Wojnarowski killing it on LeBron (again)

[Cman]

I wish I could give Woj a TP.  Ever since he trashed LBJ in the playoffs, I've had a real man-crush on the guy.  He's right-on about LBJ in his piece.

To donogus' point, I'd love to see Woj transition from trashing LBJ to trashing David Stern and the NBA, who/which has done nothing but encourage all this ridiculousness.

[ManUp]

James just made me like Kobe more.  gag.

Seriously.

I've run out of excuses for Lebron acting like an ass.

[BBS]

I get it, Woj.  You don't like Lebron. 

You clearly have an axe to grind.  We all get it.

Now, move on to something else already.

Here is my 2 cents on the matter.
Someone needs to tell Espn to move on to something else already.  If Lebron would just do what every other free agent does. That would be fine but thanks to the ESPN's of the world this guy thinks he walks on water and has held the freeagent market hostage since the last seconds of the game 7 clock ticked down to 0.00. Thats why people are sick of him. Wojo is the only one besides Skip Bayless who even question or call out the "King" on his actions in the media for 7 years. I think it should be ok for someone to say something in a negitive light about James atleast once or twice a year. Even if it's just out of spite.

[dark_lord]

I get it, Woj.  You don't like Lebron. 

You clearly have an axe to grind.  We all get it.

Now, move on to something else already.

i think if lbj stopped with his antics, wojo would stop.  how can he not rip him for this publicity stunt on espn?!

[jack a roe]

Night and day the difference between the character of LBJ vs. that of Paul Pierce.

I think we've seen these same self-serving tendencies manifest themselves on the floor too, where our captain's commitment and belief in his team consistently out-shine's Bron's 'me not we' efforts when it counts.

Trust and respect are two way streets. 
   

[jgod213]

There seems to be a big 'love him or hate him' dynamic going on with LeBron right now across the country...ultimately a small demographic of people are going to fall in love with him while the rest of the country detests him...

I honestly am trying not to fall into one of those two camps.  WoJo writes a great article here, but ultimately he doesn't know LeBron's reason/s for choosing 1 team over another anymore than we do - yet he makes it out to seem like LeBron doesn't care about succes on the court at all, just face time.

I'm not so ready to just believe that.

Yes his postseason performance against the Celtics was suspect at best, but throughout his career he's been a great teammate, a great competitor, and a great floor general/facilitator on the court.  We all love to rip into him for his struggles in the postseason, but we're talking about the Celtics defense here - a defense that no one had an answer to over the past 3 years.  (When healthy) Dwayne, Kobe, and DHoward all had no answers.

is LeBron looking and acting like a premodonna in light of all that's gone on? Yes.  But inside these player/team meetings i'm sure that all these coaches/GMs/owners are all presenting LeBron with legitimate plans that all focus upon winning a title.

I'm sick of all the media hype/frenzy surrounding this 'decision' just as much as anyone, but the man deserves a chance to test the free agent waters and see what's out there.  Why now should the rules of free agency not apply to him? because he grew up in Akron? So what, it's the biggest financial/basketball legacy decision he will ever make, the man needs to make the right one.

[celticinorlando]

james is a bum.

[Donoghus]

I get it, Woj.  You don't like Lebron.  

You clearly have an axe to grind.  We all get it.

Now, move on to something else already.

i think if lbj stopped with his antics, wojo would stop.  how can he not rip him for this publicity stunt on espn?!

Lebron and his people are actually being extremely smart about this.  They are totally playing into the "strike when the iron is hot" mentality.  From a PR standpoint, that's brillant.  Its summertime; hockey & basketball season is over, football training camps are still a few weeks away, and the MLB all-star game isn't until next week. He has the attention of most American sports fans right now (besides the soccer diehards).

If ESPN is dumb enough to play into it, then good for Lebron.  The NBA marketing gurus surely aren't going to back off the "star-driven" stance the league has been pushing since the Jordan days.  This approach has gotten the big time television contracts from the ESPNs of the world.

What Lebron does have to realize is that all this face-time is only going to cause the spotlight to burn even brighter comes the 2010-11 season because he is expected to come up with results.  He knows very well that his legacy is hurting due to the zero rings.  If he somehow delivers a championship after this "Summer of Lebron" fuss, he is going to be HUGE with the casual sports fan and the public light which will only bring him more $$$.  

