"The Departure"

[DestinFunk]

So..my question is...

 

Can the Cavs win without LJ?

 

Maybe a little today...if they put a very solid if not great player in his plave?..would they still win?

 

This team actually has more of a balanced "team" look to it than it has in many years...and while LJ is ELITE...im not sure if they couldnt kick some arse with another top tier player in his place...

 

Now of course i ask these questions because "Th Departure" is coming up rapidly..will he leave?..who knows...my only worry is what the cavs do to prevent it..and how they go about replacing him...obviously that is a HUGE FA year...he is not the only big name available.

 

Regardless...lets support the sheit out of this team as this looks to be the one to make a legit run.

 

Ill take a ring and then "The Departure" wont bother me so much.

 

 

[chubb]

Ill take a ring and then "The Departure" wont bother me so much.

 

If there's a ring, there probably wont be a "departure."

[Guest Masters]

If there is any chance of a ring, James will go no where.

 

I am soooooooo tired of reading half ass writen articles about Lebron leaving CLE. His quotes are always taken out of context or specific quotes are left out. Dude ain't going no where as long as CLE is making efforts to put a winning/championship team around him. He has also stated that going somewhere else doesn't guarantee a championship.

[CIMO.]

The Knicks just made two more trades to be ready for 2010.

 

I've been a LeBron supporter from day one, but I can't see him sticking around longer than he has to anymore. The decision will have nothing to do with chances of winning, I think. LeBron is not Michael Finley or Grant Hill, latching on to a good team for a shot at a ring. He could go to the Oklahoma City Thunder, even in a straight up trade for Kevin Durant, and make them a title contender. I don't think it has to do with money either. In terms of strict NBA salary, the Cavs can offer him more than any team, and there's everything Dan Gilbert can do on the side to stuff his pockets...not to mention all the endorsements he already has. It's just New York City. I never bought the Nets rumors because I thought it was just ridiculous to think he'd leave because he's friends with Jay-Z....but if it's the Knicks, Madison Square Garden, Spike Lee, all the history...I can see him going.

 

I think the Cavs need to start looking ahead...lock up one more good player (at least a Josh Howard, Caron Butler kinda player) to make us a more attractive team in 2010 so we can go after Bosh, Wade, Stoudemire and them. There are a lot of teams set to be in the hunt for the top FAs that summer, so we really can't stand pat and just hope LeBron decides to stay.

 

 

Times like these I'm just glad LeBron isn't a Vince Carter....you know he's going to play his heart out whether or not he's set on New York already...

[We need Tom Tupa]

from ESPN:

 

Just LeBron James?

 

Why do the New York Knickerbockers have to stop there?

 

The Knicks made two payroll-slashing trades Friday that suggest they have far more grandiose ideas about the delicious free-agent summer of 2010. When I ran this past a few people who would know how they think in the executive suite at Madison Square Garden, I wasn't exactly dissuaded from the following claim: Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni are brazen enough to think they'll have enough flexibility to try to sign LeBron, Chris Bosh and Steve Nash for Nash's last hurrah when the bidding opens, oh, about 586 days from now.

 

And here's the thing: That might just be mathematically possible now.

 

[We need Tom Tupa]

LeBron is not Michael Finley or Grant Hill, latching on to a good team for a shot at a ring. He could go to the Oklahoma City Thunder, even in a straight up trade for Kevin Durant, and make them a title contender. I don't think it has to do with money either. In terms of strict NBA salary, the Cavs can offer him more than any team, and there's everything Dan Gilbert can do on the side to stuff his pockets...not to mention all the endorsements he already has. It's just New York City. I never bought the Nets rumors because I thought it was just ridiculous to think he'd leave because he's friends with Jay-Z....but if it's the Knicks, Madison Square Garden, Spike Lee, all the history...I can see him going.

Exactly. Lebron is going to win a championship regardless of where he goes. Cleveland bringing in guys like Ben Wallace and Mo Williams isnt going to get him to ignore a call from the biggest name in basketball - Madison Square Garden. But even if you do think he's looking for the best chance to win a championship, you need to recognize that the Nets have a better roster than the Cavs, the Bulls are willing to spend more than the Cavs, and the Knicks are willing to buy any player he wants. Cleveland cant offer him a better roster than the other teams in the running, and they wont offer him more money. Why would he stay, out of the kindness of his heart?

 

And if I was Lebron, I would have to worry that any effort Cleveland makes to surround me with better players will end as soon as I re-sign or win 1 ring.

