New perspective on "The Decision"

[Prometheus]

I was a fan of LeBron ever since he was in high school. Over the years I have come to find him disappointing in certain ways, but that is not relevant right now. I wish he would have stayed in Cleveland, as it would have meant so much more to win a chip there than winning 10 of them anywhere else, but I think the narrative on "The Decision" is stupid.

Has anyone ever considered that the guy would just much rather live in south beach than in the shittiest city in America? seriously though, which franchise a guy plays for determines where he and his family live. not to mention the fact that he was good friends with wade ever since the draft, and he did of course want a better chance to win rings, but is it that hard to imagine that moving to Miami was more than just a basketball decision?

discuss.

[alec613]

I was a fan of LeBron ever since he was in high school. Over the years I have come to find him disappointing in certain ways, but that is not relevant right now. I wish he would have stayed in Cleveland, as it would have meant so much more to win a chip there than winning 10 of them anywhere else, but I think the narrative on "The Decision" is stupid.

Has anyone ever considered that the guy would just much rather live in south beach than in the shittiest city in America? seriously though, which franchise a guy plays for determines where he and his family live. not to mention the fact that he was good friends with wade ever since the draft, and he did of course want a better chance to win rings, but is it that hard to imagine that moving to Miami was more than just a basketball decision?

discuss.

Everyone knows Cleveland sucks.

[oarabbus]

Everyone knows Cleveland sucks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

each are less than 1min

[Prometheus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

each are less than 1min

wtf??!?! hahahahaha

[Leftimage]

I was a fan of LeBron ever since he was in high school. Over the years I have come to find him disappointing in certain ways, but that is not relevant right now. I wish he would have stayed in Cleveland, as it would have meant so much more to win a chip there than winning 10 of them anywhere else, but I think the narrative on "The Decision" is stupid.

Has anyone ever considered that the guy would just much rather live in south beach than in the shittiest city in America? seriously though, which franchise a guy plays for determines where he and his family live. not to mention the fact that he was good friends with wade ever since the draft, and he did of course want a better chance to win rings, but is it that hard to imagine that moving to Miami was more than just a basketball decision?

discuss.

Shades of Durant in OKC.

I mean talk about an insignificant city...

[Mr. Jabbar]

the main issues here is he kept it away from cavs front office while making them believe he'd stay so they didn't have a plan B etc. not to mention how he decided to tell the world. classless with his lifelong organization.

shortcut to rings is whole nother story

we not gonna argue bout cities themselves cause miami > cle by a pretty gigantic margin

[215Philly]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

each are less than 1min
OMFG I'm done :roll: :roll: :roll:

[Prometheus]

the main issues here is he kept it away from cavs front office while making them believe he'd stay so they didn't have a plan B etc. not to mention how he decided to tell the world. classless with his lifelong organization.

shortcut to rings is whole nother story

we not gonna argue bout cities themselves cause miami > cle by a pretty gigantic margin

oh dude I'm not defending the decision, just trying to suggest that perhaps he wasn't ring chasing or trying to take the easy way out, but rather looked at his options and said "are you f-king kidding me? we're moving to florida"

[Milbuck]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

each are less than 1min
:roll: :roll: :lebronamazed:

[moe94]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

each are less than 1min

It's been too long. :roll:

[zoom17]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

each are less than 1min

inside the nba version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sDFoJ22sKY

[Pushxx]

It's hard to like LeBron as a person after he tore the hearts out of his biggest fans by making a mockery of leaving Cleveland. Even if it was a bad marketing decision. Add in the possible collusion and pre-championship celebrations...he was being a douche all over the place.

I think of Cavs fans that want LeBron back like the women in abusive relationships that keep going back.

He's gotten better publicly since then. Just enough to be bearable. Being the best basketball player in the world for the last couple of years helps.

[Combat Wombat]

I was a fan of LeBron ever since he was in high school. Over the years I have come to find him disappointing in certain ways, but that is not relevant right now. I wish he would have stayed in Cleveland, as it would have meant so much more to win a chip there than winning 10 of them anywhere else, but I think the narrative on "The Decision" is stupid.

