The Aftermath
‘Detox’-ing from ‘The Decision.’
by Bryan Crawford / @_BryanCrawford
Pardon the Dr. Dre references but I just couldn’t help myself. Think about it, has there ever been anything more hyped and anticipated that (to date) has failed to deliver on the hype and anticipation than Dre’s Detox? Not until last night there wasn’t. And if you’re the type of person who believes everything they read in the paper and hear on TV, then LeBron James’ “Decision” to leave Cleveland shouldn’t have come as a surp
rise to you. The burning of his jersey and his being hung in effigy shouldn’t have either.
Dan Gilbert’s reaction to it, well that’s another thing.
Personally, I thought it was pretty cool. We all imagine what owners say and think about players behind closed doors, but Gilbert’s comic sans scripted tirade—although clearly chopped and screwed—gave us a glimpse in to the mind of a billionaire owner who was pissed to see $200+ million dollars walk right out the door, all while giving him the middle finger…in PRIME TIME baby.
Tell ‘em why you mad, son!
So where does that leave us? The Miami Heat now has three of the best players in the NBA all on one team (Oooooh, scary!). To make room for this deal, they traded Michael Beasley to Siberia, er, Minnesota (sorry Myles), eliminating the one light-skinned, heavily tatted athlete with braids that Gloria James would potentially wink at; and the one person who’d be just crazy enough to wink back. LeBron can sleep a little easier at night knowing he doesn’t have to kill anybody in his new home now. Incidentally, I’m probably sure he would’ve tried to kill Delonte until Redz whipped out his guitar case and offered to play him a song first. So instead he settled for quitting on the Cavs and purposefully denying them a championship. And then just like that…he was gone.
Lots of people have said that with this triumvirate of epic proportions, the Miami Heat become instant NBA Champions. Well, if they had more than those three guys, Mario Chalmers, and two second-round draftees, I might be inclined to agree with that. There’s no question those three make up the core of what is sure to be the most talented and dangerous team in the NBA, well, once they actually have enough guys to call themselves a “team” anyway. But is this really a whip that puts all other whips to shame? I’m not so sure. On the championship side, history for the most part has not been kind to teams with three ultra-mega superstars, especially not ones all in their prime. But still, some are predicting multiple championships. I’m predicting a train wreck unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
Think Shaq and Kobe on HGH, the cream, and the clear.
And what about the rest of the League? Does anybody expect the teams who have the ability to compete to just lie down and tap out when Miami comes to town or when they have to roll through South Beach? I don’t. Kobe Bryant and the Lakers ain’t dead. Neither is Boston and Paul Pierce-and-nem. And you know Dwight Howard and Orlando will be pushed harder than ever by Stan Van Gundy who now ha
s all the motivation he needs to try his damndest to knock Riles off his pedestal and rub his face in hair goo. Remember the movie Predator and those three dots you saw just before the victim got zapped in to smithereens? That’s what Bosh, Wade and James has pointed at them now.
And speaking of LeBron James…
His reputation, image, and brand will forever be tarnished. “Chasing” rings at 25? C’mon son. To quote Charles Barkley, “When I was 25, I wanted to do it by myself.” So by my count, that’s at least twice he’s quit something in the past two months. Game 5 in Boston and being “the man” on his own team. Seriously, can you really be called a King on someone else’s court? In someone else’s castle, uhm, “house”? Don’t they refer to it as “Wade County” instead of Dade County down there? Someone told me once (you know who you are) that when LeBron James embraces his inner sidekick, he’ll be fine. I took it as another “I hate LeBron” joke because even though I’m not exactly a fan, even I felt like he was either going to stay in Cleveland or go someplace where he could still be the focal point of a team, the face of a franchise, and lead them to a championship.
But I guess I was wrong.
Now, he really is less like Michael Jordan and more like Scottie Pippen.
After all, 3 + 3 does equal “6” you know.
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Photos: The Elusive Six
Kobe Bryant’s ’super friends’ are his rings.
- Wallpaper: Brandon Jennings KICKS Cover Shoot
Young Buck is in the driver’s seat.
