yesterday, adding 3 cents in extended trading. Volume was up dramatically at 1.7 million trades, more than five times the daily average of 311,000.


The basketball star is set to announce his decision during a one-hour special on ESPN at 9 tonight.

James’ potential arrival in New York would boost the value of the franchise by “hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Gabelli & Co. analyst Christopher Marangi.

The team could see about 10 percent more revenue, while the MSG network could get 10 percent more advertising revenue, he said.

An ESPN executive says James will announce his future NBA plans within the first 10 minutes of tonight’s hourlong broadcast, hosted by Jim Gray. The broadcast also will include a long-form interview with ESPN personality Mike Wilbon and others.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


112288

[babyskyhook]

someone thinks he's going to the Knicks:

MSG stock up 10% today on 5m times the normal trading volume.

Jared Dudley and Ochocinco both tweeted he's going to NY.


I hope he does. He won't win a ring for many years, if ever if he goes there.

[112288]

LJ is shooting to become a Billionaire. Here's how he is going to do it. LJ is a pure marketing machine. He will brand his name and sports company to accomplish this. To be successful you need three things to happen:

1) Exposure, exposure, exposure. New York is a world wide city and playing in New York will achieve the first link;
2) Advertising, advertising, advertising. Does Madison Ave. ring a bell. The biggest and best ad firms in the world are on Madison Ave. Also through Dolans Cable empire that reaches most of New York and Berbs outside of NY (10 million people), he will get as much advertising through their cable network at I am sure reduced ad prices for commercials;
3) In order to create vast wealth (Billions) he needs to leverage his money/name/ and marketing reach. He'll do so by launching the first professional super star public company probably traded on the NASDAQ exchange. Being in New York will give him access to the right investment bankers & capital ($$$$) to do so. Very much like Niki did. He can also draw in other professionals into his company (like Niki) to boost earnings and profit.

112288

[tjmakz]

With just the expectation of LJ coming to the Knicks, the value of Dolan's shares increased by $21m. That is more then 1 year salary for LeBron...

LJ wasn't winning anything with Cleveland.
Other good players will probably take less to play with LeBron, Amare and Bill Walker...

[gyso]

A look at the teams pursuing LeBron James:

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/other_nba/view/20100708a_look_at_the_teams_pursuing_lebron_james/

[dbrown4]

BTW, what's the deal with MSG and the mystique there? I understand the Willis Reed moment and the two championships won there decades ago along with the boxing events that took place there in the 70's, but why does that place get so much hype? Is that it? Give me a break!

And another thinkg that ticks me off...with all this hype in the NBA about who is the best of all time, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, blah, blah, blah, how come no one ever mentions the 11 rings Bill Russell won as being so far out there in first place that no one will ever come near it as a player?

[RosalieTCeltics]

Thank you!!! I have this argument all the time with this younger generation. I have told them many times, if it weren't for Bill Russell, they wouldn't even know about defense. As far as I am concerned, he was the greatest NBA player of all time. Can you imagine how much he would be worth today???
Forget about all this garbage with LeBron, he would be the highest paid Celtic ever!!!!!! (Not that the Celtics ever threw their money around) I can't wait for this all to be over with.

[Sam]

dbrown,

I always ask for no MSG in my Chinese food.

Sam

[dbrown4]

Rosalie, I'm kind of a tweener in that I became aware of the Celtics in the mid 70's, missing out on all of the 60's, (born in '63). I was and still am a big N.C. State fan. So in '74, I was solely focused on David Thompson and the Wolfpack, not even knowing pro ball existed. But that was where I was introduced to Hondo and Dave Cowens and Co. You can bet my 3 boys know who Bill Russell is, though.

Then along came Bird and Magic and the rest was history for me. But just the sheer numbers of Russell make all these MJ, Kobe, "LeBron" discussions so stupid and superfluous for someone with no respect for NBA history.

Sam et al, any perspective on this? Is it just a general hatred for the Celtics or what? Is it so Old School that the current generation (media included) is just dragging us along soon to dump us if the Lakers (including Minneapolis) pass us?

P.S. Looking like a pump and dump for Knicks stock over the next 24 hours. If I were LeBron and I wanted to solely win championships which is what I think he said, Miami is the place to be. NY would be competitive, but Amare ain't won nothin' either. Two wrongs don't make a right.

I really want to see LeBron do this the right way, but he needs to clean house. Adrain said it best. He has a bunch of his high school buddies talking with billionaire owners and they are way out of their league. Hence we have tonight's showcase.

[bobheckler]

If LeBron leaves Cleveland, I think it will ring the death knell for smaller market franchises. I mean, how will a Cleveland/Portland/Sacramento sized markets attract enough talent to be truly competitive for the championship?

What we're seeing here is the lesson learned by the players from the success of the "Boston experiment". We brought 3 players together to create instant championship. They are now trying to re-create that in another city.

The longterm effect on the league however, if it works a second time, will be seen in the years to come.

bob

.

[bobheckler]

I think LeBron will sign with NY.
Cleveland has already said that if LeBron leaves, they are not participating in a sign and trade.

Why should Cleveland fans boycott everything LeBron touches? Should he have to stay there because Cleveland is not in a good condition economically?
LeBron earned his right to be a free agent. He is not tied to the Cavaliers for his whole career.

I moved out of state two times for a new job. Those were two of the best decisions I ever made. A big part of life is taking on new challenges and new endeavors.

TJ,

I've relocated for jobs a few times too (I'm a native NYer, lived in Boston, VA and now CA). One of the differences between me and you and LBJ is that the fortunes of thousands of families don't rest on our self-centered goals.

If I were to pack my bags and relocate to Rio because I like the women, or to Chicago for a job, nobody's going to lose their job due to my personal and/or professional choices. The economy of Silicon Valley will continue to spin in nicely, greased grooves either way.

He can't have it both ways. He can't claim he's larger-than-life, but act small and not pay a price for the duplicity. He can't act as if it's all about him, and then accept no responsibility for the fallout of his actions. Those are the perspectives of children, not men/women. Tonight is when he reveals which he is.

bob

.

[gyso]

If LeBron leaves Cleveland, I think it will ring the death knell for smaller market franchises. I mean, how will a Cleveland/Portland/Sacramento sized markets attract enough talent to be truly competitive for the championship?

What we're seeing here is the lesson learned by the players from the success of the "Boston experiment". We brought 3 players together to create instant championship. They are now trying to re-create that in another city.

The longterm effect on the league however, if it works a second time, will be seen in the years to come.

bob

.

Bob,

In the original "Boston experiment", it took a GM with a vision to meld three great players together with trades. Lucky for us that Danny didn't have to renounce our MLE and BAE in order to get it all in under the sal-cap rules. We were able to split the MLE to get Posey and House because there wasn't much left over after the trades. The Boston experiment was management orchestrated.

If the Heat get bron in addition to Wade and Bosh, it will have been mostly thanks to free agency. The Heat will probably not have those exceptions (MLE & BAE) available to them since they would have had to renounce them to get so much under the sal-cap. The Miami Heat experiment was mostly player orchestrated.

gyso

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