Who's not on the LeBron hate wagon?

[brianb10]

This is funny as hell...
http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=6661570

On a related note, how ridiculous does ESPN look by still having and updating their "Heat Index"?  Like I told my buddy on Sunday night, I don't know who was more upset that the Heat lost, ESPN or the Heat players?

[troysteelerfan]

I love the part about taking off the 4th inning as a tribute - freakin' hilarious!

[Milo]

Hockey joke for ya, cuz it's in a similar vein . . .

Know what time it is in Boston right now?

Almost 20 past Luongov . . .

[troysteelerfan]

Why didn't Lebron go to college?

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He doesn't do well come finals

Lebron will soon be having his autobiography publishes..

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Just as soon as he comes up with a title

What's the difference between Lebron and Saturn?

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Saturn has rings

and along a hockey line
Lebron just announced he will play in the NHL next season.....

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they only have 3 periods

[Martini]

LeBron built that hate wagon himself and it's plenty big enough for anyone who wants to get on.

If he had just been more humble, came across as trying harder in the final games in Cleveland, didn't do "the decision," didn't emerge out of the floor in with Bosh and Wade in a hype-fest, didn't promise 6 or 7 titles or whatever he did, etc. etc. etc. then people would probably be pulling for him more instead of hoping that he goes down in flames and making fail jokes about him.

[Milo]

I will say this . . . I think it's refreshing to hear an athlete say what is on his mind, rather than a "canned" response to a query.  It's why I respect Luongo for his comments about Tim Thomas.  He was not insulting the man, merely stating a fact, namely, that Thomas' aggressive style leads to giving up goals exactly like the game winner in Game #5.  So, while I will agree that it was a tasteless and loathsome thing for him to say, I can respect him for being honest enough to say it out loud.


That being the case, I think it would be sweet justice for King James to be forever unable to sit upon the Championship throne . . .

[stooks99]

The whole thing is a freaking joke.  The Heat just did what everyone else wants to do.  They got the best players available to come to their team.  No one gets pissed off when a mediocre team tries to improve themselves, but a good team isn't allowed to do it? 

I seriously don't get it.  If a team signs some decent 6th man to come in off the bench for 18 minutes a game, no one throws a fit.  Why is it suddenly tragic when good players want to play with good players? 

As for ego....PUH-LEEZE!  The NBA as a whole puts out an image of thugs and egomaniacs.  Lebron just happens to be a cocky SOB and the best player in the league (or 2nd or 3rd..whatever). 

As with all sports, it all comes down to grown people getting emotionally attached to teams and players that don't even know or care that they exist.  To get mad at the Yankees or Heat for doing what everyone else wants to do is just plain dumb.

And besides that....they didn't win the finals.

[Martini]

I don't object to a team trying to improve themselves though in the case of the Heat it was three players deciding to band together. I have no beef with the Miami organization. I also don't begrudge any player being a cocky SOB, that's his prerogative. But if you're going to talk the talk and can't back it up then you'd better be ready to have it fed back in your face.

[troysteelerfan]

It wasn't about them getting together it was
1 - how they manipulated the system to do it
2 - the "decision" show that lebron did - you can leave but do you have to go on national tv and kick your home state and former team in the nutsack?
3 - the way they introduced themselves...3 guys....coming up out of the floor....looked like something out of the WWE...

I guess I am old school but there is no place in team sports for that kind of self promotion of 3 individuals above the team...I realize superstars often recieve this type of stuff above attention etc that the team may get....but not to actively seek it - I don't remember any of the the players like Jordan, Bird, and Magic - to name a few - to do this type of childish, boorish behavior...and I agree with Martini in the last statement he made  - if you're gonna run your mouth preseason/summer and talk about 6 -7 - whatever titles.... you better get it done.

[stooks99]

Yeah, you'd never see Jordan or Bird pimping shoes, underwear, sports drinks or even playing basketball with a cartoon in a movie...it's not like he had a gambling problem to pay for..

/sarcasm

The difference with these guys is pure and simple:  They did what everyone wanted to do, and they didn't pretend it was an accident.  Mostly, though, I think that people my age and older simply see these guys as young punks and we long for the days of old when it was Jordan, Magic and Bird carrying the flag for good wholesome people.  The NBA has had punks for years...it's kinda their thing.  The only difference in Jordan and Lebron outside of skill is that Lebron was instantly every kid's favorite player, and it took Jordan winning a title to get to that level.

[troysteelerfan]

Other than the movie - Lebron does all those things you mentioned about Jordan, Magic, and Bird - and does all the other self promotion on top of that mentioned in the posts above.   I don't long for the days of watching Michael, Magic, or Bird - I have ESPN classics for that.   The statement that the only difference between Lebron and Jordan (aside from skill) is that Jordan had to do something - like win first (a novel idea by the way) to become everyones favorite player is overly simplified - because I never remember watching a bulls game where he didn't want the ball at the end of the game - he embraced being the man - not running away and hiding from it - as Lebron has done.  Jordan was - and probably still is - so much more mentally tough than Lebron James will ever be that it should be obvious.

[stooks99]

Other than the movie - Lebron does all those things you mentioned about Jordan, Magic, and Bird - and does all the other self promotion on top of that mentioned in the posts above.   I don't long for the days of watching Michael, Magic, or Bird - I have ESPN classics for that.   The statement that the only difference between Lebron and Jordan (aside from skill) is that Jordan had to do something - like win first (a novel idea by the way) to become everyones favorite player is overly simplified - because I never remember watching a bulls game where he didn't want the ball at the end of the game - he embraced being the man - not running away and hiding from it - as Lebron has done.  Jordan was - and probably still is - so much more mentally tough than Lebron James will ever be that it should be obvious.

It seems we are saying the same thing basically.  I'm just saying, Lebron get demonized for doing something that either has already been done or always wanted to be done.  James is a cocky guy, but it's not like he's the most cocky guy in the league..he just happens to be the best player that is also very cocky.

Anyway, I didn't mean to add this much to the thread...I don't even like basketball that much.

Later taters.

[Jaxen]

Friday has been declared LeBron James Day in Dallas.

Everybody gets to leave work 12 minutes early.

[Milo]

BAZINGA !!!