The GOAT: "I would not have called Larry and Magic and say let’s play together"

[deuce king]

Now that the GOAT has spoken, it's time for all you LeRobin lovers to just admit defeat regarding you viewpoints on his move to Miami and correct your wrongs.  Like I and others have been saying on here, LeRobin went from being the King to now becoming the court jester in a matter of minutes.  7 years completely down the drain just like that.  MJ is right, when your a real competitor you simply don't do things like jumping ship to another man's team and city, you just don't do it. 

However, I'm sure some of you dudes are going to try and discredit MJ's words somehow someway.  I can already see my boy DoubleJ's trying to downplay MJ's comments by posting that Kevin Garnett quote about him being loyal to a team for too long and missing out on winning a championship earlier in his career or trying to say that Jordan's comments don't mean anything because unlike Kevin Garnett, Jordan never yelled out "ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE" after winning a NBA championship.

Wade doesn't even make some people's top 5 list.

LOL.

Im sure Lebron wouldn't have went anywhere else if he played in a big city like Chicago... with one of the greatest coaches of all time and one of the NBA top 50 greatest players as his sidekick.. with all the perfect role players

Do you realize that Jordan made Pippen and Phil Jackson household names??  That didn't happen overnight by the way.



Edit--

Also, Haze brings up an excellent point about LeRobin's hosting that one hour special at a Boys and Girls Club thats in a nice neighborhood and clearly isn't lacking any funds for projects, but yet instill LeRobin's wants to put up a front about how this show on his decision is suppose to be about charity and donating to the kids of the Boys and Girls Club of America.  Yet another fraudalent act by an individual who simply is a fraud. 

 

[doublejs07]

Listen, I think I've been as vitriolic as I can possibly beregarding James' jump to Miami. It would be truthful to point out that hishandlers made an ##% out of LeBron when it came to James' disturbingly tactlessESPN special (andall that led up to it), but at some point (and with your 26th birthday justfive months away), you have to take the ##%-making blame personally.

Sick of your friends making bad decisions that reflectpoorly on you? Get new friends. Just because they're not shooting up nightclubsand setting up dog-fighting rings as opposed to tearing franchises apart andpretending to be big boy businessmen, it doesn't mean they're not sycophantsgone wild.

But going to Miami, to play with what might be the second-bestplayer in the game, a talented big man, and what is shaping up to be animpressive supporting cast? I'm sorry, but I'm not going to kill LeBron forthis.

Unless James houses some sort of enmity between him and hisgreatest individual rivals, there's no sell-out here. And, as Jordan pointedout, with the preponderance off of-court interaction - NBA-sanctionedinteraction - between stars like this these days, you can't blame thegenerational shift that leads to this.

Have you ever heard the story about the first time LarryBird and Michael Jordan met? It seems apocryphal, but it also speaks to thedivide in eras that we're dealing with.

Jordan, a few weeks after being drafted by the Chicago Bulls,was working out with his potential Team USA teammates, in preparation for the1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. The kids are on one court, and on another runs agroup of NBA All-Stars working on a practice court alongside. It might even bea half-court/half-court situation, but I'm having a hard time finding quotabledocumentation inside my living room while on deadline, so you'll have to bearwith me.

A loose ball, whatever the source, bounces from the Olympicteam's court (featuring Jordan) to the veteran's side. Jordan goes to chase,Bird sort of runs into it. Jordan - not fawning, but not impolite - asks for itback. Bird chucks it over his head and back toward his team's court, then turnsto run back to his own practice.

Jerk move, awesome move. Sort of what you'd expect in 1984.Not exactly what you'd expect if, say, Dwyane Wade(notes) and John Wall(notes) were in thesame sort of situation at some point this summer. In fact, there's no way thatgoes down. For better or worse - probably better, when it comes to people notfake-hating each other - things are more civil these days.

That's how these players sign off on playing with eachother. That's the second step. But why do they want to, to begin with?

Because it's fun to play with great basketball players.

