Official LBJ FA Thread

[e0y2e3]

I had hoped (deeply) to hold off starting this (and I hope it gets buried for a good while), but, the launching of ESPNNY and Windy have laid out the sides to well to not kick it off.

ESPNNY-> http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/colu ... mes/100402

Windy -> http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nba/ ... nNY-100402

A lot of truth in both of these ^

[waborat]

Two excellent articles Eye...

O'Connor's piece is pretty much what I expect to hear & read from every New Yorker...The guy is salivatating at the chance to have LBJ play in The Garden...Who wouldn't?

Windy's article exactly hits on every key component and has been discussed at length in every watering hole here in NEO for the past 2 years...

What's he gonna do? Like BW says, maybe Lebron doesn't even know or care right now?

It's gonna be tiring reading all the speculation until mid-July...

Get the ring and then we'll worry about here on the north coast

[Ea$t $ide]

the only time i plan on responding to this nonsense.

whenever someone wonders why clevelanders think the 'national' media has it out for cleveland, this is why. i log in to ESPN to check out the nba page and hey look, an entire day dedicated to why lebron should go play for the knicks. for about the 10,000th time.

this shit is old. and no i don't care that a lot of the espn'ers think he'll stay or should stay. it's not the point. the f*cking season is still going on. we're not even to the playoffs yet. he's months away from free agency. he's not the only free pending free agent. but let's dedicate another day to lebron's free agency and then regurgitate all the same old tired takes. it's weak.

i'll worry about lebron going fa when the season is over and even then i won't worry about it. because lebrons life has no impact on my life. he could go play for al-quaida and i wouldn't give a sh*t.

[OldDawg]

Eastside,
I certainly get your point. Similar sentiments have been expressed around here ad nauseum. Also please note EIEIOs leading sentence. He had hoped to hold off on this. However, it is what it is. This stuff is becoming an issue out there in media-land. Whether we like it or not.

I do trust EIEIOs judgment on this (starting a thread) that he hopes "gets buried for a while." EIEIO does seem to have his finger on the pulse of the NBA. And he is certainly one of the most knowledgeable (and sometimes obnoxious ) NBA contributors to this forum.

I think one thing EYE wants to do is to prevent 50 such threads from popping up every time a new story comes out. Lets have one thread and be done with it.

On topic: Read this and wonder if we would have a better chance to keep LBJ by NOT winning a title???
http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumo ... -cleveland

Also note that reportedly NIKE doesn't have incentives for LBJ to relocate:
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf ... new_d.html

[e0y2e3]

the only time i plan on responding to this nonsense.

whenever someone wonders why clevelanders think the 'national' media has it out for cleveland, this is why. i log in to ESPN to check out the nba page and hey look, an entire day dedicated to why lebron should go play for the knicks. for about the 10,000th time.

this shit is old. and no i don't care that a lot of the espn'ers think he'll stay or should stay. it's not the point. the f*cking season is still going on. we're not even to the playoffs yet. he's months away from free agency. he's not the only free pending free agent. but let's dedicate another day to lebron's free agency and then regurgitate all the same old tired takes. it's weak.

i'll worry about lebron going fa when the season is over and even then i won't worry about it. because lebrons life has no impact on my life. he could go play for al-quaida and i wouldn't give a sh*t.

^ hilarious

NY got their homer article and THE CLEVELAND BEAT REPORTER GOT TO REBUTTAL.

But hey, those one sided ESPN pricks sure are assholes.

(obviously you don't know who Windy is and or never clicked the links).

Geezes dude, talk about inferiority complexes.

[hermanfontenot]

And predictably, here's Chowd Fan to back to the hilt his precious national basketball media.

Yes, the bulk of the national media wants LeBron out of Cleveland. Fact. They don't want to come here 15 times in the middle of winter. They want to go to New York, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles. Not Cleveland.

Not even controversial to say that.

[e0y2e3]

And predictably, here's Chowd Fan to back to the hilt his precious national basketball media.

Yes, the bulk of the national media wants LeBron out of Cleveland. Fact. They don't want to come here 15 times in the middle of winter. They want to go to New York, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles. Not Cleveland.

Not even controversial to say that.

