because ALL of the actions that i've put out there suggest he's a self consumed, arrogant, self centered jerk. once again just because YOU want to think of him as a boy scout and a hero doesn't make it true...

you dont like lebron, you admit that.  but you only put his actions up here that support what you are saying.   you say nothing about his good deeds.


http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/artic
les/lebron_james_is_a_real_nice_guy
_folks/10397767

as a former service man you should appreciate this.   look, i wont defend everything he has ever done.   but most of the people who have spent time with him (i assume none of us have).. say he is a nice person.   barkely, wilbron, even stephen a.   all journalist i respect..although barkely did say all Heat fans work at mcdonalds.

"this was a deal that took a lot of time and effort to put together between three GMs of three different teams, each with their own interests at stake!"

If it was such a fair deal, then why aree you so upset that it didn't go down?

...BECAUSE WE DIDN'T GET THE POINT GUARD WE NEEDED TO START THE SEASON!!!  Jeez turnip, for a guy who purports to like to use logic and facts, you sure are thick-headed!

"between three GMs of three different teams, each with their own interests at stake!"

GM's make bad trades all the time. You don't find it strange that in sports a great deal of the time the same teams are generally good and then a bunch of  teams are generally horrible?

Don't you find it strange that everytime you ask me to make my argument, and I do, you always feel compelled to try and get the "last word" in by just throwing out some totally irrelevant and subjective thought...and then try to call that a "fact"???

"Since when do the "majority of the other league owners" get to ratify a trade? "

I would say in any instance where there are 30 equal owners, that a majority vote would determine  the outcome. You don't think that is fair?

No, I don't...that's my whole point!  < < s i g h > >

Unique circumstance I will agree, but what is fair is fair.

< < f a c e p a l m > >

"Why should any team be equally owned by every other team owner in the league? "

It shouldn't, but if the current owner for whatever reason is unable to run the team, then what choice is there until a new owner can be found?

Hmmm, I have an idea, why not let the GM that was hired to run the team and take care of the day-to-day business DO HIS JOB???

"So, it sounds like you think it's a good thing that the Hornets franchise should temporarily become the unwitting pawn in power struggle between every other team owner in the league."

Not at all. Trades in that situation become very tricky. Once again, I think the only fair way is the majority vote. I do know that if Paul would have just kept his mouth shut and played out the contract that HE signed, he could have opted out after last season, well within his rights and be a Laker today if that is what he really wanted to happen. Correct?

No, incorrect.  We don't know that - that's the whole point - that's why the trade was done the way it was done and when it was done.  The Lakers had a need that needed to be addressed before the start of last season, had the assets necessary to make the move, albeit a major one, found the willing partners to make that deal, and pulled the trigger.

"Once again, I think the only fair way is the majority vote"...Once again you are injecting your own personal bias into a situation that was anything but fair...and then you're further hypothesizing and pontificating on what Chris Paul should or shouldn't have done when this had nothing to do with him - it was a basketball deal involving three different GMs!

"Turnip, you're not beating me or anyone down with proper examples or facts"

Not true. Bosh is a perfect example to counter your argument.

Bosh has nothing to do with my argument! 

"nothing more than your own interpretation of the events in question"

MY interpretation??? Hmmm. Bosh gets hurt late game 1 but Heat wins.  Bosh doesn't play and Heat lose games 2&3.  Heat is forced to make adjustments on the fly because without Bosh the Pacers were just clogging up the middle and leaving Bosh replacement unguarded.  Spoelsta figures out best  chance is to play small ball and surround James with shooters on the court.  Heat win games 4,5,& 6 and then go on to win the Championship.  In other words, they figured it out in a short period of time during the most crucial time of the year.  On the other hand you claim the Lakers season was jeopardised because of the schedule even though they had 66 regualar season games to figurte it out and then the better part of 2 playoffs rounds.  I would say your interpretation is far more out of whack.

See, now you're just babbling incoherently.

You asked me why I thought last season should be marked with an "asterisk" and I gave you my reasons and made my argument - from what is clearly an admittedly Laker-centric point of view; Stern's meddlng that nixed a huge deal that would've changed the face of the Western Conference going into last season, and that the truncated season and lack of any kind of training camp, preseason and regular team practices throughout wrought further havoc to a Lakers season that was already frought with having to adjust to an entirely new system, coaching staff, and roster of players...as opposed to teams like the Heat and Thunder who weren't affected as much because they were able to essentially pick up right where they left off...and you start carrying on with this business of your 2nd round series with the Pacers!

