No Easy Answers for LeBron James, Cavs

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• slamfan4life Posted: May.14 at 9:01 am
  Dudes needs to go to Chi…ASAP…so July 1st

• slamfan4life Posted: May.14 at 9:02 am
  Dudes needs to sign with CHI….

• Lee Posted: May.14 at 9:03 am
  Who is this “LeBron” you speak of?

• Eboy Posted: May.14 at 9:11 am
  Yes, that makes perfect sense…the guy who is vilified as a pretend Michael Jordan wannabe should pack up his entourage and head to the TEAM and Building that the original article perfected his game and his legend for/in? Brilliant. No pressure there. That statue in front of the United Center would drive him crazy each day he went there.

• Sovain Posted: May.14 at 9:17 am
  Here is the underlying fact, Mike Brown wasnt able to get the most out of his key compenents. The coach needs to go! If Doc Rivers can get the most out Tony Allen, Perkins, Big Baby, and the rest of the reserves then why cant Mike Brown? They need a coach that will light a fire under the team. If LeBron leaves, he will only leave for the money. Think about the teams vying for the King services–New York, New Jersey, Chicago. Out of all the teams, Chicago would be a good fit, but if he gets a max deal, that’ll prevent Rose from eventually getting a good deal. So much goes into the process. LeBron’s best bet is to stay in Ohio

• Trout Posted: May.14 at 9:19 am
  We can all speculate til the cows come home but does anyone else remember that there is a small matter of the finals to get through we have a whole month to ponder LeBron and team builds when it’s all over. Never had some much been written about so little … Now that includes me … damn it!

• Yann Blavec Posted: May.14 at 9:23 am
  What if LBJ stays and Phil Jackson comes ?

• kobesbestfriend Posted: May.14 at 9:23 am
  Who cares where he goes?where ever it is he’ll choke just like he always does!Kobe 4 MVP!!!

• L Posted: May.14 at 9:25 am
  Kobe and LBJ on the same squad anyone?

• SAB Posted: May.14 at 9:27 am
  agree with Eboy, Chicago might make sense on paper but surely the weight of history would be too much for him.
  as for Mr Trout – dude, get ready – the whole next season is basically worth nothing until we get to see LeBron in next year’s playoffs. He will be the league’s dominant player again next year, but that will be overshadowed by the fact that no-one will care until we see him perform in the playoffs. sad.

• vtrobot Posted: May.14 at 9:28 am
  yeah, i don’t think he’d want to play in CHI where mike played. are there any destinations as likely as NY and MIA? either one of those sounds fine to me if i’m bron. i feel bad for you, cleveland, ohio. phil’s not coming to CLE. he doesn’t go where he’ll have a challenge.

• Dacre Posted: May.14 at 9:33 am
  I can’t wait to see who’s making the finals out of the East. Orlando…? Boston…? BOTH want that championship real bad.

• Eboy Posted: May.14 at 9:34 am
  Bosh and Bron in NY or Wade and Bron in Miami? I don’t think there’s a question of which is the more potent combo ON THE COURT. I wonder if any of those guys would choose to go to Cleveland and play with him there?

• Jacob (from Australia) Posted: May.14 at 9:37 am
  I don’t understand why the Bulls are such a good fit? New Jersey seems the place to be – Billionaire owner, great market place, friends like Jay-Z, young pieces (Lopez, Harris, Lee, Yi, CDR, etc.), great draft position (could be John Wall) and trade prospects (Harris again, if they get Wall). I guess what he really wants is to be able to play with Wade, that connection would be insane.

• Bruno Posted: May.14 at 9:39 am
  eboy is right about Lebron goin to Chicago

• freesteve Posted: May.14 at 9:46 am
  with the exception of mo williams in the first half, the whole team looked hungover in game 6… its ridiculous to call lebron the best in the league when he didn’t show up but one game in the series… do you think kobe would have allowed his team to play like that, hell to the naw, lebron stop taking fake pics and making up handshakes and start leading your guys…but y’all don’t hear tho…

• Sovainmag.com Posted: May.14 at 9:53 am
  Phil Jackson and Lebron? They dont fit! The triangle offense requires a prolific scorer. LeBron has troubles getting off his own shot. MJ, Kobe! That should mean enough

• Eboy Posted: May.14 at 9:55 am
  It’s odd how people always look past Kobe quitting on his team against the Suns a few seasons ago. Strange.

• Bryan Posted: May.14 at 10:02 am
  its even more odd that Kobe got crushed for that but Bron gets a pass because Kobe did it.

• Royal Posted: May.14 at 10:05 am
  Eboy: no body looks past it anymore, people just are not as critical about it due to us witnessing the king quit in game 5 and his whole damn team giving up in game 6. IMO every player has one of those moments when they think all hope is lost , so I don’t take it as seriously as others do.

• freesteve Posted: May.14 at 10:08 am
  You can look passed it because he has a ring since then… face it in pro sports winning rings is everything… kobe 4 lebron 0, zero, zip, nada, cero, goose egg.

• TyMo Posted: May.14 at 10:15 am
  To quote one of my all-time favorite movies (A Bug’s Life): “First rule of leadership: everything is your fault.”

• niQ Posted: May.14 at 10:27 am
  That’s a pretty big elephant in the room. They should make it their mascot.

• Eboy Posted: May.14 at 10:33 am
  Doesn’t Kobe have 7 seasons on Lebron? Yeah, thought so.

• Shelton Posted: May.14 at 10:34 am
  Finally!!!! This loss is on Bron. He had the pieces in place. I hope people begin to appreciate wat Kobe does more now bc it’s not easy & only one other guy named Jordan could do wat he does now: Win & Close games with pressure or no pressure.

• Elias Posted: May.14 at 10:39 am
  @Sovainmag.com Lebron can get his own shot off, I checked out 82games.com NBA player shooting details from last season, and Kobe has more shots assisted tha Lebron. Lebron has the ball more tho. Kobe’s still the better scorer, I counted it, but I’m not gonna start to explain it here.
  And @eboy, everybody remebers how Kobe played against the Suns, but it’s different, Kobe and the Lakers were pulling off a major upset, (and they would’ve if Kobe played better that game) and now the Celtics pulled off an upset vs Cavs, everybody expected the Cavs to win, and back then everybody expected the Suns to win.