Has anyone ever considered that the guy would just much rather live in south beach than in the shittiest city in America? seriously though, which franchise a guy plays for determines where he and his family live. not to mention the fact that he was good friends with wade ever since the draft, and he did of course want a better chance to win rings, but is it that hard to imagine that moving to Miami was more than just a basketball decision?

discuss.

Sure you were. :rolleyes:

[moe94]

Sure you were. :rolleyes:

Like that's a stretch considering LeBron was more known than most NBA players at the time. :rolleyes:

[Budadiiii]

I'm honestly more upset about him disappearing in the finals the following year. I was rooting for the guy and then BAM. Goose egg.

And for the guy to tell the whole world that their lives still suck and he's still the king was just :facepalm

Cleveland fans are scum anyway. That much is certain. Still, LeBron is a shitty human for what he did, period.

Not only that, but a cowardly chump teaming up with his superstar buddies so he could finally get over the hump. Left his home state on national national Telly.

Funny how winning on a stacked team somehow changes some peoples perspective on the matter. You guys are all morons. Period.

[coin24]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

each are less than 1min

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

[moe94]

That post was more cliche than a romantic comedy. It's almost like you're content just parroting archaic nonsense. You hit almost all the notes. I'm impressed.

2011 finals lol
him being a bad person
leaveland sux
stacked

Really?

[zoom17]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIBn9ZqqwW8

Cant believe lebron took this team to the Finals:bowdown:

[CavaliersFTW]

If by shittiest city in America you mean Cleveland, than no that had zero influence on Lebron moving. Lebron has never lived in Cleveland, he lived in AKRON. Where he grew up, and he still owns his Akron-area home and visits Akron very often because he still loves Akron. He went to South Beach to win chips and team up with his friends, improved weather and sunsets at the beach were secondary perks not deciding factors. Not that difficult to comprehend.

[215Philly]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIBn9ZqqwW8

Cant believe lebron took this team to the Finals:bowdown:
It's so sad, he tried his hardest but that team had no hope :confusedshrug:

[Overdrive]

I was a fan of LeBron ever since he was in high school. Over the years I have come to find him disappointing in certain ways, but that is not relevant right now. I wish he would have stayed in Cleveland, as it would have meant so much more to win a chip there than winning 10 of them anywhere else, but I think the narrative on "The Decision" is stupid.

Has anyone ever considered that the guy would just much rather live in south beach than in the shittiest city in America? seriously though, which franchise a guy plays for determines where he and his family live. not to mention the fact that he was good friends with wade ever since the draft, and he did of course want a better chance to win rings, but is it that hard to imagine that moving to Miami was more than just a basketball decision?

discuss.

Not what he did, but the way he did, was the factor that made people outside of Cleveland mad.

Jerseys would've been burned in Cleveland anyway, but alot of people that liked or didn't care for Lebron started to dislike him.

[zoom17]

It's so sad, he tried his hardest but that team had no hope :confusedshrug:

Exactly Kobe would have never lead that team to the Finals.

[kamil]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

each are less than 1min

Joakim Noah would approve.

[kamil]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIBn9ZqqwW8

Cant believe lebron took this team to the Finals:bowdown:

LeBron* started that game 0/8.

[Prometheus]

If by shittiest city in America you mean Cleveland, than no that had zero influence on Lebron moving. Lebron has never lived in Cleveland, he lived in AKRON. Where he grew up, and he still owns his Akron-area home and visits Akron very often because he still loves Akron. He went to South Beach to win chips and team up with his friends, improved weather and sunsets at the beach were secondary perks not deciding factors. Not that difficult to comprehend.

butthurt ohio resident :lebroncry:

[Solefade]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIBn9ZqqwW8

Cant believe lebron took this team to the Finals:bowdown:


Cavs completely outmatched lol

[knicksman]

LOL he couldve went to houston or chicago but instead chose a city with a superstar. Youre again exposing youre beta mentality OP. alphas are competitive thats why there are so called lone wolf. They would rather lose or be alone than be with another alpha.

[DukeDelonte13]

:oldlol: this board has a constant influx of people who like to troll cavs fans.