If you've played, at whatever level, you know thedifference. Every player, no matter how good or bad they are, has been the bestplayer on a basketball team at some point. And that's fun, living or dying withyour own play. Having a team of two to 15 players fail or succeed based mostlyon how well you perform. Feeling the pressure, owning the ball. Controllingyour own destiny, win or lose.

And every player, no matter the stakes, has been acontributing player on a great team. You don't have to be a role player, anextra or a towel-waver. Every player, if they've played, has been on a team ofsimilarly-talented players that works together to take down all comers. Even ifit's just for one Monday morning.

And that's, I'm sorry ... fun.

So, instead of asking Michael Jordan - that notedmisanthrope -- perhaps we should be asking Magic Johnson who he'd rather playwith. Did he want the lowly Chicago Bulls to win the coin flip in 1980, tosecure his draft rights, or the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-featuring Los AngelesLakers? Did he want the Lakers to draft James Worthy first overall, in 1982, orsome scrub in order to even the competition and make it all about Magic?

That's what Magic knew. That's how he came into this league,knowing nothing but a top-notch supporting cast.

And, as far as Bird goes? Go back 31 years and ask him whichsupporting cast he'd prefer for the 1979 NCAA final. His plucky Indiana Statesquad, or Magic's Michigan State supporters, featuring another lottery pick inGreg Kelser?

Or, really, ask Michael. Did he really mind playing on that1982 North Carolina team, featuring quite possibly three (including him) of thebest five NCAA players in the country at the time? Couldn't he have just goneto Chaminade, and done it all himself? Wasn't that, in the year that led up to himagreeing to play with an established North Carolina team featuring Sam Perkinsand James Worthy (and with MJ's own loyalties, in his words, running N.C. Statered?) the same as what LeBron has done here?

Was Jordan averse to the Bulls trading Will Perdue forDennis Rodman in the late summer of 1995, giving Chicago the best player in theNBA (someone like Wade could be that this season, he's been there before), thebest all-around player (hard to argue against LeBron, in that capacity), and,at times, the best power forward (what Dennis is to defense, Chris Bosh oftenis to offense) in the league?

There is nothing about this entire process that LeBron hashandled delicately, appropriately, tastefully. And his run in Miami, as he getsmore insecure and more embarrassed about what happened leading up to the Floridajump, could even get nastier the more and more LeBron tries to explain it away.It's LeBron James, and you'd be safe in betting your money on him putting hisfoot in his mouth again, and again. In more egregious ways, I'm sure.

But to rip on the guy for wanting a chance at, I'm sorry,being part of the greatest basketball team ever put together? For wanting toplay basketball at a level that few players, of any caliber, have everexperienced? I'm sorry, but this is a basketball high nonpareil, and I seenothing wrong with LeBron - or Dwyane, or Chris - chasing this dragon. Thepoint, in this league, is to work and move and dominate in a setting with fourother men. Not to be a man amongst boys.

There's little to appreciate in the way that James hashandled this. But I can understand why he's gone this route.


Link

 

[doublejs07]

Listen, I think I've been as vitriolic as I can possibly beregarding James' jump to Miami. It would be truthful to point out that hishandlers made an ##% out of LeBron when it came to James' disturbingly tactlessESPN special (andall that led up to it), but at some point (and with your 26th birthday justfive months away), you have to take the ##%-making blame personally.

Sick of your friends making bad decisions that reflectpoorly on you? Get new friends. Just because they're not shooting up nightclubsand setting up dog-fighting rings as opposed to tearing franchises apart andpretending to be big boy businessmen, it doesn't mean they're not sycophantsgone wild.

But going to Miami, to play with what might be the second-bestplayer in the game, a talented big man, and what is shaping up to be animpressive supporting cast? I'm sorry, but I'm not going to kill LeBron forthis.

Unless James houses some sort of enmity between him and hisgreatest individual rivals, there's no sell-out here. And, as Jordan pointedout, with the preponderance off of-court interaction - NBA-sanctionedinteraction - between stars like this these days, you can't blame thegenerational shift that leads to this.

Have you ever heard the story about the first time LarryBird and Michael Jordan met? It seems apocryphal, but it also speaks to thedivide in eras that we're dealing with.

