# Go to Hell, LeBron James! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 10, 2014, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805 "2014-07-10T23:16:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/1 "2014-07-10T23:16:53Z")
I’m sure you’d just love to have another ESPN special to announce which team will be privileged enough to have you play for them. However, that didn’t work out so well last time. While I know ESPN just loves hyping anything NBA. especially in a slow sports news cycle, this is getting ridiculous. Pick a team, then decide how you’re going to quit your teammates in the playoffs. Buy a Hummer for Delonte West and your mother. But, please, just end this drama. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/2 "2014-07-10T23:39:27Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I’m sure you’d just love to have another ESPN special to announce which team will be privileged enough to have you play for them. However, that didn’t work out so well last time. > > While I know ESPN just loves hyping anything NBA. especially in a slow sports news cycle, this is getting ridiculous. > > Pick a team, then decide how you’re going to quit your teammates in the playoffs. Buy a Hummer for Delonte West and your mother. But, please, just end this drama. So much mis-information, so little time. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/3 "2014-07-10T23:45:25Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Pick a team, then decide how you’re going to quit your teammates in the playoffs. Buy a Hummer for Delonte West and your mother. But, please, just end this drama. 2 championships, 2 MVP awards, 2 _Finals_ MVP awards…how is that quitting your team in the playoffs? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/4 "2014-07-11T02:20:07Z")
I don’t think he’s going to Cleveland and I tend to think he’s making a mistake including them in this whole process, but at the same time, people are responsible for keeping their own hopes in check. Cavs fans and management are not good at this. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/5 "2014-07-11T02:46:37Z")
I heard today something about how he’d already enrolled his kids in school in Akron. If so, it seems pretty certain that he’s already decided. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/6 "2014-07-11T04:17:33Z")
I said it obliquely in the other thread, but I think he’s going to Cleveland. It makes more sense for him in every way I can conceive: in terms of his chances at winning, his chances of winning beyond next year, and in terms of how he is (fairly or not) perceived by fans (and, extending out from that, by “history”). I’ve yet to hear an argument that his best interest is served by staying in Miami that doesn’t hinge on the questionable assumption that things will always be as they have been. All that said, I don’t begrudge him taking a few weeks to make a decision on a $20 million job. Most people aren’t expected to make career decisions according to ESPN’s timetable. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/7 "2014-07-11T04:38:41Z")
And I’m also sick of Carmelo Anthony ! ---
**Author:** ![chicagowhitesox1173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@chicagowhitesox1173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicagowhitesox1173)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/8 "2014-07-11T05:04:20Z")
It is annoying. I think a lot of these guy’s like to make fans wait and wonder because it gives them a sense of power. Lebron James better make a good decision because in my opinion he somewhat failed in Miami and wussed out in Cleveland. Really the only good choice he can make is either stay with Miami or go back to Cleveland. I know a lot of you disagree but his image will be tarnished more if he tries to join another super team. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/9 "2014-07-11T06:55:01Z")
> [@chicagowhitesox1173](#): > > It is annoying. I think a lot of these guy’s like to make fans wait and wonder because it gives them a sense of power. In this case, it’s not just a sense of power, it’s real, actual power. Don’t discount the possibility that James, Wade, Riley, et al. are all on the same page - he’s staying in Miami and it’s a done deal. Why would they tell anyone when there’s nothing but reasons _not to tell_ anyone? Several teams and players are waiting to see what James is doing before they make their own decisions. Why help make those team-building decisions easier on them? Even if he \*were \*leaving Miami, it still doesn’t do him or Miami any good by letting the world know about it any earlier than necessary. > [@](#): > > Lebron James better make a good decision because in my opinion he somewhat failed in Miami… Ridiculous, as already pointed out above. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/10 "2014-07-11T12:50:17Z")