[Bandito]

The decision was already 3 years and 6 months ago, get over it.:facepalm:

[Prometheus]

LOL he couldve went to houston or chicago but instead chose a city with a superstar. Youre again exposing youre beta mentality OP. alphas are competitive thats why there are so called lone wolf. They would rather lose or be alone than be with another alpha.

http://www.impawards.com/2009/posters/obsessed_xlg.jpg

[Rik Smits' Hair]

At least they're not Detroit

[SpecialQue]

"The Decision" (the TV special) was and always will be a terrible move on Lebron's part. I think a lot of the hate he got was because of this stupid TV special, and he deserved every bit of it.

However, I've completely changed my opinion on his move to Miami. I know that no free agents wanted to go to Cleveland, but look at the Spurs and Pacers...a great franchise can build a winning team around their stars without having to make blockbuster trades. The Cavs failed to convince other players to come to Cleveland to play with Lebron fvcking James and possibly win a championship. The best free agent they got was the shambling corpse of Shaq. Meanwhile, Lebron bolts to Miami, and not only does Riley get Wade and Bosh on board, but also makes moves to get game-changing role players like Ray and Battier on the roster. Also, look at what happened to Pierce and KG in Boston. The second Ainge decided that they were no longer useful he traded them to the Nets. Pierce wanted to retire a Celtic, and he was robbed of that. Teams don't fvcking care about their players, so Lebron taking control of his future isn't something you can criticize. If you're working at a job you like but you have shitty coworkers and bosses, you fvcking find a new company to work for. Only in sports are we bashing people for doing something that's common sense in every other line of work.

[Prometheus]

"The Decision" (the TV special) was and always will be a terrible move on Lebron's part. I think a lot of the hate he got was because of this stupid TV special, and he deserved every bit of it.

However, I've completely changed my opinion on his move to Miami. I know that no free agents wanted to go to Cleveland, but look at the Spurs and Pacers...a great franchise can build a winning team around their stars without having to make blockbuster trades. The Cavs failed to convince other players to come to Cleveland to play with Lebron fvcking James and possibly win a championship. The best free agent they got was the shambling corpse of Shaq. Meanwhile, Lebron bolts to Miami, and not only does Riley get Wade and Bosh on board, but also makes moves to get game-changing role players like Ray and Battier on the roster. Also, look at what happened to Pierce and KG in Boston. The second Ainge decided that they were no longer useful he traded them to the Nets. Pierce wanted to retire a Celtic, and he was robbed of that. Teams don't fvcking care about their players, so Lebron taking control of his future isn't something you can criticize. If you're working at a job you like but you have shitty coworkers and bosses, you fvcking find a new company to work for. Only in sports are we bashing people for doing something that's common sense in every other line of work.

:applause: although I think the celebration and the "not one, not two..." was worse than the tv special. the rest of this is spot on

[STATUTORY]

his best move that free agency would have been to go to the Knicks

would have had a chance to truly eclipse MJ's legacy if he were to win there. Miami is just not a sports town and the things he does that will not be part of the city's lore for long. He will never excape the perception of ring chaser regardless of his actual motivation.

NYC Lebron would have been something special. For a guy fastidious about his legacy, I'm surprised by his choice. I was convinced he was going to nyc because that would have been the right move.

[SpecialQue]

his best move that free agency would have been to go to the Knicks

would have had a chance to truly eclipse MJ's legacy if he were to win there. Miami is just not a sports town and the things he does that will not be part of the city's lore for long. He will never excape the perception of ring chaser regardless of his actual motivation.

NYC Lebron would have been something special. For a guy fastidious about his legacy, I'm surprised by the move. I was convinced he was going to nyc because that would have been the right move.

Ask Melo has that's working out.

[STATUTORY]

Ask Melo has that's working out.
he's not melo doe...

Not to suggest his legacy is shattered by going to south beach. He will still be a top player historically regardless, just theorycrafting how to optimize his legacy.

I think upcoming FA he needs to go back to Cleveland to try and win there, Cavs are set up well, to put the nice finishing touch on his narrative.

Bron winning and retiring in Miami is unsatisfactory on many levels.

