Article on why an LBJ-Wade-Bosh superteam would be bad for the League and LeBron. Most of it was just decent, but what interested me was this:
I see where you’re coming from with Wade in Miami not being as popular as Jeter in NY, but I disagree with the rest. Neither Wade or Jeter a ‘charismatic’ on their own but they’re the sentimental favourites because they’ve brought titles to Miami/NY and they’re veterans there. Wade if he quits tomorrow can call his stay in Miami a success. If LeBron went to Miami it’d be exactly like A-Rod, but less intense. If they didn’t win a title people would be like “what did we get him for”, and would be a little harsh on him the way NY fans were to A-Rod before he won a title there.
And LeBron’s not charismatic, either. He’s well loved because he’s an exciting player to watch, like Wade, and he’s forged a strong bond with his team and city, like Wade. I know he likes to foster this image of being a multifaceted, corporate superstar or whatever, but I don’t actually think that helps his popularity either, like it would a Jay-Z or a Diddy. He’s a beloved player in the league despite that image he likes to have. If he leaves he’s no longer the the kid with a not so ideal upbringing, playing for his home state on a team that needs him in every way, and being a bright spot in one of the worst sports cities around. Other than the Nets and the Clippers, the other teams that want him will be fine as franchises without him.
If James leaves Cleveland people aren’t gonna like him like they used to. They wont feel bad for him when he loses, the way they do now. They’ll feel impatient instead. He’d better stay.[/quote]
And Wade right now is probably the league’s most marketable guy, at least in terms of endorsements. He’s been voted one of People Magazine’s most attractive celebrities [or whatever the list is called] has tons of endorsements with various companies and is in the top 5 of jersey sales. Saying he isn’t charismatic makes no sense. He might not be a likeable guy on his own but he sure as hell’s a likeable guy when the public’s watching. And it really wuldn’t matter who signed with the Heat. Wade will be the face of that franchise until he’s gone. The A-Rod/Jeter comparison between he and James is a pretty good comparison, to me.
The Knicks should sign and trade David Lee to San Antonio for Parker since they’ve already told him to fuck off by signing A’mare. This would be so big for San Antonio.
If the Knicks don’t get LeBron or Melo they’re not only going to lose fan support but also basketball games in 2011.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
So basically every team in the Atlantic is loading up on talent except the Raps who are losing an allstar? Niiiiice
EDIT: I’m a Raptors fan[/quote]
Eeeeeehhhhh, not really. Boston looks like it’ll keep most of it’s important pieces, and NY is stocking up, but might not be great until next year. Unless NJ gets LeBron they might be screwed. And the Sixers haven’t done anything to my memory.
That said I do think we may end up being one of the worst teams in the league, unless we get some good pieces in a sign and trade. Hopefully Colangelo can make it work.
[quote]tmoney1 wrote:
According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard, the Nets gave the best pitch this past week for LeBron.[/quote]
That article Randman posted about ownership touched on the fact that as an owner the tall Russian is probably the most attractive for LBJ [no homo]. He’s the best shot to make LeBron an international brand [of course, LeBron can do that by winning titles, too], on par with Yao Ming or Kobe Bryant.
Apparently Shaq is considering a two year deal with…
…THE HAWKS. It’s perfectly feasible actually, but I read this on the ticker on one of the sports channels here in Canada, and that’s where I read that LBJ, Wade, and Bosh were going to Miami, and that wasn’t conclusive.
[quote]LarryDavid wrote:
Apparently Shaq is considering a two year deal with…
…THE HAWKS. It’s perfectly feasible actually, but I read this on the ticker on one of the sports channels here in Canada, and that’s where I read that LBJ, Wade, and Bosh were going to Miami, and that wasn’t conclusive.[/quote]
Man, Shaq needs to hang 'em up. The last few years he’s actually made every team he’s been on WORSE. I’d really like to remember him as he was when he was younger: The most freakish physical specimen in league history who was way more skilled than people realize. Now he’s just a plodding big man who doesn’t really fit in with the teams he’s signed with.
Not sure if what he’s doing is/will tarnish his legacy, but it’s certainly not helping. It’s time to let it go big fella.