• Eboy Posted: May.14 at 10:41 am
  I think people sold the Celts short because they are extremely dense.

• AL29 Posted: May.14 at 10:41 am
  Everyone keeps reporting that “Cleveland has done everything in their power” to surround Lebron with enough talent to win a championship. Mo Williams? Antawn Jamison? Shaq? C’mon now. They only have one superstar, and one superstar alone cannot win a championship. And, I would be careful of pinning any hopes on Bosh. The guy just had a contract-year, but is really no better than Carlos Boozer.

• Sparker Posted: May.14 at 10:46 am
  eboy, i was thinking about kobe vs. the suns too. and how it was hard not to think a little less of him as a player. but what it really comes down to, at this upper level of nba talent, is this: neither of these dudes is michael jordan. there are the physical gifts. and there are the mental gifts. back in the day, when the game was on the line – no matter what jordan’s team did earlier that evening – it was going to feel like 1 on 5 for the opposing team. and jordan sometimes missed, but the tenacity never died, at both ends of the court. i thought lebron had that. hell, up until this series, it sure looked like he did. but boston put an end to that. he looked tired. he looked overwhelmed. and as a basketball fan, that has to bum me out. superman just met kryptonite, and that’s always the worst part of the movie

• Sparker Posted: May.14 at 10:51 am
  and by the way, someone on the celts has figured out that lebron is most vulnerable when he puts the ball on the floor. he needs to tighten up everything he does when he’s in the triple threat position. and fix those motherf*cking high dribbles. compared to kobe, it’s actually weird how many fundamentals he needs to work on.

• Eboy Posted: May.14 at 10:53 am
  Sparker, no one was (is) a bigger Jordan fan than me. It’s insulting really, that anyone tries to compare their favorite players desire to be the best to his, regardless of his faults as a human and the small ones he had as a player. Michael was cutthroat from the jump, regardless of how often his team failed in the playoffs. It was never because “he quit”. That NEVER was in his player makeup. The two guys that people are trying to compare now (Kobe and Lebron have both famously doen just that, quit)are both exceptional talents, but they are a step below that level of intensity and desire, IMO.

• LA Huey Posted: May.14 at 10:53 am
  He should re-up with Cleveland though. Even if its for 2-3 years. Give the Nets enough time to move to Brooklyn if he goes there. The Knicks are this years Heat minus Wade. And he can’t go to Mike’s house and expect to challenge any NBA legend’s legacy.

• Diesel Posted: May.14 at 10:59 am
  IF Lebron leaves, the most logical choice is Bulls. If he comes to Miami its him and Wade and then who else??? Oneil and his 80yr old knees? Beasley in between his psychiatric visits? As good as they both are, a team of lebron and Wade and a bunch of role players doesn’t get it done. He’s not going to NY, even if Bosh does sign with him, because again, who do you have after that? Danillo is going to be your third option?? (sidenote- I actually heard an ESPN NY reporter say today that Danillo was the best open shooter in the league…really?). He’s not going to the Nets because they’re a work in progress. The only spot he can go where there’s a ready made team; a team that is championship caliber simply my adding him, is Chicago. Him, Drose, and Noah makes a 3 person nucleus, every other team would be a 2 man show. Add to that the fact that Deng, Kirk, and Gibson are all viable sign and trade options for a fourth piece and I think that puts the Bulls over the top

• FreeWayne Posted: May.14 at 11:08 am
  Lebrick had a triple double last night, yet he choked. Thats funny, how that can be so true with those numbers. But when you look at his FG% it was ugly.

• BostonBaller Posted: May.14 at 11:10 am
  At least LBJ shook hands and actually gave words of encouragement BUT he and the rest of the team laid down the last couple of minutes. Did they not see Reggie Miller or anyone who gave their all at the end when all was THOUGHT to be lost? Come on guys, that was a blatant message that they want the coach gone and they were hammering the nail in his coffin.

• RedRum Posted: May.14 at 11:15 am
  Before dishing LBJ, you have to think that at the same age MJ was getting beaten by the Piston Bad boys, year in and year out. It is obvious that Lebron has two major limitation in his game: midrange shooting, and a non-existent post game. If I were to work on one this summer it would be the post game… I cannot believe someone 6-9, 260 does not post… and when he posts, although has great footwork, does not know how to be effective. Image him taking the block, DEMANDING a double team every time he touches the ball. With his passing could do some serious damage. Heck, even Kobe posts more than him! Seriously, how can Pierce play him on the block? I think his performance was influenced by two factors: Celtics great defense and the elbow. now… people will jump and say “Kobe played with a broken finger!!!” Well… it took him a couple of months to get used to the injury, he was shooting low-30% at the beginning. Of course Lebron was influence by the elbow. But I have to admit, the Celtics D was immaculate!

• ben hogan Posted: May.14 at 11:19 am
  You can’t really look at the Cavs roster and expect them to WIN A TITLE can you? It is AMAZING he got his team this far. Every team that was in the playoffs in the east have better players than the Cavs, other than Lebron. The Bobcats are close, but at least they have a coach. Imagine if Paul Silas would have stayed around. WHO THE HELL IS MIKE BROWN?????????

• ben hogan Posted: May.14 at 11:20 am
  Mo Williams, Lebron, Anthony Parker, Jamison, Varejao, Delonte West, Shaq, JJ Hickson, etc. ARE YOU SERIOUS????

• FreeWayne Posted: May.14 at 11:22 am
  This is what James whispered into everyones ear-
  I’m out…. Meet me in Miami!!

• ben hogan Posted: May.14 at 11:23 am
  No other superstar IN THE HISTORY OF THE LEAGUE has had to work with that low of a level of talent from his teammates and coaches. NAME ONE

• Diesel Posted: May.14 at 11:33 am
  Ben – Jamison and Williams were both NBA All Stars in the past 3 years. So a team with three all stars and Shaq is a garbage supporting cast? Shut the f*ck up!!! You’re probably the same dude who was gushing about how great this team was before the playoffs started. No excuses.