Jordan, a few weeks after being drafted by the Chicago Bulls,was working out with his potential Team USA teammates, in preparation for the1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. The kids are on one court, and on another runs agroup of NBA All-Stars working on a practice court alongside. It might even bea half-court/half-court situation, but I'm having a hard time finding quotabledocumentation inside my living room while on deadline, so you'll have to bearwith me.

A loose ball, whatever the source, bounces from the Olympicteam's court (featuring Jordan) to the veteran's side. Jordan goes to chase,Bird sort of runs into it. Jordan - not fawning, but not impolite - asks for itback. Bird chucks it over his head and back toward his team's court, then turnsto run back to his own practice.

Jerk move, awesome move. Sort of what you'd expect in 1984.Not exactly what you'd expect if, say, Dwyane Wade(notes) and John Wall(notes) were in thesame sort of situation at some point this summer. In fact, there's no way thatgoes down. For better or worse - probably better, when it comes to people notfake-hating each other - things are more civil these days.

That's how these players sign off on playing with eachother. That's the second step. But why do they want to, to begin with?

Because it's fun to play with great basketball players.

If you've played, at whatever level, you know thedifference. Every player, no matter how good or bad they are, has been the bestplayer on a basketball team at some point. And that's fun, living or dying withyour own play. Having a team of two to 15 players fail or succeed based mostlyon how well you perform. Feeling the pressure, owning the ball. Controllingyour own destiny, win or lose.

And every player, no matter the stakes, has been acontributing player on a great team. You don't have to be a role player, anextra or a towel-waver. Every player, if they've played, has been on a team ofsimilarly-talented players that works together to take down all comers. Even ifit's just for one Monday morning.

And that's, I'm sorry ... fun.

So, instead of asking Michael Jordan - that notedmisanthrope -- perhaps we should be asking Magic Johnson who he'd rather playwith. Did he want the lowly Chicago Bulls to win the coin flip in 1980, tosecure his draft rights, or the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-featuring Los AngelesLakers? Did he want the Lakers to draft James Worthy first overall, in 1982, orsome scrub in order to even the competition and make it all about Magic?

That's what Magic knew. That's how he came into this league,knowing nothing but a top-notch supporting cast.

And, as far as Bird goes? Go back 31 years and ask him whichsupporting cast he'd prefer for the 1979 NCAA final. His plucky Indiana Statesquad, or Magic's Michigan State supporters, featuring another lottery pick inGreg Kelser?

Or, really, ask Michael. Did he really mind playing on that1982 North Carolina team, featuring quite possibly three (including him) of thebest five NCAA players in the country at the time? Couldn't he have just goneto Chaminade, and done it all himself? Wasn't that, in the year that led up to himagreeing to play with an established North Carolina team featuring Sam Perkinsand James Worthy (and with MJ's own loyalties, in his words, running N.C. Statered?) the same as what LeBron has done here?

Was Jordan averse to the Bulls trading Will Perdue forDennis Rodman in the late summer of 1995, giving Chicago the best player in theNBA (someone like Wade could be that this season, he's been there before), thebest all-around player (hard to argue against LeBron, in that capacity), and,at times, the best power forward (what Dennis is to defense, Chris Bosh oftenis to offense) in the league?

There is nothing about this entire process that LeBron hashandled delicately, appropriately, tastefully. And his run in Miami, as he getsmore insecure and more embarrassed about what happened leading up to the Floridajump, could even get nastier the more and more LeBron tries to explain it away.It's LeBron James, and you'd be safe in betting your money on him putting hisfoot in his mouth again, and again. In more egregious ways, I'm sure.

But to rip on the guy for wanting a chance at, I'm sorry,being part of the greatest basketball team ever put together? For wanting toplay basketball at a level that few players, of any caliber, have everexperienced? I'm sorry, but this is a basketball high nonpareil, and I seenothing wrong with LeBron - or Dwyane, or Chris - chasing this dragon. Thepoint, in this league, is to work and move and dominate in a setting with fourother men. Not to be a man amongst boys.

There's little to appreciate in the way that James hashandled this. But I can understand why he's gone this route.


