Lebron James is a coward.

[Roy Hobbs]

I can't blame him.  He took less money to play with his friends in a good environment.  From watching his interview, it seems like he has a ton of respect for the Celtics, and he has to have seen what guys like Pierce, Ray, and KG went through prior to joining together.  He didn't want that to be him, so he did something about it before he turned 30.

This definitely effects Lebron's legacy -- he can't really be seen as an alpha dog anymore, especially going to another star's team.  However, on an individual level, I can't blame him too much.

He's 25 not very close to 30.  This isn't like KG at all.  He wants you think it is but, it's not.  This is cutting tail and running for easier road.  Friends.. this guys only friend is himself.  I can't wait until crunch time when all these friends show their true colors.  They better not fail...

Would it be better for Lebron's legacy to take the KG route, which is to stay on a crappy team until the very end of your career, when you demand a trade to chase a ring elsewhere?

Lebron decided he didn't want to wait.  I can't fault him for that.  It says certain things about him -- both bad and good -- but I can never fault a player for choosing winning and happiness over money and a bigger personal spotlight.

If Lebron wanted exposure, he would have picked the Knicks.  If he wanted to appear loyal and keep him image untarnished in the short term (and if he wanted to earn the most money), he would have chosen the Cavs..  In the end, Lebron decided that he wanted titles, and he wanted to play with players he respected and was comfortable with.

The whole free agent process and the "decision" special was ridiculous.  It was all ego driven, and it really hurt Lebron's image, I think.  However, the decision he ultimately made is one that I respect, even while admitting that true alpha dogs like Larry, Magic, and Michael would have never made this decision.

[moiso]

I was always a Lebron supporter despite his dancing diva tendencies.  I ranked him best in the league, with potential to join the ranks of Jordan and the alltime greats.
That time has passed.  This whole ordeal was too much from the quitting in the playoffs to the whole espn show.  I will now be rooting against Lebron even more than hated players like Kobe and Howard.  And his potential place in history is ruined, even if he wins titles the next 7 years.  He failed to lead the Cavs to a single finals victory.  Then he prematurely quit on them.

[Birdbrain]

I realize a lot of people I respect here will disagree with what I have to say, but this is truly how I feel. What Lebron did last night, to me, is pathetic in a way that I can barely put into words.

Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson worked with what they had and made their teammates better. They hated their competition, they didn't join forces with them. Lebron James had the skill, size and athletic ability  to define himself as one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game. Come to find out he lacked the heart and killer instinct mentally to share the stage with the likes of Larry, Magic, Jordan and perhaps (cough) Kobe. Those guys hate(d) their rivals, while Lebron joins them to ease the pressure and for a path with less hardship. He doesn't want to lead. He demanded Cleveland make moves for players he thought he could win with, still he lacked the competitiveness to carry them to victory.

Maybe I'm just disappointed because I thought he was a great one? Yeah, that could be it. I thought I was going to be able to witness a special player catapult his team and shine in the most difficult moments like when I watched Jordan finally overcome his struggles with the Pistons. I guess those types of athletes are once a generation.  Instead of challenging himself to be one of the greatest he'll join Wade's team and cheaply win as many titles as possible. Lebron, do you know what you could have been? Shame on you, you were too much of a coward you see it through. You robbed us.

Epic post that encapsulates my feeling to a T.  That pic says it all as well.

Thanks, TP.

[moiso]

Roy- I don't think Lebron's decision is very similar to KG's.  For one thing, the wolves wanted to rebuild so they TRADED KG.  Lebron was not traded, he simply bolted, leaving the Cavs in shambles.

KG was on a horrible team that was going nowhere.  Lebron was on a team that was one of the best in the league every year.  KG kept an open dialogue with his team, Lebron refused to answer calls.

I don't really see the similarity, other than the fact that the Celts had a pretty good team in place for him to join.

[Roy Hobbs]

Roy- I don't think Lebron's decision is very similar to KG's.  For one thing, the wolves wanted to rebuild so they TRADED KG.  Lebron was not traded, he simply bolted, leaving the Cavs in shambles.

KG was on a horrible team that was going nowhere.  Lebron was on a team that was one of the best in the league every year.  KG kept an open dialogue with his team, Lebron refused to answer calls.

I don't really see the similarity, other than the fact that the Celts had a pretty good team in place for him to join.

I'm pretty sure that KG asked to be traded.  As for the team situations, the only difference is that Lebron made his team a contender, while KG couldn't anymore.  Lebron may have had slightly better teammates, but both had pretty poor supporting casts.

I think Lebron used KG as an example of what he didn't want to become:  a MVP on a losing team going nowhere.  Look at the age of the Cavs roster, and their lack of flexibility.  Look at the list of legitimate stars who were available in free agency:  it's not impressive.  The Cavs wouldn't have been able to put a legit star next to Lebron.

I can't blame a guy for bolting when he's 25, rather than when he's 30+.  He didn't want to waste his career never winning a title.  I can blame him for the spectacle and the ego and everything that went along with that, but I just can't blame him for choosing winning and a comfortable playing environment.

I think fans too often focus on intangibles like "loyalty".  Let's say that Lebron had been a bust out of high school.  Would the Cavs have stayed loyal to him, giving him big contracts, just because he was a local kid?  Of course not -- they would have done what was in their best interest as a franchise.  Lebron just did the same thing in reverse.  The NBA is a business -- or so we're told -- and I can never fault a player for doing what's best for his own personal happiness.

