He gets more and more narcissistic with each day.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/12/24/basketball.nba.lebron.james/index.html?hpt=C2

It's funny, Jordan was probably the most narcissistic athlete of his generation (and maybe ever) but everyone either loved him, respected him or both because he won and won the right way. Amazing how one decision forever villified Lebron.

James also recently said that they need to contract the league, eliminating the bad teams. He said that there's too much talent on a select number of teams. Hmmmmm. I wonder why. What a jackass.

it's more than one decision.

It's The Decsion. it's maverick carter. it's the comments he's made so far in miami. it's the 500k per ticket for birthday. it's the fact that he gave up on the cavs in the most important game os his career thus far. and it's the fact he's backing the owners instead of the players association on the impending lockout.

http://m.yahoo.com/w/sports/home/expertsarchive/article?offset=0&urn=urn%3Anewsml%3Asports.yahoo%2Cyhoo%3A20050301%3Anba%2Carticle%2Caw-kobelebron122410%3A1&author=Adrian%2BWojnarowski&.ts=1293223236&.tsrc=pcsports&.intl=US&.lang=en

lebron is a tool. and i believe he will never win a championship. he's top 5 most physically gifted of all time. but just doesn't have what it takes mentally.

[This message has been edited by Simplebay (edited 12/24/2010 6:12p).]

A guy who pimps Kobe non-stop doesnt get to call anyone a tool

quote:

---

He said that there's too much talent on a select number of teams. Hmmmmm. I wonder why. What a jackass.

---

That's not what he said at all.


Here are his comments:

quote:

---

In defending his decision to join up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat, James said the league was better when numerous teams had multiple stars. He said he hopes the league can return to that someday, because right now there isn't enough talent to support the 30 current teams.

"Hopefully the league can figure out one way where it can go back to the '80s where you had three or four All-Stars, three or four superstars, three or four Hall of Famers on the same team," James said. "The league was great. It wasn't as watered down as it is [now]."

---

I think the NBA should start contracting teams. Get rid of New Orleans and the LA Clippers first. Then get rid of Toronto and Memphis. And go back to the 5-7-7-7 NBA playoffs.

I agree on the contraction thing... the league's really watered down and has been for a while now... before just this season. Teams are bleeding money and the product is just not great quality until maybe the Conference Finals.

quote:

---

A guy who pimps Kobe non-stop doesnt get to call anyone a tool

---

amen

oh and yes, get rid of toronto, memphis, the clippers and the timberwolves

How much will prices go up if he ever wins a title?

by the way, lebron isnt charging 500,000 dollars to attend his birthday. He is trying to sell sponsorship to his party, with prices ranging from 10k-500k. Gotta love how simpleton can't read and will do anything to deride lebron

LeBron makes Kobe look classy... and that's pretty damn hard to do.

At what era is James fantasizing about?
When did he start watching the NBA, after the Bird-Magic era and after Jordan had won some titles?

Because of the foreign players, the league is more talented now than ever. What stars were on those horrendous Dallas Maverick teams pre-Cuban? Even when there was less than 12-teams, you are finding teams winning less than 30% of their games.

I don't fault LBJ for his choice to go to Miami, but I would like to know what era he believes the talent was better throughout the league.

The league is not going to contract.

quote:

---

I don't fault LBJ for his choice to go to Miami, but I would like to know what era he believes the talent was better throughout the league.

---

That's not what he said. He prefers the talent to be concentrated on a few teams instead of spread out.

Sure maybe there is more total talent as a whole now because of foreigners and better conditioning, but it is still watered down compared to the 80s if you look at a "stars per team" ratio. Bill Simmons broke this down in a column a few years ago.

What teams in the 80s had multiple HoF's? The Lakers and Celtics. Hardly the entire league.

LeBron and the Heat are pimp slappin Kobe right now.

quote:

---

What teams in the 80s had multiple HoF's? The Lakers and Celtics. Hardly the entire league.

---

Just for the sake of completion, the 76ers had Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, Andrew Toney, and Mo Cheeks. (Toney and Cheeks obviously aren't HOFs)

And then I guess you could add Stockton and Malone, Jordan and Pippen, Thomas and Dumars, and Gervin and Gilmore; But over the course of a decade, I'm sure we could find just as many teams from the 90s and 00s that had two or more HoF-caliber players too, so this doesn't really prove anything.

quote:

---

That's not what he said. He prefers the talent to be concentrated on a few teams instead of spread out.

---

Right, his quote is actually more ridiculous.
Hopefully the league can figure out one way where it can go back to the '80s where you had three or four All-Stars, three or four superstars, three or four Hall of Famers on the same team," James said. "The league was great. It wasn't as watered down as it is"

I guess I would like to see what year he was talking about where this was happening.