That's the reality of the American athlete these days, especially in a sport like basetball, marketing & exposure off the court is nearly as big as on-court play.

[Donoghus]

My point on Woj is that its his what 2nd or 3rd relatively recent "anti-Lebron" article.  In the last 3 months or so.

IMO, it becomes a bit of a farce when these media guys develop an agenda that is so transparent against a certain athlete or topic.  We've seen it locally with Ron Borges v. Belichick; Dan Shaughnessy v. Schilling, etc....

Whenever these articles pop up, you almost have to roll your eyes because you already know what the tone is going to be without reading the article. 

To me, its kind've a joke and pretty boorish.

[dark_lord]

I get it, Woj.  You don't like Lebron. 

You clearly have an axe to grind.  We all get it.

Now, move on to something else already.

i think if lbj stopped with his antics, wojo would stop.  how can he not rip him for this publicity stunt on espn?!

Lebron and his people are actually being extremely smart about this.  They are totally playing into the "strike when the iron is hot" mentality.  From a PR standpoint, that's brillant.  Its summertime; hockey & basketball season is over, football training camps are still a few weeks away, and the MLB all-star game isn't until next week. He has the  of most of American sports fans right now (besides the soccer diehards).

If ESPN is dumb enough to play into it, then good for Lebron.  The NBA marketing gurus surely aren't going to back off the "star-driven" stance the league has been pushing since the Jordan days.  This approach has gotten the big time television contracts from the ESPNs of the world.

What Lebron does have to realize is that all this face-time is only going to cause the spotlight to burn even brighter comes the 2010-11 season because he is expected to come up with results.  He knows very well that his legacy is hurting due to the zero rings.  If he somehow delivers a championship after this "Summer of Lebron" fuss, he is going to be HUGE with the casual sports fan and the public light which will only bring him more $$$. 

That's the reality of the American athlete these days, especially in a sport like basetball, marketing & exposure off the court is nearly as big as on-court play.

thats fine an well is you are a fan of the nba being individualized and enjoy the marketing that they do.  there are many, myself included, that dont like it.  if anything it has pushed me away from the nba so much that i havent watched a single nba game with two team other than the celts in a few yrs.  for people like myself, this solidifies the crap lbj has done over the last few yrs to make him so egotistical and narcissistic.  from his financial, marketing, and financial standpoint....it might be a good move.  but he leaves himself more than open for criticism of presenting himself in a narcissistic manner. 

so, yes lbj can do this and it might be a good move for him for the aforementioned reasons, but wojo and other have every right to call him out each and everytime.  you called for wojo to basically stop bc it is understood he cant stand lbj....but the way in which lbj can do this crap, wojo can and should call him out each and everytime. 

[dark_lord]

My point on Woj is that its his what 2nd or 3rd relatively recent "anti-Lebron" article.  In the last 3 months or so.

IMO, it becomes a bit of a farce when these media guys develop an agenda that is so transparent against a certain athlete or topic.  We've seen it locally with Ron Borges v. Belichick; Dan Shaughnessy v. Schilling, etc....

Whenever these articles pop up, you almost have to roll your eyes because you already know what the tone is going to be without reading the article. 

To me, its kind've a joke and pretty boorish.

lbj had given wojo reason to

[hwangjini_1]

I get it, Woj.  You don't like Lebron.  

You clearly have an axe to grind.  We all get it.

Now, move on to something else already.

i think if lbj stopped with his antics, wojo would stop.  how can he not rip him for this publicity stunt on espn?!

Lebron and his people are actually being extremely smart about this.  They are totally playing into the "strike when the iron is hot" mentality.  From a PR standpoint, that's brillant.  Its summertime; hockey & basketball season is over, football training camps are still a few weeks away, and the MLB all-star game isn't until next week. He has the attention of most American sports fans right now (besides the soccer diehards).

If ESPN is dumb enough to play into it, then good for Lebron.  The NBA marketing gurus surely aren't going to back off the "star-driven" stance the league has been pushing since the Jordan days.  This approach has gotten the big time television contracts from the ESPNs of the world.

