Message To LeBron & Cleveland: Let It Go

You would think that after all this time someone would be mature enough to be the bigger person, but that clearly has yet to happen in the LeBron James vs. Dan Gilbert breakup.

Tuesday evening, while the Cleveland Cavs were suffering a 50+ point dismantling at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers, #6 sent out this tweet during the fourth quarter:

First off, that tweet shows how little class LeBron has. It also shows that his PR team is failing miserably. Throwing God into the mix just made it worse. To top it all off, LeBron's explanation for the tweet shows us that he just may be as clueless as we think he is:

"It was just how I was feeling at the time," he said. Yet he added in the same breath, "It wasn't even a comment from me. It was someone who sent it to me and I sent it out."



It was a mixed message less than 24 hours after seemingly offering clear intent.

"I don't think it was no intent at all," he said. "I think everyone looks into everything I say. Everybody looked too far into it. It wasn't no intent at all"


"No hit toward that organization. I've moved on. Hopefully that organization has continued to move on. But I'm happy where I am as a Miami Heat player.


"It wasn't no hit at that franchise, no hit at that team, especially those players, at all."

Yo LeBron; WE DON'T BELIEVE YOU. Not only is he failing at public relations, he also has yet to grasp proper usage of the English language (but that's for another day). The tweet was sent via Ubertwitter so the "my twitter was hacked" excuse wouldn't be valid here. LeBron would be well served to learn that sometimes the best thing you can say is nothing at all.

Clearly Bron Bron is still trying to stick it to Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who released this open letter to fans after "The Decision". Gilbert gets no pass for acting like the bitter ex who found out he got dumped thru the grapevine. But it looks like #6 hasn't quite let go either. It was evident by the way he showed out back when the Heat embarrassed the Cavs in Cleveland and also by the karma tweet. The Cavs suck this season. That should be enough punishment without #6 continuously rubbing their face in it.

The only solution to this spat is for both sides to simply move on. Yes, James was unprofessional with "The Decision" and "the tweet", as was Gilbert and Cavs fans for their reactions. I was taught as a child that two wrongs don't make a right. Someone has to start acting their age and not their shoe size here. In this case, why not both sides?

Ironic that right after that "karma" tweet, the Los Angeles Clippers snapped the Heat's 13-game road winning streak and #6 suffers an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.

I guess karma shows no favoritism.

-ALR

Video: Mario Chalmers And Chris Bosh Don't Want It With Blake Griffin

First off, Mario Chalmers is 6'2, maybe 190 lbs. Blake Griffin is 6'10, 251. Mario, you don't want that issue...



Then on the following play, Baron Davis drives and dishes to Blake for the double pump jam. See how quickly Chris Bosh backed up? He wanted no part of the Clippers poster child.

And by the way, the Clippers snapped the Miami Heat's 13 game road winning streak for their 3rd straight victory. Check here for our formula of how the Clippers can finish with 41 victories. You heard it here first.

-ALR

Hey Everyone; Chris Bosh Wants You To Know He CAN Play Basketball

Yo Chris, nobody cares!

There have been many funny quotes and sound bites coming out of South Beach, and none more insignificant than those coming from Heat PF Chris Bosh. Per this story seen over at the Miami Herald, Bosh feels it is necessary for him to let everyone that he's been playing solid basketball. Here are some quotes:

“For some reason, people think I can't play basketball,” Bosh said. “It gives me an added sense of motivation. I feel in those situations, I have a chance … to go out there and do well, because I know people are watching -- just to shut them up. Just to be frank.”

I'll say it again; NOBODY CARES ABOUT CHRIS BOSH. No one ever said you couldn't play basketball. Hell, the kid has career averages of 20 ppg and 9 boards. His talent isn't in question. We just think he's softer than wet tissue paper and weak in the paint. He also says he's going to get his rebounding average up to over 10 a game. Sure you will Chris. How about getting a couple block shots and being a presence in the post? I'm just sayin'.

Clearly Bosh is feeling a little attention starved as all the ink goes to #6 and Dwyane Wade (rightfully so). We all know he's just riding their coat tails. It's cool Chris. I would do the same. But please put a sock in it and just play basketball! The Heat could really benefit from letting their play speak for them as they repeatedly make themselves sound like complete idiots (except for Wade).

The Heat are rolling right now and winning a lot of games. Sucks that they are letting their comments put a cloud over their accomplishments.

