[Couch]

No one can fault him for leaving. But Lebron didn't have to do it with the middle finger in the air. LeBron isn't a classy guy like people want to say he is. Especially after this.

While the owner of the Cavs had to say something for the fans, he could have written that letter far more professionally and still came out as everyone feeling bad for them. Now he looks like the bitter ex-girlfriend.

[wj4]

Last post..battery on laptop is dying, lol.

I think it was LeBron's people who suggested the TV special since all of the money from ads and such will go to the Boy And Girl Club. You know, for PR purposes.

It will be interesting to see him go back to play in Cleveland.

Cannot wait for the season to start!

[Couch]

Originally Posted by wj4

Last post..battery on laptop is dying, lol.

I think it was LeBron's people who suggested the TV special since all of the money from ads and such will go to the Boy And Girl Club. You know, for PR purposes.

It will be interesting to see him go back to play in Cleveland.

Cannot wait for the season to start!

Sadly, I doubt all of the ad money goes to the B&G Club, probably less than 50%.

Imagine this though, Lakes vs. Miami finals. Talk about interesting. Even better and bittersweet for Cleveland fans when Kobe wins another ring and old Phil has his 4th-Trifecta. That will put the nail in the coffin for Kobe being the closest thing to Jordan argument that (unnecessarily) continues to be argued.

[OC Guy]

Originally Posted by Couch

Sadly, I doubt all of the ad money goes to the B&G Club, probably less than 50%.

Imagine this though, Lakes vs. Miami finals. Talk about interesting. Even better and bittersweet for Cleveland fans when Kobe wins another ring and old Phil has his 4th-Trifecta. That will put the nail in the coffin for Kobe being the closest thing to Jordan argument that (unnecessarily) continues to be argued.

Agree unnecessarily however since we're on that point...

If Kobe/Gasol/Lakers beat the Miami trio, that adds a lot to his legacy. MJ never had to face such stiff competition. The Celtics arguably were a better team than anything Jordan ever faced.

[Couch]

Originally Posted by OC 335i

Agree unnecessarily however since we're on that point...

If Kobe/Gasol/Lakers beat the Miami trio, that adds a lot to his legacy. MJ never had to face such stiff competition. The Celtics arguably were a better team than anything Jordan ever faced.

Definitely.

We just have to wait and see how great they play together, and who the other 2 players will be on the starting roster. They have A LOT to live up to, only time will tell if they can make it happen.

[coh4777]

Originally Posted by Bavarian III

That article is psshhhhhh.

Dude left out on $30 million dollars by not signing to Cleveland, if he stayed there they would all say it was for the money.

By not playing for the Knicks, dude won't play for the biggest stage in the NBA. If he went there it would've been for the fame.

By not playing for the Bulls, dude's missing out on a better team core, and the chance to follow the footsteps of the GOAT. If he went there it would've been to challenge MJ's spot as the greatest Bull of all time.


Instead of all this, Lebron James forfeited any future argument of him being better than MJ. Dude gave up his chance of becoming the GOAT in an attempt to instead create what could become the greatest TEAM of all time...


and people are calling him selfish? GTFO. He just wants to win. Doesn't everyone? This scrutiny is ridiculous.

Totally agree with you on this. So many haters out there it's unbelievable! While I think it would have been beyond awesome if LBJ had stayed in Cleveland and carried a mediocre (at best) team to a championship, what was the real liklihood that would happen? He needed a legitimate sidekick to get him there and as much as he tried to get Chris Bosh to join him, it didn't happen. So at the point what what are his choices? Stay in Cleveland and feel the love but very likely no rings? Or go to where he can win now and in the future? AND be taking LESS money to do it! He doesn't care about the moeny, his legacy or his stats because he wants to WIN, and isn't that what we ultimately expect from an athlete? And also let's be real here, Kobe does not win without Shaq and later Gasol. Magic does not win without Kareem and company. Bird does not win without McHale and company. Drexler does not win without Hakeem. KG, Pierce and Allen do not win until they are together. You could even argue MJ does not win without Scottie. It is so hard to win championships in the NBA. Look at Malone and Stockton. Look at Nash and Dirk. Do you think LeBron wanted to end up like them? Immensely talented but lacking the pieces around him to win? Hell no! I totally respect his decision.

Now maybe the WAY he did it was hurtful for Cavs fans, but he gave them 7 amazing years. They were a perenial backwater franchise that were lucky to even get him in the first place, and while I can understand the bitterness, they should also be grateful to LeBron for all the work he put in there.

And finally, seeing Dan Gilbert's reaction only further justifies LeBron's decision to leave. Would you want to work for a guy who flies off the handle like that when the chips are down? I mean seriously, what was that??? I'm sure it was a side of Mr. Gilbert that LeBron had seen during their time together and if so, I would imagine it had at least some impact on his decision. Miami has got a solid owner and great management, something that Cleveland sorely lacks. If the Cavs are huffing and puffing about winning a championship now, where was that fire and passion when you had the greatest player for the last seven years???

