Is going home to Cleveland. My opinion of him just went from hatred, to mild dislike. Regardless of my opinion of the guy, that was a classy move right there. I will give him that. The fans in Miami suck anyway and their building will be vacant for many years to come.
As a Lebron fan i'm not mad at him. I didn't think anything less of him when he went to Miami, and I don't think anything less of him now that he's back in Cleveland. I will say though, he must of swallowed quite a bit of pride going back to an owner such as Dan Gilbert. That guy is a classless prick. The Heat owner is handling this with class, the way it should be. Good for the fans of Cleveland, feel bad for the Miami fans, but they got a couple more rings because of him so they can't be too upset, he took them to the finals every year, so they got what they paid him for. Miami will bounce back, but not anytime soon I don't think. Lebron w/Irving is going to be really fun to watch.
Miami fans are more fare weather than SoCal fans, and that is bad. So, I don't think they really deserved having such a powerhouse team. These are the fans that walked out of the arena right before the biggest comeback in Finals History last year... All that aside, I just don't like Lebron, because he was arrogant, self-proclaimed king and he was brought up in a bunch of hype and he acted like it. I thought he was a coward for going to Miami. They, effectively broke the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was in place to prevent creating a monopoly like that. What he did in Miami changed the whole game. Now every team is trying to get these "big threes". Techinically, Boston "bought" a championship with the original Big Three and then Miami purchased two... I am just a Jordan guy, and a guy who rocked #23 until people called him out, and sat on Thrones and called himself the "King" just rubbed me the wrong way. Add in the fact that he graduated high school and went to the pros and sounded like he was on a third grade reading level. Just not a fan... Then, "THE DECISION" I don't fault Dan Gilbert for what he said about Lebron. He was DEAD ON. Coward. All that.... But now, even me as a Lebron Hater, I have to re-evaluate what I think of him. I do NOT dispute that he is the best player in the league. He is, hands down... But until this day, having him mentioned in the same sentence as MJ makes me cringe.... If he goes back to cleveland and even wins ONE ring, he can AT LEAST be in the conversation... You could see that he has been tormented for years by it. He has pretended that the fact that he is the most hated guy in the league didn't bother him. He has basically had to go so far as to say that he doesn't care about what any fans think. "Its about the players playing the game" he said. That is no way to speak on your fans... I think he will be able to sleep better at night. He will no longer received the hatred that he has endured in recent years. He is back home. He can be a hometown hero again. South Beach is a long way away from the reality of what Lebron is and was... Good on ya LeBron... Now I can actually be happy for your success, if you do continue to have it.
Damn bros. There are some bad treads here but this is up their with the worst. From a guy that loves hoop and his NBA, too.
You're entitled to your opinion, I disagree, but that's OK. I too was and am a big MJ fan, still got his jersey in my closet. There will be only one MJ, just like there will be only one Lebron James. I don't like the comparisons, but it's what people do. Both great in their own right. Both best of their era. Different skill sets, different body types, different game today. Just too many variables to say who is better. Let's just agree they are both one of the greatest of all time, along with Magic, Bird, Kareem, Russell, and a few others.
Fair enough. I admitted he is the greatest guy right now. He is a beast. I just never liked his attitude and the way he carries himself. He really doesn't have that angry, hunter mentality that only Jordan ever really had. There are handcheck rules now and a million other differences, which means comparing today's game to the way it was in the 90s, people could argue that jordan would have dropped 100 points a few times if the rules were how they are now. Either way, if Jordan didn't take 2 years off to play baseball, he would have 8 rings. Jordan never even played in a game 7 in the finals, much less lost one. He just stepped on peoples throats. That is why Lebron has always wanted to emulate Jordan. Wore his number. Lebron has actually reached out to Jordan for help and advice, and as far as i Know, he never shared a word with him. Jordan invited Carmello to his house a few years ago and Melo said that what jordan shared with him was mind blowing and changed melos game forever. When asked what Jordan told him, Melo said, I will take that to my grave. I mean, Jordan has never lost an NBA Final. Lebron has lost 3 out of 5. It's not that Lebron isn't great. He is isnt Michael Jordan. Jordan made sure every game that counted, was won handily. Game 7? What is a game 7? Just saying. Lebron is in the same category with Wilt, Magic, Larry and a few others. But there is only one king. The best to ever touch the court, and his name isn't Lebron... That could all change. Going back to Cleveland is a step in the right direction. But he has a long way to go to be considered the best ever. P.S. Kobe got five rings and he is a killer. He is old now, but he is a close second to Jordan. 3-4 years ago, Kobe was king and Lebron wasn't even close. Don't forget Kobe. He is a guy that gets pissed off if he loses at paper rock scissors. He is an assassin. He probably has the closest mentality to a true king.
But hey, we can agree to disagree. Lebron is certainly fun to watch and I wish him well. Up until now, not so much.
You can't really compare different generations. The game changes. There are things Lebron does better and things MJ did better. It's impossible to say who is better. As far as the way Lebron carries himself. I disagree. He's done everything right except for one thing.