But this one's for Chris Bosh from the good people over at #LTSBlog



-ALR

LeBron James Return To Cleveland Draws 2nd Highest NBA Ratings

Unless you were stuck under a rock or still down in that Chilean mine you were aware of the heavily hyped return of now Miami Heat SF Lebron James to the home arena of his former team the Cleveland Cavaliers. Media was all over the event (from ESPN to CNN) which of course created a frenzy with the general public and fans of all types. Security was ramped up and there was even coverage of the Heat's flight issues en route to Cleveland (like airplane trouble NEVER happens -_-).

Cleveland fans who felt abandoned by the uncrowned "King" went as far as to organize synchronized taunt chants for #6 throughout various portions of the game. So it was kind of a a big deal to say the least, and the ratings for the game last night prove that to be true. TNT's telecast of the Cavs/Heat game drew it's second largest overnight of the season with a 5.0 rating, preceded only by the 5.8 overnight delivered by the season opener featuring the Heat & the Boston Celtics (which the Heat lost).

I'm curious to see the ratings trend from the first half of the game to the second, when the Heat pulled away in a 3rd quarter where the Heat outscored the over matched Cavs 36-25 (24 poured in by James alone). Miami cruised to a 28 point victory and #6 finished with 38, 8 assists and 5 boards.

The ratings show me one thing; people love drama. The Cavs were 7-10 coming into the game and were clearly out of their league in this one. Unless you live in the Cleveland area or have NBA League Pass, don't expect to see too much more of the Cavs this season as they only have 2 more nationally televised games, 1/9 @ the Suns and 3/6 vs. the Hornets. Oh joy.

I will say this; although many (including us here at LTSB) have been critical of #6 and his antics this summer, James put on quite a performance last night. He played with an aggression that we have not seen much of this season. If he can continue to harness that energy and bring it like that in every game he may be able to reacquire some of the fan support that was so quickly jettisoned in one off season.

But uh... where was Mo Williams? I expected more than 11 points on 2-8. Dah well. Oh and the DJ spinning Snoop's "Ain't No Fun" in the fourth quarter had to be somehow intentional (paging Delonte West).

-ALR

Phil Jackson On Cavs Home Atmosphere "It’s Just An Obnoxious Place”

Phil Jackson is quite the character. I saw this over at insidehoops.com... It appears as if there is a lot of general interest regarding #6's return to Cleveland while playing for the Miami Heat, but according to a report from LA Times Broderick Turner, Jackson says he doesn't share the sentiment. Here are some quotes:

“That’s not of interest to me,” he said. “I hate to listen to the Cleveland broadcast. Their announcers are so loud on the court. It’s just an obnoxious place.”

But almost everybody will be watching on Thursday.

“That’s my night off,” Jackson said, smiling.

The "Zen Master" has had some interesting input regarding the LeBron and the Miami Heat situation this season. Maybe it's just Phil being Phil and working his mind games that he is so well known for. Maybe it's a media distraction from the Lakers own current 3-game losing streak. Either way, you can always count on Phil to stir things up a bit.

But how about getting a W tonight against the Rockets, Phil? Thanks!

-ALR

Spoelstra to LeBron, "I Can't Tell When You're Serious"

This has been brewing since the start of the season, when the high-profile Miami Heat lost their opener to the Boston Celtics. Everyone has speculated if Eric Spoelstra would be the right coach to lead this group of "superstars" to the NBA Finals, or if Pat Riley would relieve him of his whistle in a similar manner to the Stan Van Gundy situation (even Phil Jackson chimed in on it). It now looks as if the relationship between Speolstra and LeBron James is definitely shaky, according to this report from ESPN. There was already rumors of this after James allegedly accidently bumped Spoelstra with a shoulder during their loss to the Mavericks. Here's some of the story:

In contrast to the popular view that Spoelstra has been hesitant to jump on superstars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, sources say the Heat coach has shown no fear in criticizing them.

Exhibit A was a recent shootaround in which Spoelstra told James that he had to get more serious. The source said Spoelstra called James out in front of the entire team, telling him, "I can't tell when you're serious."

"He's jumping on them," one source said. "If anything, he's been too tough on them. Everybody knows LeBron is playful and likes to joke around, but Spoelstra told him in front of the whole team that he has to get more serious. The players couldn't believe it. They feel like Spoelstra's not letting them be themselves."

I have to side with Spoelstra on this one. Clearly "letting them be themselves" didn't work out so well for LeBron and Chris Bosh on their previous teams and Spoelstra's job is to coach them, not be a kindergarten moderator. Another sign that #6 needs to grow up and mature if he ever wants to win that coveted ring.

