Yet another reason the NFL dominates chump leagues like the NBA
by Brad Wells on Jul 9, 2010 11:54 AM EDT
in NFL General
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PrintImagine, if you will, Peyton Manning holding an hour-long press event to announce whether or not he will re-sign with the Colts in 2011. During the event, Peyton says he is leaving the Colts and will, instead, sign with the Miami Dolphins so he can win a Super Bowl with Pat Riley Bill Parcells. Then, after that event, imagine Jim Irsay writing a letter to fans calling Peyton Manning a quitter, and even going so far as to cite specific games, and moments in those games, when he quit on the team.
"He quit," Irsay said. "Not just in the playoff game against the Patriots in 2004, but in the divisional round against the Chargers in 2007 and after he threw that pick for a touchdown in Super bowl 44. Watch the tape. The recent Super Bowl was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar."
The best player in a major, multi-billion dollar sports league accused of doing the absolutely unthinkable: Quitting in a playoff game.
Think of the fallout. Think of how utterly destroyed and dis-credited the NFL would become.
Last night, that is exactly what we saw, but the players involved were not Peyton Manning, Jim Irsay, and the NFL. The dramatis personae for this tragedy was the supposed best player in basketball (LeBron James) Dan Gilbert (owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers), and the sad, pathetic excuse of a professional sports league known as the NBA.
Last night, we saw a narcissistic chump of a human being (James) string along a loyal, dedicated fanbase for years and then, in a complete act of cowardice, cut them off and run to another team loaded with superstars. In response to this move, the man who once paid James millions of dollars to play basketball for his team (Gilbert) called James a coward and a quitter. He even went so far as to note games, and situations, in which he knew his one-time star player had given up:
"He quit," Gilbert said. "Not just in Game 5, but in Games 2, 4 and 6. Watch the tape. The Boston series was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar."The Cavaliers were beaten by 32 points in Game 5. During the game, James appeared distracted and uninterested, often glaring at Cleveland's coaches as the Cavs tried to foul to get back into the game in the second half. James also made some puzzling postgame comments, saying he had "spoiled" people with his play over seven seasons.
Gilbert also said he believes James quit on the Cavs in Game 6 of their series in 2009 against Orlando.
"Go back and look at the tape," he said. "How many shots did he take?"
There are two things that, for the Midwestern fan, are absolutely and completely unforgivable: Quitting and cheating. It doesn't matter how many games you win, how many points you score, or what sports drink you pimp. Quit or cheat once, just once, and Midwestern fans will shun you. Call it what you want. Stubbornness. Unrealistic expectations. Pride.
I call it standards. I call it accountability.
We've seen a lot of crazy crap happen in the NFL, from coaches getting caught cheating with spy cameras to players stomping on opponents' heads with their cleats. I have never, EVER seen an incident were an NFL owner has called out the best player in their league and tagged him a quitter. I hope I never do.
As an Indiana fan, I will always love the local teams. I love the Pacers. I bleed the Colts. However, the team is part of a much bigger league, and if the league is rotten to the core, it rots the team as well. If Pacers brass want to know what there are so many empty seats at Conseco, part of it is the team's record the last few years, but equally important is Indiana fans being abjectly disgusted with the current state of the NBA.
When the silly events surrounding free agent signings, and the ridiculous build-up to those signings, are more important than the games themselves, is the NBA then really worth your money? Is it really?
Also, FYI: Reggie Miller is a better player than LeBron James. Period. Anyone who disagrees is a loser and a schmuck who values silly attributes like raw talent over guts, courage, and a willingness to win. Oh, and Reggie never quit on a game. Ever. No matter the game. No matter the opponent. No matter the odds stacked against him. Don't believe me, watch this, and then STFU:
This video was back when the NBA was a real sports league. Today, It's not a true, competitive league anymore. It's a circus, and the players are the clowns.
Go Colts!
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Seeing the title of the video you attached
already makes me hate this.
"Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."