[This message has been edited by Iowaggie (edited 12/25/2010 9:09p).]

quote:

---

he gave up on the cavs in the most important game os his career thus far.

---

I don't know too many players who can put up a triple-double after quitting so I guess LeBron must be REAL good. Maybe just maybe since basketball is a team sport he could have used some help from said team. Unfortunately the Cavaliers couldn't and can't and won't ever be able to form a team.

And LeBron's comments make a great point. The Lakers and Celtics have been putting together "Big 3's" for decades and never been criticized for it because they are the Lakers and the Celtics. But at the same time that is why they have 35+ championships between them. LeBron's comments to me mean that unless the rest of the league starts putting together teams with 3 or 4 great players (ala 90's-Bulls and 2000's - Spurs) the Celtics and Lakers will continue to dominate.

quote:

---

James also recently said that they need to contract the league, eliminating the bad teams. He said that there's too much talent on a select number of teams. Hmmmmm. I wonder why. What a jackass.

---

Hmmmmm maybe he is talking about the Lakers and Celtics, because when they put together teams with 3 or 4 great players on them they don't get near the criticism.

The Celtics signed Ray Allen through free agency which was hardly enough for that team to get over the hump. And then the Celtics traded half of their roster (including Al Jefferson) to get an aging Kevin Garnett.

The Lakers were the lucky recipients of complete ineptitude from Memphis' front office. Odom was already there and was a major disappointment. They got Bynum through the draft and signing Artest after releasing Ariza was basically a wash.

The Heat on the other hand had Dwyane Wade and loose cash. They had superstars in their primes mulling over the idea of joining forces for years. Again, in their primes. This isn't a Celtics situation where it came together in stages. It was basically collusion by two superstars who couldn't get it done on their own.

And then throw in "The Decision" and all that mess.

Technically, the Celtics traded for Ray Allen...but the rest of your point is valid.

quote:

---

Hopefully the league can figure out one way where it can go back to the '80s where you had three or four All-Stars, three or four superstars, three or four Hall of Famers on the same team," James said. "The league was great. It wasn't as watered down as it is"

I guess I would like to see what year he was talking about where this was happening.

---

In 1983 there were 3 teams that had 10 of the 24 all-stars - 76ers(4), Lakers(3), Sonics(3)

The 76ers, Celtics and Lakers had 3+ all-stars almost every year, and also the Suns, Sonice, Pistons, Jazz, and Cavaliers had 3 all-stars in a season during the 80s.

Contrast that to the 00s, where only the Suns, Pistons and Celtics had 3 all-stars, and none during the same season. The Spurs have 3 all-star caliber players, but it seems every year one of them has an off year or is injured so they don't all get the awards simultaneously.

It was more entertaining in the 80s when the good teams were loaded.

[This message has been edited by InternetFan02 (edited 12/26/2010 11:10a).]

quote:

---

It was basically collusion by two superstars who couldn't get it done on their own.

---

How are you supposed to get it done when you look to the East and see the Celtics who have 4 GREAT players and look to the West and see the Lakers with 2 All-Stars + Bynum and Odom? Not to mention the Spurs with their aging but still very good "Big 3."

Doing it on your own doesn't happen. Magic didn't do it neither did Bird or Jordan or Kobe. Championships are won by great TEAMS not individuals, and a team includes a great front office which neither Toronto nor Cleveland had.

Bosh and Lebron gave their teams 7 years to build something around them and it never happened, they would have been idiots to stay in those franchises after that. Neither franchise could get a free agent or a draft pick that would near resemble an All-Star and I personally can't remember the last NBA Championship team that had less than 2 All-Stars on their team.

quote:

---

This isn't a Celtics situation where it came together in stages. It was basically collusion by two superstars who couldn't get it done on their own.

---

Why is it sooo wrong for 3 guys to want to play together and set it up to make that happen, yet Garnett basically *****es and moans his way out of Minnesota and that's cool? Is that also not somewhat self destructive to his team?

quote:

---

The Celtics signed Ray Allen through free agency which was hardly enough for that team to get over the hump. And then the Celtics traded half of their roster (including Al Jefferson) to get an aging Kevin Garnett.

---

Ray Allen and Baby Davis were traded for Delonte West, Wally Z and the number 5 pick in the draft - Jeff Green.

glad the Thundersonics made that deal

Funny how some of the posters mentioned getting rid of the LA Clippers, they are one of the most profitable NBA teams and despite their mediocre history the team owner Donald Sterling always wins out since he does not have to worry about paying crazy superstar contracts and shares the Staples Center with the Lakers. For him having a lousy team makes him money.