The Miami Heat so far are only 9-8. Spoelstra isn't the Heat's main problem. They have horrible point guard play, soft big men in the paint and no defined roles on the offensive end. Sure they can probably win 45-50 games on talent alone but to this point their weaknesses have been exploited by the other top teams in the NBA.

Would a change to Pat Riley make a difference? Maybe. Is he a tougher disciplinarian than Spoelstra? Definitely. Will it be enough for the Heat to win a ring this season? Unlikely.

We'll see how it all plays out, but until James and Bosh start to grow up and show some accountability instead of saying it's still early a coaching change might not make much of a difference.

-ALR

Video: "Like A Bosh" (courtesy of TBJ)

Now this is funny! Spotted this video about Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh over at The Basketball Jones spot and I have been laughing out loud ever since:


TBJ exclusive: Like A Bosh from The Basketball Jones on Vimeo.


Pure genius! If you haven't heard, Bosh has looked lost on the floor more times that not while on the floor with #6 and Dwyane Wade dominating the ball. The "Big 3" experiment might pan out over the course of the season but so far they have faced a few growing pains while trying to adjust to each other and this new system. So far the Heat are 6-4 and in 5th place in the Easten Conference. They still have 72 games to get it together so we'll be watching.

"Like a Bosh!"

-ALR

South Beach Hotels Making Adjustments for NBA Players

Saw this over at nbcsports.com probasketballtalk... Looks like since the arrival of one #6 (how we at LTSB refer to LeBron James for the new readers) even hotels in popular South Beach are making adjustments for potential NBA suitors. (If you've never been to South Beach, I suggest you go. NOW. Back to the post...)

Here are some of the revisions hotels are making, according to the Miami Herald:

"Some of the area’s newest hotels have consulted with the Heat to find out how to make their rooms as attractive as possible for professional athletes, who might bang their heads in the shower or knees on the vanity in a room made for regular folks.


With taller-than-average guests in mind, Miami’s riverfront Epic Hotel at 270 Biscayne Boulevard Way, across from the Marriott, was built with high rain-style shower heads, roomy ceilings and raised vanities.
A dozen rooms there cater to the very tall with 96-inch beds — available in some other hotels in the boutique Kimpton chain."

Some changes also include larger weights in Hotel gyms, longer massage tables, and even regulation basketball goals with shot clocks in entertainment centers. Some have extended room service hours to accommodate patrons in case they want to eat after games (or feed the groupies). There are even advertising campaigns targeted around concepts such as "Live Like LeBron" "Turn Up The Heat". Not bad.

Smart move by the hotel chains that are offering these revisions as the potential NBA consumer can bring a lot of business and attention to the establishments (not to mention a whole slew of groupies). The Miami Heat are currently on a 5-game home stand so the area should see a ton of $$ rolling in during that span. Aside from the potential NBA suitor the hotels can also benefit from patrons traveling to the area to watch a game and also stay downtown. I mean, who wouldn't want to stay around a bunch of over-sized athletes?

All the groupies and "stans" can thank me later (no Drake).

- ALR

NBA Season Preview: Southeast Division

I hope you didn't really think those guys hooping down in South Beach were the only contenders down in the Southeast. This division sent four teams to the playoffs last season, including the Orlando Magic (2nd seed), Atlanta Hawks (3rd seed), the pre-Lebron & Chris Bosh Miami Heat (5th seed), and the Charlotte Bobcats (7th seed). Every team seemed to come back a little stronger including the Washington Wizards, who have no. 1 overall draft pick John Wall now on the roster.

This division again may send 4 teams to the playoffs, but it may not be the same four as last season. There is tons of talent here, so if you only focus on the "Big 3" then you could be missing out on some really good basketball. Here's my forecast of the division standings, worst to first (including each teams odds to win the O'Brien Trophy)

5. Charlotte Bobcats 60 to 1

Although the Bobcats finished last season with 44 victories and the 7th seed in the East, they were swept in the first round by the Magic showing they were not yet ready to contend with the big guns. I'm not sure they can duplicate that regular season success after losing Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler in free agency. 3rd year PG D.J. Augustin had a hard time staying out of Larry Brown's dog house last season, but is now the starter. He will be pushed for minutes by Shaun Livingston (if he can stay healthy). Charlotte is still athletic on the wings with Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson but depth and lack of post play could haunt them all season. But we might be able to get a few laughs out of the travesty that is Kwame Brown (who has the distinguished title of Jordan's first draft "bust".. I wonder if MJ still thinks he's "soft", hmmm)

