Commentary: Say hello to the Miami Hated, the most watched team in the NBA

I didnt see anything wrong with the special. Whether you like it or not he's not just any player, and it took more courage to stand up there and explain himself than it would have to put out something through his agent.

 

I have no problem with Lebron going to the Heat, changing teams etc. I am a big believer in Free agency and that a Player should do what is best for them because you know that the team is planning to take care of itself first.

My problem with this whole affair was that it was handled so poorly from a pr perspective. The hubris and smarmy self-congratulatory feel of the infomercial was difficult to watch. And the questioning by Gray was painful. My problem was with the process, not the final result. Will Lebron suffer for it? From a PR perspective, short term, probably. Long term? Ehh. Depends on if he wins. Winning usually solves everything. I do think that it is much more unlikely that he will ever be considered the best ever. One analogy I liked was Lebron is A-Rod to Wade's Jeter. The Heat is Wade's team.

Want to see how to announce a new contract? See Kevin Durant (UT alum cough, cough).

It will be fascinating to watch next year. I've always liked Wade, class individual. Lebron? Part of me will be rooting against him solely because of the way he handled the move to Miami, not the move itself. It really was an F U to Cleveland

One of the best lines I have read in all of this was a writer asked if Michael Jordon would ever follow Chris Bosch to get a championship ring? Doubtful.

 

Bottom Line!!!
Quite possibly the best post of the day if not of the week.

 

In theory, I understand why LeBron did it. I mean, look at it on paper for a second: LeBron plans to leave, so instead of holding a press conference, or none at all, he has a semi-PC in a controlled environment. Jim Gray asked him all the tough questions (along with Wilbon) that any reporter would ask.

My question to the people that "didn't like how he left" is, how would you propose he do it?

 

To Chicago or New York, of course.

The way I see it, LeBron wanted to do the opposite of what Art Modell did. Modell packed up in the middle of the night. LeBron didn't want to rip people's hearts out like that, so he kept everything above board. Unfortunately, his mistake was letting Maverick Carter manage it and make the deal with ESPN to broadcast this crap for an hour.

Dan Gilbert's craziness justifies LeBron getting the hell out just by itself.

 

How about a 10 minute press conference opened to reporters whom you haven't paid to ask the questions:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/38168279

 

I'm a Rockets fan so I am hating on Bosh more than LeBron.
I'm not a Clevelander, but I have to respectfully disagree that that LeBron kept everything "above board" to avoid ripping out the fans hearts. I suppose that we should look more to his PR advisors than the man himself, but I am not sure if it could have been handled worse. Again, no problem with the move, just how it was handled.

 

Why? You were never in the running for him. Your GM was delusional. He told Bosh that coming to the Rockets was a guaranteed 60 win team plus a championship and going to Miami with Wade and LeBron was a 40 win team with no playoffs.

 

You may have missed the point where I said I was a "fan". Not a "cool headed investigator making reasoned analysis".
Having said that, Daryl Morey is many things, delusional is usually not one of them. He is considered one of the better young GM's in the league right now. I think it was clear fairly early on that the Rockets would not get Bosh, but he made the pitch. We will see how good he is by what he does now.

I would be surprised If he claimed that Heat would only win 40 with Lebron etc. But as a fan, I have been surprised before.

 

If you knew going in that you wouldn't get Bosh, then what's the big deal?

Prepare to be surprised: "The Rockets will also stress that if Bosh joins the Rockets, they’re likely a 60-win team. If he forms a triumvirate with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami, the Rockets believe the team won’t have enough supporting talent to support a championship team. The Rockets believe such a pairing would produce a 45-win team."

 

AHA!. You said 40 wins, but the article says 45!!. A clear distinction!

Only a big deal to the extent that Bosh is now dead to me....and he tweets too much.....and I don't like his hair....all of which would have been charming and original if he had joined the Rockets.

See prior comment re: fan.

 

Again, if you knew you weren't getting him, what's the big deal?

 

I will try it this way. Say you are at a bar and there is a very good looking young lady sitting with her 2 other REALLY hot girl friends. You know you have no chance with the friends, but may have a small chance with the first girl. Sure she may be out of your league, but what the hell it wont cost much, other than maybe a little dignity So you saunter on over, drop your best line. You may even buy her a drink. You get a little smile, not much but just a little. And then Another dude walks up, and not only does he take her home, he takes the other 2 hotties with him as well.

So as you go back, in shame to your buddies, you comment, ehh who cares, she smells like elderberries.(That's right elderberries).

Sure you may not had a great chance, but you try, and then more importantly, you blame her when you fail.

And that my friend is called being a fan....and a dude....with crappy lines.

 

Dude...you are pissed off that you didn't get to bang Scarlett Johansen and Ryan Reynolds did.

 

How is that really that much different? People dont care that Jim Gray was paid by LeBron. They care that he left. He could have felated the entire population of Cleveland upon leaving and they'd still hate him.

 

Uhm, not to nitpick but the Lakers have won five championships in 10 years and have been to seven of the last 10 Finals. The NBA has a dynasty on its hands currently.

LeBron is an egotistical annoyance. A primetime national press conference for a guy who has won nothing, choked in the playoffs (when he wasn't quitting) and lleading our national team to the bronze medal? At least Wade has a ring. LeBronze doesn't deserve the amount of press he garners for himself, in my opinion.

A little too late on the complete douche part. And I am sorry, no one is more hated than the Lakers. Winning championshipS makes that happen.

And yes, I am starting an argument about which one of our favorite teams is the most hated one.

/headkersplosion

 

I dont have a dog in this race at all. I pretty much have completely and totally given up on the NBA... ENTIRELY.