Then here you go
This guy is better than James too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWhAtFQUhpo
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue. Please make an account so you can post a FanPost, make a FanShot, add some comments, and make some noise. Accounts are free, and only require an email address.
:-)
.
"Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."
Best comment on there
Ewing during his early Knick years (‘85-’93) would wipe the floor with Dwight Howard
"The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection."-George Orwell
This is true because Howard needs to expand his game.
That being said, I love D12.
"Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."
It made me sad...
I remember that game. It was back when we were good. REEEEEEGGIIIIIIIE!!!!!!! Please come back!
by peytonsurdaddy on Jul 10, 2010 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions
So you would have been okay if I kept the open thread
as “Lebron is a douche” ?
"The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection."-George Orwell
LOL
Sure. He deserves it. Last night was as big a black eye the NBA has received since the Detroit Brawl.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue. Please make an account so you can post a FanPost, make a FanShot, add some comments, and make some noise. Accounts are free, and only require an email address.
I feel bad for Wade
I respect him and the way he plays, but sadly I’ll just have to hope bad things for him and his team now.
EVH+DLR=BFFs........ God I Hope So!!
Or that he does well but his team does bad.
Really they are going to do bad as there team is just thrown together and they have NO chemistry. I mean at the moment we speak they have 4 players on there team.
Lead organizer of the annual 7 round live mock draft at MtD and Moderator
by TheAngelsColts on Jul 9, 2010 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions
I think they're banking on the fact that all three played on the USA team together
but Wade and Bosh came off the bench, and I don’t remember Bosh being out there during crunch time. Kobe was killing it, while CP3 was holding down the point. Maybe Pat Riley thinks he can put any PG and C with them to create what the Celtics had in 08, but I don’t believe that since Rondo has proven to be a top 10 PG and Perkins is a serviceable big man.
"The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection."-George Orwell
Wade did come off the bench...
but he was the first man off the bench, and he looked like the best player in most of their games. Those foreign teams didn’t stand a chance against his breakaways
Anyone who has a problem with Joseph should stop watching Colts football. It's unfair to expect a back to replace Edge, and Addai has been excellent in all areas when he is healthy.
by DontHateAddai on Jul 9, 2010 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Last night was a joke. It was just LeBron showing just how big his ego truly is.
But other than that, I don’t see why everyone hates him for leaving Cleveland! If he were to be cut by Cleveland for not being productive or whatever, then people would say “Oh it’s just a business”. If he would’ve stayed, it would’ve been “for the money” because surely Cleveland’s brass couldn’t give him a decent enough supporting cast. He’s been surrounded by under-achievers and has-beens for years now! He’s tried for years to bring that city and team a championship, but when you look to your left and see Mo Williams, look to your right and see frickin SHAQ, it’s gotta be a little dis-heartening.
I don’t excuse him for the way that his free agency has been handled. I don’t excuse ESPN for letting this whole LeBron-gate thing go the way it has. I DO, however, excuse him for going to the place where he feels he has the best chance to win a championship. These guys have chemistry, they played together just a couple years ago on an Olympic team that won GOLD. He took a pay-cut for a chance at greatness. People are all the time bitching about how pro athletes make their decisions on money alone. He did the EXACT opposite. He did it in a shameful way, but to each their own. And this stupid letter from the owner does nothing at all but confirm that LBJ made the right decision.
PSN ID: etid5353
Current excuse for not leaving the house: Final Fantasy XIII
GO BUTLER!!
It's really hard to get people to come to Cleveland to play
You have to do it in the draft.
"The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection."-George Orwell
I don't disparage the decision he made
it was the hoopla with which it was made. My husband and I agreed that it was like dumping your girlfriend on national TV, and telling the world that you were doing it because there was a prettier girl out there you’d rather be with.
He would have gained a lot more respect had he quietly made his decision and told the press that after looking at all the situations, he preferred the one in Miami, period.
How can you not love a team that does this?
by LovinBlue on Jul 9, 2010 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
This is a perfect description!
it was the hoopla with which it was made. My husband and I agreed that it was like dumping your girlfriend on national TV, and telling the world that you were doing it because there was a prettier girl out there you’d rather be with.
"Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."
Gilber isn't helping his spurned girlfriend image
by writing his letter in Comic sans font—used by little girls everywhere.
note to self
stop using Comic Sans
Careful what you wish for... "A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have." Gerald Ford, 38th US president
Ditto...
------
"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."
I completely agree with you there. No doubt about that.
Good decision, bad way to go about announcing it. It’s funny too, your analogy, because I was telling my co-workers about how the Cavs owner’s response was like a woman scorned – going on the internet and telling all his business, calling all his friends and trashing him, etc.
PSN ID: etid5353
Current excuse for not leaving the house: Final Fantasy XIII
GO BUTLER!!
I think it comes down to loyalty...
Rather then stick-it-out with the fans that have paid your paychecks making you a multi-millionaire, you leave them for another city for a chance at greater self glory. To me this man deserves neither fans or glory.
Joshua 24:15
"If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve... ...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
Can't blame a guy for wanting to win.
If Jim Irsay and Bill Polian hadn’t been surrounding him with the talent they have all these years, and Peyton decided to leave, I can’t say I would’ve blamed him. Don’t get me wrong, thank god they did! Anyway…We all have ambitions, and we must decide for ourselves how to pursue them. Others may disagree with our methods, but that is why free will was given to man. LeBron did this in a way that I think he’ll ultimately regret, but I could never wish him any ill-will for pursuing his dream, even in such an unorthodox manner.
Do you think Raiders fans wish JaMarcus Russell would’ve stuck it out with them? You might think this is a bad comparison, but how many championships have either of them won? How about the Eagles and Donovan McNabb? That guy lead them to the SB once and a few NFCCG’s, and they would BEG for him to be traded. There’s NO loyalty in professional sports, by player OR fan and if you think there really is then you are a fool. The SECOND a Packer fan started seeing Favre throw more picks than TD’s, and stumbling around like an idiot, he would say “well Brett, my friend, it’s time to retire.” I heard this a thousand times, ever after he lead them to the championship game. These are businesses, and there’s no room for emotion in business because as soon as one side no longer has a use for the other, the partnership has to end.
Sorry for rambling…
PSN ID: etid5353
Current excuse for not leaving the house: Final Fantasy XIII
GO BUTLER!!
He was a well-loved and productive player...
The Raiders fans don’t like Russel. Don’t stay where your not loved or you will get shipped out, much like McNabb (Who, btw, I’m a fan of). LeBron was actually loved in Cleveland. Archie Manning for example was actually a very good QB but played on a team that was worse then the Cavs. Yet he stuck around till they got rid of him. Thats loyalty. Something LeBron fails to exhibit.
Joshua 24:15
"If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve... ...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
Diva, narcissist, gosh, everything was sickening
The NFL’s parity cannot be duplicated by any other league and that is why I hope they get the new CBA done. I saw the 3 amigos in Boston signing, Shaq moving from Magic to LA, and none of them had this amount of fan fare. Lebron’s one hour special made Kobe look unselfish.
At least MJ & Kobe never walked away from the pressure of being the one to lead their franchises. Yes, they had good pieces around them but Lebron quitting on his team where he was THE man meant only one thing, he’d rather not be THE man and wait for pieces around him to arrive.
On a side note, It is official, Matt Millen is the worst GM for any 5 year span in NFL history, 0-for-40 in 5 years of drafting, all Matt Millen picks have left Detroit now.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/07/lions_release_daniel_bullocks.html
A cleveland Pro sport Owner being a dusche...hmnmm... where I have heard that b4...
All Cleveland teamsuck. The City is cursed. Just like the browns, Lebron will never win a championship in cleveland cuz Cleveland owners are dusches!
Props to Lebron for leaving the cursed city to be a team that has chance to win a championship. However, doubtful the Heat will be able to build the type of chemesty needed to win a Championship. Especially with only 3 players! Its not just Kobe that won the championship this year. It was team effort with the help of many teammates. Lakers had great chemistry, thats what will win championships!