4. Washington Wizards 60 to 1

The Wizards may want a mulligan for last season, which saw their star player the DC Sniper aka Gilbert Arenas suspended for playing with fire(arms) in the locker room. But the season wasn't a total wash as PF Andray Blatche emerged as a nice scoring threat, young center Javale McGee came on late as a force rebounding and blocking shots and they won the draft lottery and the right to draft John Wall. Wall will make an immediate impact pushing the tempo and finding his teamates for easy baskets and looked very comfortable in the pre season. I think he and Arenas can make a dangerous back court combination (if Gilbert stays focused). The Wizards also traded for vet guard Kirk Hinrich and he should bring a leadership presence to the team. If they can keep Josh Howard focused (and away from the 'trees') and Gilbert returns to shooting the lights out (I couldn't resist) the Wizards should challenge for the playoff spot that will be vacated by Charlotte. Shoot 'em up Agent 0, er, 6!

3. Atlanta Hawks 35 to 1

With all the buzz surrounding free agency during the summer you may have forgotten that the Hawks won 53 games and were the 3rd overall seed in the East. I like to think of them as "Team Bipolar" as they can blow out a team one night then get blown out themselves the next. (Sidebar: If they added Delonte West they should consider changing their name to that; kidding). But what did the Hawks do to get better? Absolutely nothing. They failed to address their point guard issue (Mike Bibby is getting up there), but the Hawks did manage to retain star Joe Johnson. I just hope he saw the Wiz of Oz and asked him for some heart. Nonetheless Atlanta should still manage to win close to 50 games and be a top 4-5 seed in the playoffs before fizzing out in the 2nd round. Ho hum.

2. Orlando Magic 8 to 1

That "other team" in Florida, the Orlando return the same core group that made it to the Conference Finals two seasons in a row, losing to Boston in 6 last year. Reigning defensive player of the year Dwight Howard has been working out with Hakeem Olajuwon, so maybe he's learning a little touch instead of throwing the basketball at the hoop as hard as possible. The Magic retained shooter J.J Redick and added the other NBA nomad Quentin Richardson (who was traded FOUR times in 2009 before playing for the Heat last season) so they have weapons on the perimeter if teams choose to double Howard. Big key will be how Chris Duhon handles the back up point spot. Should be interesting.

1. Miami Heat 8 to 5

Pressure? The Miami Heat basically asked for it. They sacrificed their whole roster for free agency, landing LeBron James during "Decision" (we here at the Blog refer to him as #6) and also bringing in sidekick Chris Bosh to join Dwayne Wade in South Beach. Now they have to prove it. The whole roster is basically new except for Wade, Joel Anthony, Carlos Arroyo, Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem. They added a few shooters to spread the floor with Mike Miller (who is out until around January) and Eddie House, but there are a couple glaring issues. 1.) Depth. They have none. And 2.) who takes the big shot? Both #6 and Wade need the rock to be effective as neither is a spot up shooting threat. And Bosh, well A'mare he ain't. They may all win a title together, but I don't thing 2010-2011 is the season.

We'll see how it all play out...

-ALR

Game 1 for "Super Team" and the NBA

The NBA season is officially started and I cannot be happier. The Miami Heat will be under the microscope plenty this season, blowback from the summer of 2010. We all know what it is, so I'm not going to get into that. Instead, let's examine how they looked in the first game of the season. Yes, I know there are 81 regular season games to go, but the Boston Celtics did expose the Miami Heat superstar's vulnerabilities...

1) "6" absolutely can not shoot, but he can be streaky. There was a point in the 3rd quarter when he scored 8-11 straight. Hit a couple 3's and got to the free throw line a lot (at that point he was 50% from the line... superstar smh). 31 points is a great number and when he decided to take over, he was straight to the cup. When he decided to try to out-shoot Paul Pierce, however, Boston outscored them handidly. I'm just saying...

2) Chris Bosh, 3-11 shooting, is not the answer down on the box, offensively or defensively.

3) D. Wade gets a pass for his dreadful shooting night (4-16), since he was injured and did not have the opportunity to get much gametime in the pre-season.