[SoCalBrownsFan]

Lebron is NOT staying in Cleveland when his contract is up. You don't break out the BIG APPLE edition of your signature sneakers, like he did in tonights game, and not expect Cavs fans to see where your heart is. He is a goner. The draw of NY, Jay-Z and Lebron's megalomaniac personality, (and large dollars)are too hard to pass up. I swear if I see him wear another teams crap to a Cleveland game again, I'm gonna hurl.

[DTBH]

Yeah, SoCal. I watched the game tonight, and if there was ever a time when I was sure he was leaving...it's tonight. Like others have said, it won't be because he's ring chasing when he's got an oppurtunity here.

 

But he likes the Big Apple. He likes the Garden. Always plays well there. He likes playing in front of Jay-Z and Spike Lee. (and he may be young and stupid enough to let that factor in).

 

I still think there's a good chance he stays. Not necessarily to be loyal to Cleveland or Ohio, but because he wants to be able to say he built a franchise and he also will have a good team around him and continuity with that team.

[Guest Masters]

Lebron is NOT staying in Cleveland when his contract is up. You don't break out the BIG APPLE edition of your signature sneakers, like he did in tonights game, and not expect Cavs fans to see where your heart is. He is a goner. The draw of NY, Jay-Z and Lebron's megalomaniac personality, (and large dollars)are too hard to pass up. I swear if I see him wear another teams crap to a Cleveland game again, I'm gonna hurl.

 

Why do his sneakers have any bearing? He had freakin' Yankees ones a few years ago.

 

Did Jordan, who was a personality, need NY? It's about winning championships. Nothing more, nothing less. James is already a global icon, he doesn't need NY for that.

 

As to the comment from elsewhere about the Garden. It's not just the mecca for basketball, it is the mecca for all sports. Every hockey player, basketball player, boxer, and pro wrestler talks about loving performing in the Garden. It is America's version of the roman collisium. Just cause guys love playing there and showing off there, doesn't mean they run to a team that plays there. One has nothing to do with the other.

[Guest Masters]

Yeah, SoCal. I watched the game tonight, and if there was ever a time when I was sure he was leaving...it's tonight. Like others have said, it won't be because he's ring chasing when he's got an oppurtunity here.

 

But he likes the Big Apple. He likes the Garden. Always plays well there. He likes playing in front of Jay-Z and Spike Lee. (and he may be young and stupid enough to let that factor in).

 

I still think there's a good chance he stays. Not necessarily to be loyal to Cleveland or Ohio, but because he wants to be able to say he built a franchise and he also will have a good team around him and continuity with that team.

 

Actually, listen to his whole presser on NBA.com and what Gary Payton had to say about it. James is playing with the media. He said nothing in that interview other than pot stiring quotes one can twist. What, cirlce the date in 2010? Big pay day (only CLE can offer him the most money)? It's all a joke.

 

Every major athlete that gets to play in the Garden loves the Garden. It's the Garden.

 

You last part is far more likely. Remember, who is James's idol? That's right MJ. Where did MJ play? Chicago which is not much more of a major sports or media market than CLE. He was that franchise. James wants what Jordan did. Titles and being the man who made the franchise. As long as CLE continues to improve the talent around him, and he can win titles, he will stay. His primary goal has always been championships.

 

[WPB Dawg Fan]

Masters...you and I have the same thought process.

 

James is doing what any intelligent FA to be would do. He is telling everyone what they want to hear...that he CAN be had...and so they will up the ante....and the CAVS will have to match....and I am NOT talking about money.

 

He is basically forcing the CAVS to get him his 'Pippen'. If NY is willing to go after Bosh...the CAVS have to be willing as well. If he wants Redd....he is putting the CAVS on notice they better go get him.

 

This is posturing at it's best.

 

As for the stupid shows....does anyone outside of Cleveland want a CLEVELAND shoe? NO! But kids around the world will do ANYTHING to get a BIG APPLE shoe. That is nothing more than smart marketing...just like introducing it in MSG is the only place an intelligent businessman would do it.

[Guest Masters]

Masters...you and I have the same thought process.

 

James is doing what any intelligent FA to be would do. He is telling everyone what they want to hear...that he CAN be had...and so they will up the ante....and the CAVS will have to match....and I am NOT talking about money.

 

He is basically forcing the CAVS to get him his 'Pippen'. If NY is willing to go after Bosh...the CAVS have to be willing as well. If he wants Redd....he is putting the CAVS on notice they better go get him.