^ tear

I mean, I have nothing more to say than the fact that A Cleveland reporter had his article posted on ESPNNY.

If that doesn't say enough I don't know what more will.

[hermanfontenot]

^ tear

I mean, I have nothing more to say than the fact that A Cleveland reporter had his article posted on ESPNNY.

If that doesn't say enough I don't know what more will.

They allowed a Cleveland reporter to write a story on ESPN? Well golly, that shore is nice of them city folk! (Tugs on suspenders.)

Like I said, it's obvious and it has been for a long time. But don't let me interfere with your superiority complex, Eeyore. Go ahead and cluck to Hench and J-Bug about what rubes we are here in the flatlands.

[e0y2e3]

Yeah, no problem.

Especially since the vast majority of the good NBA writers are independent or bloggers and don't travel, well, at all. Instead they work this little thing called, League Pass like banshees nightly.

And apparently that whole "wrote for ESPNNY thing flew right over your head.

I couldn't even imagine the drama that C-town would unroll if a NY reporter were allowed to write for ESPNCLEVELAND whenever it inevitably gets rolled out.

You'd cry like a little girl for starters.

[Rat_Tail]

When does ESPN Cleveland come out?

Ever?

[e0y2e3]

When does ESPN Cleveland come out?

Ever?

Around the same time you stop posting on a Cleveland board you stupid Texas troll.

[Rat_Tail]

When does ESPN Cleveland come out?

Ever?

Around the same time you stop posting on a Cleveland board you stupid Texas troll.

I live an hour from Cleveland you Bostonian.

[e0y2e3]

When does ESPN Cleveland come out?

Ever?

Around the same time you stop posting on a Cleveland board you stupid Texas troll.

I live an hour from Cleveland you Bostonian.

Ah so you live in Ohio and are a Cowboy front runner.

Much better....

[DrPoove]

NY got their homer article and THE CLEVELAND BEAT REPORTER GOT TO REBUTTAL.

I think the point is that despite making a ton of valid LBJ to NY points the author goes out of the way to bash/put down/besmirch C-Town for no reason other than it is C-Town.

Does NY have a lot to offer LBJ, hells yes. Should LBJ leave C-Town just because its C-Town, hells no. The "its Cleveland" arguement on why LBJ should go to NY is what is old, tired and not valid, IMHO.

Happy Easter, everyone!

[e0y2e3]

NY got their homer article and THE CLEVELAND BEAT REPORTER GOT TO REBUTTAL.

I think the point is that despite making a ton of valid LBJ to NY points the author goes out of the way to bash/put down/besmirch C-Town for no reason other than it is C-Town.

Does NY have a lot to offer LBJ, hells yes. Should LBJ leave C-Town just because its C-Town, hells no. The "its Cleveland" arguement on why LBJ should go to NY is what is old, tired and not valid, IMHO.

Happy Easter, everyone!

No problem w/ that take and I agree. Only thing is I'm not going to cry about a New Yorker talking down on Cleveland because it is Cleveland compared to NY.

I mean this was ESPNNY, again and was obviously a New York homer.

C-town got it's very own rebuttal, which is far more than they had to give them.

[Rat_Tail]

Ah so you live in Ohio and are a Cowboy front runner.

Much better....

The only Cleveland team you like is the Cavs and you wanna call me a front runner?

This year was the first time I ever even saw Dallas win a playoff game because the last time they did I was 6 or 7 and didn't care about sports.

[aoxo1]

The issue isn't whether or not ESPN has columns with takes on either side. It is that it is even a topic, and it repeatedly is, and that they devote so much attention to it even as the playoffs are right around the corner. This whole circus has been unprecedented. It really is a slap in the face of Cleveland that this has been going on for so long.

Journalists/editors always like to say "I'm just covering the story/news!", but they are the ones who make things like this news. This isn't something that has actually happened yet, it isn't a game, it just isn't news except for the fact that they have decided that it is. BTW this isn't limited to just this, but infects all of our media (especially political coverage, which is consumed with trivial nonsense/horse race coverage/meta-analysis of the media by the media) at the expense of what is actually important).

Personally I don't really care either way and have stopped reading all of the stupid speculation about everything that goes on in all sports, but especially the NBA.

Reading stories like this is equivalent to watching writers pleasure themselves.