Link

 

[windycity7]

adam morrison over mia thrice

 

[windycity7]

adam morrison over mia thrice

 

[outkast9984]

Originally Posted by Im Not You

Originally Posted by outkast9984

people need to get over it already....i mean is everyone going to talk about lebron leaving every other week...accept reality and move on...

It happened week before last G...

so who cares? its old news stop crying and move on G

  

 

[outkast9984]

Originally Posted by Im Not You

Originally Posted by outkast9984

people need to get over it already....i mean is everyone going to talk about lebron leaving every other week...accept reality and move on...

It happened week before last G...

so who cares? its old news stop crying and move on G

  

 

[dt43]

Originally Posted by Im Not You

Originally Posted by JinKazama

Did anybody ever stop and think that Lebron doesn't WANT to be the greatest?  

Uhh...yeah...and that's exactly what we're saying.
The dudes with the counter arguments are the ones who are taking that to be a negative thing. I never said ANYTHING was wrong with it.

I'm just saying don't pretend like this ISN'T the situation at hand which is what some people are making it out to be.

real talk.. looking back, i don't even know why we were surprised that he chose Miami. he gave plenty of signs that fame and wealth were more important to him than anything else.

"I want to be the best, plain and simple" - Kobe Bryant

"If you're a competitive person, that stays with you. You don't stop. You always look over your shoulder." - Magic Johnson

"Once you are labeled 'the best' you want to stay up there, and you can't do it by loafing around." - Larry Bird

"I just feel that my competitive drive is far greater than anyone else that I've met, and I think that I thrive on that.[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/font]"
"I truly love the game; I wouldn't be playing if I didn't love the game. I'm not getting paid astronomical dollars; it's truly for the love of the game of basketball." - Michael Jordan

...

"In the next 15 or 20 years, I hope I'll be the richest man in the world. That's one of my goals. I want to be a billionaire." - Lebron James

Lebron doesn't want to win rings out of love for the game.. he wants rings because having championships = more exposure, more endorsements which will expand his brand. that's fine by me.. dude had a deprived childhood and wants the money and the fame, i don't blame him. at least now that we know, we can take him out of the conversation of the legends. Lebron will go down as a great player, but there's never gonna be an arena with a Lebron James statue outside it.

/Lebron discussion

 

[dt43]

Originally Posted by Im Not You

Originally Posted by JinKazama

Did anybody ever stop and think that Lebron doesn't WANT to be the greatest?  

Uhh...yeah...and that's exactly what we're saying.
The dudes with the counter arguments are the ones who are taking that to be a negative thing. I never said ANYTHING was wrong with it.

I'm just saying don't pretend like this ISN'T the situation at hand which is what some people are making it out to be.

real talk.. looking back, i don't even know why we were surprised that he chose Miami. he gave plenty of signs that fame and wealth were more important to him than anything else.

"I want to be the best, plain and simple" - Kobe Bryant

"If you're a competitive person, that stays with you. You don't stop. You always look over your shoulder." - Magic Johnson

"Once you are labeled 'the best' you want to stay up there, and you can't do it by loafing around." - Larry Bird

"I just feel that my competitive drive is far greater than anyone else that I've met, and I think that I thrive on that.[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/font]"
"I truly love the game; I wouldn't be playing if I didn't love the game. I'm not getting paid astronomical dollars; it's truly for the love of the game of basketball." - Michael Jordan

...

"In the next 15 or 20 years, I hope I'll be the richest man in the world. That's one of my goals. I want to be a billionaire." - Lebron James

Lebron doesn't want to win rings out of love for the game.. he wants rings because having championships = more exposure, more endorsements which will expand his brand. that's fine by me.. dude had a deprived childhood and wants the money and the fame, i don't blame him. at least now that we know, we can take him out of the conversation of the legends. Lebron will go down as a great player, but there's never gonna be an arena with a Lebron James statue outside it.

/Lebron discussion

 

[quincy powell]

You people give Jordan way too much head on this site.

 

[quincy powell]

You people give Jordan way too much head on this site.

