Links: DECISION 10!!!
LeBron is going to Miami!
by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker
Thurs, July 8, 4:24 PM — In case you haven’t heard, tonight around 9:00 PM on ESPN, LeBron James is going to announce which team he will be playing for next season. This is the most important decision OF ALL TIME, as evidenced by the live hour of TV time ESPN turned over to Bron. Guess they were out of re-runs of “The World Series of Poker.”
Jokes aside, this has been a crazy few weeks. He was staying in Cleveland, he was going to Miami, he was coming to New York, and as of Wednesday night it appeared Miami was back in the lead. Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that this has been the overriding sports story of the last few weeks, and right now (at least in the US) it’s a bigger deal than the World Cup Final. I’ve been doing hits on radio shows ad nauseum all week to talk about this, and yesterday a woman here at the office who I hadn’t spoken to once in ten years asked me where LeBron was signing.
And I don’t know. I really don’t, and I’m not even sure that right now, less than five hours before the announcement, that LeBron knows what he’s going to do. I think Ryan summed up the current state of affairs the best earlier today. If you haven’t read that, you should.
Since we can’t run from it, I’ll be embracing it and watching live tonight and liveblogging it below. Hang around, make some comments, and once LeBron spills the beans, we can break it all down.
8:40 PM — Well, the LeBronathan is rolling on ESPN. Just caught Brian Windhorst from the Cleveland Plain-Dealer on ESPN saying that it would be devastating to Cleveland and Ohio if LeBron leaves. No kidding. For all this talk about Miami over the last 24 hours, I just don’t see how Bron can leave Akron, leave Cleveland, leave Ohio…especially in an hour-long special on national TV. I haven’t talked to any inside sources, haven’t heard anything…just a gut feeling.
8:47 PM — Lots of NBA folk on Twitter seem to think Miami is going to be the choice. Tim Legler just said he thinks Bron could play point for Miami. He may have to if he goes there, because the Heat will only have 5 players on the roster. Our man Eboy may start at the two on opening night.
8:55 PM — Chris Broussard just said it’s still Miami in the lead and Cleveland is still in the picture. Windhorst just tweeted “remember this is LeBron’s decision and his alone.” Time to go!
9:00 PM — And we’re on! Well, I thought the theme song might be “Empire State of Mind,” which would’ve been telling. Instead we see a montage of LeBron highlights and a seriously-narrated series of video clips. LeBron is described, rightly or wrongly, as the most coveted free agent in the history of the game.
9:02 PM — This special, “The Decision,” is being sponsored by Bing. I’m going to have to google that and see what it is.
9:04 PM – Mike Wilbon plays the “economically depressed” card when talking about Ohio and notes that LeBron means so much to Ohio, but ABC TV’s Jon Barry interjects that LeBron doesn’t owe them anything. Which I disagree with. Cavs fans have supported him for the last seven years. Surely that’s worth something?
9:09 PM – We’re almost ten minutes into this show and the ABC halftime crew is still sitting around talking about the same possibilities everyone on ESPN and sports talk radio has been chewing on since July 1. Not exactly compelling viewing here.
9:11 PM – First commercial break of the night. BTW, absolutely NOTHING HAS HAPPENED so far. Except when they just showed a bunch of photoshopped images of what LeBron would look like in different jerseys. Maybe the best thing about this so far is that if anything it’s actually cut down on the amount of talking heads popping up on ESPN gabbing about this.
9:16 PM — Still nothing has happened. Stuart Scott just asked the guys on the panel for their predictions. Great.
9:17 PM — Scott: “We’ll find out LeBron’s decision in just a few minutes…but first…” Sigh. Another commercial break.
9:22 PM – Finally, we’re back and LeBron is on the set at the Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich, CT, alongside Jim Gray. Time for the announcement…
9:23 PM — LeBron says the process has been “everything I thought…and more.” He says he’s enjoyed the recruiting process and thanks all six teams he sat with. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff here.
9:24 PM — LeBron says he decided this morning. Felt different ways on different days, but this morning he woke up, had a “great conversation” with his Mom, and after that conversation he was set.
9:26 PM – LeBron says he has no doubts about his decision and he’s ready to announce it…
9:27 PM – MIAMI. LeBron mumbles that it’s tough for him to say it just before he says it. A murmur goes through the room there in Greenwich.
9:28 PM — Wow. Wow. Wow.
9:30 PM — Bron says it’s not like “leaving Cleveland is the whole logistic of it.” Says he would have loved to stay in Cleveland in a perfect world, but it was time for him move on. Bron says Akron will always be home for him.
9:33 PM — Bron says his mother told him to do what’s best for him and what will make him happy, and that was what helped him make the decision.
9:34 — Gotta say, for all his talk about doing this to make him happy, LeBron doesn’t seem very happy right now.