As for LeBron.... He has not won a title yet, despite his stellar performances and the media uber-hype he is no closer to a ring then everyone else in the league. If he really wants a ring then he needs to turn down the media hype and focus on playing good basketball with a good all-around team.

The Miami Heat are indeed loaded with potential All-Stars but the NBA season is 82 games and 4 Playoff rounds so we will have to wait and see if his Big 3 + nobody can go Toe to Toe with proven Title winners like Boston, LA and San Antonio.

As for me, I enjoy my low key and off the radar Spurs. They have given the city 4 titles and a decade of consistent great play.

How old was Lebron James in the 80's anyhow? What I remember about 80's basketball was that only the Lakers and Celtics were on TV, Finals games routinely took place in the middle of the day, and regular playoff (not Conference finals or Finals) games were generally nowhere to be found on any of the 4 stations available to most people.

I agree with the above poster who said there were only 2 teams that fit Lebron's "3 all-star" description, and that was the Lakers and the Celtics. All those other teams had single superstars that "made their teammates better". Does anyone really believe Bill Laimbeer, Vinny Johnson and Joe Dumars would be household names if they weren't on the same team as Isaiah Thomas?

Lebron is a gravy-trainer, and he's trying to justify his gravy-training by saying "its making the league better". Meanwhile, you have guys like MJ and Barkley that were not only ALIVE back in the "bad old days", but also actually PLAYING basketball in the NBA, saying the exact opposite. Back in those days, the superstars didn't want to play WITH each other, they all wanted to BEAT each other.

Lebron's general attitude is what is "diluting" the entertainment value of the NBA. If he really wants to generate a throwback atmosphere, why not go back to 80's salary and ticket prices as well? I remember enjoying games a lot more when I didn't have to mortgage a house just to sit in the nosebleeds.

[/RANT]

quote:

---

Meanwhile, you have guys like MJ and Barkley that were not only ALIVE back in the "bad old days", but also actually PLAYING basketball in the NBA, saying the exact opposite. Back in those days, the superstars didn't want to play WITH each other, they all wanted to BEAT each other.

---

A. Pippen was a legit top 10 NBA player when Jordan played with him.

B. It's pretty easy for Barkley to talk **** now, but people seem to forget that he did everything in his power to move to a much better Phoenix team than what Philly had when that trade happened and sort of did the same thing to get to Houston.

The last person to win a title without the help of a bonafide all star besides himself was Hakeem in 93-94... he even had help in 94-95.

[This message has been edited by ATM9000 (edited 12/27/2010 10:30a).]

To be fair, Philly's management when Barkley was there was kinda Clipper-like. I wouldn't fault any superstar to pushing their way out of an environment where the management wasn't committed to winning. And Barkley wasn't specifically pushing towards Phoenix. He just wanted off a sinking ship.

There was a deal that fell apart at the last minute because the Spurs management was afraid of Barkley's bad boy reputation, and they pulled out of a deal of Sean Elliott for Barkley after Philly agreed to it. That may have cost them a title. The Jordan Bulls always struggled with dominant centers like Robinson and Hakeem.

My point still mostly stands though... the idea that these guys were so noble about playing for themselves and not eyeing and moving to get themselves the best supporting cast in the 80's and 90's is basically garbage.

ATM-

I'll concede your point re:Pippen, although to be fair, (a) Pippen didn't really start to shine until the early 90's, not the 80's, which is the time period Lebron is referring to, and (b) Pippen's situation was grass-roots; Chicago made a really great trade decision and acquired him without really knowing how good he would be, much like the Spurs made a great draft decision and selected Ginobili. I don't see how you can really say Pippen proves Lebron's point and ignore the fact that guys like Ginobili exist in today's NBA.

As far as Barkley is concerned, yes, he joined a "better" Phoenix team, but I could argue that there are currently several teams in the league that have trios that are comparable to what Barkely joined in Phoenix, even if you remove the obvious Celtic/Laker/Heat/Spurs examples (Barkley/Marjerle/Johnson = Durant/Westbrook/Green = Butler/Kidd/Nowitski = Rose/Boozer/Noah). Thus, again the team that Barkley was on was comparable to MANY of today's NBA lineups. Also, this example happened again, in the 90's, not the eighties. Most of the "expansion" to which Lebron is referring had occurred at or around that time.

[This message has been edited by MassAggie97 (edited 12/27/2010 11:00a).]

And nobody is arguing that it is unfair for a superstar to wish for a better "supporting cast". But to suggest that Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh are the only adequate "supporting cast" Lebron has had is nonsense.

That's like saying the Indianapolis Colts have slighted Peyton Manning by not trying to acquire Andre Johnson and Adrian Peterson.