Trade Bait?
November 28, 2008What I Learned From My Summer Vacation: LeBron James
November 29, 2008
We’ve heard before that LeBron is at least partially to blame for all the hype surrounding his impending free agency. And to be fair, the man has had special shoes made two of his recent games at Madison Square Garden. His comments about the possibility of playing in New York didn’t exactly squash the rumors either. It seems that Charles Barkley, not known for keeping his comments to himself, doesn’t think too highly of LeBron’s attitude towards the situation-
“If I was LeBron James, I would shut the hell up,” Barkley said in the Wednesday interview. “I’m a big LeBron fan. He’s a stud. You gotta give him his props. I’m getting so annoyed he’s talking about what he’s going to do in two years. I think it’s disrespectful to the game. I think it’s disrespectful to the Cavaliers.”
He’s not alone. Henry Abbott of True Hoop called Lebron’s comments “slapping Danny Ferry, owner Dan Gilbert, and Cleveland fans across the face.” Abbott even hinted that Ferry might have to consider the unthinkable at some point, and possibly trade the Franchise if he doesn’t get some indication that LeBron will be back.
Also coming from True Hoop are Brian Spaeth’s feelings, as a Cleveland fan, on LeBron’s decision not to squelch the rumors and free agency talk- I don’t care anymore if he goes.
You watch those two teams last night, and it’s clear that if LeBron signs with the Knicks, then he doesn’t care about winning, at least not as much as playing in New York. In my mind, that’s the case, and he’s gone anyway, unless he really, really, really just likes all this attention. (This is entirely possible, by the way. Just like his people circled 08/08/08 on the calendar as a climactic marketing target, they may have now circled 07/01/10, just for the attention it can draw. I did think it was odd how LeBron specifically used the date in his ending statement last night — just seemed too scripted.)
In any case, I love watching “LeBron the Basketball Player” play for the Cavs, and I love how all the pieces have really fit together nicely this year. I’m even at peace with Mike Brown finally.
“LeBron the Marketing Maven,” on the other hand, I’m tired of. He’s annoying.
My sincere hope at this point is that Cleveland wins the title in 2010, and then LeBron doesn’t help defend it, by signing with the Knicks that summer.
As a result, the basketball gods can lay the biggest curse of all-time on both of them. I’m sure the media will find plenty to say ad nauseum about that, as well.
I’d have to say I’m not quite in Brian’s corner. While I want to see a championship here, I can’t say that I’d be too excited if Lebron won and then quickly exited.
LeBron’s decisions have ruffled many a Cleveland feather. His support of the Yankees and Cowboys while they were playing in Cleveland are certainly chief among them. It seems like LeBron could help the situation by simply refusing to talk about free agency. It is nearly 2 full seasons away after all. Does it bother you that he seems to be playing both sides of the chess board on this one? When speaking to Ohio reporters or fans he is very happy here, but when speaking to New York based media they should “circle the date”? Do you feel disrespected? Do we put up with it because LeBron is the greatest athlete to play in Cleveland since Jim Brown?
26 Comments
Cool out everybody. A couple championships and all this goes away. If the Cavs win and he leaves, then we had no chance in keeping him anyway so hell with ‘im. If the Cavs get close and lose again, we can’t blame him for weighing his options.
Win now, that’s all we can do.
One of the things I have liked best about LeBron has been his ability to keep classy (despite his age) , stay outta trouble, avoid smack talk, and let his actions on the court do the talking .
Unfortunately, I’m beginning to see a side of LeBron that seems more and more like an immature , attention seeking child.
Which, when you think about it, fits in quite well with the other “I am bigger than the game” personalities in the NBA these days.
Barkley was right the when he said we needed a point guard to win a championship and he’s right on this.
LeBron could stop the constant talk about free agency in a second if he just refused to discuss it. But he loves the spotlight and I think that more than anything else is why I believe he will be gone in 2010.
I think it helps us when Lebron leaves it up in the air. Look at what teams like the Knicks are doing. They’re destroying their teams to free up EXACTLY the same cap space the Cavs will have in 2010. Lebron will have a team around him already.
If Lebron came out and said, “I’m not leaving my hometown, I’m happy here and I’m already a global icon. I don’t need New York,” it hurts us in my opinion.
Let them suck each other off for 2 years hoping he comes to save their horrible team. He’s not going to leave one team on the verge or already having a Championship for another team that has nothing where he’d be back to play 45 minutes a night.
However you feel about this situation, the bottom line is that Lebron could’ve quashed all of this by saying:
“Look guys, I play for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Free agency is two years away for me and I’m not going to answer any more questions about this until then.”
In a rare occurence, Lebron showed his age by admitting after the Knicks game that he liked all the attention and it clearly shows by the way he plays cute with all these questions.
The funny part? Everybody says Lebron would be such a bigger star, so much more of a “global icon” in NY, yet he plays for Cleveland and the entire NBA community is speculating on where he’s gonna go TWO YEARS IN ADVANCE. As an NBA player, your popularity can’t get any bigger than that.
Oh, and the fact that Lebron probably has no idea what he’s going to do in 2010 (he can’t know what the Cavs will or will not accomplish in the next two seasons) is just more of a reason for him to not answer these questions.