• mems Posted: May.14 at 11:35 am
  i hope mike brown stays lebrons coach for the rest of his career lol. he’s terrible

• T-Money Posted: May.14 at 11:39 am
  People are still thinking that Bron gets a proverbial pass from the media?! There’s an ARMY of Skip Baylesses and Rich Buchers out there. As always, people are caught up in the moment. History does not remember that Magic was called Tragic Johnson in 84. History doesn’t remember that KG was basically a failure as a go-to guy. If he doesn’t win anything for his whole career, then you can call him Malone or Barkley. He still has a good 10-year run in him.

• mems Posted: May.14 at 11:46 am
  not really t-money. there have been studies that show that players who come out of high school start breaking down once they reach 30. could happen to bron too

• Sparker Posted: May.14 at 11:46 am
  ben, it’s actually the exception to be surrounded with great talent from the jump. magic and kobe are two of the very few who had this luxury. lebron, like many great players before him, has carried the team up the standings on his shoulders. check out what boston was doing before bird arrived (they were 29-53). hell, look at the milwaukee bucks this year and speculate what future nba fans will say about b jennings, if he continues to walk the walk

• Rizzle Posted: May.14 at 11:58 am
  they just need to let mo williams play point guard, if he set up in the area where melo and kobe and bosh and basicly every other efficient scorer does the entire game wouldnt be about lebron and mo williams could create, jamision could create and shaq could create sometimes. u only put the ball in one guys hands if hes ur only guy like utah or new orleans

• Frank Posted: May.14 at 11:59 am
  lebrons problem is he is playin lik A.i used to, not very smart set up closer to the basket like melo and durant, let mo williams play point guard

• Ian C Posted: May.14 at 12:06 pm
  IMO, Lebron’s elbow was responsible for much of his shooting woes. It is regrettable, but that’s the business. What worried me were the turnovers, and even more so seeing him turn on his teammates when a turnover was his fault. What we are witnessing is an athlete growing up on an enormous stage. While he may be the athlete that Jordan was, he is not yet the same leader. As well the mental toughness hasn’t always been exhibited (9 turnovers? c’mon, that’s ALL mental). Still, there was a time that people thought Jordan wouldn’t win a title and he certainly proved them wrong. Lebron’s job now is to grow from this and get better. Would going to a new team help him? Maybe, but I don’t think any of the teams vying for his services will be better next season than the Cavs. Yes, some players disappeared a bit, but I still think they have a deep team with a lot of valuable pieces. If Lebron chooses to go somewhere else it is certainly his right, but I don’t necessarily believe that it would be just about winning.

• T-Money Posted: May.14 at 12:15 pm
  Frank: that’s an excellent point. he’s way more comfortable attacking the basket from 25 feet out than from the mid post. which is actually a relief for the defense. durant is not a good exemple because he can get dislodged from there and his handles are not very tight when he’s creating (ron artest was deflecting every other dribble it seemed). melo is a perfect example though: the defender is always feeling him as he is constantly roaming around the mid post area looking for a crease to attack. / mems: i expect kobe to play at a high level until he is 35. lebron has never had any serious injuries to his knees or back. why couldn’t he do the same?

• Myles Brown Posted: May.14 at 12:18 pm
  LeBron is not playing 17 seasons of basketball. And the weight of Michael Jordan will follow him wherever he goes. If Chicago is the best fit, then it’s the best fit.

• Myles Brown Posted: May.14 at 12:21 pm
  Oh and Kobe quit, Jordan quit, and Wilt quit. Look it up. Then add Bron to the list. I don’t blame any of em since they essentially did it for the same reasons.

• kobesbestfriend Posted: May.14 at 12:22 pm
  i bet if u switched kobe 4 lebron the cavs woulda won the chip this year

• truthteller Posted: May.14 at 12:30 pm
  @ben hogan: if you are telling me that the Cavs weren’t a great team then why was everybody including the media calling them a championship team? they were ready to just hand the Cavs the ‘chip. Now they weren’t good enough?

• truthteller Posted: May.14 at 12:34 pm
  @Sparker: you’re forgetting that Kobe carried his team in ’06 all the way to the 7th seed in the playoffs (when they had just missed the playoffs the year before and were not picked to make it in ’06)and nearly beat the Suns in the first round! Kobe’s been there too!

• Eboy Posted: May.14 at 1:04 pm
  @ AL29: how many superstars were on the last Pistons championship team? None. Jamison and Mo Williams and a host of good role players and defenders in Parker, Verajao, JJ Hickson isn’t a line up so anemic that everybody should be pointing their fingers at management again. Especially for a guy who is supposed to be the best at makin his teammates better. Kobe unfairly gets a bad rap and LeBron unfairly gets absolved of blame. Kobe’s current teammates all put up numbers similar to LeBrons’ teammates when the Lakers lost the Finals to Boston 2 years ago. Nobody was blaming management then.

• Allenp Posted: May.14 at 1:07 pm
  Lebron doesn’t get a pass from the media. He gets more scrutiny than anyone not named Kobe, and he might get more than Kobe.
  I hope he re-ups for 2-3 years, and at least gets to the Finals one more time in Cleveland.
  Honestly, Mike Brown has to go. I’ve defended the brother, and I want him to get another job, but he can’t coach Lebron. Lebron doesn’t respect him, he basically blamed Brown for the lost because of the gameplan. Brown is a decent coach, and he will have more success, but he doesn’t have the credentials or the makeup to coach Lebron.
  Also, Jamison was not the answer and I believe I said he would disappoint EVERYONE when the trade was made. I watched him in Washington, I knew what he was all about. The reason he’s protected from intense criticism is because he has a rep as a “good guy”.
  He can’t defend threes and he can’t defend fours. That’s unacceptable given the fact he is not an absolute BEAST on offense. True, Lebron didn’t play like he needed to last night, but the mismatch with Jamison was the problem for the entire series. I said before hte series began that it hinged on whether KG had the legs to attack the Cavs, and once he proved that he did, it was a massive problem for the Cavs.