 

This is posturing at it's best.

 

As for the stupid shows....does anyone outside of Cleveland want a CLEVELAND shoe? NO! But kids around the world will do ANYTHING to get a BIG APPLE shoe. That is nothing more than smart marketing...just like introducing it in MSG is the only place an intelligent businessman would do it.

 

Dead on WPD, dead on.

[DTBH]

Masters/WPB --

 

That idea makes really good sense to me. That he'd be posturing to try to get Cleveland go get the best players around him. Part of me wonders whether he's really that smart, or his ego just loves all the attention regarding it. I hope he is that smart and I hope that's what he's doing.

 

I know every player out there in the world loves MSG/New York and wants to play there, but LeBron more so than any of them. The guy has celeb friends there, wears New York hats, and even has a shoe made stricly for New York. I don't think it's out of the question that he'd be silly and egotistical enough to want to be the king of New York. Not out of the question at all. Imagine that poster hanging in Cleveland hanging in Times Square. That's the type of temptation he has to resist.

 

I guess we'll see what the truth is when it happens. I'm still leaving that he's staying in Cleveland, though.

[Guest Masters]

Masters/WPB --

 

That idea makes really good sense to me. That he'd be posturing to try to get Cleveland go get the best players around him. Part of me wonders whether he's really that smart, or his ego just loves all the attention regarding it. I hope he is that smart and I hope that's what he's doing.

 

I know every player out there in the world loves MSG/New York and wants to play there, but LeBron more so than any of them. The guy has celeb friends there, wears New York hats, and even has a shoe made stricly for New York. I don't think it's out of the question that he'd be silly and egotistical enough to want to be the king of New York. Not out of the question at all. Imagine that poster hanging in Cleveland hanging in Times Square. That's the type of temptation he has to resist.

 

I guess we'll see what the truth is when it happens. I'm still leaving that he's staying in Cleveland, though.

 

A few things. One, yes, the kid is that smart. One of his buddies, Warren Buffett. The guy is a business man. He also of course loves all the attention. He wants to be the eye of the NBA over Kobe. His priority is winning championships and being known for that. Since HS he is a win first player. So it comes down to where he will win.

 

I don't think anyone loves playins in MSG more or less than James. Every big time player says what James said. Kobe, MJ, etc. Heck, the love of MSG had people thinking a few years ago Kobe would leave the Lakers for the Knicks. James has been a Yankee fan since he was a kid. As WPD pointed out, people around the world would buy a NY shoe, but not a CLE shoe. James had a Yankee shoe too. And it is not made strickly for NY. It is global product. It feature NY, which is the icon of america. Oh, and I am pretty sure he already has a big bilboard in NY time square (Nike ain't dummies), just not drapped down a giant building. He already is the king of NY and doesn't play there. He is the king in most cities with an NBA franchise, because people want to see him play.

 

Celeb friends? All I can say is you can't find a great sports athlete who doesn't have those. If it was about celeb friends, then it would be the Nets, not the Knicks (Jay-Z part owner of Nets and celeb friend).

 

As long as CLE is in position to win championships, James will not leave.

[Guest Masters]

When you get both the questions and the answers from what James said yesterday in NY, it shows he said nothing. I have bolded the most interesting one to me.

 

Transcript of LeBron's pregame news conference

by Brian Windhorst

Tuesday November 25, 2008, 6:58 PM

LeBron gets his NYC closeup

 

There were about 50 media members at LeBron's pre-game press conference. Here is the transcript, minus some questions about the Yankees. The game details are blow

 

Q: Hey LeBron, would you like to play for the Knicks someday?

 

A: Right now I'm trying to focus on what I have at task. That's the Cavs and us getting better everyday and compete for a championship. To bring that type of distraction to our team right now would be unfair to my team, the coaching staff and the rest of the organization.

 

Q: You're not blind, teams are making trades and it is clear what teams are trying to do.

 

A: July 1 of 2010 is going to be a big day. It's probably going to be one of the biggest days in the history of free agency in the NBA. A lot of teams are gearing up to put themselves in position to get one of the big free agents.

 

Q: Last week you said you wanted to end up where you could play for the most championships. Does the size of the marketplace matter to you at all?

 

A: That is something that is not a factor. You look at a guy like Tim Duncan, who decided to sign in San Antnio. He took pay cuts so they could sign Manu and Tony Parker and compete for a championship. We all know San Antonio is not a big market at all. So for me, it is all about winning, it's not about the market.