[moiso]

Lebron's career in a historical context took a huge downturn last night, regardless.  Lebron had a team that came close every year and he bailed.  I bet he would have won a title eventually if he stuck it out.
By the point KG was traded it was obvious who he was- an awesome Pippen like complimentary player.  Lebron was still in the discussion to be a Michael Jordan type.  That's over now, however.

[BuckeyeCelt]

It's no wonder Lebron wanted out of Cleveland...Dan Gilbert's a nutjob who couldn't put a talented young team around the most dynamic young player in the game. This is who Cavs fans should be mad at, not Lebron. If Dan Gilbert acted like this in public AFTER Lebron's decision, how was he acting behind closed doors? Get over it Gilbert, you had 7 years to put a team around "The King", and the best you could do was Shaq, Mo, and Jamison. Pathetic management is the real story here, and kudos to Lebron for getting out of that losing situation. Still feel bad for the fans though, but what can ya do.

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/68004/20100709/gilbert_says_lebron_quit_in_playoffs/

http://www.realgm.com/src_wire...tap_archives/68001/20100708/gilbert_promises_cleveland_a_title_before_former_king_wins_one/

As somebody that lives in Akron you have to understand that most of the moves the cavs made were made because James demanded them...Lebron, not Ferry, has been the Cavs GM for the past 5 years...Lebron screwed the Cavs with bad contracts (see boobie gibson, etc), waited out free agency so the cavs have no good options to sign, and essentially ruined the cavs for the next decade...
Gilbert has every reason to be upset.  Sure the cavs should not have let it happen, but they were doing everything they could to keep the drama king happy.  I have been a lebron hater since St Vs, this is just the latest chapter...

You have to give the guy that will be paying for lebrons mistakes for the next 10 years a bit of a break...

[Jon Niednagel]

I can't blame him.  He took less money to play with his friends in a good environment.  From watching his interview, it seems like he has a ton of respect for the Celtics, and he has to have seen what guys like Pierce, Ray, and KG went through prior to joining together.  He didn't want that to be him, so he did something about it before he turned 30.

This definitely effects Lebron's legacy -- he can't really be seen as an alpha dog anymore, especially going to another star's team.  However, on an individual level, I can't blame him too much.

I agree that it was the best decision for him, and I admire that he was strong enough not to worry about the legacy stuff and weigh winning as more important. That said, however, the way he went about it was all wrong. He could have done it in a way that classier and less self-aggrandizing. Related, he also missed the boat on the "We not Me" aspect of teaming up with two other stars.

[Roy Hobbs]

I can't blame him.  He took less money to play with his friends in a good environment.  From watching his interview, it seems like he has a ton of respect for the Celtics, and he has to have seen what guys like Pierce, Ray, and KG went through prior to joining together.  He didn't want that to be him, so he did something about it before he turned 30.

This definitely effects Lebron's legacy -- he can't really be seen as an alpha dog anymore, especially going to another star's team.  However, on an individual level, I can't blame him too much.

I agree that it was the best decision for him, and I admire that he was strong enough not to worry about the legacy stuff and weigh winning as more important. That said, however, the way he went about it was all wrong. He could have done it in a way that classier and less self-aggrandizing. Related, he also missed the boat on the "We not Me" aspect of teaming up with two other stars.

Yeah, I agree.  The whole "decision" special was stupid, and was just meant to cater to Lebron's ego.  I didn't like that at all.  If he had wanted to do things the right way, he would have held a joint news conference with his new teammates, rather than overshadowing them by calling for his own hour long special.

Like you, I respect the decision, but don't respect how it was announced.  Time will tell regarding how willing Lebron truly is to subjugate his own game, but giving him the benefit of the doubt, I'm okay with this choice.

[Who]

I thought LeBron made the right decision leaving Cleveland.

There were five teams who all offered better situations than the Cavs did.

[Birdbrain]

Lebron's career in a historical context took a huge downturn last night, regardless.  Lebron had a team that came close every year and he bailed.  I bet he would have won a title eventually if he stuck it out.
By the point KG was traded it was obvious who he was- an awesome Pippen like complimentary player.  Lebron was still in the discussion to be a Michael Jordan type.  That's over now, however.

Yes the comparison fails on multiple levels. 

[Fafnir]

I thought LeBron made the right decision leaving Cleveland.

There were five teams who all offered better situations than the Cavs did.

Which ultimately shows that their front office made several bad strategic decisions in playing for "this year" over and over again.

[Birdbrain]

I thought LeBron made the right decision leaving Cleveland.

There were five teams who all offered better situations than the Cavs did.

Which ultimately shows that their front office made several bad strategic decisions in playing for "this year" over and over again.

I love revisionism with this guy.  He wanted the players they brought in, he lost, the Cavs organization failed, and now he made the right decision because everywhere else is better.

That's win/win/win/win for LJ.  What a lucky guy.

This fraud is still fooling people.

[Mike-Dub]

I can't blame him.  He took less money to play with his friends in a good environment.  From watching his interview, it seems like he has a ton of respect for the Celtics, and he has to have seen what guys like Pierce, Ray, and KG went through prior to joining together.  He didn't want that to be him, so he did something about it before he turned 30.

This definitely effects Lebron's legacy -- he can't really be seen as an alpha dog anymore, especially going to another star's team.  However, on an individual level, I can't blame him too much.

You can't blame him for valuing winning more than his hometown. 

[timepiece33]

I thought the special was self serving, but I can't blame the decision. 

Does Kevin Garnett becoming a hired gun change how we perceive his championship?

I'm going to be interested to see how James and Wade co-exist.