As a team, the main issue here is if Wade or "6" are not getting fast break points or to the basket in general, how are the Heat going to consistently score? Key word in that is "consistently". The illustration of that is the 1st half of the game in which they put up 9 points in the 1st qtr and 30 points at the half as a team. Those are both franchise lows for anyone keeping count, smh. Again, I know it's Game 1 and I'd be willing to bet this poor performance will not happen again, but the Celtics D put up a blueprint. I hope the teams that are not as good defensively were at least taking notes.

- @lostherod

Stack in Black (and Red)

The Miami Heat can now finally consider themselves legitimate title contenders.

The NBA season is just days away from beginning, and the Heat had built up a small amount of hype over the offseason. Today it was announced that the team has inked Jerry Stackhouse to a contract. Stackhouse was signed after it was previously announced small forward Mike Miller would be out until January with an injury.

The 36-year old Stackhouse played last season with the Milwaukee Bucks and averaged 8.5 ppg while shooting a very "Stack-esque" 40% from the field. The former NBA scoring leader will be the second player the Heat signed this offseason who at one time led the league in scoring.

The other was some guy named Lebron James.

No word on how much Stackhouse will be expected to contribute, given the Heat also have the younger James Jones who also plays the small forward position, and neither is expected to start. It's probable that Stackhouse will assume a team role similar to the one Gary Payton took on the team's last (and only) championship run; a veteran reserve who may be called on from time-to-time, but isn't expected to be an every game star.

Stackhouse was the third overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1995, and made the All-Rookie team averaging 19 ppg. But he was traded away to the Detroit Pistons following an unsuccesful attempt to team his talents alongside Allen Iverson.

Stackhouse rejuvenated his career in Detroit alongside Grant Hill. After Hill signed with the Orlando Magic in 2000, "Stack" led the league in scoring with 29 ppg in 2001, and led the team to the playoffs in 2002. He was traded by the Pistons to the Washington Wizards for Richard Hamilton that same offseason.

After two mediocre seasons in Washington playing alongside fellow North Carolina Tar Heel legend Michael Jordan, he traded again, this time to the Dallas Mavericks. Stackhouse spent five seasons in Dallas primarily as a 6th and 7th man. He played on the 2006 Mavericks who lost to the Heat in the Finals. Stackhouse was suspended for Game 5 of that Finals after a flagrant foul he committed against Shaquille O'Neal.

Quick'ems Hitter'ems

It's been a minute since I've posted and there has been a lot going on in the sports world, so here are a few things that have been on my mind these past couple weeks... Enjoy good readers

MLB
In baseball there are a few good story lines going into Major League Baseball's Playoffs, but the one thing that has really had me perplexed was the situation going on with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers have been the team that noone wants, and it stinks. The McCourts are involved in divorce court to find out who is going to have custody of the team. It seems in this case a big piece of evidence was how the lawyer that drew up the papers that separate the proprieties owned by the McCourts, went back and changed some of the verbiage after the documents were signed and notarized. Big Dummy (Fred Sanford voice)... I'm not sure of the official outcome, but it looked like Jaime McCourt was going to get custody from Frank McCourt. I hope Frank gets weekends and maybe Thanksgiving at his house...

On top of that Joe Torre gave the Dodgers the deuces (say bye bye...)

NBA
The season is upon us and it is a joyous occasion. I must say, I love NBATV because they gave us insight into training camps. As much as I didn't want to, I couldn't help but watch Miami Heat training camp. Those dudes, led by Lebron James, were intense in camp.

*Editorial Note... That will be the last time I mention his name, he will now be referred to as 6*

Anyway, the vocal and on court leadership of 6 will prove to have a big affect on the Miami Heat this season. It was evident in the preseason game against the Pistons. 6 looked energized and he looked like he was definitely going to live up to his twanksta statements. He still needs to get a jumper, but it looks like he will get himself to a place where Mr Wade can get him over the top. Chris Bosh is going to benefit the most as he will be able to score efficiently. I would not be surprised if he has a game going 12-12 from the field, 8 of those buckets being dunks.

Matchup wise they will have problems against the top teams in the league. I honestly don't see them winning a series against the Celtics to even make it to see the Lakers in the finals. The difference will be Shaq clogging the middle, and since 6 can't shoot, there will be a repeat of last season. I can go on about this in length, but I will save it for the NBA Preview.

Oh and John Wall is a beast and will be Rookie of the Year...

NFL
The hot news worth noting is Randy Moss returning to the Minnesota Vikings. I actually think this is a good move for the Vikes. One of my favorite Florida Gators, Percy Harvin, will get much space to operate out of the slot. I know the trade won't cure his injuries, but damn, we all have to know that his season will improve. It also helps the Ageless Wonder because when he gets in trouble he can close his eyes launch the ball down field and there is an 80-20 chance Moss will score.

