He is either a lot more hurt than he let on or he simply quit on his team because he’s decided to leave.
The Bulls, maybe. (The fact that both of those teams made the playoffs in a weak conference doesn’t mean they are championship contenders.) Last I heard - and this may be way out of date - I think the Heat have two players under contract for next season. Beasley is one of them and I think they’re close to pulling the plug on him. If they spend a lot of money on LeBron, or LeBron and Wade, I don’t know who they get to put around them. I like a lot of the Nets’ young guys, but them + LeBron vs. the current Cavs with LeBron? I think the Cavs win that.
LeBron definitely tried tonight. He had a triple double. If anything he was pushing too hard, which was where all those turnovers came from. I still think he may be hurt worse than he’s letting on, but that’s just one of the questions we get the privilege of hearing about daily for the next three months or so. I’ll try to focus on the actual basketball games from this point on.
You know, I’m not a big basketball guy but I’ve been following it more since I moved to San Antonio and I think a guy who finished his season with a triple-double while injured can’t be accused of “quitting” on his team. It’s just that the other 10 Cavaliers didn’t match up with Boston’s guys.
However…
I do think he is planning on moving and while I think this move has the approval of David Stern, the fact is (imho) the drumbeat on having him out of Cleveland and into New York* has been orchestrated by the media. Yes, Stern could be (and likely is) working through the media to get the message across, but ESPN and TNT have their reasons too: they would save millions of dollars combined every year by having him in a “local” market where they don’t have to incur travel expenses for their TV crews and announcers.
I don’t think I’ve seen this much duplicity between a sports league and the TV networks to screw over a small market city for a large market city since… shit, I can’t think of an episode as egregious as this - it’s been going on for three+ years! Anyone?
*It’s almost always NY, though I hear Chicago mentioned at times.
Lets see how Orlando does as the favorite rather than the underdog. They have homecourt throughout the playoffs now.
Unless I heard wrong, the Knicks cleared enough cap space to sign two free agents to max contracts this off-season. They had to purposefully nuke the last two seasons and give up first round draft picks to do it, so it’s kind of a gamble that could blow up in their faces, but still.
Even though I think Lebron warrants some of the criticisms…(especially after that inane "spoiled " comment at the press conference) I think people need to look at Mo Williams… and Antawn Jamison… both of those guys crapped the bed this series… Rondo made Mo his bitch… Mo williams should never be elected to an all star game… Rondo got to the bucket at will. Garnett still without being 100% kicked Jamison’s butt except for game three. Jamison and Richard Jefferson are perfect examples of regular season warriors who are not playoff tested…
If the king goes to New York it’ll be with Bosh… and they still won’t be able to beat Orlando… This actually helps Miami and Chicago… clearing the way for both to compete with the Magic… thats providing Lebron leaves Cleveland…
He wasn’t. He was named to the team as a second alternate replacement after two other guys went down and his team (and the press) lobbied hard for him. But yes, I was thinking about that during the game. I do sort of feel bad that he got lost coming out of the locker room at half time tonight and never made it back to the game. 
What a crazy game. You get the feeling, like Bill Simmons said in his recent article, that we are witnessing the death of pro basketball in Cleveland and the NBA landscape changing for the next few years.
Good for Lebron to make those quitting rumors go away with a triple-double. However, as the announcers said, his face just looked completely blank. It almost looked like he didn’t care, like…he already made up his mind to leave. If I were a Cavs fan, I’d be unable to sleep the next few months
On the other hand, party in NY! And maybe Miami and Chicago!
I was thinking that myself after the game. Would Jordan or Bird have gone over and hugged everyone on the opposing team immediately after losing an elimination game that was still winnable with 2:00 to go?
Now, Jordan-esque competitiveness isn’t always a good thing – I’d certainly pick LeBron over Jordan as a neighbor or brother-in-law, and not sure I’d even want Jordan as a teammate in a more casual competition or business. But if I was serious about winning, I don’t think I’d want to see my team leader that unemotional after a loss and that quick to be so friendly with the other team – I’d want him at least a little bit pissed off and stewing and thinking about how he and the team could have done better.