 

 

Q: You said Tim took less, does that mean you would take less than a max contract if it meant bringing in more talent?

 

A: I didn't say that (laughs). I like the talent part but I didn't say I was taking less.

 

Q: You've said you have respect for this building, do you have a different impression for the team that plays here now than you did for the last few years?

 

A: I think coach Mike D'Antoni has done a great job thus far to get them in a system that works for them. I think in the last couple of years they have been in a system that doesn't work for them. In the past they've had the same type of players and Mike has allowed them to get up and down and run and gun. It's definitely a different team.

 

Q: If Cleveland won in the next year or two years, would it be easier or harder for you to consider leaving?

 

A: I don't know. We're going to try to do our best this year to try to win it and try to win it next year. Like I said, July 1 is a big day...for me to give you an answer of where I am going or whether I am staying or not, I don't know.

 

Q: Do you like playing in up-tempo systems?

 

A: I had fun this summer bringing that offense to the Olympic Team. We were able to do some things offensively that were honestly unstoppable.

 

Q: LeBron, are you flattered by all the attention that you're getting in New York?

 

A: Absolutely, I am flattered that teams or there rumors go around that would love for me to be a part of their team. I can't sit up here and say I'm not flattered. But right now I am with the Cavs. To answer your question, yes...we'll see what happens.

 

Q: What about New York appeals to you?

 

A: I think the fans. The fans are really great. They love the game of basketball. Every time I come here there is a warm feeling because you know the history...being a basketball junkie how could you not love being in this building?

 

Q: How close of a relationship did you develop with Mike D'Antoni this summer?

 

A: Really close. Coach D'Antoni gave me a lot of freedom on the offensive end. I was a leader of that team and let me oversee a lot of the plays. I think we all know Mike D'Antoni's system is all about freedom. It was great to be out there and be a part of that system. To be a part of that mastermind, of that system, you are like "wow."

 

Q: Are you worried that some endorsements aren't going to be there like they were in the past?

 

A: I don't know...I know I have great relationships with the partners I have. All of them are long-term deals. There's always going to be deals out there.

 

If he doesn't want to take less money, then he won't be leaving CLE. No one can offer more money to him than CLE under NBA rules.

 

[DTBH]

I hope you are right, man.

 

I've just been watching this kid play and grow for the past 5-6 years on a nightly basis, and I feel like I'm in a real good touch of what his ego/personality is. It's gigantic. He's win first, but he also likes to get all the credit for it over his teammates like any other guy. He loves glitz, glamour, and attention.

 

NYC would be a giant ego-feeder for him and I'm not sure he's mature/smart enough to reject it, that's all I'm saying. Just because they say once on tv that he's "buddies" with Warren Buffet does not mean he is a genius. That's just TV Fodder for "they know each other and are courtious to eachother."

 

If you don't think New York is temptation island at least a LITTLE bit for the kid, you're insane.

 

About that interview -- would you expect him to give any sort of hint about leaving Cleveland in the midst of a 11-3 start? He basically can't say or even hint he's signing elsewhere, it would be a catasrophe.

 

You gotta look at his actions right now because he's not going to say anything.

[SoCalBrownsFan]

I hope you are right, man.

 

I've just been watching this kid play and grow for the past 5-6 years on a nightly basis, and I feel like I'm in a real good touch of what his ego/personality is. It's gigantic. He's win first, but he also likes to get all the credit for it over his teammates like any other guy. He loves glitz, glamour, and attention.

 

NYC would be a giant ego-feeder for him and I'm not sure he's mature/smart enough to reject it, that's all I'm saying. Just because they say once on tv that he's "buddies" with Warren Buffet does not mean he is a genius. That's just TV Fodder for "they know each other and are courtious to eachother."

 

If you don't think New York is temptation island at least a LITTLE bit for the kid, you're insane.

 

About that interview -- would you expect him to give any sort of hint about leaving Cleveland in the midst of a 11-3 start? He basically can't say or even hint he's signing elsewhere, it would be a catasrophe.

 

You gotta look at his actions right now because he's not going to say anything.

 

 

I could not have said it better myself. I still think LeBron is a goner when his contract is up. He not only wants to win championships, but be a mega star in other arenas of life. (Music, endorsements, etc)

Enjoy him now Cleveland, he's going bye bye in less than 2 years.

[Guest Masters]

I hope you are right, man.