I’m already tired of hearing this garbage. But the fact if the matter is that Lebron is going to go the best team. It’s been said before on here, but there is no way he goes to NY or anywhere else if he doesn’t have a better (or just as good) chance to win than in Cleveland. There is absolutely no way to know where he’s going to go until rosters and FA’s begin to pan out more and more over the next 2 years. Until then, Clevelanders will have to continue to endure the speculation. People can continue to say what they want, hopefully it doesn’t become a bigger distraction for the team.
I can’t wait to see Lebron James holding the 2009 NBA League MVP, 2009 NBA Finals MVP, 2009 NBA Championship trophy over his head at the end of this year. Then we’ll see how big a “market” Cleveland really is.
If he was not on the Cavs I would hate him. The way he is constructing his persona is starting to wear on me. I know plenty of non-basketball fans that hate him and now I am starting to see why. He turns too many people off to become an icon like Jordan.
LeBron’s wants to sell as many “shoes” as he can, a cause that’s unquestionably helped by his letting folks in other towns think for the next two years that he might soon be coming to play for them. That LeBron isn’t acting the way Barkley and others would like him to on this issue could actually be a sign that he’s going to stay in Cleveland. That he knows he’s going to stay in Cleveland would make him feel better about pretending that he might leave.
Can you really blame LeBron James for having a degree of hubris? In his world, one is measured by what? Talent? Well, to play in the NBA, you have to have that. Money? Well, he’s got a lot of that, but can always use more. Media buzz? Sure — and maybe, since that is the only determining factor in his world, the crazy, rumor-mill of professional sports that we, as fans, are comfortably in the stands for, perhaps that is what is making him act the way he is. I think it’ll be a really dark day if he leaves, but that would be for Cleveland; it will be a really bright day for LBJ, if the deal is right and it makes enough hype. That’s his life, and this is ours. That’s all there is to it.
Well, you can’t have it both ways. I’ve resigned to the fact that LeBron can’t be my savior on AND off the court. On the court, he is the best player in the NBA, the best TEAMMATE in the NBA, the best leader in the NBA, and he’s leading an elite team into June.
Off the court, yeah he’s pissing me off. He and the organization have grown together and the results are showing, and now he wants to leave and throw all that away?
I thought Lebron was better than that.
Ram, can you blame him? He’s been the best basketball player in the league for 3 years now, and the media fawns over Kobe.
The most media exposure he’s received since draft day is over this FA crap. IN SPITE of the fact that the Cavs are an elite team.
Everything he is doing is leading to more exposure, and that is what he wants.
If i’m in New York, LeBron is gonna tell me he’s coming here. If i’m in Cleveland, LeBron is gonna tell me he’s staying. That’s why all this conversation is going in the trash. Here’s a thought, what if LeBron just shocks everyone and says “ya know what Mr. Ferry and Mr. Gilbert…I wanna pick up on my option and stay through the 2010-2011 season.” I know i know, its a long shot. I just want this all to end.
I love LeBron James the athlete, and off the court he has really been a fantastic role model for how I thought an NBA should be acting. But this is getting beyond me to defend. I blame part of it on the press, part of it on him. The press keeps asking these questionings over and over again, trying to sift out something new. If you look at the majority of quotes from his ESPN interview, alot of it is old news. The media does this anyways because he’ll say something a little differently, and then they can jump on it.
Its partly LeBron’s fault because he has said his peace, and yet he continues to do these interviews and answer these questions. If he really cares about winning, he would support his teammates and play well. He does one already, but I think he betrays his teammates by questioning his loyalty to his team. Can you imagine the doubts or contempt running through the minds of the Z, West, Boobie, Wallace, Wally, Hickson, Mo’? In a related note, I really appreciated the way the Celtics won last year. It seemed sefless, like an actual team effort. Sure some people could be called superstars on that team, but you had never followed that trio before you could not really tell. I think they are the team to be beat not only as defending champs, but in their style of how they win. Right now LeBron is not coming close to that at all. I think the rest of the team does.
As said earlier, this could immediately end with the repetition of the following statement: “This issue is coming up in two years, right now I am focusing on my team and winning a championship with the team I am currently with. Save these questions for the day after the 09-10 season ends people.”
Period.
It’s a nice thought, JJ, but LeBron’s not going to pick up his option because 2010 gives him 7 years service, which under the CBA is the minimum number of years you need to play to get the maximum annual increases in your max contract. I’m positive that’s why LeBron signed the short contract extension that he did. It was to make sure he can max out his contract value in his career.
As for this Barkley business….
First off, nice piece Rick. I’m glad you decided to expand on this.
I have trouble telling professional athletes what they “should” say. I much prefer it when athletes say things I don’t want to hear but are being honest, than athletes saying the “right” thing but are insincere about it. But I have no idea how sincere LeBron is really being. He says winning multiple championships is his goal, but when the NY media asked him if he wins a title with Cleveland, would it make it easier or harder to leave, LeBron responded with “I don’t know”.