When the Cavs lost to the Magic last year, he left the court without shaking hands or anything and the press tore him a new asshole over it. He was called a bad sport and all that stuff. I’m confused by a bunch of things about this series but I’m not going to read anything into that. As for Jordan, I just don’t remember. He only lost one playoff series after 1991 and I don’t recall anything about his response.
As a Lakers fan, I have to at least make a pitch:
Lebron, come to LA! (no, not the Clippers)
LA offers the exact same big market as NY, except with a better supporting cast. This city offers just as much marketing potential as NY, with the added bonus of a legendary team and you carrying the legacy. Sure, you’ll have to sign for the mid-level exception, but the paltry $20 million a year you give up now will pay dividends later.
Lebron, you’re 25. If you really want to be the first billionaire athlete, you have to look at endorsements. Jordan made more with endorsements than his NBA contract. Tiger makes a hell of a lot more off the course than anything he does on it. Let’s face it, you’re not getting close to Jordan money until you start winning, and winning a lot.
With one title, you can at least be called a champion. But with only one, you might be known as the best basketball players to only win one. With 5+, you’re the greatest ever, and there’s no place that offers you the chance to win a fistful of rings than LA. Kobe’s getting older, but he still has a few good years left. His cast is in their prime around 30 or late 20’s. Join this team, give up a paltry few million, then in 5 years watch your endorsements hit the $50 million mark. I guarantee that’s not going to happen with losing years in NY or Chicago, but it will in LA.
It’s a no-brainer. With all those other cities, NY, Miami, Chicago, Cleveland, NJ you are rolling the dice on winning. Who’s going to surround you in NY? Gallinari? Sure you’ve got Wade in Miami, but who’s the low post guy? And do you really want to have to deal with Joahkim Noah in Chicago? Does another loss in the playoffs excite you in Cleveland? And New Jersey is New Jersey, who lost 70 games. How many years do you really want to spend on rebuilding?
LA is the only 100% guaranteed championship city for you. Sign with us, then bet all your money in Vegas on the Lakers to make up for the amount you’ll have to give up. It’s absolutely guaranteed. We have the market of NY, the weather of Miami, and the supporting cast that NJ, Chicago, and Cleveland can only dream about. Plus, one of the biggest weaknesses in Cleveland was the coaching. Not a problem here with Phil Jackson. And if he leaves, we’ve got Byron Scott, or any one of the great coaches that would be available and would be climbing over each other to coach you and Kobe together.
Come to LA, Lebron. It’s your best shot for immortality. If you want to be the best, then play in the best city for basketball.
This whole thing about how he needs to be in a big market for endorsements is dreck. He’s already making more on endorsements than any player in the league in Cleveland. LeBron is going to make the same endorsement money wherever he goes; Gatorade doesn’t care where he plays.
Besides, fuck Los Angeles. You’ve got the same weather as Miami if you overlook that whole “breatheable air” thing.
The fact that he makes a ton of endorsement money already doesn’t mean jack. He would make more in a big market, having a giant billboard in NY is better for Nike/Gatorade/etc than having a giant billboard in Cleveland.
and yog the same could be said about san antonio.
plus our mexican food rocks. lala’s is kind of inedible.
There’s nothing stopping Nike from putting up giant billboards in New York whether LeBron plays there or not. You think Peyton Manning’s earning potential is negatively affected by playing in Indy? :dubious:
Lebron is the giant billboard
Who needs air when you can endore your own line of gas masks! 
We have better Chinese food though. Lebron hasn’t lived until he’s chowed down on a platter of duck tongues!
maybe so. our chinese (oriental food sucks) but…
shoot eat chinese and be hungry three hours later.
eat some serious 'skin food and you are done for the day.
All the better because you get to eat more! 
The Cavs have fired Mike Brown. And the Hawks got rid of Mike Woodson.