You have the same attitude about it as my girlfriend, and when she says “Oh holy shit who cares!!?” my response is “A lot of people. You’re the only one who doesn’t”. Sorry to say OP you’re in the minority. This is a decision (heh) that will literally determine the future of half of the NBA (Eastern Conference), it’s a pretty big deal and ESPN is covering it as such. (To a lesser point Carmelo is the same thing, but less) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/11 "2014-07-11T14:29:57Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > You have the same attitude about it as my girlfriend, and when she says “Oh holy shit who cares!!?” my response is “A lot of people. You’re the only one who doesn’t”. That’s a bit overbroad. Most sports fans care, and most people probably don’t. > [@](#): > > Sorry to say OP you’re in the minority. The OP definitely cares! He just says a bunch of stuff that’s 100% wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/12 "2014-07-11T14:41:40Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That’s a bit overbroad. Most sports fans care, and most people probably don’t. I was referring to sports fans. I am well aware that my mom doesn’t care where the hell Lebron goes 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/13 "2014-07-11T15:10:47Z")
Remember that [gracious, eloquent, and classy letter](http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5365704) Cavs owner Dan Gilbert posted following “The Decision”? That’s been up on their website for FOUR YEARS and was only taken down just a few days ago. I understand it’s a business and they’re trying to win, but if you’re going to get your panties in a bunch and keep them tied up for this long, only to turn around and try to woo the guy back because you suddenly realized his tenure there represents nearly a third of the winning seasons and 60% of the playoff wins in franchise history, you’re kind of a piece of shit, too. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/14 "2014-07-11T15:59:13Z")
It’s just a conspiracy to sell jerseys. Leave Cleveland and the fans all burned their jerseys. Come back and now they’ve got to buy them all over again. Bonus sales for a new number so they have to buy the vintage 23 AND the updated 6. I’m only half kidding. If Cleveland was a market like NY/CHI/LA, then I’d be only 1/4 kidding. Someone brought up a point (forgive me for not remember who to give credit to) that his mom is not handling fame and fortune very gracefully and wants to keep it more low key. If the money’s the same, I think that’s a very real concern. Lebron’s reached the status where he’s not missing out on any endorsement deals regardless of where he lands. Hometown really just boils down to a) where you pay taxes and b) where your family lives. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/15 "2014-07-11T16:09:26Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Remember that [gracious, eloquent, and classy letter](http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5365704) Cavs owner Dan Gilbert posted following “The Decision”? That’s been up on their website for FOUR YEARS and was only taken down just a few days ago. > > . Jesus, that’s something else. I don’t follow the NBA that closely, but did he get any shit for this? > [@](#): > > “I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE” > > You can take it to the bank. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/16 "2014-07-11T16:09:38Z")
As methodical as LeBron has been about this, I’m a little confused as to how he could go to Cleveland without actually meeting their coach (new to the NBA) and GM (new to the job). Doubly so since the Cavs’ coaching and GM situation were part of the problem when he left the first time. That’d be quite a leap of faith, wouldn’t it? > [@Procrustus](#): > > Jesus, that’s something else. I don’t follow the NBA that closely, but did he get any shit for this? Tons. Everybody knew he was full of shit because it was obvious the Heat would be contenders and the Cavs were going to stink. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/17 "2014-07-11T16:11:35Z")
LeBron leaves Cleveland, announces on live television special, media and fans flip out about the surprise: fuck you LeBron, you attention whore. LeBron probably going back to Cleveland, doesn’t say shit to anybody, media and fans flip out speculating: fuck you LeBron, pick a team. Seems fair. The only thing I’m disappointed by is that most of these assholes who gave the guy this fucked up Stockholm Syndrome hometown deal that’s almost certainly pulling him back toward Cleveland would get to watch their team win (and some of them will get their own) championship rings for their troubles. He’s so intensely sensitive to criticism that he’s actually (I think) convinced this is the right thing to do now. Poor bastard; I wonder how he’s going to react when he realizes that the **dalej42** s and the **chicagowhitesox1173** s of the world can’t be won over. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/18 "2014-07-11T16:26:25Z")
So Cleveland it is. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/19 "2014-07-11T16:31:20Z")
Yup. How about that? ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805/20 "2014-07-11T16:38:34Z")
Wrote a little essay mentioning Waiters specifically but not mentioning Wiggins. Guess he thinks there’s a pretty good chance they’re getting Love. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-to-hell-lebron-james/692805.md?page=2)