[motherscratcher]

Reading stories like this is equivalent to watching writers pleasure themselves.

I hope Erin Andrews posts her own story/opinion on this soon.

[Triple-S]

The issue isn't whether or not ESPN has columns with takes on either side. It is that it is even a topic, and it repeatedly is, and that they devote so much attention to it even as the playoffs are right around the corner. This whole circus has been unprecedented. It really is a slap in the face of Cleveland that this has been going on for so long.

Journalists/editors always like to say "I'm just covering the story/news!", but they are the ones who make things like this news. This isn't something that has actually happened yet, it isn't a game, it just isn't news except for the fact that they have decided that it is. BTW this isn't limited to just this, but infects all of our media (especially political coverage, which is consumed with trivial nonsense/horse race coverage/meta-analysis of the media by the media) at the expense of what is actually important).

Personally I don't really care either way and have stopped reading all of the stupid speculation about everything that goes on in all sports, but especially the NBA.

Reading stories like this is equivalent to watching writers pleasure themselves.

Rack it.

The NY based article reads like an obese 14 year old girls twilight fan fiction.

Windy's on the other hand is well written and shows both sides in a fair way. His mention of LeBrons dream house is pretty dead on, I've been by it and its literally within in 5 minutes of a an Akron General "Health and Wellness Center", which is open 24 hours.


I

[e0y2e3]

Rat:

Yeah, growing up in the mid 90's and rooting for the Indians and Boys sure is indicative of not being a front runner. Right up there w/ your sudden Cavs fandom.

And you have no clue who I root for kid. I root for all the C-town teams, I just happen to be over 2 of the major sports.

In six+ months here thus far all you have done is leave keyboard diarrhea all over the site and prove you are a front running racist.

Now please, go the eff away.

aoxo:

This is fair and I agree (I have avoided most of it all along). That said, the trade deadline pushed this front and center and no matter what we want the fact that 11 teams dumped enough to bid on the biggest sports star in the world at the moment will not be ignored. I *hope* this was just an ESPNNY launch thing and this doesn't go on during the playoffs, but I'm not going to hold my breathe. I truthfully never would have even posted this if not for Windy jumping into the ring and dropping what is about as fair a sum up of the whole thing as will ever be dropped.

That said, Wojo (que Herm whine) even tweeted "et tu bw?" last night about Windy jumping into the media circus on this at this stage in the season. When one of the biggest national hoops guys out there is commenting on the absurdity of the story, well, it must be pretty damn absurd.

Sadly though thanks to our society this story ain't going nowhere and if 75% of the posters here weren't busy trying to figure out WTF a cookie is this probably would have been posted even quicker then I put it up.

In short I agree w/ you, but I also am more accepting of the situation then you. No issues w/ your stance at all though.

[Rat_Tail]

Rat:
Yeah, growing up in the mid 90's and rooting for the Indians and Boys sure is indicative of not being a front runner. Right up there w/ your sudden Cavs fandom.

Nah dude, I really didn't start following sports until like '99 so I haven't seen one of my teams win a chamionship. Not sure how that makes me a front-runner.

And FWIW the Cavs are 3rd on my list of teams because basketball is my least favorite sport.

Anyway NY needs LBJ way more than he needs them.

[davemanddd]

I had hoped (deeply) to hold off starting this (and I hope it gets buried for a good while), but, the launching of ESPNNY and Windy have laid out the sides to well to not kick it off.

ESPNNY-> http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/colu ... mes/100402

Windy -> http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nba/ ... nNY-100402

A lot of truth in both of these ^

by the way, eye, not to rain on your parade, but ben cox had it here first: http://benjamincox.blogspot.com/2010/04 ... -york.html

[e0y2e3]

Ya know, Ben getting that up 2 hours before me is going to be a tough blow to overcome.

I blame the cookies.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

This offseason is going to be a nightmare.

I've got serious Lebron fatigue, this whole thing is going to be one giant soap opera with the biggest diva in sports pulling the strings.

[FUDU]

Does anybody really believe LeBron doesn't know what he is going to do?

Dude knows what he is going to do, has for quite a while most likely.

[OldDawg]

Just heard the PTI guys refer to someone who said LBJ has never been recruited and that he just wants to feel recruited. Huh.