 

[westcoastsfinest]

Originally Posted by Quincy Powell

You people give Jordan way too much head on this site.

i lol'd

but its true in a lot of ways

  

 

[westcoastsfinest]

Originally Posted by Quincy Powell

You people give Jordan way too much head on this site.

i lol'd

but its true in a lot of ways

  

 

[airuphere23]

The back and forth banter in here is hilarious. Point blank: Scottie Pippen became a great asset on the Chicago Bulls during the MJ era partially because of the great leadership abilities MJ had in his career. It has been well documented over time how Jordan would argue, berate, and literally fight teammates in practice because of his desire to get the most out of his team....


LeBron is a more passive type of player...always clowning around on the sidelines before games, no matter how big the game is. He relies strictly on his talents to help win games, and more times than not, he often wins those games. But as far as leadership qualities go, LeBron isn't the type of "competitor" that MJ was in his heyday. Joining a team with a Bosh and Wade is the easy route to success in the league...and it's a smart move if you're looking for instant gratification and high potential for success, but LeBron is NOT the ultimate competitor due to this move either..and I think MJ stated that well enough on his own...

 

[airuphere23]

The back and forth banter in here is hilarious. Point blank: Scottie Pippen became a great asset on the Chicago Bulls during the MJ era partially because of the great leadership abilities MJ had in his career. It has been well documented over time how Jordan would argue, berate, and literally fight teammates in practice because of his desire to get the most out of his team....


LeBron is a more passive type of player...always clowning around on the sidelines before games, no matter how big the game is. He relies strictly on his talents to help win games, and more times than not, he often wins those games. But as far as leadership qualities go, LeBron isn't the type of "competitor" that MJ was in his heyday. Joining a team with a Bosh and Wade is the easy route to success in the league...and it's a smart move if you're looking for instant gratification and high potential for success, but LeBron is NOT the ultimate competitor due to this move either..and I think MJ stated that well enough on his own...

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by DT43

Originally Posted by Im Not You

Originally Posted by JinKazama

Did anybody ever stop and think that Lebron doesn't WANT to be the greatest?  

Uhh...yeah...and that's exactly what we're saying.
The dudes with the counter arguments are the ones who are taking that to be a negative thing. I never said ANYTHING was wrong with it.

I'm just saying don't pretend like this ISN'T the situation at hand which is what some people are making it out to be.

real talk.. looking back, i don't even know why we were surprised that he chose Miami. he gave plenty of signs that fame and wealth were more important to him than anything else.

"I want to be the best, plain and simple" - Kobe Bryant

"If you're a competitive person, that stays with you. You don't stop. You always look over your shoulder." - Magic Johnson

"Once you are labeled 'the best' you want to stay up there, and you can't do it by loafing around. " - Larry Bird

"I just feel that my competitive drive is far greater than anyone else that I've met, and I think that I thrive on that.[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/font]"
"I truly love the game; I wouldn't be playing if I didn't love the game. I'm not getting paid astronomical dollars; it's truly for the love of the game of basketball." - Michael Jordan

...

"In the next 15 or 20 years, I hope I'll be the richest man in the world. That's one of my goals. I want to be a billionaire." - Lebron James

Lebron doesn't want to win rings out of love for the game.. he wants rings because having championships = more exposure, more endorsements which will expand his brand. that's fine by me.. dude had a deprived childhood and wants the money and the fame, i don't blame him. at least now that we know, we can take him out of the conversation of the legends. Lebron will go down as a great player, but there's never gonna be an arena with a Lebron James statue outside it.

/Lebron discussion

  

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by DT43

Originally Posted by Im Not You

Originally Posted by JinKazama

Did anybody ever stop and think that Lebron doesn't WANT to be the greatest?  

Uhh...yeah...and that's exactly what we're saying.
The dudes with the counter arguments are the ones who are taking that to be a negative thing. I never said ANYTHING was wrong with it.

I'm just saying don't pretend like this ISN'T the situation at hand which is what some people are making it out to be.

real talk.. looking back, i don't even know why we were surprised that he chose Miami. he gave plenty of signs that fame and wealth were more important to him than anything else.