[OC Guy]

Holy wall of rant^^

LOL. No state tax equates to around the same money.

[darkcloud]

I personally think Dan Gilbert was more than justified. He's a hot head and wears his heart on his sleve. LeBron could have easily made this process a heck of a lot softer on his the Cavaliers organization. He spoke from the heart and finally called LeBron out on shit that ESPN never will. He did quit in the playoffs and he did string Cleveland along.

Best thing I heard today though....

"Hey LeBron, Delonte West took his talent to your mom's south beach"

I know there are a lot of doubters but I still think Cleveland will be competitive. The Cavs will make a few moves and Byron Scott is going to do his business. Can't wait for the first time the Heat come to Cleveland, it's going to be a shit show.

[nightkhan]

Originally Posted by coh4777

Totally agree with you on this. So many haters out there it's unbelievable! While I think it would have been beyond awesome if LBJ had stayed in Cleveland and carried a mediocre (at best) team to a championship, what was the real liklihood that would happen? He needed a legitimate sidekick to get him there and as much as he tried to get Chris Bosh to join him, it didn't happen. So at the point what what are his choices? Stay in Cleveland and feel the love but very likely no rings? Or go to where he can win now and in the future? AND be taking LESS money to do it! He doesn't care about the moeny, his legacy or his stats because he wants to WIN, and isn't that what we ultimately expect from an athlete? And also let's be real here, Kobe does not win without Shaq and later Gasol. Magic does not win without Kareem and company. Bird does not win without McHale and company. Drexler does not win without Hakeem. KG, Pierce and Allen do not win until they are together. You could even argue MJ does not win without Scottie. It is so hard to win championships in the NBA. Look at Malone and Stockton. Look at Nash and Dirk. Do you think LeBron wanted to end up like them? Immensely talented but lacking the pieces around him to win? Hell no! I totally respect his decision.

Now maybe the WAY he did it was hurtful for Cavs fans, but he gave them 7 amazing years. They were a perenial backwater franchise that were lucky to even get him in the first place, and while I can understand the bitterness, they should also be grateful to LeBron for all the work he put in there.

And finally, seeing Dan Gilbert's reaction only further justifies LeBron's decision to leave. Would you want to work for a guy who flies off the handle like that when the chips are down? I mean seriously, what was that??? I'm sure it was a side of Mr. Gilbert that LeBron had seen during their time together and if so, I would imagine it had at least some impact on his decision. Miami has got a solid owner and great management, something that Cleveland sorely lacks. If the Cavs are huffing and puffing about winning a championship now, where was that fire and passion when you had the greatest player for the last seven years???

i think the main backlash is due to how he handled everything. he played everyone and then created a huge circus spectacle out of the ordeal, ultimately embarrassing cleveland on national tv. kinda like someone stringing a bf/gf along, teasing them, and then bringing them out to the middle of the school yard and breaking up with them in front of everyone.

best way to do it is to just have done it respectfully for cleveland, let them know your intentions, and keep the media to a minimum. sure he did what's best for himself, but didn't have to break so many hearts along the way.

the other thing is yea everyone needs a scottie to help them win. he tried doing that with bosh, but in going to the heat with wade and bosh, he's basically saying he's running to them for help. he could've gone to knicks and worked together with stoudemaire to lead the team and build up the franchise. or could've gone to the bulls and worked with boozer and lead the team. or obviously stayed with cavs and lead them to a championship, although much harder. but now he's ran off to heat, basically giving up "the challenge" that he claims he's always up for, and playing their bitch.

whoever handled his PR basically did a shit-filled job. in the end he came off looking like an egomaniac, whereas he could've just made his decisions known early and quietly without having to draw everyone in for an hour long waste of time.

[ejazbmw]

i don't understand why everyone is shitting on the guy he wanted to go to a team that he thinks can win championships he lost a lot of money to so you know hes not doing it for the money. All the people in Cleveland need to chill out because keeping LeBron there was just holding him back from his goals the tamed sucked. Also theres not way you guys are winning a championship without James lol that made me laugh when Gilbert said that hes gonna win a ring before James does...

[schoy]

Originally Posted by coh4777

Now maybe the WAY he did it was hurtful for Cavs fans, but he gave them 7 amazing years. They were a perenial backwater franchise that were lucky to even get him in the first place, and while I can understand the bitterness, they should also be grateful to LeBron for all the work he put in there.

But did he really need to stick it to them with a 1-hour TV special? Couldn't he have done this all with a phone call? Fax? E-mail? Twitter? Why the shameless self-promotion? You can't say it's for charity when I doubt anything more than 50% is going to the kids (after Lebron's promotion company takes its cut and the B&GC admin takes their cut); this should be audited BTW.