What Lebron does have to realize is that all this face-time is only going to cause the spotlight to burn even brighter comes the 2010-11 season because he is expected to come up with results.  He knows very well that his legacy is hurting due to the zero rings.  If he somehow delivers a championship after this "Summer of Lebron" fuss, he is going to be HUGE with the casual sports fan and the public light which will only bring him more $$$.  

That's the reality of the American athlete these days, especially in a sport like basetball, marketing & exposure off the court is nearly as big as on-court play.

am i now allowed to be appalled and disgusted by this degeneration and shill game? geez,

"smart" = tacky and profiteering here. go past wojo's obvious points on lebron and we see a larger issue about sports and how it promotes and celebrates shallow and boorish behavior. that such behavior panders to or is celebrated by the majority of people, or generates a profit, does not make it any more desirable in terms of ethics or good taste.

if this discussion degenerates into a simple "we all have our our opinions" exchange, so be it. but to do so without deeper discussion would be accepting a lower level of intelligence and thoughtfulness as our standard.

lebron and his crew's performances are so greedy and ego centric as to be an caricature of themselves.

so, away i move from all lebron threads from now on. on to which free agents our fabulous celtics will be bringing on board.  

[dark_lord]

I get it, Woj.  You don't like Lebron.  

You clearly have an axe to grind.  We all get it.

Now, move on to something else already.

i think if lbj stopped with his antics, wojo would stop.  how can he not rip him for this publicity stunt on espn?!

Lebron and his people are actually being extremely smart about this.  They are totally playing into the "strike when the iron is hot" mentality.  From a PR standpoint, that's brillant.  Its summertime; hockey & basketball season is over, football training camps are still a few weeks away, and the MLB all-star game isn't until next week. He has the attention of most American sports fans right now (besides the soccer diehards).

If ESPN is dumb enough to play into it, then good for Lebron.  The NBA marketing gurus surely aren't going to back off the "star-driven" stance the league has been pushing since the Jordan days.  This approach has gotten the big time television contracts from the ESPNs of the world.

What Lebron does have to realize is that all this face-time is only going to cause the spotlight to burn even brighter comes the 2010-11 season because he is expected to come up with results.  He knows very well that his legacy is hurting due to the zero rings.  If he somehow delivers a championship after this "Summer of Lebron" fuss, he is going to be HUGE with the casual sports fan and the public light which will only bring him more $$$.  

That's the reality of the American athlete these days, especially in a sport like basetball, marketing & exposure off the court is nearly as big as on-court play.

am i now allowed to be appalled and disgusted by this degeneration and shill game? geez,

"smart" = tacky and profiteering here. go past wojo's obvious points on lebron and we see a larger issue about sports and how it promotes and celebrates shallow and boorish behavior. that such behavior panders to or is celebrated by the majority of people, or generates a profit, does not make it any more desirable in terms of ethics or good taste.

if this discussion degenerates into a simple "we all have our our opinions" exchange, so be it. but to do so without deeper discussion would be accepting a lower level of intelligence and thoughtfulness as our standard.

lebron and his crew's performances are so greedy and ego centric as to be an caricature of themselves.

so, away i move from all lebron threads from now on. on to which free agents our fabulous celtics will be bringing on board.  

well stated, tp

[Donoghus]

I get it, Woj.  You don't like Lebron. 

You clearly have an axe to grind.  We all get it.

Now, move on to something else already.

i think if lbj stopped with his antics, wojo would stop.  how can he not rip him for this publicity stunt on espn?!

Lebron and his people are actually being extremely smart about this.  They are totally playing into the "strike when the iron is hot" mentality.  From a PR standpoint, that's brillant.  Its summertime; hockey & basketball season is over, football training camps are still a few weeks away, and the MLB all-star game isn't until next week. He has the  of most of American sports fans right now (besides the soccer diehards).

If ESPN is dumb enough to play into it, then good for Lebron.  The NBA marketing gurus surely aren't going to back off the "star-driven" stance the league has been pushing since the Jordan days.  This approach has gotten the big time television contracts from the ESPNs of the world.