AWSOME VIDEO!!!!!!!!! That was the best game I ever saw in my life!!!!!! Reggie was a trueplayer, never gave up, and not as mentally weak as many players today are.
I'd ask what a "dusche" is...
… but I’m afraid I’d get a discussion going about “Mass in Gil” and end up hearing about feminine “freashnis”. 
Eeep!…
------
"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."
I'm guessing it's a German douche?
Anonymity breeds inhumanity. In simpler terms, don't be a troll.
LeBron made the Cavs
not the other way round. He owes Cleveland nothing. If Gilbert had given him any help in the last 7 seasons LeBron would still be there. Boobie Gibson? Please.
by beckmania on Jul 9, 2010 1:16 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
While I will acknowledge that LeBron quit in certain games
I think it’s ridiculous however that Cleveland fans say that he “betrayed” them by signing w/ Miami. They have no “divine right” to LeBron James. They don’t own him. Just like Baltimore has no “divine right” to the Colts franchise. I agree that LeBron did this whole media stunt to boost his ego but he did not do it as a big “F-you” to Cleveland. This was strictly a business decision. He went to the Heat b/c w/ Wade and Chris Bosh he has the best chance to win a Championship NOW. Anyone who thinks that he had a better shot at a Championship in Cleveland is an IDIOT. Just like anyone who thinks he went to Miami for the $ is an IDIOT. If he wanted more $ he would’ve stayed in Cleveland. He is a big time ego-maniac but he should what is best for himself and he thinks the best thing for himself is winning a championship. He has no obligation to be loyal to Cleveland fans. He could’ve been drafted by anyone in 2003 and he still probably would’ve been as successful as he is now.
"Pressure is something you feel if you don't know what the hell you're doing."-Peyton Manning
by P0RKINS2 on Jul 9, 2010 1:39 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Disagree
Lebron DID betray his fans, not because he left….but because of HOW he left. This d-bag player has gone on for almost 2 years talking about how he wanted to be a part of the Cavs and that he wasn’t really set on leaving blah blah blah blah.
The fans have EVERY right to rip him a new a$$. In fact, he brought it on himself by playing this game with them.
Had Lebron said that he was leaving months ago, this wouldn’t have been half the issue it is now. He’s given people the impression he was staying and then flipped on them at the last minute.
The guy has never won anything, has never been more than a much better Allen Iverson in this league.
The absolute hysterical part about all of this is even with LBJ joining the Heat, is that it may end up resulting in the same results as what happened when Malone joined the Lakers before retiring….not enough role players to pick up the slack when the stars weren’t in the game or performing well.
Plus, The Heat have D-Wade, Bosh, Lebron, and Mario Chalmers under contract…..that’s it….and they’re already about capped out….. so LBJ winning anything is not only not guaranteed….it’s not even an assumption…
James would have been better served trying to get a player to join him in Cleveland, at least they would have had a team…
I'd also like to add
Cleveland had the best or 2nd best record for practically the last 3 years in a row….they were literally one real consistent scorer outside of James from winning a title.
and you could add the fact that James
in 2006 decided to sign a short term contract extension instead of a long term extension which limited the amount of $ the Cavs could use to get better FA players
Non Sibi Sed Patriae.
I love my ZX-6r Kawasaki.
I bleed Scarlet and Grey...A Buckeye for Life
Reggie...
stayed in Indiana, wanted the pressure of being the man, and tried to build something as opposed to running somewhere to be a Robin on a frontrunner.
I’m surprised that you took no shots at ESPN.
However, last night was just a bad night for NBA fans. David Stern should’ve taken charge and put an end to this crap Goodell-style. Instead, Stern wanted publicity and now has a bunch of people disgusted with his product.
"Lord, beer me strength."
So what you want about Goddell
but at least he has some control over his league.