• DS44 Posted: May.14 at 1:26 pm
  EPIC FAIL,couldn’t have happened to a more deserving over hyped overrated player.

• Jose Posted: May.14 at 1:29 pm
  Bron technically almost had a quadruple double. 9 turnovers…i’m just sayin’

• Earl Posted: May.14 at 1:42 pm
  Sorry Anton

• Shem Posted: May.14 at 1:45 pm
  Let me say that Bosh and Joe Johnson are the only free agents that might leave. I hate it, but it is what it is. Bron is staying. period. The problem with the Cavs are their offense. Mike Brown is a great defensive coach but he can’t run an offense. Also, Mo williams plays good in the regular season but during the playoffs he’s just awful. He had awful D as well. I’ve loved Anthony Parker since he was in Toronto but he’s gotta come off the bench. Get a scoring shooting guard that can play D. Too bad Salmons off the block right? Basically what I’m saying is bad coaching, needed upgrade in the back court. Shaq was a liability with the pick and roll this year so they might want to think about replacing him but he played really well at some points during the season so yeah tough decisions have to be made..

• olive_akiko Posted: May.14 at 1:45 pm
  Larry Bird told me that Phil Jackson is going to sign a short-term deal with the Cavs.

• wad da f$$K Posted: May.14 at 1:51 pm
  the differences between kobe quitting and james quitting is that, Cleveland was the best team in the NBA, they were given the trophy at the start of the NBA, while the Lakers in the 05 season wasn’t expected to even make the playoff, let alone the number 7 seed in the West, which would be 4-5 in the Eastern Conference. They gave the suns a run for their money (suns had one of the highest chances to win the championships that year). Yes Kobe quit that last game to prove his point, but Lebron is talked about more because of the high expectations: from the media, from fans like you, so of course it is more ridicule than when Kobe quit, because the Lakers wasn’t even suppose to be in the playoff especially with the line up they had (smush, walton, mihm, kwame).

• Allenp Posted: May.14 at 1:54 pm
  There is no difference between quitting.
  And Kobe quit when he played with the Lakers as well. And let’s not forget those two stinker performances he turned in against the Thunder this year.
  I know I’m guilt of this, but I really wish we could discuss Lebron without having to disparage Kobe, and vice versa.

• wad da f$$K Posted: May.14 at 1:59 pm
  Yes im a kobe fan but Im tired of people saying lebron has no “team.” If you don’t have a team then you won’t have the best winning records for the past two seasons. I don’t like Lebron at all but I respect his game, his athleticism. I feel sorry for the dude cause you (the fans, media) set him up so high to make him fall that much harder.

• hello Posted: May.14 at 2:00 pm
  IF Lebron leaves the Cavs because he wants to win a championship pretty soon, and because the cavs don’t have the supporting cast, he isn’t going to NY or NJ to start all over again!

• wad da f$$K Posted: May.14 at 2:02 pm
  of course there is no difference between quitting, but i was explaining why Lebron quitting is talked about more than kobe quitting. Im a lakers,and kobe fan and I still have a grudge for kobe for that game.

• Anton Posted: May.14 at 2:22 pm
  Steve Nash never quit on his team.

• Anton Posted: May.14 at 2:25 pm
  Oh and Mike Brown just got fired. The issues were poor in-game adjustments, lack of respect from the players, an unavailability due to him filming Toy Story 3.

• Overtime Posted: May.14 at 2:29 pm
  No way they are just the third team to not make the finals after getting 60 wins? I can think of at least 2 off the top of my head in last 6 years:
  2004 Pacers
  2007 Mavs
  Fairly sure Phoenix got 60 either in 05 or 06 didnt they?

• Allenp Posted: May.14 at 2:40 pm
  Overtime
  They did. And Cleveland’s actually done the 60 win thing twice.

• T-Money Posted: May.14 at 2:40 pm
  I think that in retrospect this current Cavs team will be looked at as a bunch of regular season overachievers. They’re a 60-win team on paper but they lose every single match up besides the Bron one. Rondo and Meer are better than Mo. Vince and Ray Ray are better than Parker. Shard and KG are better than Twan. Dwight and Perk are better than Shaq. It always comes down to matchups. / I can’t see Bron staying because Cleveland is not in a position to get better. They don’t ahve the cap room to sign a big time FA.

• giogolo Posted: May.14 at 2:47 pm
  @Myles Brown
  Jordan retired. NOT quit.

• Myles Brown Posted: May.14 at 2:49 pm
  He quit against the Pistons. Look it up.

• Eboy Posted: May.14 at 3:07 pm
  I thought the Minister of Misinformation ceased to exist when Professor Grif left PE.

• OBJECTIVE RESEARCH Posted: May.14 at 3:16 pm
  We all know LeBron’s bread and butter: driving the lane. It is from here that I draw my argument. When James goes to the hole, he simply runs at defenders full speed and hopes to get fouls called. This is done after taking 15 seconds off the shot clock deciding what he wants to do.

• Weed Posted: May.14 at 3:33 pm
  Did anyone notice how KG killed LBJ mentally. He was just to strong for LBJ to handle. He did the same to Kobe in the finals in 08. When he is focused for the series like against Cavs or Lakers you just can’t play against him.

• Allenp Posted: May.14 at 3:37 pm
  T-Money
  Honestly, I didn’t see the Rondo and Mo matchup being that one-sided before the series. I had seriously underestimated Rondo and Cleveland’s ability to contain him. Hell, he did NOTHING like that against Miami.
  I knew the Jamison matchup could be a problem, but only if KG wasn’t dragging the leg. He wasn’t, so that was a big deal.
  I don’t think you can say Perkins is better than Shaq or Big Z. At most, it’s a push.
  Ray is better than Parker and Bron is better than Pierce.
  That said, the Cavs could have and SHOULD have still made this series competitive and they had a great shot at winning it if Lebron doesn’t take a major dump in three or four games. That’st he bottom line and their is no debating it. He failed big time. Sure, his teammates were flawed, but the big problem was that he failed to shine.
  I keep saying this, but the Celtics have done this before.