What Lebron does have to realize is that all this face-time is only going to cause the spotlight to burn even brighter comes the 2010-11 season because he is expected to come up with results.  He knows very well that his legacy is hurting due to the zero rings.  If he somehow delivers a championship after this "Summer of Lebron" fuss, he is going to be HUGE with the casual sports fan and the public light which will only bring him more $$$. 

That's the reality of the American athlete these days, especially in a sport like basetball, marketing & exposure off the court is nearly as big as on-court play.

thats fine an well is you are a fan of the nba being individualized and enjoy the marketing that they do.  there are many, myself included, that dont like it.  if anything it has pushed me away from the nba so much that i havent watched a single nba game with two team other than the celts in a few yrs.  for people like myself, this solidifies the crap lbj has done over the last few yrs to make him so egotistical and narcissistic.  from his financial, marketing, and financial standpoint....it might be a good move.  but he leaves himself more than open for criticism of presenting himself in a narcissistic manner. 

so, yes lbj can do this and it might be a good move for him for the aforementioned reasons, but wojo and other have every right to call him out each and everytime.  you called for wojo to basically stop bc it is understood he cant stand lbj....but the way in which lbj can do this crap, wojo can and should call him out each and everytime. 

Sure, there are plenty of people out there like yourself that don't like the way that the NBA has drifted towards the individual.  That's fine but the fact of the matter is that this stance by the league isn't changing anytime soon.  Its brought them billions upon billions of dollars over the years and helped them become a much more worldwide game in the past 25 years.  Until a large amount of people start turning their backs on this approach and it actually hurts the league in the pocketbook, nothing is going to change.  The league will continue to push the Lebrons, Wades, and Kobes of the world.  Television is certainly to play at fault for this too.  Guys like Lebron are making millions upon millions on it and his marketing peeps are right on for doing this even if its runs the risk of over-exposure.

Woj has the same right to complain just like any other media columnist.  He's certainly entitled to it and the anti-Lebron people are gonna love it.  To me, Woj v. Lebron has started to turn into beating a dead horse.  Its clearly established that he's one of the media types who doesn't like Lebron and will repeatedly take shots when necessary.  

[Donoghus]

I get it, Woj.  You don't like Lebron.  

You clearly have an axe to grind.  We all get it.

Now, move on to something else already.

i think if lbj stopped with his antics, wojo would stop.  how can he not rip him for this publicity stunt on espn?!

Lebron and his people are actually being extremely smart about this.  They are totally playing into the "strike when the iron is hot" mentality.  From a PR standpoint, that's brillant.  Its summertime; hockey & basketball season is over, football training camps are still a few weeks away, and the MLB all-star game isn't until next week. He has the attention of most American sports fans right now (besides the soccer diehards).

If ESPN is dumb enough to play into it, then good for Lebron.  The NBA marketing gurus surely aren't going to back off the "star-driven" stance the league has been pushing since the Jordan days.  This approach has gotten the big time television contracts from the ESPNs of the world.

What Lebron does have to realize is that all this face-time is only going to cause the spotlight to burn even brighter comes the 2010-11 season because he is expected to come up with results.  He knows very well that his legacy is hurting due to the zero rings.  If he somehow delivers a championship after this "Summer of Lebron" fuss, he is going to be HUGE with the casual sports fan and the public light which will only bring him more $$$.  

That's the reality of the American athlete these days, especially in a sport like basetball, marketing & exposure off the court is nearly as big as on-court play.

am i now allowed to be appalled and disgusted by this degeneration and shill game? geez,

"smart" = tacky and profiteering here. go past wojo's obvious points on lebron and we see a larger issue about sports and how it promotes and celebrates shallow and boorish behavior. that such behavior panders to or is celebrated by the majority of people, or generates a profit, does not make it any more desirable in terms of ethics or good taste.

if this discussion degenerates into a simple "we all have our our opinions" exchange, so be it. but to do so without deeper discussion would be accepting a lower level of intelligence and thoughtfulness as our standard.

lebron and his crew's performances are so greedy and ego centric as to be an caricature of themselves.

so, away i move from all lebron threads from now on. on to which free agents our fabulous celtics will be bringing on board.  

I agree and its, sadly, the sports world we live in these days.  Especially in the NBA.