I do think everything LBJ says or does on the topic is meant to stoke the fires even more. He loves the attention.

[davemanddd]

Ya know, Ben getting that up 2 hours before me is going to be a tough blow to overcome.

I blame the cookies.

i appreciate the self-deprecating sense of humor. hee-hee!!! no but seriously though, i never have understood the whole idea behind beat reporters having to get the scoop on things like this. so what??? you better believe though until july is over and "the decision" is finally made, it's only going to get worse and worse.

[Triple-S]

http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2010/0 ... e-midwest/

decent take here.

Again, I don't fault ESPN for speculating such on June 2010, but the take that has been in previous articles has been weak as hell.

the stupidest take is the "Win in cleveland and you'll be remembered, win in NYC and you'll be immortalized.."

Which shows how clueless this guy is, hell, look at Kosar, the guy is still hoisted as this great figure in C-Town sports, you put him on say, the Jets with similar results and the guy is simply remembered as a guy who "couldn't win the big one" and would be as well thought of as Ken O'Brien is right now.

[swerb]

Just heard the PTI guys refer to someone who said LBJ has never been recruited and that he just wants to feel recruited. Huh.

I do think everything LBJ says or does on the topic is meant to stoke the fires even more. He loves the attention.

He will scare the living shit out of this entire town and resign here at the last possible moment. Book it Danno.

[peeker643]

Why I am I dead-solid certain that ramllov is finishing a post in his own new thread in which he tells us LBJ will apparently be a free agent after the season, that big market teams like the Knicks are interested while their big market media write column after column about it and that it will be important to the Cavs franchise whether he stays or goes.

And I'll set the line at 5 1/2 on other 'LBJ Free Agency' threads between now and when he tells the world he's staying here.

[Madre Hill, Superstar]

the stupidest take is the "Win in cleveland and you'll be remembered, win in NYC and you'll be immortalized.."

That's because he forgot the ending part: "Lose in NYC, and, well, there's always coaching jobs in Orlando."

I think in Bron's heart of hearts, he really really really really wants to call MSG home. But Isaiah and Walsh Paxson'd that roster for years to come, and D-Wade ain't going to come calling just to play Bron's Robin. It'll be 2005 all over again, and Bron knows he can't wait another four/five years for a new roster to be built around him.

Now, on the other hand, if there was a major market area with world-class ownership, Finals-ready roster, and, say, a giant football stadium open for NBA dates... Why a sign 'n trade to the Mavs isn't on anybody but Simmons's radar is a mystery to me.

Oh, and when your off-season is drawing more news than your potential post-season, your Association has issues.

[swerb]

Bottom line, the decision will be all about winning titles. Hes done everything else. MVP, gold medals, Finals appearances, All-Star MVP, you name it.

Last thing dude wants to hear is Karl Malone and Charles Barkley comps. Especially since he reads and watches all that stuff.

Anyone that thinks hes going to go join a gutted out Knicks roster that is 3-4 years away in a best case scenario just doesn't know LeBron.

I would say joining Rose, Noah, and Bosh/Wade in Chicago would be a possibility ... but I firmly believe LBJ wants no part of all the pressure that would come with trying to fill his heroes shoes in Chicago.

[OldDawg]

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumo ... -cleveland

Anyone around here think that winning the title this year could actually increase the likelihood of LBJ leaving??

Can you hear any combination of these quotes?
1) "My job is finished here"
2) "There is nothing else left for me to do here."
3) "We have accomplished all we can here."
4) "It's time for a new challenge."

That scenario would really enrage the locals. The sentiment would certainly be, "hey, we've done everything you've asked of us. Surrounded you with better players. Spent a ton of money to do so...."

[swerb]

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumo ... -cleveland

Anyone around here think that winning the title this year could actually increase the likelihood of LBJ leaving??

It's definitely possible. It would alleviate some of the guilt he would be likely to feel about leaving this town before ending The Streak. About being Art Modell, 15 years later.

But its not about 1 title for LBJ. Its about 6. Hes gonna go somewhere where he feels he can get to 6. We're set up for it here better than anyone, except possibly the Bulls scenario.