You could argue about the two's talents, different players. The only thing I think Lebron does better than Jordan is block shots. Jordan really never got super aggressive that way. But in every other part of the game, I would have to give jordan the title. Better dunker. Better shooter. Quicker. More illusive. His step back fade away was ruthless. And more than anything, He won everything, everytime after a few years. People also compare their ages etc. You forget that Jordan Graduated from college AND won an NCAA title while getting an education. His rookie year, Lebron had already been in the league for 4 years. And the only reason I felt the need to have this argument/conversation is that from jump street, Lebron came into the league, calling himself the king (He made that up, not Nike). He wore #23, he did the chalk on the hands thing that was a Jordan original... From the gates, he showed the world he wanted to walk in Jordan's shoes. You know why Lebron changed his number from 23 to number 6 BEFORE he left Cleveland, cause he knew he was going to Miami, and the only other team that has the number #23 retired is the Miami heat. You want to know why? Pat Riley retired it out of respect for Michael Jordan, who never played for Miami, but Riley said that the best player to ever live should have his number retired in every arena... But I digress. I am just saying. He brought it on himself. His first year in the league, everyone put him and MJ in the same conversation because Lebron was constantly bringing it up. Jordan didn't like it to begin with. People have been comparing the two every year on ESPN. Most baketball analysts don't even regard the conversation. For NOW, the answer is simple. If that conversation should ever happen, we will have to wait years to see. If Lebron continues to flourish, win rings, clean up his shooting, then yeah, he could have a shot. But he is 4 rings shy of being able to even be compared, same generations or not. Winning is Winning. Not winning when it counts is not wining. He is going to have to put it all on the line and dominate. He needs to win a few Finals in 5 games and stop playing nice. He needs to be nasty on the court. All the time.
You are obviously a fan. But when they polled the most hated athlete in the US, Lebron was #1. There is a reason for that. Whether I am wrong or right, way more people, right now dislike his attitude and the way he carries himself than not. Numbers never lie, right? But I Guarantee if tomorrow, you run that same poll, his ratings have already have sky rocketed in the last 2 hours. Like I said, what he did today, IMMEDIATELY made me show him respect, and actually want to root for him now. Read his letter. What he said was true sh** today. That he has lived with regrets this whole time, and how he never should have left because he meant so much to them. He said Ohio is where I walked, lived, breathed and cried. I am Ohio and Ohio is me. Real sh**. He cut the crap and told the truth. That was awesome
For sure, it's all debatable. I got no love for Kobe though, I respect his game, but I don't hold him up in the same regard. I think he's actually the one who tried being like Jordan, even went so far to try an emulate his mannerisms, gestures, post shot celebrations, tongue hanging out, all the sh*t. I bet he stands in front of a mirror and practices. And without Shaq (and Phil Jackson), dude only has 2 rings, not 5. But again, that's just one man's opinion.
True that. I can agree there. But with the Shaq comment, I also would say that is the reason Kobe just never got close enough to be in the best ever conversation, but with that rationale, those two rings in Miami don't really count either. There is some young talent in Cleveland, but this is a startup team, with no experience, so Lebron is on his own up there. Irving could be like the Pippen to Jordan, but Lebron is the only superstar on that squad now, just like MJ was. I used to not like Kobe, but I learned to love him. He is just such a d-bag sometimes, but in such a classy way. It's funny to me. And on the court, he holds people accountable and you can just see how competitive he is. That is one of the biggest things I remember about Jordan. His emotions. Not crying. Just effort and passion.
Not to make this thread even worse than it already is.... One of the funniest moments I have ever seen in Basketball is when Jordan was at the freethrow line, he stopped and said "Hey, Mutombo. This one's for you", closed his eyes, smiled and then nothing but net and he laughed and trotted backwards down the court. That is the type of mental sh** that no one else has ever been able to pull off. So funny. So classic.
Bron is the most freakish athlete I have ever seen. He's Karl Malone's size and moves like a ****ing gazelle. He's the best individual player I have EVER seen. Michael would have had his hands full with LeBron and I think would have one at least one fewer championship if they played in the same era. We are witnesses (pun intended) to a freakish athlete that comes around every hundred years. It's our modern Babe Ruth. Just wait, there is more to come from this guy. I am an old guy saying this too. As much as I hate to say it, I think modern b-ball has surpassed 90's hoops. They are all just bigger faster stronger, period. That said, class move going back home. Bron Bron just needed his four years away from home, like college but with millions of dollars on South Beach. Oh and Jordan did not graduate prior to the NBA, he left as a sophmore.
Larry Legend was a superior **** talker too. He once gave his defender the play on a game winning shot and made the basket anyway. Mike J just wanted to rip out hearts. He's is the best I ever saw until I saw LeBron.
Kobe is way overrated. He doesn't make his teammates better. I don't think I'd put him on the Mount Rushmore of hoops. Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlin, Kareem, and Jordan. Bron will be there when he retires, no room for Kobe.
Yeah one of the best moments of his career for sure, hilarious. I love that kind of arrogance, because he could back it up.
