Posts Tagged ‘lebron’
7.11.10 5:07 pm by Pat
After the unprecedented (and unnecessary) live special on ESPN where LeBron told the world whom he would be suiting up for next season, the ensuing fallout and chatter on TV and online has been like nothing I have ever seen before. Twitter is full of tweets about LeBron ranging from ecstatic to murderous and everything in between. Every analyst has a take on the situation. Other NBA stars are chiming in including Kobe Bryant. Over the last few hours I’ve come to the conclusion that there is simply no way to really sort through all of this in a respectable amount of time, let alone one day. There is a lot still up in the air, such as who is going to be the supporting cast, so while the biggest question has been answered, there are still several smaller decisions which will have a big impact on the future of the Miami Heat and the NBA as a whole. For this article, I’m going to list some of the common thoughts and analysis that I’ve heard and either agree or disagree with the statements.
“The people of Cleveland and Ohio in general have every right to be mad”
I agree, absolutely they do. Had LeBron simply released a statement to the press informing them of his decision, then their anger would have seemed a bit over the line. But for Cavs fans and the organization itself to find out through an hour long attention seeking fest wasn’t right. I’m glad the proceeds went to charity and all, but this was a marketing attempt through and through and both LeBron James and ESPN had dollar signs in their eyes.
That being said, let’s keep it in perspective people. I hope no violence comes about because of this, but people burning LeBron’s jersey in the street is a bit over the top. LeBron didn’t commit a crime, he didn’t get caught with drugs, he wasn’t involved in a bar room brawl, yet people are reacting as if he did all of these in the same night.
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5.24.10 1:44 pm by Pat
Unless you’ve been living under a rock (and possibly even if you have been), the topic of topics these days in the world of sports is anything LeBron James related. I don’t know if it’s sad or good for the NBA that this summer’s upcoming free agency period is more hyped than the playoffs that are still in progress. Everybody has an opinion on where LeBron should go, what type of teammates he needs, and what place puts him in the best position to win rings. I figure I might as well contribute to the cesspool of rumors and half-truths with my own two cents on the topic.
First off, I’ll detail what I think would be the perfect teammate scenario for LeBron James. Obviously what he had in Cleveland was good enough to dominate the regular season but lacking for the playoffs. The blame game has gone around and around, and I am not absolving LeBron of any of it. The star players gets the credit for the win, so he gets the heat for the loss too. That being said, I think that the people around him were less than ideal. I should note that I have heard the rumors that LeBron had the veto power for Cleveland’s personnel decisions, and if that is the case he has effectively proven he could not be a GM in the league. I’m guessing there is some truth to this rumor considering the fact that after Braylon Edwards, then Cleveland Brown wide receiver, got traded out of Cleveland the week after he got into a fight with some of LeBron’s friends outside of a nightclub. That’s some real life Tony Soprano type power right there.
There are endless options in terms of combinations of teammates to surround LeBron with, but I have a few must haves. First, LeBron needs a player who is a proven outside scorer who can both catch and shoot and create his own shot at times. This player needs to be a threat will the ball basically anywhere on the court and can’t be ignored if defenses hope to key in on LeBron. Ideally this player wouldn’t demand a lot of time with the ball necessarily (ie – a dribbler who likes to isolate), but would still get a high number of shots thanks to LeBron’s tendency to dish out assists.
The second must have teammate would be a big, athletic center who can collect the garbage around the rim. LeBron gets a lot of close range shots, and although he makes a good percentage of them, there are misses. Having a big guy who can crash the boards and collect the change would be important. If that player also had decent hands and could catch and shoot down low, that opens up some dump offs for LeBron as well.
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8.03.09 2:13 pm by Matt
During All-Star 2009, LeBron threatened to “clean up” the Dunk Contest. He hinted that if the rules were tightened up and he talked some fellow superstars into it, he’d participate.
Here’s the thing: sure, LeBron can jump high. REALLY high. But there’s just a limit to how high people can jump. Through the legs and a variant thereof is the go-to move in the finals every year, which leads to boredom, which led to a push toward creativity, costumes, and chicanery of all sorts.
Since LeBron and his superstar competitors can only repeat the through-the-legs so many times, I’m here to bring some ideas to the table for an All-Star filled Dunk Contest.
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7.26.09 10:02 am by Matt
NBA analysis seems to consist of relating every move to the Summer of 2010, dreaming of players for teams to get during the Summer of 2010, or just talking about the Summer of 2010 for no other reason. The Summer of 2010 probably has a player card on ESPN.com. “The Knicks are smart to pick up those contracts that will expire in the Summer of 2010 so they can make a run at LeBron James.” “That’s a great trade for the Pistons, clearing that cap space aimed at Dwyane Wade in the Summer of 2010.”
Well I say PHOOEY. Here’s why we’re in for a big, massive, giant, huge BUMMER of 2010:
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7.03.09 9:36 am by Matt
A huge, monumental, incredible trade occurred last week. Shaquille O’Neal was purchased for the low, low price of expiring contracts. What are the ramifications, you ask? That’s why I’m here. Some of fans’ burning questions about the Shaq-to-Cleveland trade.
Q: How will Mike Brown integrate Shaq into the offense?
A: He’ll think up a second play. Play 1: Stand around and watch LeBron. Play 2: Stand around and watch Shaq. He spent all of Friday working on that. See, here’s page 3 of Brown’s playbook.
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6.04.09 7:27 pm by Alex
Tonight we’ll see the first game of the 2009 NBA finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic. ESPN likes to point out that these cities both contain Disney theme parks, a form of subliminal advertising since ESPN is part of ABC, which is part of Disney.
Lets look at how these teams got here. Both teams won their conference finals series in 6 games, L.A. defeating Denver and Orlando taking care of first-seeded Cleveland. It seems like Kobe and the Lake Show have been destined for the finals since day one but Orlando’s first finals appearance since the Shaq days is seen by most people as a surprise. There has been a lot of advertising about a possible Kobe-Lebron finals, but it was not meant to be. The Magic took care of the Cavaliers in 6 games despite an incredible performance from LeBron James.
Dwight Howard and friends were able to stop the one-man show from Akron, but this L.A. team is an entirely different animal. Kobe Bryant is one of the best - maybe the best - players in the league, and on top of that they have a talented roster that, unlike the Cavaliers, is capable of putting together a complete team effort (See Conference Finals Game 6. Five guys in double figures).
The key to this series will be the Lakers’ ability to defend Dwight Howard and the three-point shooters of Orlando. Cleveland frequently left Pietrus, Lewis, Alston and Turkoglu wide open while trying to double-team Howard, a strategy that didn’t work because the Cavaliers big men were unable to defend him, even with help. If the Lakers play up to their potential, they should be able to figure something out to slow them down. I’ll take Gasol, Bynum, and Odom over Ilgauskas and Varejao any day, and Phil Jackson’s track record as a coach is reason enough to think they’ll do a better job defending than Cleveland did.
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