[Madre Hill, Superstar]

I would say joining Rose, Noah, and Bosh/Wade in Chicago would be a possibility ... but I firmly believe LBJ wants no part of all the pressure that would come with trying to fill his heroes shoes in Chicago.

I think it'd be less having to fill MJ's shoes and more having to deal with Jerry Reinsdorf and Vinny Del Negro. One thing that gets easily lost is the Dan Gilbert factor. There are only a handful of guys around the league with the same desire to win as well as keep their star player happy: Dr. Buss, Mark Cuban, the Maloofs, and maybe Comrade East Rutherford.

[OldDawg]

I can't see LBJ in Chicago. The shadow of MJ is too large. It would be sacrilegious for anyone in Chicago to infer that LBJ is better than MJ. LBJ is very concerned about his legacy. If the best he could do is be the second best player in franchise history, that would bug him. NY would happily call him the best ever. Of course, here in Cleveland, he may have clearly been the best ever in his rookie year!!

[Kingpin74]

Out of our control and the Cavs have done everything possible to keep him, just tune out the chatter. If he wants to leave a stacked roster and a storybook situation so he can party more and play for the most overrated NBA franchise with only Chris Bosh and garbage to help him, what can you do?

[dmiles]

Why I am I dead-solid certain that ramllov is finishing a post in his own new thread in which he tells us LBJ will apparently be a free agent after the season, that big market teams like the Knicks are interested while their big market media write column after column about it and that it will be important to the Cavs franchise whether he stays or goes.

I'll never accuse Ramlov of being afraid to start a new paragraph either...

[jb]

This offseason is going to be a nightmare.

Really?

A title and Bron re-upping for 4 is a "nightmare" ?

Sheeet.

What's President Palin then?

[jb]

Why I am I dead-solid certain that ramllov is finishing a post in his own new thread in which he tells us LBJ will apparently be a free agent after the season, that big market teams like the Knicks are interested while their big market media write column after column about it and that it will be important to the Cavs franchise whether he stays or goes.

He's an aminatron or maybe just a program that mutated into having an ego fuelled by Barry
allowing him a modicum of responsibility cause Barry is a nice guy?

[jb]

Just heard the PTI guys refer to someone who said LBJ has never been recruited and that he just wants to feel recruited. Huh.

I do think everything LBJ says or does on the topic is meant to stoke the fires even more. He loves the attention.

He will scare the living shit out of this entire town and resign here at the last possible moment. Book it Danno.

For shizzle.

Ever see him commit a foul or get a boo-boo on court?

!He's an attention whore, but he's OUR attention whore dammiT!!!

[Cerebral_DownTime]

This offseason is going to be a nightmare.

Really?

A title and Bron re-upping for 4 is a "nightmare" ?

Sheeet.

What's President Palin then?

Implying Lebron re-ups.

The media coverage is going to be the nightmare btw.

[waborat]

Dude, pretty sure that's my wife @ Headlands circa '96...

You bastard

[pup]

Dude, pretty sure that's my wife @ Headlands circa '96...

You bastard

Congrats

[pup]

Coach K leaving Duke to take over the Nets?

Adding Wall and K-alphabet soup make a difference in the way he looks at the Nets?

[Madre Hill, Superstar]

I'm at a loss to note the last college coach to succeed in the NBA. Larry Brown did a college stint, didn't he?

[mrburns]

Coach K squashed the rumor today. Looks like ESPN will have to find a different LBJ to NY/NJ angle to pimp.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Coach K squashed the rumor today. Looks like ESPN will have to find a different LBJ to NY/NJ angle to pimp.

That shouldn't be a problem for those hacks.

[CAVSTRIBEBROWNSin07!]

Why I am I dead-solid certain that ramllov is finishing a post in his own new thread in which he tells us LBJ will apparently be a free agent after the season, that big market teams like the Knicks are interested while their big market media write column after column about it and that it will be important to the Cavs franchise whether he stays or goes.

This may be the funniest thing I've ever read on these boards.

[WarAdmiral]

Trivisono, who I trust about as much as I can throw him, says his insider told him that LBJ is staying. He will sign a 3-5 year deal contingent on the CBA. No link, heard it on the way home, when I was avoiding commercials, and Triv is #6 on my truck radio. Take it for what it's worth, which is very little IMO.