9:36 — Back to the studio, where Chris Broussard has now disappeared. Dude probably ran off on vacation. He totally deserves one.
9:37 PM – Wilbon asks Bron how tough this has been and Bron says it’s been heavy. He thanks a bunch of former coaches and teammates and ownership back to Gordon Gund.
9:39 PM — Tell you what, Pat Riley’s nickname from now on should be The Closer.
9:48 PM – LeBron is working hard not to say anything much of interest — he definitely doesn’t seem thrilled about this, but I’m guess that’s as much out of respect for Cleveland as anything else. He says that while Miami doesn’t have much besides himself, Bosh and Wade, their job is going to be to lift the guys around them. Wilbon asks about the contract and Bron says all three guys are going to take less money so they can play together. Bron also notes that the upcoming CBA negotiations did play into his decision, but also notes that he did leave money on the table in order to have this opportunity.
9:50 PM – Wilbon shows Bron footage of fans in Cleveland burning his jersey, and LeBron says “I can’t get involved in that… I hope the fans understand it, but maybe they won’t.”
9:51 PM — Bron says to the fans of Cleveland “I feel awful that I’m leaving,” and he seems as genuine as he has all night.
9:56 PM – LeBron said it had nothing to do with money. This is a somber show. Jon Barry finally asks how long it’ll take Bron to disrobe Mario Chalmers of the number 6, and Bron cracks a smile.
10:00 PM — Bron actually mentions Joel Anthony having to be able to hit a big shot at the end of a game. Somewhere Joel Anthony just high-fived whoever is watching this with him.
10:02 PM — Now they’re asking LeBron questions from his Facebook page, which seems to me like a pretty good time for me log off.
Final thoughts: Orlando/Miami just became a bloodthirsty rivalry. Miami might get 82 games on national TV next season. But more than any of that, Bron, Wade and Bosh are an amazing trio, but Riley is going to have to pull a couple more magic tricks in order to get some other guys around The Three.
We’ll talk more about this…maybe forever? But I’m done. Thanks for hanging here. Keep it going in the comments. Does this make Miami the favorite to win the East? Are they even the favorite to win the Southeast Division?
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Young Buck is in the driver’s seat.
On a scale of one to ten CP3 be a 20
My team so bad make a n!&&a think he sinnin
Shout out to Maverick Carter.
Welcome to The Big Time.
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1938393
Shelley Smith is reporting live from some bar in Cleveland. This is huge!
^Best case scenario for him, and the NBA.
Chicago: Id like to announce that.. *Kanye “IMma let you finish but michael was the greatest player of all time, of all time!
Miami: Id like to announce that..*Kanye “Imma let you finish but Dwyane wade is the best heat player of all time, of all time!
New York: Id like to announce that..*Kanye “Imma let you finish but Jay-z is the greatest new york idol of all time, of all time!
Congrats, Eboy.
*withdraws finger covered in hair product with abject repulsion
Not you E!! Lucky dog!! This is going to be sick. Pat better get off his lawn and dust off his suit and tie. Cliff, I hope you anticipated some season tickets. South Beach gonna be smoking!!!!!!!!!
All that’s left now is for White Chocolate to join the Miami Megazord.
*slits wrists*
I win.
Kobe
expect faster, stronger, higher leaper, defender, and better
scorer. People have this false image of bron as an MJ type
scorer. He’s best attribute has always been passing by a wide
margin. It was because the cavs needed him to do so much scoring
that people now think of as a scorer first. He now has that chance
to be that in Miami with hopefully a coach PRiley that coached
Magic. He can now focus on passing and rebounding more while
wade and bosh focus on scoring. He could avg. 23/9/10 next yr.
Also just imagine all the blocks and steals that bron and wade
could get which leads to non-stop NBA Jam sessions.
The King just changed the game entirely, for the stereotype of the modern American athlete has just been eradicated. No longer can we call him selfish, self centered, or anything negatively associated with him basketball wise.
At the end of the day, it’s about the jewelry. He knows this along with everyone else.
Then when he gets a chance to play on a team with 2 good players people give him crap for not choosing to go it alone. If Kobe was in Cleveland could he better? I don’t think so. I even doubt Jordan could have won a championship with that cast.
The man got wants a championship, so he’s going where he thinks he can do it and people call him a pu$$y. I’d like to see them do better than what he has done.
That team he led to The Finals was among the worst teams in League History to make The Finals. A testament to The King’s unnatural skill. And, he hasn’t even fully displayed what he’s able to do on the court yet. Now, he has legit options.
Another thing:
This WILL WORK. And, this WOULD NOT EVER have worked with Kobe in a million years. Period.
Again, shout out to Maverick Carter… We see your ambition, playa.
