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View Full Version : There's been a seismic shift of sorts in my brain



JohnnyMack
7/10/2010, 10:00 AM
I never expected this to happen, but I can feel something turning in my brain that has totally taken me by surprise. This NBA season has caused a major shift in the way I feel about two of its superstars. I've actually gone from loathing Kobe Bryant and thinking LBJ was the bees knees to developing a solid amount of respect for Kobe and realizing that LeBron isn't what I thought he was. Watching Kobe will his team to yet another title and watching the way LBJ handled the playoffs and his subsequent free-agency made me realize that I've had my perceptions a bit out of whack.

Once again apologies are being made for LeBron in his playoff performance. His coach stunk. His GM didn't put good talent around him. Cleveland is a dump. The talcum powder he used before games caused a phantom elbow injury. None of it was Bron Bron's fault.

But watching him turn into a soft little squishy turd during this free agency period has been the worst. I don't care that he left Cleveland, I just think he handled the situation like a complete bitch. At no point did you get the idea that this was LEBRON FU*KING JAMES. He acted like a mid-level exception guy trying to latch on to a contender. It's my opinion that he had the wrong people around him, giving him the wrong advice. I have to wonder what would have happened in this free agency period had someone like (love him or hate him) Drew Rosenhaus been handling him? I don't think Mr. Rosenhaus would have allowed this to happen to his client. Yes LeBron is with a contender, yes he'll likely win a title or two in the next 4 years (when this whole scenario will blow up again), but at what cost? Not just the money he left on the table, but how much LESS marketable is King James when he's simply part of a trio of hired guns? He's basically admitted that an NBA title doesn't run through him, rather he had to tuck his tail between his legs and go slinking off to Pat Riley and beg for a chance for a ring.

Again I understand that this is a business, and that LeBron is free to make whatever decisions he wants. But I just can't believe that THE KING stepped down off his throne in order to chase a ring the way he did. Why he didn't sit back, play basketball and let someone like Drew Rosenhaus market him the way he should have been marketed, "HE'S LEBRON FU*KING JAMES. YOU'RE LUCKY I'M CALLING YOU, AND YOU'LL BE LUCKY TO PLAY ALONGSIDE HIM" will forever baffle me. His brand is forever tarnished, regardless of how many rings he wins.

Meanwhile Kobe just sits back, looks at his stack of rings and laughs.

This quote from Magic GM Otis Smith pretty much sums this whole thing up:


Asked if James' move to Miami will cause a power shift in the NBA, Smith responded, "Is Kobe retiring?"

Curly Bill
7/10/2010, 04:22 PM
I agree with much of this.

Well...except I never thought much of Bron-Bron.

JLEW1818
7/10/2010, 04:43 PM
me either..

he is poop

his knees will give in 1460 days

Eielson
7/10/2010, 05:35 PM
me either..

he is poop

his knees will give in 1460 days

Since when have you not liked Lebron?!

Eielson
7/10/2010, 05:50 PM
I originally disliked Lebron when he was coming out of high school. This was mainly because I thought he was receiving more attention than any high schooler should ever receive, and I was basically just annoyed. On the other hand, I was a big fan of Carmelo when he was at Syracuse (prior to the Elite 8). After a year or two in the NBA, my opinions of them were reversed. I thought I was wrong about Lebron, and he seemed like a nice, humble guy who didn't let the attention get to him. As for Carmelo, I soon found out he was a punk. As the years have passed, my thoughts of him as a humble guy who didn't let the attention get to him has gradually faded, and with that hour-long show, they completely disappeared. Those comments about him spoiling his fans completely disgusted me, and it's really no shock he never won a championship in Cleveland. The quitting on his team in the playoffs and then proceeding to run away to Miami is unforgivable if you're a Cavs fan. I don't blame them for burning his jerseys. I'd burn one too if I could find one discounted enough.