• ben2424 Posted: May.14 at 4:05 pm
  I hope people stop calling him “king”… the finals mvp is the one that counts…..

• Sparker Posted: May.14 at 4:10 pm
  is writing “look it up” kind of like quitting?

• The Promise Posted: May.14 at 4:16 pm
  I would say I’m one of the only people on here that can honestly say that I picked the Celtics in 6, and sure, people probably thought I was crazy, heck, a lot of my friends thought I was, but see, I don’t ride the bandwagon(not saying everyone on here does but there are plenty that do),I’m a basketball guy, its my love, my passion, and When I looked at this series before it started, I said, you know, Boston is as healthy as they have been all season, and probably in the last 2 years for that matter, and I have thought all year that Cleveland wasn’t quite a championship team. Last year they brought in Mo, a guy that isn’t a point guard, isn’t really a shooting guard because of how small he is, and this year, they brought in a role player at best in Anthony Parker, and, a guy that is only know for his dunks in Jamario Moon, a washed-up, beat up Shaq, and traded for a quickly-detiorrating Antawn Jamison. Ilgauskas is way npast his prime, seems like all he can do now is make an occasional jumper, isn’t much of a factor on the boards because of his low strength and speed, and Varejao is no threat on offense whatsoever, all he is good at is flopping. The only consistent player on that team is LeBron, period. What people seem to be missing is, what if Boston just outplayed them? Looks that way to me. They coudn’t stop KG or Rondo the whole series, and Ray played well for the most part, and they had enough pieces in place that, when one guy didnt play well, another guy(Tony Allen, Glen Davis, Sheed) stepped up in their place. Not so for the other team. When things didnt go right, as always, they stood back and watched LeBron. And one guy can’t take it to the hole on 5, as you saw with the 9 turnovers. What I’m trying to say is, The Cavs didn’t lose it, the Celtics won it.

• Tarzan Cooper Posted: May.14 at 4:20 pm
  U hear that? Its the sound of lebronze casting his line in a quiet cool isolated creek. He sighs heavily before reeling in his line.

• Elmago901 Posted: May.14 at 4:25 pm
  How come everyone is talking about where LeBronze is going and not how he choked yet again? The so called best player in the world and best team in the nba but can’t live up to the hype year after year. When will people get that lebron and the cavs are the Dallas mavericks of the east, great regular season record, crappy team killers, Superstar stat padding, but when it comes to performing and living up to the expectations when it really matters….a big zero. Experts always say that it’s the playoffs where you make a name/legacy for yourself – what is lebron’s legacy so far? based on his playoff performances…not so good. Face it people lebron is the best athletic player in the world but that doesn’t make him a winner, it just makes him a great player but not in the same class as Kareem, Wilt, Russell, Jerry West, Magic, Larry, MJ or Kobe. These guys have the track record to prove it. In the words of Denzel, lebron is all cheese no toast.

• Myles Brown Posted: May.14 at 4:55 pm
  Writing look it up is kind of like a suggestion. You’ve got three choices: Believe someone who saw it and did the research, believe the mouth breathing troglodyte who did neither, or look it up for yourself and know for sure. Choose wisely…..

• bashmo Posted: May.14 at 5:32 pm
  First of all, Lebron is VERY annoyed right now. We all know that. He shouldnt blame his players. Shaq and Mau Williams played great yesterday. However, he should look at himself and ask “Do I have what it takes to lead a team to the finals? And win?” Give the celtics credit. They defended everyone on the cavs roster with excellence. They limited James and made him perform at his worst, and generated a lot of turnovers off of him. Perkins defended shaq well, and made him take a lot of shots, something he didnt do much in the reg.season. The C’s piece by piece broke the cavs down, and the team that C.Barkley chose to “win it all” failed to win again. Danny Ferry was given so much credit toward the end of the reg. season for assembling this championship caliber team, who visually had fun in game, dancing, singing, posing for team pictures. But when it came down to business, they couldnt even take a 4th seeded Celtic team that is arguably worse from 2 years ago to 7 Games. They didnt even get outta the conference semis. Shame on the Cavs….

• bashmo Posted: May.14 at 5:38 pm
  As for where Lebron is going to end up next season…right now we really dont know..however, you can bet your ass that he wont be going to New Jersey, or Chicago. NJ because they lack any legitimate role players. Their young pieces are not used to winning at all in the reg.season, let alone, attempt to qualify and go far in the playoffs. They lack the consistency and depth to win a scrawny 20 games in the reg. season. Imagine the heart and consistency they’d have in the postseason? None. He wont go to Chicao quite simply because of Jordan’s stature, as Eboy mentioned. His best best is to New York, where another possible Superstar may be signed, or Miami, with Wade, but that may not happen as Pat Riley will probably plan to go signing with a big man, a la CB4, since shaq helped a younger D-Wade win a ring after only a season of playing with him, or to stay in Cleveland.

• The Philosopher Posted: May.14 at 5:51 pm
  Magic Johnson had a bad playoff season one year, (worse than LeBron’s) and he is the best of all times.

• nbk Posted: May.14 at 6:08 pm
  If New Jersey wins the lottery they are the most likely destination for LeBron. They actually have a SOLID roster of ROLE players. Which is what their problem was this season, they were a full team of Role Players. If NJ wins the lottery that means they have Wall, & Lopez (PG & C – Which is most important part of winning a championship) and Devin Harris as a trading chip. Terrence Williams who finished the last month of the year at 15 6 6 is the perfect SG/SF backup type player to have with LeBron. Courtney Lee already proved he plays well in clutch situations. and as disappointing as Yi has been, he becomes a lot more intruiging as a 4th or 5th option with no pressure on him whatso-ever. Either way if LeBron is about winning the Statue of MJ will not be enough to deter him from Chicago. With him that team has CHampionship caliber written all over them for the next 6-10 years. Especially if they sign and trade for LeBron using Luol Deng and James Johnson, because then they can sign another Max guy, like say Chris Bosh.