[quote]LarryDavid wrote:
Apparently Shaq is considering a two year deal with…
…THE HAWKS. It’s perfectly feasible actually, but I read this on the ticker on one of the sports channels here in Canada, and that’s where I read that LBJ, Wade, and Bosh were going to Miami, and that wasn’t conclusive.[/quote]
Man, Shaq needs to hang 'em up. The last few years he’s actually made every team he’s been on WORSE. I’d really like to remember him as he was when he was younger: The most freakish physical specimen in league history who was way more skilled than people realize. Now he’s just a plodding big man who doesn’t really fit in with the teams he’s signed with.
Not sure if what he’s doing is/will tarnish his legacy, but it’s certainly not helping. It’s time to let it go big fella.[/quote]
It’s weird, while he was still great people were telling him he needed to lose weight so he could play better and stay healthier. Then he actually lost a lot of weight and that’s pretty much where he went from being a dominant centre to being a waste of money. And he didn’t get faster he got SLOWER and less agile, and he still had injury problems. And worse conditioning.
I can’t remember how old he is, but he said he wants to play until he’s 40. It probably wont hurt his legacy though, ten years after he quits people wont remember it much.
[quote]LarryDavid wrote:
Apparently Shaq is considering a two year deal with…
…THE HAWKS. It’s perfectly feasible actually, but I read this on the ticker on one of the sports channels here in Canada, and that’s where I read that LBJ, Wade, and Bosh were going to Miami, and that wasn’t conclusive.[/quote]
Man, Shaq needs to hang 'em up. The last few years he’s actually made every team he’s been on WORSE. I’d really like to remember him as he was when he was younger: The most freakish physical specimen in league history who was way more skilled than people realize. Now he’s just a plodding big man who doesn’t really fit in with the teams he’s signed with.
Not sure if what he’s doing is/will tarnish his legacy, but it’s certainly not helping. It’s time to let it go big fella.[/quote]
It’s weird, while he was still great people were telling him he needed to lose weight so he could play better and stay healthier. Then he actually lost a lot of weight and that’s pretty much where he went from being a dominant centre to being a waste of money. And he didn’t get faster he got SLOWER and less agile, and he still had injury problems. And worse conditioning.
I can’t remember how old he is, but he said he wants to play until he’s 40. It probably wont hurt his legacy though, ten years after he quits people wont remember it much. [/quote]
He’s just getting old, and the thing[s] that made him special are gone, aside from sheer size. Now he’s just a big, slow, waste of space down there. The Cavs signed him to contend with Howard. That’s awesome, but it’s like they forgot about the other 29 teams. It seems that all once great athletes can’t come to grips with their own mortality. Jordan going to Washington. Roy Jones still fighting. Shaq still thinking he can be a cornerstone of a team. It’s kinda sad. I do agree with you that in 10 years nobody will remember his not hanging it up, but it’s still painful to watch while it’s happening. He’s turned into a poor man’s Kendrick Perkins, and on some levels that’s really depressing. No offense to Kendrick Perkins.
Also, did y’all here LBJ’s boy Maverick Carter publicly undermine World Wide Wes’s power? He said that anything James does goes through him and that WWW’s influence on players [James in particular] is greatly overstated.
LeBron James signed up for Twitter (@kingjames) and has 30K+ followers in only a couple of hours, but no tweets.
The NBA actually paid Twitter to promote LBJ on Twitter, so I’m sure this is all part of a big plan.
Not surprised about WWW supposed power. Anyone who calls themselves World Wide is suspect in my book from the beginning.
As for Shaq and legacy, he really needs to 86 his career. He has nothing else left to prove and is not adding any value to his teams on the floor. Also, don’t know about you guys, but for me personally, it’s hard to judge legacy for a guy who’s played for five teams (ORL, LAL, MIA, PHX, CLE) and possibly a sixth (ATL). Maybe I’m tying legacy with loyalty, but I don’t know of any great player in any sport who played on more than a couple of teams. In essence, he establishes himself for a team, then moves on to the next team trying to make his mark.