I just think that an hour long docudrama is way out of bounds.

 

Dude, the Lakers have had a nice run. Next year if Kobe is willing to take the MLE we'd love to have him.

 

IDK Lebrons actions have actually made me root for Kobe to continue his success just to despite James.

Obviously Lebron has no intrest in being "the man" wich is good becuase he comes up short in the clutch department....thank god for D.Wade

 

The Lakers forfeited their dynasty when they traded Shaq. If the Lakers win next year, then I'd put them in the dynasty category. But right now they're tied with San Antonio for "team of the decade" title in my view.

Not to take anything away from the Lakers. They rule the NBA the way the Yankees rule MLB.

 

I tried to thank you about a dozen times for this but it only worked once.

I can't believe people actually tuned into 'The Decision'. The whole idea is obnoxious. I quit watching basketball after Michael Jordan retired. I haven't regretted the decision.

 

Pffffft., we don't use free agency to often to buy championships.

We simply rip off other team's GM's for THEIR best players. (Kobe from the Hornets for Vlade Divac, Gasol from the Grizzlies for a deflated basketball, etc.).

 

Sam...

we are gonna kick your ***.

 

The Spurs won three championships in the past 10 years and never went back to back. The Lakers have three peated and gone back to back. Nearly twice as many titles and long reigns as champion. It isn't even close at this point.

The two reigns by the Lakers have very different parts, but the eras are so close in time that you have to lump them together. It is essentially a Decade of Dominance for them. Especially after the 90's were pretty much for a pile of poop for the Lake Show.

 

We might be appropriate since they may have to sign you to fill out the roster.

Which by the way, is my life goal. I want to be the 15th man on the bench. Collect the league minimum, never have ot suit up and essentially coast my way to a championship.

As fo rmy opinion on the Heat, I sincerely think they would have been better off with Wade/Bosh or Wade/LeBron or Bosh/LeBron. LeBron is an egomaniac and I think, especially if they don't win it in the first year, that there will be some civil unrest between them.

But more power to the Heat. It will make it that much sweeter for Kobe to add to his legacy (if he gets a chance to) when he beats the Heat.

 

Since the Jordan Bulls faded away, the Lakers and Spurs have basically dominated the NBA. What the Spurs did, four titles over eight years, is not insignificant. Had the Lakers not traded Shaq, then maybe that never happens. But they did, so it did.

Again, not taking anything away from the Lakers.

 

Nah, go ahead and use that on Mike Miller. We'll go ahead and keep Kobe...and the rings. Maybe Wade will be nice and let LeBron and Bosh wear it for a couple of days.

 

I agree that the Spurs have been a great team and well run franchise. I DO subscribe to the theory that the 1999 championship is somewhat...asterisked due to the shortened season and how that schedule played out. But I am also a big David Robinson fan so I was happy to see him get a ring.

The Spurs have been great, but they are, by no means, the team of the decade. From 2000-2010, its the Lakers, and it isn't that close. Although I might agree that Duncan is the player of the decade. It would be between him, Kobe and Shaq in my opinion and Shaq's stock falls because of the last few years.

 

Kobe vs. Dwyane one on one up to 11 going by 1's....deal?

you better slink away.

 

where are the 7 ft guys to bring the inside game, no intimidating shot blockers on that team that scares teams away to get inside, that could still change though with more moves, but at the moment....NO

 

I think the most hated also means the most loved as well.

Lot's of people who were not really NBA fans were watching every Bulls game back in the day and i was one of them....and i think it will be like that with the Heat now.

So the Heat are going to have fans from all over the world now, not just in Miami or people that use to live there.

I only see the hate coming from hard core petty NBA fans, and i'm not saying all NBA fans are "petty" lol but if you really hate another team because they are good then ....well then your pic should be next to the word " petty " in the dictionary.

 

Good 7 foot players are a rarity. When Shaq called himself the Last Center Left he was exactly right. Even Dwight Howard is 6'11''.

You're inventing criticism out of desperation.

 

That's an excellent point.

Every time they do one of those 'most hated" polls in baseball the Yankees never top the list simply b/c there so many that love them. In fact, I don't think you can be a 'most hated' by anyone unless there are many that love you. Basically you can't have one with out the other and when you have both sides, you end up somewhere in the middle. Reality is that many NBA fans of other teams will list the Heat as their most hated team (before that they hated some other team and Miami was just irrelevant to them) but simultaneously more people will list Miami as their favorite team and they'll draw in more marginal fans (some of whom will become the next generation of hardcore NBA fans).

 

people still watch basketball? i havent watched since the Jordan Barkley era ended.

so standing on the complete outside, with literally nothing invested in all this...

why are people pissed at lebron for taking less money, along with other top players who took paycuts...for aspirations to be a champion? isn't that like the most noble thing a pro athlete can do? what am i missing here?

 

More people watched the NBA Finals than the World Series. So, yes.

You're missing the media bias. ESPN wanted the best player in basketball in New York to satisfy their fandom or to Chicago so they could spend the next decade rehashing Michael Jordan coverage.

Miami is the worst case scenario for them because they hate the town, as any Dolphins fan can attest to.

 

I keep hearing that Lebron hasn't won a championship. Does that make him any less of a superstar and one of the greatest to play the game? Lets not forget that our beloved Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl either. I am very glad that Labron made the move to Miami because he will get a title.

 

Hmmm, remember how Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Kobe did NOT work out?

Should be interesting..

 

Not really a legitimate comparison, since the team-up on the Heat is much better than the core you cite.

 

Payton and Malone were like 85 years old.