• Allenp Posted: May.14 at 6:16 pm
  Why would Cleveland trade for Deng and James Johnson? I mean, Deng’s contract is atrocious.

• nbk Posted: May.14 at 6:16 pm
  lets not forget though, whoever LBJ wants as his coach he will get. Whether he signs in Chi, NJ, Miami, or LAC. Cleveland has no chance of retaining LeBron, they have made the mistake of trading for older players that has completely and irreversibly handicapped them from improving. There is no basketball sense in staying in cleveland. NY is in a similar boat, because even if they get a sign and trade with david lee for another big time free agent that only leaves them with 5 players that would even get minutes on an NBA team. the other 7 would have to be filled out by minimum salary Free Agents. and thats assuming they find a way to rid themselves of the $10 million dollar donut, eddy curry

• nbk Posted: May.14 at 6:27 pm
  Because its better then losing LeBron for nothing DUH

• BETCATS Posted: May.14 at 6:44 pm
  This is off topic, but has anyone heard those Delonte West/Gloria James rumors?

• nbk Posted: May.14 at 6:49 pm
  nope but it sounds awesome. LeBronte West

• SeanJaye88 Posted: May.14 at 7:32 pm
  I just heard that Delonte West had been sleeping with LBJ’s mom and he found out rite before game 4 LMAO!

• Marco Posted: May.14 at 8:24 pm
  Sign and trade with the lakers.James comes to L.A., CLE receives Bynum, Brown, 2012 and 2014 1st round picks, a half dozen of Larry O’ Brien trophy replicas, 2 first row season tickets and the possibility of having Chris Wallace as a private adviser paid by the lakers

• bill breedley Posted: May.14 at 9:10 pm
  even if lebron has another 7-8 seasons in the league, he will still not get close to winning even 2 championships…. unless david stern forces dwade and another star to play with lebron. 2 years with a stacked lineup and still no ring. enough with the excuses for lebron. even he said during the bulls series that the team was starting to feel like a championship team. give dwade that same lineup and he would be representing the east in the finals. you do not need a triple double to get to the finals, you need to be the dominant scorer and maybe just a trickle of assists to keep defense honest. just like wilt in his prime, lebron will collect nothing but stats records til he figures it out or ends up teaming with a couple of legit superstars. totally do not like this guy but still feel pity for him looking like a chump right now. his mother should have taught him to be humble. focus on getting a semblace of fundamentals before you go all hiphop and dancing on the sidelines and being a fool whenever the camera is on you as if you’ve already won something.

• Yesse Posted: May.14 at 9:10 pm
  I feel bad for LeBron, Cavs, Mike Brown and Shaq. Shaq didn’t get what he wanted and he is probably going to retire. Atleast he didnt retire at the bottom. LeBron is could end up somewhere else. Mike Brown might get fired and Cavs might not even make the playoffs if they lose LeBron and other guys too.

• The Philosopher Posted: May.15 at 12:10 am
  To the masses: I’ve tried valiantly to vindicate The King for his failure in this year’s Playoffs. Truth being truth, his greatness wasn’t enough to overcome the mighty Celtics. Now, I’m going to attempt to help the world understand why LeBron James IS THE KING, despite his recent on court failures. A definition of a king is one who is at the top, therefore possessing great influence. In six weeks, this particular king has the power and the unprecedented influence, authority and ability to change the structure of an entire global entity (The League). He has the power to change and alter lives. THIS IS WHY HE IS THE KING. PERIOD. And this is why he doesn’t HAVE to win a ring. And he knows it.

• The Philosopher Posted: May.15 at 12:15 am
  Not even Michael Jordan possessed that much power…ever.

• bill breedley Posted: May.15 at 1:22 am
  blah blah blah. without a ring you have to be an idiot to still call yourself The King. king without a ring just doesnt have any zing.

• The Promise Posted: May.15 at 1:33 am
  @The Philosopher: You kiddin man? People hung on every word MJ said, and they still do. Dude is sellin tons of kicks 7 years after he retires, and will for many many years to come. Thats what I call power. Lets not get too ahead of ourselves.

• Silverselectjd Posted: May.15 at 3:39 am
  Because of his demeanor, skill set, leadership, and lack of desire to be in the media spotlight, i got Kevin Durant getting a Championship before Lebron.

• Silverselectjd Posted: May.15 at 4:17 am
  You also gotta realize that Nike will want to have a big say in where he goes. They’ll want him to stay east coast so their dream Nike World Championship featuring Kobe and Lebron actually happens. They’re not investing this much into the MVPuppets for nothing.

• Jackie Moon Posted: May.15 at 5:11 am
  I used to rule the world
  Seas would rise when I gave the word
  Now in the morning I sleep alone
  Sweep the streets I used to own I used to roll the dice
  Feel the fear in my enemy’s eyes
  Listen as the crowd would sing
  “Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!” One minute I held the key
  Next the walls were closed on me
  And I discovered that my castles stand
  Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

• blah Posted: May.15 at 5:39 am
  as much as i hate lebron..delonte west sleeping with ur mom is a good excuse to play like sh*t

• J Posted: May.15 at 6:32 am
  Allenp: i agree, that Jamison is a disaster on D and not a “beast” on offense. but part of the problem is we can’t even exploit what can jamison do on offense. even if we did he might be shut down by KG, but we didn’t try that, not a single time even with Pierce manning him up. i think he could do wonders if we put him on the 3 spot AND/OR run actual plays for him. we can’t force another match-up problem at our favor aside from Lebron. i wouldn’t be surprised if brown is thinking that Jamison was brought in just to be a stretch four and that’s it.

• Harlem_World Posted: May.15 at 6:33 am
  The Delonte West/Gloria James thing is getting deeper and deeper…If it’s true? Cleveland is done.

• Gody Posted: May.15 at 7:17 am
  LeBron, go to Oklahoma if you wanna win!