"The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection."-George Orwell
Reggie Miller..
was a great player, a borderline hall of famer who had a few amazing clutch moments in his career. He was also a one dimensional shooter who NEVER made a 1st or 2nd team All NBA in his career.
LeBron is a super huge mega-douche; however, once again, you allow your hysterical ranting to obscure your (reasonable) main point.
by indianalawyer on Jul 9, 2010 3:13 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
borderline?!??
wha???
Calculon: "It's from the kidnappers. My nephew is alive, and he's... IN THIS ENVELOPE!"
Nephew: "They cut off one of my dimensions!"
Calculon: "No... Nooo!"
by Marked Hoosier on Jul 9, 2010 7:18 PM EDT up reply actions
LOL @ borderline hall of famer
I’m a Knicks fan and had my days of hating, despising, hoping he’d retire sooner, wishing he played in the west but even I know he’s one of the greatest players to play the game.
He may not be on 1st or 2nd All NBA teams but hey… he holds the all time record for 3 PTs made in regular season/playoffs.
He’s sick.
"Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."
Borderline HoFamer?
Are you fucking joking? I’d bet my house he’s a 1st ballot! You are not doing much to improve my disposition towards lawyers.
by peytonsurdaddy on Jul 10, 2010 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
REC!!!
we must turn this comment green!
Calculon: "It's from the kidnappers. My nephew is alive, and he's... IN THIS ENVELOPE!"
Nephew: "They cut off one of my dimensions!"
Calculon: "No... Nooo!"
by Marked Hoosier on Jul 10, 2010 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'll do my part
Our heads may be bloody, but they are unbowed. We will be back next year better than ever!
Indianapolis Colts News and Updates
The Fieldhouse being mostly empty
has a lot more to do with the city and state’s fairweathered nature than any association with the league
Hey, 3 year plan y'know
I watch every Portland Blazers game
but if we didn’t have them i would never watch the NBA. As for the NFL,we obviously have no team in Oregon, but i support the Colts just the same, that’s the difference between the two leagues.
You think if an NFL player had this kind of outlet
We wouldn’t see it? If Terrell Owens had the chance to do this in his prime, he wouldn’t? Let’s not act like the NBA is just a group of narcissistic bums while the NFL has nothing but hardworking gentlemen. There are slimeballs in both leagues, and standards of human worth in both leagues.
That said, James is easily a better player than Reggie. You can pay homage to winning time all night, at the end of the day, James is one of the singular greatest talents in the NBA’s history. Reggie may be the best shooter in NBA history, but he’s pretty far down the list in terms of actual talent. Still a first ballot HOFer, and he is better than James in being a leader. That doesn’t make him a better player, just a more reliable #1 when the chips are down.
And why do people not fill Conseco? In addition to the city being fairweathered and unable to comprehend the importance of supporting a team that’s down, the city is simply not keeping tabs on the progress. Everyone still thinks the Pacers are full of gun toting head cases, despite the fact there hasn’t been a Pacers related police incident in at least two years.
No one recognizes that Roy Hibbert is one of the bright young centers in the league, an unbelievably hard worker, a guy who does it all the way we want it done here, a real throwback to those teams we all reminisce about, and has a better personality than most of the Colts. But no one cares since the Pacers aren’t in the ECF every year.
The locals will surely support the NBA when the Pacers are relevant again. You can count on that, because no one in this fairweather city is fed up with anything as long as there are still wins. Lest we forget, everyone forgave Ron Artest heading into the season after the brawl because the Pacers still had a team that was going to win a lot of games.
I’m just curious how the NFL’s superiority will be spun when the Pacers are relevant and filling up the Fieldhouse while the Colts are rebuilding and fighting blackouts.
by Nathan S. on Jul 9, 2010 4:04 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Could have placed this anywhere so not directed necessarily to you
Just for giggles I looked up james vs reggie career stats. I’m not a stat guy, i promise but I thought it interesting
FG% James 47% Miller 47%
3pfg% James 33% Miller 39%
FT% James 74% Miller 88%
PPG James 27.8 Miller 18
These are career stats and includes miller’s last years. Interesting from an offensive standpoint because %wise they are about the same with reggie coming out only heavily in 3point percentage. James averages more points per game but takes more shots. I didn’t look at defensive stats mainly becaue they have/had different roles. James has more assists and rebounds.
