Angrytown...

if dan gilbert hadn't spouted off last night, i might actually feel kinda sorry for cleveland.

and even with gilbert, the fans don't really deserve this. i've said all along that announcing anything other than a return to cleveland on an ESPN special was just a bush league slap in the face.

but, sadly, this just further cements cleveland as the biggest loser sports city.

na, cleveland isn't the worst sports town.

I would say Seattle takes that crown...

[This message has been edited by Bag (edited 7/9/2010 8:57a).]

LOL

jackie-

Dan Gilbert spouting off last night is the one small glimmer of hope for Cavs fans in knowing that at least someone is in there corner.

Bag-

No way on Seattle. Cleveland not only has lost a lot over the last 50 years, but they have had there hearts ripped out on multiple occassions. Lebron just adds to the list that includes the drive (Elway), the shot (Jordan), among other things. Further, I don't think Seattle fans are as diehard as Cleveland fans.

"Sports do not build character. They reveal it."
-John Wooden

sorry, but when you lose your bball team to ok city, you win the #fail award.

sorry, but when your city hasnt won a sports championship in ANY sport since before the moon landing, you win the #fail award.

Bag-

The people of Seattle have to actually care they lost that team. Don't think they do.

"Sports do not build character. They reveal it."
-John Wooden

sore losers

I think the "poor Cleveland" stuff is WAY overblown. "Poor Cleveland" got 7 years of Lebron. He got them to the Finals. He won 2 MVP's. He took their franchise from the abyss to relevance and sold out their arena and sold merchandise for them like crazy. All because Cleveland got lucky on a lottery pick.

Cleveland couldn't put the right package around Lebron to win. You can blame him all you want but he wasn't the GM, owner, or coach. He was one of 5 guys on the court. He may be the best player in the league but he's still one player. Don't give me the "They built the team around him!" garbage either. They built the team around him because that gave them the best chance to win. Period.

Cleveland got a lot from Lebron, he has done more for that city than any athlete in at least 25 years. Why should he have to feel a lifetime obligation to them? He has every right to feel as though THEY couldn't put the pieces around him to win too and he can certainly be justified in saying the city just wasn't a fit for him.

I remember when Duncan came up for FA both times. The Spurs were very fortunate they had titles that allowed Duncan to know he could win otherwise I think he would have been gone. They also did a great job of making him feel perfectly at home in the city and molding it to match his personality. Still, if he would have left I would have understood and been glad that we had the time we did with him.

I can see the anger over the "Decision" to an extent but that is Lebron. He's an egomaniac, always has been and always will be. You can't decide you love all that attention to your city when it works for you and then resent it when it doesn't. To go back to the SA example, the Spurs got a superstar but they got one who refused to do anything to exploit his status and bring attention to the city outside of the court. There is good and bad with that.

Deal with it Cleveland. You got a gift with Lebron and you weren't able to keep it going forever. Go talk to all the other teams that have never had that opportunity at all.

The deal is that what Gibert said has a large ring of truth to it.

James appeared to really tank this year in the playoffs. No doubt about it.

I think he knew he was gone, something went south, now have been all the internal issues with West, who knows but the Cleveland fans desreved a lot better then what they got.

They are really passionate fans and I don't buy into the somewhat new definition of what a winner is. I don't believe that every team that doesn't win a Championship is a loser!

All I know is this, If the roles were reversed and it was Roger Stuabach or Earl Campbell who did this sort of things to Dallas or Houston respectively, there would be a lot of folk burning those guys in effigy!

This is all bringing back the horrible memories of the 2008 Brent Barry riots in San Antonio.

More front pages: http://www.visualeditors.com/apple/2010/07/lebron-james-story-results-in-mirth-and-anguish-on-front-pages/

quote:

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I think the "poor Cleveland" stuff is WAY overblown. "Poor Cleveland" got 7 years of Lebron.

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pfft..


lebron always talked about how much playing before his family, friends and fans meant to him..how loyalty has always been important to him..about how appreciative he was the organization was doing all it could to surround him with championship-caliber players..

in the end, though, he was just like all the rest..just another vagabond superstar, chasing a legacy he has already begun to damage..

then there's the choking in the playoffs that was just plain embarrassing..

and there's no question who was driving it all..

ever seen Kobe's teams carry on like that? Bird's? Duncan's?

how many rings do they have?

how many is lebron taking with him to miami?



so in the end, cleveland had 7 years of privileged gawking at a player who arguably is, not in terms of championships won, but from the standpoint of the most breathtaking combination of speed, strength, agility and basketball skills, the greatest player in NBA history.

it was a great ride..he showed cleveland things they've never seen before, except, of course, a championship parade..

and that will be lebron's true legacy there..

that he abandoned cleveland..

cleveland didn't abandon him....

quote:

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jackie-

Dan Gilbert spouting off last night is the one small glimmer of hope for Cavs fans in knowing that at least someone is in there corner.

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where's the hope in knowing that your leader is so weak-minded that he'd resort to junior high barbs because a player left?

don't you think it would have been better to say something like this:

we are obviously very disappointed that lebron james chose to leave cleveland. he's a great player and we've enjoyed having him as part of our family for the last seven years.

we're also disappointed that lebron thinks leaving cleveland gives him the best chance to win, as we had every intention of continuing to make moves to surround him with the best talent available.

regardless, we wish him well and hope he enjoys watching cleveland's first nba title on tv in a few years.

I actually think that Gilbert didn't go far enough. He should have talked about Gloria James, then given Delonte a max deal for 2011.

another thing about gilbert's actions, are some free agents going to steer clear of cleveland now that they see how the owner may react if they leave? sure, some guys will go wherever the money is, but for guys with options, gilbert may have just screwed himself.

and regarding lebron's mom, there's a conspiracy theory out there that apparently everybody in the organization, except lebron, knew about the alleged relationship with delonte. the theory is that lebron was so pissed that they kept it from him that this public humiliation was actually a retaliation.

doesn't excuse it...but could help explain it (though it's still a crappy thing to do the fans just to get back at the organization).

anyone remember the hastily made cleveland tourism video?

An economy based on Lebron James? Now what's the economy going to be based on now.

I expect the newspapers to give round the clock coverage for the next few weeks about this.

To 1,000,000 touchdowns...and beyond

in my opinion, Cleveland needed a real point guard to make a serious run at a title. So i'm not feelin the "poor Cleveland" crap.

But Lebron is still a ******...he could've stayed and help recruit a point guard.

That's a great front page! I have no problem with Lebron leaving, but he showed zero class in how he did it.