• BadBluue Posted: May.15 at 7:19 am
  king james??? WHY IS HE THE KING??? i don’t understand…

• BadBluue Posted: May.15 at 7:22 am
  shaq at the bottom? whatch what you say, man! he played very well at this season…

• The Seed Posted: May.15 at 8:59 am
  Lebron choked, plain and simple, he is 6 8 250 gets every call barrelling over folks, instead he shoots jumpers. You can not blame the Coach, when Lebron makes all the major decisons on the court and is the suppose best player. ONLY three teams with 60 wins have not make FINALS in NBA HISTORY and LEBRON was on two of them in back to back years. I call that TO MUCH PRESSURE FOR THE DRAMA KING!!! I do not like his game and proably will never, but I think he is staying in Cleveland and his career would be over. If I was Dwade I would want my own since and get Bosh and leave Bron out to dry with Chicago. Like someone said Orland will domomiante with Howard for years to come and will interchange shooting guards after it is done with Vince. I called Celtics winning and got ripped for it, the way the Cavs played the Bulls told me they would lose, A scrub Bulls team got one win and almost another from them, with no outside shooting, you be the judge.To much is given, much is required and to be called KING have Chosen One pasted on your back, u have to come through. Not relax and let the game come to you or leave mo Williams out to dry. His will needs to be examine as the Alpha Dog. I saw Pippen last night looking for too much help, instead of creating help, by driving and dishing. He has immense talent, but a post game and ( he needs to hire Mark Price from ATL to work on his shoot-more form-less muscle. How many superstars have triple doubles and their 60 win team lose only Lebron. The SUN can only shine so long until the GLARE of the MOON pierces the human pride that fuels a RINGLESS King of NOTHINGHAM. Orlando in 5, Lakers in 5. Then LA in 6. BOOK IT!!!

• The Philosopher Posted: May.15 at 10:35 am
  @The Promise: This is bigger than basketball with LeBron. As I’ve earlier stated, he has enough power to change the lives of several players and non – players with the stroke of the pen. We can keep it about basketball, but at the end of the day, it’s all about LeBron, and what he’s going to do or not going to do. They all are going to huddle together (Bosh, Wade, The King) and when The King decides what’s going to happen, then everyone else follows. Unprecedented clout in the history of the National Basketball Association. It’s just his time. It’s just his time….

• t4inc Posted: May.15 at 12:02 pm
  “Following the Celtics’ unceremonious elimination of the underachieving Cavs — Cleveland became just the third team in NBA history (including last year’s Cavs) to fail to reach the Finals after winning 60 games in the regular season.” Something is wrong with that statement: Cleveland is not just the 3rd team to miss the Finals after winning 60 regular season games. Boston missed the finals last year too after it won 62 regular season games. Phoenix and Dallas missed the 2007 Finals after both winning more than 60 games in the regular season. The year before that, the Pistons won 64 games and missed the Finals. Dallas did the same thing again in 2003. In 2002, the Kings won 61 games but didn’t get to the Finals. Heck, in 1990, the Lakers had the best record in the League (63-19) but were eliminated in the 2nd round. There are more examples. Not sure where you got your “facts,” Marcel

• The Promise Posted: May.15 at 12:57 pm
  @The Philosopher: Yes, LeBron has that kind of power, but so does Kobe, and so does Michael to this day. I just disagreed with him having more power than Jordan, because I don’t think any player has ever hade or ever will have more power and effect onm the game than Jordan did and still does. But I dop agree with you that he will probably lure one of those 2 guys you mentioned to go wherever he goes, and if he stayed in Cleveland, and they got rid of Shaq and Jamison’s contracts (Shaq is going into free agency this summer), they could land Bosh or maybe Stoud’mire to join him in Cleveland. Plus, I wil have agree with a lot of other posts, It is time to show Mike Brown the door. He made absolutely zero adjustments in that series, and even if he did, his players definately didn’t execute them. They need a guy with more fire, a guy that isn’t afraid to get a technical over a bad call, a guy that can rally the troops when things don’t go right, and a guy that can make adjustments during a playoff series that can change the outcome. I just don’t see Mike Brown doing that for his team. LeBron didn’t exactly take up for him when the reporter pretty much asked him if Brown was to blame. To get Bron to stay, they are gonna have to get rid of some of these guys that choke year after year, and get rid of Shaq and Jamison. I don’t see either of them being a consistent contributor anymore, and then land a bonafide superstar(Wade, Bosh, Boozer, Stoud’mire, etc.), instead of bringing in washed up superstars. If they fail to do that, I believe we will see LeBron in another city.

• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: May.15 at 2:12 pm
  @ The Promise: I’ll bet you more players would be willing to play with LeBron James, then Kobe OR Jordan.

• Shem Posted: May.15 at 2:18 pm
  Co-sign t4inc, i was curious when i heard that one too.

• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: May.15 at 2:20 pm
  than*

• The Philosopher Posted: May.15 at 3:15 pm
  And if the Delonte West quagmire is true, and it’s looking like it is, then the King is vindicated in every way.

• The Promise Posted: May.15 at 3:21 pm
  @Teddy-the-Bear: And what would your reasons for that be? It definately wouldn’t be because LeBron has all these rings or something. The other 2 guys you mentioned have 10 between them. I think I’d rather play for one of those guys.

• The Promise Posted: May.15 at 3:22 pm
  *play with* excuse the typo.

• The Promise Posted: May.15 at 3:43 pm
  @The Philosopher: Where can I read about these Delonte West/Gloria James rumors? I see nothing on ESPN.com

• Teddy-the-Bear Posted: May.15 at 3:51 pm
  My reasoning? Well, maybe the fact that LeBron James in his sixth year of playing averaged 8.6 assists a game, and is a better passer with better court vision than Kobe, and MAYBE even Jordan? (though, Jordan averaged 8.0 apg his fifth year… which is f*cking nuts).
  Good players play the game of basketball to win, yes, but they also want to perform well INDIVIDUALLY, and with their own sense of “glory.” I’m not saying players didn’t play well alongside Kobe and Jordan (obviously Scottie and Shaq kicked @ss), but we’ve seen what happened when egos collided.
  We’ve seen how Kobe treats Gasol when they’re having a bad game, and we’ve seen how Scottie wanted to break out from the shadow of Michael.
  Simply put, I think LeBron a more “understanding”/less cantankerous teammate than either Michael or Kobe.
  Maybe that doesn’t translate to winning as it does playing alongside Money or Kobe–but it’s too early to decide now. Sort of.