Take this for what you will (and I know I am a homer) but I love reggie and would take reggie in his prime over james anyday. James is an athlete and is a hard matchup….but reggie was a hard worker and just always seemed to be there when they needed him
by nighttrain551 on Jul 10, 2010 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions
It's more from an all around standpoint
Reggie is a better shooter (and that’s not even a debate), but it’s more than that. Reggie was a one dimensional player. Simmons hates him because of the praise he gets since he feels Reggie’s far more one dimensional than even I do, but Reggie wasn’t a great player at creating his own shot, he wasn’t outstanding defensively, and his all around numbers weren’t all that great. For his career, he averaged 3 boards and 3 assists. Not condemnation worthy for a SG, but James can easily get you 7 and 7 any night. I mean, James is without a doubt a better player than Reggie Miller.
That said, it’s clear now that Reggie is 100 times the leader James is. I’d take Reggie over James in his prime because Reggie is going to lead your team and James isn’t. James is still the better player though at the end of the day, even if there are few players I’d rather have as my franchise player than Reggie.
I hate free agency
Free agency has obviously been a great boon to professional athletes, but I think it has greatly harmed sports where it has not been tightly restricted. Part of the joy of being a fan is watching players develop, remembering their history, and build an identity together. You lose that when too many players come and go for their own purposes. I was a huge baseball fan growing up, but gave up because free agency lets the big markets basically use the small market teams as farm teams. Too many times I’d watch a promising rookie come up with the Twins, develop into an all-star, and give the Twins a year or two of great play before hitting free agency and signing with the Yankees. On the flip side, watching the top teams just isn’t as much fun when they were built by buying everyone else’s stars.
Basketball is different from baseball since they at least have some form of salary cap, but there’s been a bunch of top talents who have jumped teams for a better shot at a title.
That’s not to say players should never switch teams. It can be a lot of fun plotting trades or watching a player become a star with a team after someone else gave up on him. Even getting a good role player through free agency can be done without much harm to the concept of a “team.” But when the big stars all get together through free agency I think it really damages the sport. If James had been drafted by the Heat and he and Wade had developed together, they’d be a great story and well worth watching. But getting together this way? Not too interesting.
It's why Goodell doesn't want to lessen the restrictions to unrestricted free agency in the NFL
The league will always be more important than any one player, and will not be held hostage by one.
Keep the faith!
Allow me to play the contrarian:
I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with LeBron announcing his decision by having an hour-long special on ESPN (idiotically called “The Decision”), which pulled a seven (!!) in the ratings, for which the advertising revenue would be donated to the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of America, as mandated by LeBron himself. That is, very likely, several hundred thousand dollars generated by that little media clusterfuck that went directly to charity; money that was generated by James’ marketing image through the constant coverage following the NBA finals.
But let’s break it down to principle: had LeBron not said one word on-camera from the end of the season until now, the media would have generated the story anyway. That’s the way it works, and every serious sports fan knows it. ESPN can’t exist in a vacuum. So where should the scorn really be directed? James, so far as I can recall, made no commitments to any city, despite being heavily courted by several NBA teams. Furthermore, so far as I know (and I’m really not informed on this), he did nothing outside the NBA’s free agency rules. So how can you punish someone for playing within the rules?
And as far as LeBron’s (probably astronomical) ego is concerned, LeBron James didn’t create LeBron James. ESPN, Nike, Gatorade… they created him. It’s an undeniable truth.
Can we get back to Farvewatch 2010 now, please?
Anonymity breeds inhumanity. In simpler terms, don't be a troll.
by linkish on Jul 9, 2010 5:23 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Best comment I've seen anywhere
I completely forgot about the charity money made from that. I’d like to see a figure posted somewhere, but I’m sure it’s a good chunk. I’m just glad LeBrongate is over. Now I just gotta give it a week to become old so I can start listening to Mike and Mike in the morning again.