NCAAF
I am not a Boise St fan, eventho most of their recruits come from the LA area, shame on me. Boise St plays a good brand of football and they do everything they are supposed to do. I just can't get passed their schedule and how weak their conference is. Part of me wants to see them play for a BCS Championship only because I want to see them get waxed by an Ohio St or an Alabama so we can put an end to all this cupcake schedule should make it talk. Bitter...

Boxing
The much hyped Super Six Middleweight Tournament has been a bust. The first round was good, but after Jermaine Taylor got KO'd he quit. Allan Green wasn't good enough to stand in for Taylor as he got outclassed by Andre Ward. Mikkel Kessler sighted injury, but inside circles says he quit. Glen Johnson, another Ageless Wonder, is joining the tournament but noone cares. Last and sadly, Andre Dirrell is out of the tournament with neural issues. Dirrell is very talented and this blogger wishes him the best of luck in his recovery.

I hope Paul Williams v Sergio Martinez puts a nice end of the year stamp on what was been a crazy boxing calendar year.

- @lostherod is back

That Phil Thing He Do

The Zen Master is at it again.

When it comes to sneak-dissing in the NBA, Phil Jackson is king. Jackson met with the press today, and spoke about a number of topics ranging from a shot at a fourth 3-peat, Kobe Bryant's health, Andrew Bynum's knee, and of course, the Miami Heat. Here's his quote about the Heat:

"I think it's quite a surprise to all of us in the NBA that this was what happened... I think a lot of people have taken shots at Miami because of that, but I think its all fair game. Players can go out and recruit. General managers and coaches can't. They did a great job of recruiting these players. These players obviously wanted to collude together and do this. It's going to make for a very exciting season, I think, and its going to be something that players and people are going to look forward to seeing on the floor."

Translation; that's "Phil-speak" for "Kiss the eleven rings, b-----s. See you Christmas day."

NBA Off-Circu... I mean Off-Season

Where to begin... If we have learned anything from this off-season, it's that anything is possible in the NBA. The photo is direct proof of that. So let's start with the free agency, and specifically LeBron "Prince" James (can't be a king until you win a ring, kid).

I can't fault James for wanting to bolt Cleveland. It has proven to be extremely difficult to draw the right pieces to help LeBron bring a championship to the Cavs. What baffles me is, why would arguably the most physically talented player in the league basically concede that he can't win it alone and play Robin to D-Wade's Batman? (Chris Bosh is Alfred in this scenario). And the way the signing was announced shows what's wrong with the modern athlete. Too much ego, not enough substance. At least he could let the Cavs know ahead of time and saved the franchise major embarassment instead of hosting a glorified hour-long special for a 1 minute announcement. LeBron needs to take a few crash courses on class, in my opinion.

But who is to blame for LeBron's overblown image of himself. THE MEDIA. For bestowing the mantra "King James" oh him before his rookie season in the NBA. For comparing him to greats of the game. (ex. Magic, Jordan and, yes, Kobe Bryant and in some cases proclaiming him to be better? Really??). We created this self absorbed ego of LeBron. Are we witnesses? Yes, to a player who did more damage than good to his legacy in one off-season than any athlete in recent memory.

I guess if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Have fun watching the Lakers celebrate that 3-peat fellas.

-ALR

* Ed. Note - lostherod

To reiterrate the above before I go on this rant, LeBron clearly has every right to go where he wants to go. Now that's out the way...

I think LeBron doesn't have it in him, at this stage, to truly be "The Man" because his game is quite limited. He is a freakish athlete that can get to the cup at will, can get streaky from behind the arc and see the floor nicely. He is also one of the fastest players from one end of the floor to the other which accounts for those SC quality blocks.

The limits come in the facets of the game that actually make great player stand out and be great. Coming back with new additions to your game in the offseason, like a midrange, a real pullup jumper (not the dance dance revolution one), maybe some real man to man d, possibly good counter moves within the offense, just to name a few. These things make him predictable and allow defenses to swarm him and make.. well we know how his Cleveland story ends...

At the end of the day he needs someone to actually win for him cause he doesn't have that CLUTCH and Wade has proven he does. So I don't blame The Prince at all for "taking is talents to Outback Steakhouse" (The Decision, Steve Carrell). It jus shows what basketball minds already know, he is no Kobe and most definitely no Jordan.