And it's not just Cleveland fans, but Knicks, Bulls, Clippers, and Nets fans have a right to be unhappy (though less so than Cleveland) since LBJ more than likely knew he was going to Miami for probably more than a week, but still strung everyone along.

How would you like to be in a girlfriend/wife relationship where she strung you along for weeks/months/years knowing that she would break-up/divorce you in due time?

[OC Guy]

For those of you saying LBJ took less money, how do you know that?

He took one less year but per year how much less? Those details haven't been resolved. Also, figure in the less taxes and it might not be that much if anything at all.

[ejazbmw]

Originally Posted by OC 335i

For those of you saying LBJ took less money, how do you know that?

He took one less year but per year how much less? Those details haven't been resolved. Also, figure in the less taxes and it might not be that much if anything at all.

Dwade, Bosh and James all stated there taking less then max and to have 3 big stars on one team is gonna cost a lot more. theres no way hes gonna make as much as he would have if he went somewhere else.

[OC Guy]

Originally Posted by ejazbmw

Dwade, Bosh and James all stated there taking less then max and to have 3 big stars on one team is gonna cost a lot more. theres no way hes gonna make as much as he would have if he went somewhere else.

less than the max in Heat might equate to the same somewhere else. They haven't inked their deals. Rumor is they are trying to get sign n trades. We will see like i said.

[choicez]

I can't wait until next week when everyone will be really over talking about Lebron!

[coh4777]

Originally Posted by OC 335i

For those of you saying LBJ took less money, how do you know that?

He took one less year but per year how much less? Those details haven't been resolved. Also, figure in the less taxes and it might not be that much if anything at all.

When people are talking about the money LBJ loses out on, they are not referring to the haircut from the max deal that will be necessary for Miami so sign all three players. They are talking about the fact that a team can sign one of their own player to higher than a max deal without it counting against the salary cap, so LeBron is losing out on about $30 million by leaving Cleveland and going elsewhere. Even with no state tax in FL, he is making less money on his contract without a doubt. Similar deal for Bosh, which is why he wanted to go to Miami in a sign-and-trade because then he would have gotten more than the max deal an unrestricted free agent gets, but it didn't work out that way for him.

[ejazbmw]

Originally Posted by coh4777

When people are talking about the money LBJ loses out on, they are not referring to the haircut from the max deal that will be necessary for Miami so sign all three players. They are talking about the fact that a team can sign one of their own player to higher than a max deal without it counting against the salary cap, so LeBron is losing out on about $30 million by leaving Cleveland and going elsewhere. Even with no state tax in FL, he is making less money on his contract without a doubt. Similar deal for Bosh, which is why he wanted to go to Miami in a sign-and-trade because then he would have gotten more than the max deal an unrestricted free agent gets, but it didn't work out that way for him.

yeah but i heard today on sport center that wade and james may take less and allow bosh to take max since he doesn't make as much money outside the court....

[coh4777]

Yes lebron and wade may take less to allow bosh to get the full max from Miami, but it is still less than what he would have made if he had re-signed a max deal with Toronto, or if toronto had been willing to do a sign-and-trade with Miami. My point was just that a max deal with a new team is less than a max deal when re-signing with the same team (or moving to another team via sign-and-trade) by about $30 million.

[Hedges]

Raptors don't need Bosh, we going to come out swinging still.........i think

[nightkhan]

a lot of talk on salaries, but for a guy like lebron, his actual nba salary is only a fraction of his entire earnings. the guy makes a butt-load off the court already, he can afford to take the lower salary because he's gambling on the fact that they'll win rings for him and his endorsements will blow the shit off the roof after that.

[stimpy]

Originally Posted by Hedges

Raptors don't need Bosh, we going to come out swinging still.........i think

With nerf bats. It isn't even going to sting...

[OC Guy]

Originally Posted by coh4777

Yes lebron and wade may take less to allow bosh to get the full max from Miami, but it is still less than what he would have made if he had re-signed a max deal with Toronto, or if toronto had been willing to do a sign-and-trade with Miami. My point was just that a max deal with a new team is less than a max deal when re-signing with the same team (or moving to another team via sign-and-trade) by about $30 million.

Do you actually have the money break down on this? I do know the salary cap rules. I do know that he was entitled more money if the team that has his bird rights resigns him as they can pay more. I do know that he is entitled to 6 years if he resigns with the Cavs vs. another team.

Let me phrase this more clearly,

How much is Lebron going to make per year in Miami?

How much was he entitled to make in Cleveland?

How much was the max Lebron could sign for any team other than Cleveland? (Example, is max money in Chicago actually less than what he will be paid in Miami; see state income tax)

What is the difference between the two numbers factoring no state income tax to Miami?

If you can't answer these questions, don't just feed me an answer that you aren't qualified to answer.

Thanks.