Where will Lebron go?

[Rusty Shackleford]

NBA Free Agency kicks off at midnight tonight (EST), and all eyes are on King James. It looks like Chicago is the front runner to land Lebron, but the Heat, Nets, Knicks, Mavs, Clips and of course the Cavaliers are in the mix. I'd love him to come to LA and set up another 'Battle of Los Angeles' with Kobe and the Champs. The Clips have the makings of a great young team but their awful reputation and lack of fan support in the City of Angels will count against them. I'm predicting that he goes to Jersey in a shocker.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Well it sounds like we'll find out on Friday morning (9pm Eastern in the States)!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5359255

It's a shame he hasn't won a title in Cleveland yet because if he leaves, that city is looking at years more pain. Am I right in thinking none of their big three teams have won a championship since the 1960s?

 

[chaco27saf]

Well it sounds like we'll find out on Friday morning (9pm Eastern in the States)!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5359255

It's a shame he hasn't won a title in Cleveland yet because if he leaves, that city is looking at years more pain. Am I right in thinking none of their big three teams have won a championship since the 1960s?

I think the last title was 1964, and now that LeBron chose Miami, you're right that the city might suffer for many more years as the Cavs seem likely to join the Indians and Browns in mediocrity.

I personally was really hoping LeBron would stay. I was in Cleveland last year and what he meant to that city is nearly impossible to describe. Growing up in Denver in the 80s and 90s I remember thinking that it would difficult for any city to worship an athlete as much as Denverites worshiped John Elway, but Cleveland surpassed that with LeBron by a wide margin. Especially for a city that has fallen on difficult times I fear this announcement just ripped the heart out of everyone in Northern Ohio.

I rarely wish for bad things to happen to anyone, but given LeBron's lack of loyalty and his galaxy-sized ego which has been on full display the last few weeks I might just crack a smile if he blew out his knee in his first game as a member of the Heat.

 

[Uncle Leo]

I recorded the decision programme and watched it this morning. If he was going to leave Cleveland - and it was clear he would from the minute he cited 'winning titles' as the main reason behind his decision - then why do it in that fashion. A massive eff you to the people of Ohio.

Seems appropriate to post this clip...

[video=youtube;evzSA7_yJHw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evzSA7_yJHw&feature=related[/video]

 

[EastStandBlue]

I don't know about anybody else, but there just seems something very wrong with this whole debacle...

When it came out that King James was even thinking about leaving Cleveland, I dismissed it outright. He's Akron born and bred, it's not as if he has no real affiliation with the Cav's and everything he's ever said in response to them was that he couldn't see himself playing anywhere other than Cleveland.

I fully understand his desire to win a ring. In my opinion, there's not a more deserving ring-less player in the NBA at the moment... But this is something you do when you're 29/30 and desperate for a legacy. He's 25, he's got years left and it's clear Cleveland are being ambitious enough to press for a Championship.

The whole ESPN "LeBron Decides..." episode just cheapened it further. When it was announced, I honestly thought it would be done in association with the Cav's in a "This is why I'm staying..." aspect, but no, it was a wholely arrogant and insulting piece of him whining that he wants success. The American's in the office today said that is was an event that made you lose faith in the sport, "How did we go from the likes of Larry Bird and Abdul-Jabar to this arrogrant piece of ****?" Was one of the phrases pulled out.

Still, it makes the NBA interesting for next season... I couldn't see past LA ('Tics being yet another year older and not making waves in the draft) and now the Power Three of Bosh, Wade and LBJ will pretty much make Miami a frontrunner.

 

[EastStandBlue]

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2010/07/inside_the_decision_miamis_cou.html

This is a cracking read and one that threatens to unhinge a lot of the "facts" behind the deal, making you quite aware that this has been on the cards for years.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Michael Jordan speaking sense on the subject:

"When I was playing, I didn't ring up Larry Bird and Magic and say 'Hey, let's play together'... I made it my mission to beat them."

 

[Uncle Leo]

Michael Jordan speaking sense on the subject:

"When I was playing, I didn't ring up Larry Bird and Magic and say 'Hey, let's play together'... I made it my mission to beat them."

Magic Johnson said much the same - http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5395989

Although, this article puts what Magic has said in a slightly different light - http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/18462/magic-johnson-sought-elite-teammates-too

 

[EastStandBlue]

Magic Johnson said much the same - http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5395989

Although, this article puts what Magic has said in a slightly different light - http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/18462/magic-johnson-sought-elite-teammates-too

That's a great point about Magic threatening to stay in College...

Some interesting possible trades being banded about in the fall-out from this as well, actually. I've seen possibilities that New York, who thought they were a shoe in for LeBron, could get their hands on CP3 and Carmelo Anthony from NO, which would certainly be favourable for both the Knicks and Paul who's gone stale for the Hornets.

 

[Uncle Leo]

That's a great point about Magic threatening to stay in College...

Some interesting possible trades being banded about in the fall-out from this as well, actually. I've seen possibilities that New York, who thought they were a shoe in for LeBron, could get their hands on CP3 and Carmelo Anthony from NO, which would certainly be favourable for both the Knicks and Paul who's gone stale for the Hornets.

That would be dynamite for the Knicks and would also make the East even deeper. I'm happy enough with how my Bucks have built their team over the last year or so, but we're still well up against it.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Free Agent season takes a massive turn for the worse...

Boston aim to take the pressure off Garnett, an old man with bad knees, with Shaq, an even older man with even worse knees.

What. the. fudge.