"I want to be the best, plain and simple" - Kobe Bryant

"If you're a competitive person, that stays with you. You don't stop. You always look over your shoulder." - Magic Johnson

"Once you are labeled 'the best' you want to stay up there, and you can't do it by loafing around. " - Larry Bird

"I just feel that my competitive drive is far greater than anyone else that I've met, and I think that I thrive on that.[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/font]"
"I truly love the game; I wouldn't be playing if I didn't love the game. I'm not getting paid astronomical dollars; it's truly for the love of the game of basketball." - Michael Jordan

...

"In the next 15 or 20 years, I hope I'll be the richest man in the world. That's one of my goals. I want to be a billionaire." - Lebron James

Lebron doesn't want to win rings out of love for the game.. he wants rings because having championships = more exposure, more endorsements which will expand his brand. that's fine by me.. dude had a deprived childhood and wants the money and the fame, i don't blame him. at least now that we know, we can take him out of the conversation of the legends. Lebron will go down as a great player, but there's never gonna be an arena with a Lebron James statue outside it.

/Lebron discussion

  

 

[mo matik]

There was talk at the end of the '96 season that Jordan was going to sign with the Knicks.  He ended up taking a 30 mill/1 year contract in Chicago but still.  There is a lot of reason to believe Jordan was ready to play with Ewing.

 

[mo matik]

There was talk at the end of the '96 season that Jordan was going to sign with the Knicks.  He ended up taking a 30 mill/1 year contract in Chicago but still.  There is a lot of reason to believe Jordan was ready to play with Ewing.

 

[im not you]

Originally Posted by outkast9984

Originally Posted by Im Not You

Originally Posted by outkast9984

people need to get over it already....i mean is everyone going to talk about lebron leaving every other week...accept reality and move on...

It happened week before last G...

so who cares? its old news stop crying and move on G

  

Who's crying?

This is the sports & training forum. This is one of the bigger sports stories in recent history...and you're in here talking about people "need to get over it". 

 N ain't nobody losing sleep over it. We're discussing it. *++* you want us to talk about since you govern what's to be spoken about here?

 

[im not you]

Originally Posted by outkast9984

Originally Posted by Im Not You

Originally Posted by outkast9984

people need to get over it already....i mean is everyone going to talk about lebron leaving every other week...accept reality and move on...

It happened week before last G...

so who cares? its old news stop crying and move on G

  

Who's crying?

This is the sports & training forum. This is one of the bigger sports stories in recent history...and you're in here talking about people "need to get over it". 

 N ain't nobody losing sleep over it. We're discussing it. *++* you want us to talk about since you govern what's to be spoken about here?

 

[al3xis]

people think this move is about money? Miami? Losing your place as 'the man'? Turning into (one of, if not...) the most hated man in sports?

How in the world can you figure that?? The Knicks presentation showed figures that it's a 400 MILLION difference for him between NY and Miami.

New York was the money move, and he didn't bite. Chicago was more lucrative as well.


I have no idea what the motive was, and I don't like the move -- but it damn sure was not about money and expanding his brand.

 

[al3xis]

people think this move is about money? Miami? Losing your place as 'the man'? Turning into (one of, if not...) the most hated man in sports?

How in the world can you figure that?? The Knicks presentation showed figures that it's a 400 MILLION difference for him between NY and Miami.

New York was the money move, and he didn't bite. Chicago was more lucrative as well.


I have no idea what the motive was, and I don't like the move -- but it damn sure was not about money and expanding his brand.

 

[cincoseisdos]

Originally Posted by NobleKane

damn thats %%#**@ up

isnt jordan lebron's idol?? just imagine jordan coming up to one of you shoe heads and saying "your a flaming #!%#%+ for collecting my shoes only women collect shoes" it be like your dad slapping an ice cream cone out your hand

 

[cincoseisdos]

Originally Posted by NobleKane

damn thats %%#**@ up

isnt jordan lebron's idol?? just imagine jordan coming up to one of you shoe heads and saying "your a flaming #!%#%+ for collecting my shoes only women collect shoes" it be like your dad slapping an ice cream cone out your hand