Nah, son was ring chasing no matter what, it’s just that most folks wanted the drama of him going to the Chi or NY and creating his own superpower, instead of joining the Justice League in Miami.
If they win 7 rings together, ain’t nobody gonna frown at him anymore. Lol.
You think Dan Gilbert will agree to that after the letter he wrote? He might, and if he does, Pat Riley is a FREAKING BEAST
http://www.lakersuniverse.com/roster.htm
http://www.lakersuniverse.com/roster2001.htm
http://www.lakersuniverse.com/playoffs/roster2002.htm
That said, who knows how things will shake out in Miami.
Say Bron comes in and transforms into Magic, except with Pippen’s defense. He runs the point in cruchtime and averages, 22, 12 and 10.
Is he not the MAN on that team if that happens? I mean, everybody keeps saying it’s Wade’s team, but really they will determine whose team it is by how they play next season.
I wanted Bron in the Chi, or maybe NY. Even NJ. I don’t like the Miami decision because they could have spread the greatness around and made the entire league more exciting. But, I respect his choice, and I’m interested to see how he uses the choice to motivate himself, and change his game. Seriously, he could turn into a true uber Magic right now, and that would be SICK.
Kobe gets a lot of credit, but those were Shaq’s teams. Is that point up for debate in some alternate universe?
People, we don’t know whose team this is, and we won’t know until they play some games. We have no idea who is going to kill next year and who is going ot struggle to get acclimated.
Before this deal, did you think Bron was better than Wade?
If you did, why would Wade become the “man” on the team simply because he’s been there longer? Was Amare the “man” on the Suns team because he’d been their longer than Nash?
Was Paul Pierce the “man” because he’d been there longer than KG?
Was David Robinson the “man” because he’d been there longer than Tim Duncan?
Was Rasheed Wallace the “man” because he’d been there longer than Pippen?
No, they weren’t considered “the man”. That’s because they weren’t the best player ont heir team, no matter how long they had been there.
And next year, we will decide who is the “man” based on who plays the best.
People seem to forget that, or rather they’ve decided it doesn’t matter.
But, Peter, Shaq was getting swept in L.A. with Kobe on his team. They were getting swept together, even if Kobe was a youngster.
Shaq was always the difference maker in L.A., he’s the one who made defenses adjust the most. The fact that some of y’all deny that is pissing my off a little.
The year the Celtics won a championship, Bron took them to seven, and gave them 45 in a Game Seven. Wade was just as up and down as Lebron against the Celtics, and was openly seen pouting during the series.
Paul Pierce was not better than KG in 2008. I refuse to argue this. As a total player, KG was the best player on the team and it was his team from the moment he got traded. This shouldn’t even be a debate.
KG set the defensive tone for a team whose whole identity was based on defense. He was a bonafide superstar, who was willing “fit in” in order to be an example for everyone else. He was the vocal leader, the one who set the tone for how the team would play offense and defense. The fact that people are talking about stats to justify whose team it was is inane.
KG was the heart and soul of that Boston team. Pierce was the better scorer. KG made that team great, not Pierce and not Ray Allen. I can’t believe this is debate.
My comments had nothing to do with numbers. Look at the list I provided you, the players I named were clearly the face of the franchise, the undisputed leaders on the floor, even if they didn’t put up the best numbers. Being the man does not mean you have to put up the best offensive numbers. I means you are the one in charge of the team. The team’s success rests on your shoulders. The team’s total success.
Kareem averaged more points and rebounds, but it was Magic’s team.
Just because one player changes locations, like Scottie did with Portland, doesn’t mean they can’t be the “man.”
It’s not just about stats, it’s not just about who was there first. It’s about who has the larger imprint on every game. Who is the obvious leader, who carries the load. And you can’t know that until they actually play some freaking games.
Your argument boils down to “he’s been here longer, and he has better stats.”
I’m saying that’s a BS way to determine who is the leader and “man” on a team.
It’s fine if you disagree, it doesn’t bother me. We have different standards on how we determine a team’s leader and who is the man. I don’t think longevity and stats outweigh what I actually see about team chemistry and who is the alpha dog when watching team’s play, and I think the same thing has been true every year that KG’s played in Boston.
im just here to hate!
LoL!
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