• 323 356 9658 Posted: May.15 at 5:28 pm
  all i have to say is Wade go to the suns that would be a killer team though im a laker fan so i think the lakers would win either way. I cant see the whole lebron and bosh working out. I think the Amere-Wade combo would be kick ass.If he really wants too win he will have to improve his shooting game everybody knows that he wantts to drive it in and he thrives when he does it but you have to learn how to be a better scorer and have more ways of scoring. It would be funny if he goes to the clippers though. I dont know what team he will end up n but i know for a fact and all of you could call me critizong me but he wont win a championship that year or the next sorry. Now everybody jump on the bandwaggon of Kobe being the best player in the league

• The Philosopher Posted: May.15 at 6:30 pm
  The Promise: Word around the campfire is that Delonte West is supposedly having an affair with Gloria James, and by the time the King found out about it, it was the day of Game 4. That helps explain why Delonte West was playing like he was, if all of this is true. Now, to have to perform under those circumstances…one could imagine. Even further indication on how good this kid is.

• The Seed Posted: May.15 at 6:44 pm
  @Teddy Bear, who cares about Lebron assists totals, you play to win the game. I would rather lebron have 40 points 4 assits and 6 rebs in they win. Its sad when a player has triple doubles and their team still loses by nine points. He needs to get selfish, Jerry West said it best about lebron he is too passive trying to get teammates involved he has to learn how to take over and get some killer instinct.
  @The Philosoper, other players in the NBA have had to deal with personal issues and still plays games, no excuses for the suppose Ringless King, He should have took his anger out on the Celtics and beat West up. Trust me Kobe, MJ even Dwade would have killed a team with some personal stuff on their mind. Dwade has been going through stuff this whole year with his divorce and we know about the fake case with Kobe.

• The Seed Posted: May.15 at 7:45 pm
  This morning on Mike and Mike: Avery Johnson made a great point. Lebron James will probably continue to win MVPs in the league through out the rest of his career assuming the voters dont get bored. But he said Kobe Bryant will continue to be the best player in basketball until he retires.” Last night only reinforced Avery claim, and Kobe did not have to do a thing. While Kobe cannot match Lebrons unparalleled athleticism (power, speed and ability) lebron will continue to fall short in terms of basketball skill and mental toughness. Numerous times lebron got the ball last night and waited and waited and dribbled and dribbled trying to figure out his plan. It was plain to me that lebron is either goes for the home run (three pointers) or lay ups (and ones). He has no mid range no post game no in between. Kobe on the other hand knows distinct spots all over the court he wants to get to where he will stop and rise up over the defense. Until lebron spends an off season developing his basketball game (post game, mid range, mental toughness, winning mentality, and fear invoking leadership) he will never be in the same class as the greats.

• ai come back Posted: May.15 at 8:17 pm
  @The Seed i totally agree with you would you rather have a momentum shifting win in playoff moment with you leading the charge or a quadruple double i mean really you set a huge record but u lose the game thats called bullshT, also cmon man assist totals mean alot of sht im sick of hearing ppl say taht lebrons not a team player fuc u (ppl calling lebron a non teamplayer, not u lol)dumbasses 8.6 was the SIXTH in the dam league thats behind nash, cp3, dwill, rondo, and kidd……the top 20 list is comprised of all pgs cept dwayne wade so dont gimme bs about that kobes already proven taht Hes NOT the best player MVP as somebody on this great site put it means MOST VALUABLE TO THE TEAM as well as the league for that matter, if kobe left it would be obvious hes fucin old, but to the actual pt lebron is THE team, if u took out kobe the lakers would make the playoffs and bynum as well as odom would make the all star team no doubt- tahts 3 all stars, more than the cavs can claim (mo had a injury shoo in) and shaq big z, and antawn havent had a selection in years, kobes got a slightly better shot,freethrow shooting, a better killer instinct(not by much), and is more clutch, lebrons a better leader, slasher, 3 pt shooter, rebounder, team player, SCORER as proven by the past wat 4 years now?, stls, blocks(dont give lebron bs ab out traildown blocks It might be cheaper than facing som1 up but i wanna see dwight howard run past everyone to get right behind people and slam taht thing outta there,)and dunker, i could go on and probably missin somethin but w/e kobe ill admit knows how to win more in the end, but the best basketball player in the league has to do more than win he has to create an environment for his teammates thats helpful, and make sure that he has everyone with him, i mean if scottie lashed out at mike for somethin ppl would look at mike differently just as ppl find kobe more selfish after the gasol complaints….oh yeah one last thing if lebron had a post game wtf do u think would happen really………kobe would have no shot at lebron

• The Philosopher Posted: May.15 at 8:38 pm
  @The Seed: Think about it for a minute… You are on basketball’s biggest stage, and everything is going according to plan, sort of, anyway. And then you find out on the day of the biggest game in franchise history that your comrade in battle is sleeping with your mother. D. Wade, as you said, has already been dealing with his issues. LeBron’s deal comes out of nowhere…In the middle of his defining moment. What do you do?

• The Philosopher Posted: May.15 at 8:43 pm
  One can argue that the boy was playing in shock. Not anger, Seed, shock. And he STILL performed on a level that anyone else in the world can only dream. We are witness.

• Harlem_World Posted: May.16 at 9:36 am
  Wade or Kobes off court situations are not comparable to Lebron’s. If Kobe got arrested the day of the game and did what he did with the girl in colorado the night before the game – then its closer to the mark. If Wade’s stuff blew up on the day of the game, it’s much closer to the mark. Truth is, both had time to prepare to play and get their mind right before they had to go out and play. ALSO, this is his MOMS we talking about! And his TEAMMATE??? This is VERY different. Anyone who can’t see that is just unnecessarily hating. Your team mate and your Moms??? REALLY?? C’mon man…