Really? I’d love to hear LeBron explain how, exactly, it makes it easier to leave the Cavaliers if they win a title. The only way it would be easier would be if playing in NY is actually his primary goal, not winning championships. Then LeBron could say “Hey, I reached my first goal in bringing Cleveland a championship, now I can reach my 2nd goal and play for the Knicks.” And that’s where Spaeth is dead on. If LeBron goes to NY it will be OBVIOUS that he does not care about winning. Whatever the Knicks look like in 2010, I can tell you this much…..they will have an UGLY supporting cast for LeBron and Superstar B. Whereas Cleveland has shown that Ferry has finally given LeBron the type of supporting cast that works best with him. If the Cavaliers don’t trade Wally and let his contract expire, then in 2010 the Cavs will be able to sign another pretty good player to bring on board for LeBron. They would be in position to be one of the best 4 teams in the NBA for YEARS to come. So if LeBron wants to walk away from that, then he never cared in the first place and we never had a chance to keep him no matter what.
I sure hope winning really is his goal, because if it is, I like Cleveland’s chances. And boy do I sure want LeBron to stay.
I think he is trying to make sure that he doesn’t become the next Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, and Charles Barkley where the team becomes complacent and doesn’t try their very best to win. I think that by keeping the Cavs on eggshells, whether fair or not, is keeping that fire burnt under their tails to get the job done. Because of the uncertainty, the Cavs will leave no stone unturned in their quest to make Lebron happy, i.e. win a championship. This is what I think he is doing. If he comes out and says “I’m Cleveland for life”, then, as some teams have done, the Cavs could just take it for granted and stop dealing” on the flip side, if he comes out and says I’m New York for life, then the Cavs might cost him a chance this year and next by trading him or whatever else.
If this is the case, I believe he stays because Gilbert knows that if he loses Lebron, he might as well just fold the Cavs franchise because they will not survive that.
I think the Cavs would survive a LeBron departure. Team Owners don’t get a whole lot of respect because they don’t really need it (i.e. oogles of money to comfort them), but I think Gilbert is an exception here. He has really committed himself to the Cavs, and for that I really really respect him for it. Sure the NBA thrives on superstars, but I would argue that if you look back at many of the champions in the past, they were fueled by a highly functioning team. Spurs, Celtics, Pistons are just a few I would note. The Cavs have the best player in the league, but we have fallen short every time, why? We didn’t have a great team. If LeBron leaves, Ferry does his homework, and Brown coaches well, I think the Cavs would continue to be excellent. Now, would they be Champs post-LeBron I won’t say, but I think the motivation is there in the management and ownership. Shoot, how ironic would it be if the Cavs won in spite of LeBron?
Answer this question for me guys (it requires you guys to put on LeBron’s shoes in 2010). Does LeBron sign for a team right away and hope and pray they land a Wade, Bosh, or Amare. Or, does he sit back and just watch who can sign his perfect sidekick and then sign with them?
I don’t think Lebron necessarily wants to play with Wade. Wade, unlike Bosh is a high scoring superstar who is a big name. I know Bosh is a star, but not on the level of Wade. Lebron doesn’t want to win rings like Magic- he wants to win like Jordan. If Lebron can take HIS team to a championship like Jordan did 6 times, than he is seen as a legend- if he has to be paired with other superstars he is not seen as that.
Look at Kobe- his biggest knock is that he can’t win without Shaq, and look at the Celtics, the only way KG, Allen and PP could win is because they had to combine forces to get it. Jordan took his Bulls to the Finals, and Jordan won. Pippen was a great player, but I don’t think he would be much without Jordan. I think Lebron knows this and would rather not play with Wade
LeBron may or may not think that, but those kind of circumstances will NEVER happen again. Teams win titles now, not players. The Celtics were a team, the spurs were a team, the pistons were a team, the heat were a team. The Bulls were MJ and his crownies. LeBron is gonna win with a TEAM. When the day comes that the Cavs make a playoff push this year with a Vince Carter, Jason Richardson, or Michael Redd. Or, the day comes when LeBron and “insert team here” with Bosh, Wade, Nash, or Amare (OR pick a pairing of the 4) make a playoff run; they too will be a team…
the Bulls were a TEAM..hell they won 70 games, but they didn’t have 2 superstars on it like the Celtics have, or the Lakers of 2001 had..they played great team ball, but Jordan was the centerpiece
Agree with everyone who says LeBron’s recent actions are disappointing, especially for a young man who seemed to be above that. One thing I’ll add that I haven’t seen mentioned: he needs to STFU before he thinks about challenging a guy like Barkley, a true legend who has forgotten more about hoops than LeBron knows at this point. Calling Charles “stupid” makes James look like a complete ass.
LeBron needs to stop talking about it. He can keep the pressure on Ferry and Gilbert behind the scenes without acting like the high school prom queen and having everyone jack off over him for the next two years.
Well are we not talking about general perception? At least thats what i got out of your first post…How LeBron wants his titles (that he may never get) perceived (please forgive my spelling and grammar).
My last post was directed toward danny’s last post.
You never want to see a player get injured…but I’m not going to deny that I think it would be hilarious if LBJ went to NY only to sprain his ankle or something in his first game as a Knick. Absolutely hilarious.
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