 

I've just been watching this kid play and grow for the past 5-6 years on a nightly basis, and I feel like I'm in a real good touch of what his ego/personality is. It's gigantic. He's win first, but he also likes to get all the credit for it over his teammates like any other guy. He loves glitz, glamour, and attention.

 

NYC would be a giant ego-feeder for him and I'm not sure he's mature/smart enough to reject it, that's all I'm saying. Just because they say once on tv that he's "buddies" with Warren Buffet does not mean he is a genius. That's just TV Fodder for "they know each other and are courtious to eachother."

 

If you don't think New York is temptation island at least a LITTLE bit for the kid, you're insane.

 

About that interview -- would you expect him to give any sort of hint about leaving Cleveland in the midst of a 11-3 start? He basically can't say or even hint he's signing elsewhere, it would be a catasrophe.

 

You gotta look at his actions right now because he's not going to say anything.

 

Read this. It is the same reasons I don't buy James going to NY. What temptation is there?

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/stor...bigapple-081126

 

He regular has met with Buffet (no it doesn't mean he's a genius). He goes to him about financial stuff, because he is smart enough as a business man at this point to know who to get advise from.

 

Of course he isn't saying anything. That is the point, which I guess you missed. All this media hype about him leaving (Knicks, Nets, and who knows what next) is made up by the media. James has given no hint he will leave, other than if the Cavs aren't getting him titles, he will go to where titles can be won. He knows that is how a legacy is defined.

 

I've been watching the kid since HS (how people forget while playing in little old Akron his games were on ESPN).

 

As to the James taking credit over for wins, you apparently haven't ever listened to him after a bad game by him and a win by the team. He always dishes out credit to his teammates. Even when he goes off, if the team is playing well, he credits it to the other players, not to himself.

[ballpeen]

I think he is gone ring or no ring.

 

If he gets one, then he has it.

 

If he doesn't, it provides his excuse.

[DTBH]

Read this. It is the same reasons I don't buy James going to NY. What temptation is there?

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/stor...bigapple-081126

 

He regular has met with Buffet (no it doesn't mean he's a genius). He goes to him about financial stuff, because he is smart enough as a business man at this point to know who to get advise from.

 

Of course he isn't saying anything. That is the point, which I guess you missed. All this media hype about him leaving (Knicks, Nets, and who knows what next) is made up by the media. James has given no hint he will leave, other than if the Cavs aren't getting him titles, he will go to where titles can be won. He knows that is how a legacy is defined.

 

I've been watching the kid since HS (how people forget while playing in little old Akron his games were on ESPN).

 

As to the James taking credit over for wins, you apparently haven't ever listened to him after a bad game by him and a win by the team. He always dishes out credit to his teammates. Even when he goes off, if the team is playing well, he credits it to the other players, not to himself.

 

Of course the guy says the right things in interviews about winning and giving credit to teammates. He wants people to believe he's unselfish and win-first. Which he is, but not solely. Are you dumb enough to expect him not to say the right things? Almost every player SAYS the right things.

 

Again, look at his actions. While people like you have been clamouring for his "unselfishness," his ego has plagued this ball club with ballhogging, caring more about flashy steals and break-away highlight dunks than actual defense, 1 vs. 5 offense, and distrust of his guards to run the show. Just now is he maturing to the point of trusting the offense and guards and doing things within the game that don't show up on the stat sheet. His ego is and always has been his biggest detriment.

 

He's just always been smart enough to do things to get people to THINK he's highly unselfish. Most players aren't great at that, but he is. And apparently it worked, at least on you. That kid has a long way to go in the unselfish department to truly be unselfish. He does a lot of things within the game that make him look good but don't necessarily help the team win.

 

I know he's met with Buffet. It's more likely that it was more of a social event than an actual discussion over which mutual funds are performing best. He's not dumb, but he's also not the most articulate man in the world. As evidenced by

 

Sure, the media has come up with this for the most part on their own. That doesn't mean there isn't legitmacy to it, because even if there was, like I already had to explain to you, LeBron would NOT say anything to give it away.

 

I don't know what delusional world you're living in, but if you don't think there's at least a CHANCE that his ego drags him to go be the King of the biggest and best city in the world, you're crazy. Especially when he gets all hyped about playing in front of Jay-Z and them every time. Being the king of New York is way more ego-friendly than Cleveland. He CAN'T give a hint that he would leave. It would destroy the Cavs this year and next. But what he can do, is drop a quote like "I would love to play in Cleveland my whole career," and he hasn't done that either. No hint in either direction.

 

Like I've said all along, I think chances are he stays. But we don't know yet.