[jstern]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

each are less than 1min
That was funny. For like the first three seconds I was expecting it to be an actual promotional tourism video for Cleveland.

[PJR]

LeBron chose the team in free agency with the best combination of ownership/management, cap flexibility, and location. He put himself in the best possible situation, top to bottom, which any free agent should be seeking to do.

If you had a problem with it in the first place, you're an idiot. That simple.

[Lordsteven]

his decision to go to miami was a good decision. the way he did it, not so much. televising your decision to leave your hometown to go play somewhere else and then leaving the franchise to sh*t. :facepalm

[ihoopallday]

But he constantly spends his offseason in Ohio. Don't think that was the factor. Management is the reason in my opinion. I mean look how unprofessional Gilbert was after Bron left. LeBron was arrogant so no excuse for how he handled everything. However, the owner of a team shouldn't go on a rant like he did. No star player would want to play for an owner like that.

[Demitri98]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

each are less than 1min
:lebronamazed: :applause:

[KDthunderup]

It was the douchey way he went about it that pissed people off

[Y2ktors]

I was a fan of LeBron ever since he was in high school. Over the years I have come to find him disappointing in certain ways, but that is not relevant right now. I wish he would have stayed in Cleveland, as it would have meant so much more to win a chip there than winning 10 of them anywhere else, but I think the narrative on "The Decision" is stupid.

Has anyone ever considered that the guy would just much rather live in south beach than in the shittiest city in America? seriously though, which franchise a guy plays for determines where he and his family live. not to mention the fact that he was good friends with wade ever since the draft, and he did of course want a better chance to win rings, but is it that hard to imagine that moving to Miami was more than just a basketball decision?

discuss.
But he still lives in Akron in the offseason, which ain't exactly South Beach.

[Y2ktors]

the main issues here is he kept it away from cavs front office while making them believe he'd stay so they didn't have a plan B etc. not to mention how he decided to tell the world. classless with his lifelong organization.

shortcut to rings is whole nother story

we not gonna argue bout cities themselves cause miami > cle by a pretty gigantic margin
And because he wouldn't make a long term commitment to the Cavs, it stopped potential talent from wanting to play with him in Cleveland.

[waseem780]

I doubt it. Basketball is all that's on Lebron's mind. He wouldn't move to Miami just to be in a better city

[VIntageNOvel]

"The Decision" (the TV special) was and always will be a terrible move on Lebron's part. I think a lot of the hate he got was because of this stupid TV special, and he deserved every bit of it.

However, I've completely changed my opinion on his move to Miami. I know that no free agents wanted to go to Cleveland, but look at the Spurs and Pacers...a great franchise can build a winning team around their stars without having to make blockbuster trades. The Cavs failed to convince other players to come to Cleveland to play with Lebron fvcking James and possibly win a championship. The best free agent they got was the shambling corpse of Shaq. Meanwhile, Lebron bolts to Miami, and not only does Riley get Wade and Bosh on board, but also makes moves to get game-changing role players like Ray and Battier on the roster. Also, look at what happened to Pierce and KG in Boston. The second Ainge decided that they were no longer useful he traded them to the Nets. Pierce wanted to retire a Celtic, and he was robbed of that. Teams don't fvcking care about their players, so Lebron taking control of his future isn't something you can criticize. If you're working at a job you like but you have shitty coworkers and bosses, you fvcking find a new company to work for. Only in sports are we bashing people for doing something that's common sense in every other line of work.

that justified kobe's contract extension is a good move by lakers FO :applause:

its not about the money, its about sending a message to all the upcoming FA (melo, love, durant in 2016) :applause:

[Pra]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

each are less than 1min

LOL :roll: :roll: :roll:

[mr.big35]

Get over "The Decision" its been about 4 years. Dont need to analyze any more

[JohnFreeman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

each are less than 1min
:lol

[SamuraiSWISH]

As someone the same age as LeBron, if I had his money, from a non basketball legacy perspective. I totally don't blame him as a young, multi-millionaire for choosing South Beach over the brutal, boring scenery and surroundings of Cleveland. The women down there, the weather, the tax breaks. Yea, non basketball wise ... I get it. And it's hard to say I wouldn't do the same.