PSN ID: etid5353
Current excuse for not leaving the house: Final Fantasy XIII
GO BUTLER!!
He can be charitible without doing a one hour special
Dwayne Wade is by all accounts one of the most charitible people in the NBA. Did he do a one hour special? No. That was an egotist move, plain and simple.
EVH+DLR=BFFs........ God I Hope So!!
Yeah?
Then where was everybody else’s money?
Like I said, man, LeBron didn’t create this machine, and you know it. How many times do we come to this blog to read about how the sports media develop stories that nearly exist outside reality? You seriously think that Gatorade wouldn’t push him into doing some kind of similar soul-selling endeavour? Seriously?
Look, even beyond everything I cited above, LeBron is one man who is ultimately going to do the best for his family first, and second to do well for the people for whom he wants to raise cash. Was it a circus? Absofuckinglutely. But the Big Top waits for no man, to coin a phrase. If I was in his giant-ass shoes, I’d have done the same damn thing without thinking twice. Every single party involved who really deserved to win, did; namely his family and the Boys and Girls Club of America. That’s the real black and white of it.
Anonymity breeds inhumanity. In simpler terms, don't be a troll.
...
Like I said, man, LeBron didn’t create this machine, and you know it.
I don’t know about that. When LeBron repeatedly comes out and acknowledges that “July 1st, 2010 is going to be the biggest day of free agency this league has ever seen,” he kind of hypes it up himself.
It was huge, there were and are many players available that really changed how the market (NBA teams) went about their business for the past two years but to say LeBron didn’t create the machine… his people went to ESPN for the “Decision” special. He’s the guy that needed to have a half hour interview before saying “I’m going to take my talents to South Beach.” He’s the guy that kept referring to himself in the 3rd person (I HATE THAT).
Good for him that he has a shot to win a title but you seriously think he went about the right way? Going on national TV to say that you just made the decision that morning, please, he knew from day one where he wanted to be (with Wade & Bosh) and there was no need to make a big spectacle out of it.
Also,
Then where was everybody else’s money?
Dwayne Wade:
Tithes 10 percent of his earnings to a church in Chicago
Donated $175,000 (game salary) to raise money for Haiti
Has his own charitable foundation (Wade’s World)
And the list could do on and on. Just shows, you don’t need to plaster yourself all over ESPN and all to donate to a good cause or charity.
"Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."
by NYKings on Jul 10, 2010 10:05 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I don’t know about that. When LeBron repeatedly comes out and acknowledges that "July 1st, 2010 is going to be the biggest day of free agency this league has ever seen," he kind of hypes it up himself.
It’s not like that was the origin of the hype. And anyway, it was true.
Anyway, I don’t have enough time to write a longer response, but my comment about the money was nebulous and poorly phrased. I’m not saying other guys aren’t charitable, and I’m not saying it couldn’t have been done a different way; the core bullet point is that James used his celebrity and the circus that was absolutely going to be around him to write a big, big check to five chapters of an organisation that needs and deserves it. And for some bizarre reason, he’s being crucified over it.
Anonymity breeds inhumanity. In simpler terms, don't be a troll.
I totally understand your point
but you’re looking at the situation with blinders on… there was a bigger picture but whatever it’s LeBron. I care about the Colts much, much more and we’re on the same team here.
"Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."
Ha, actually, I was thinking just the opposite.
I kinda feel like I am seeing the bigger picture, because really the only people that came up short in this entire debacle is the Cavs’ fans, and much more so because of their ownership’s lack of ability to raise a supporting cast for James.
Anyway, yeah, this topic can be put to bed. Enjoyable, though, I feel, to debate with you a little (and dmstorm as well). I hope I don’t come off as combative sometimes (although I can’t really tell), as I’m opinionated and occasionally direct; I just enjoy debate and the exchange of opinion.
Anonymity breeds inhumanity. In simpler terms, don't be a troll.
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