I admire their ambition.
To anyone who proclaims that “LeBron is too scared, or can’t do it alone”, etc:
He’ll be damned if he do, he’ll be damned if he don’t, and you’re haters that are pissed that he didn’t come to your team. Period.
LONG… LIVE… THE KING.
Last week Bron couldn’t do it without me
You know how I be
Last week Bron couldn’t do it without me I call myself Wade but I’m not good at swimmin
He calls himself King but he’s not good at winnin
Excuse me, winnin’s just not with him
Cause in the Heat dawg I’m the B-I-G
Cause if Riley was still here, he would be right there
On the sidelines as the real coach, yeah
Chillin, sittin on about half a billion
3 max deals, still not as good as J. Johnson?
For real dawg, that’s how I be
That’s like a scrub PG having more assists than me
That’s like my ex-wife havin more cash than me
That’s like Delonte havin more Glory-ia than me
That’s like Beasley havin more upside than me
Now stop, think about that, it ain’t about that
It’s about H-e-at aka Big 3
Now that’s the difference between 1st round and 1st place
Queen, n!&&a, tell me how my @ss taste
But kobe winning a chip after gasol being TRADED to LA is the same as lebron jumping ship to form a dynasty with one-and-a-half superstars.
The Spurs were a great team. What are you talking about?
And, Kobe DID have two superstars backing him up in Shaq AND Gasol. Pau Gasol IS a superstar.
YOU are ignorant if you think otherwise.
What’s a better team? Durant, Kobe and Gasol or LeBron, Wade and Bosh
SG-Wade
SF-James
PF-Bosh
C-Anthony (joel) that’s a championship caliber starting 5! (although very top 3 heavy)… but what about the bench?
i’d be scared if they had sheed in their team
now im lookin thru my eyes a lil clearer, the next year ill be the nicca in the mirror ……required listening for all
i tought LeBron wear bulls jersey will nice..
but again..he can’t wear the number 23.
so he chosed miami…. it’s gonna be HOT all season..
can’t wait!
Again, shout out to Maverick Carter. The world sees your ambition. I admire your ambition.
To those who label this move as something other than what it is:
He’s damned if he does, damned if he don’t. I can sense the utter fear…
He will truly go down as one of the best of all times.
there can be no more comparisons at all to MJ, or Kobe because none of it would ever be close to justified. cosign whoever said there’s a difference between earning a ring and winning a ring
Now, i am no hater, but this is a controversial decision. LeBron is going to get ripped for this, because he basically took the easier way to the title. With those kind of dudes around, he’ll eventually win. Kobe is probably going to kill them for the next 2 years ( i hope he puts up something like 50 pont games on these guys:D ) but he ain’t getting any younger. Down the road, 3 years from now, probably only the Thunder are gonna be really dangerous. But i repeat, this is the easy way. For Bron, it’s been 7 long frustrating years. I understand that.
However…you don’t call yourself the King, the chosen anything, and then go team up with 2 other superstars, practically aknowledging that the whole king business was a facade. LBJ admitted he can’t do it. Mike? He would’ve died on the court, playing 1-on-5 and stll wouldn’t have gone elsewhere, to play with another STAR. He was all the star he needed. Kobe? Dude practically was a one man team until Gasl showed up. Damn, the man scored 81!!!! 81! He has good players around him now, but everyoone turns to THE MAN when things get ugly. And he will never, ever go anywhere else. That’s the difference: he made Ron-Ron take less money and come to LA> Probably going to do that with T-Mac. LBJ couldn’t lure anyone to the Cavs. Perhaps he didn’t even try all that hard…
LeBron claimed to be the best ever, and he is now getting ripped because he did not live up to expectation. Guys like that have to have a Dobermann attitude, mean guys. Not little pups who hunt in packs…
Glad I bought a Wade jersey back in the day.
Let the heat win first then talk, because now their all losers except Wade.
superstars’ will find out that they can’t get “hot” like always, when they’re not handling the ball 24seconds of the shot clock. It’s a lot harder to take set shots. Not to mention who’s going to play defense?? Lebron has none, d-wade has none, and Bosh is too skinny. LOL
anyway, this sucks (but i am happy for eboy, like i was when my magic climbed to the near top again) and won’t work out the way its planned…i hope:-)
See how they run. See how they run.
They all ran after the farmer’s wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a sight in your life,
As three blind mice?
and i have never been so thank ful for Kobe
Shaq and Kobe had Big Shot Robert Horry, The Celtics, well need I say more. He would have been more a player if he won with the Cavs, even if he won twice, but it would not be worth 3 rings or Kobe’s 5 rings. It just would not. Jordan didnt go anywhere? There was no salary cap. It was a different league. Teams were not so stacked as the Lakers, Celtic and Orlando are today.
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