Turnip. arguing with you is like trying to reason with a drunk guy at a bar - there is no rhyme or reason to your train of thought.  You always feel compelled to spout off, but there is never any organization to your points of view.  Then you always resort to accusing whoever you're arguing with of making things up and lacking any fact when it is you who is constantly bouncing around, making no sense whatsoever, and injecting nothing more than your own skewed point of view and opinion into the debate.

It may be time for you to take a little break from the day-to-day here at the "Heat Haters" club and think about standing down for a little while.  You have your title - nothing you say can really ever dispel the loathing for your team that some of us still feel in our hearts, so may I suggest that you simply call it a day and take solace in the good things that you have.

You are preaching to an uncaring audience here.  I submit to you that your Heat loving ramblings might be much better received elsewhere - like perhaps the Heat team board - althought something tells me that no one there could care less either.

Have a nice day.

"but most of the people who have spent time with him (i assume none of us have).. "

Actually, I have a few times at the Heat premium seat holder events.

No, I don't claim to know him or anything of the sort, but I have observed him and all the other players in that type of setting.

I told people here this once before, and I will tell you again.

2 years ago, I attended  the Heats annual biggest fundraiser, usually held at Rileys house.
It was obviously James first time there because it was his first season here.

Anyway, during the evening, they offer some some very high end type auctions.
During one of them, James stood up,(for NO reason other than to try to increase the bidding )and announced that whoever won that item would get to use one of his personal cars for a week and then get to spend a few hours with him doing pretty much whatever they wanted (within reason). That gesture upped the bidding somewhere between 10-15k if I remember correctly.

Also that night, while all the players are there to chat with, James was the only one who made it a point to go to each table and greet, thank people for coming.

Those were genuine acts done for nothing in return. No tax write off.

CL, people can by cynical and challenge anyones reasons for doing charitable acts, but James actions show that he does what he does for the cause first and foremost. If there are tax deductions, so what? EVERYONE writes off such things.

Also, it someones motive was pure business vs genuiness they could easily just contribute $$$$ vs contributing their time to actually go visit kids, make appearances at their charities, etc where none of that is someting that can be written off.

James still goes back to Akron every year for his bike ride charity event. James often makes surprise visits to different Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Try this:

MIAMI -- The side door to the newly refurbished gym opened, a blast of sunlight splashed into the darkened corner, and 100 children began shrieking in unison.

LeBron James was thrilled.

"It never gets old," James said.

That was the reception Wednesday when the LeBron James Family Foundation and Hewlett-Packard began rolling out what will soon be 1,000 new computers to 59 different Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide. At the Miami club, the roof is getting replaced and workspaces for kids are being spruced up with furniture from the HomeCourt line that James designs with girlfriend Savannah Brinson.

<!-- begin inline 1 -->

James <!-- end inline 1 -->

It's all part of the commitment James made last summer, when his hour-long "The Decision" special on July 8, 2010 -- in which he said he was joining the Miami Heat -- raised more than $3 million for charity.

"I know a lot comes with being a professional athlete," James said in an interview with The Associated Press. "That's also being a role model to a lot of kids that look up to me. This automatically comes with it. And I have nothing but time for kids. I could easily be at home and just relaxing. ... But the opportunity to be here and giving back to these kids, I'm happy to do it."

James mingled with the kids for a while after a short ceremony, checking out the new computers -- loaded with many of the newest bells and whistles -- and posing for photos. One girl won a contest to have her bedroom redesigned by James and Brinson, and outside, people waited with their cell-phone cameras poised in hopes of catching a brief glimpse of the NBA's two-time MVP.

At one of the busiest stages of the NBA season, James said he welcomed the idea of taking an afternoon away from basketball.

"Kids are a huge passion of mine," James said. "I always said when I was growing up, 'If I ever have an opportunity, if I ever got big enough, whatever the case may be, I will always try to give back as much as possible.'"

Strange as it sounds, James may never have been bigger than on the night of "The Decision."

An estimated 10 million people watched the show, which elicited all sorts of reaction the minute he infamously said that he would "take my talents to South Beach" and join the Heat.

James has said many times that he regrets certain aspects of the hastily arranged program, but adds that the money it raised made it more than worth doing.

"Very few people, with one hour of their day, one hour of their life -- that's all that show was -- can impact this many people," said Boys & Girls Clubs Vice President Frank Sanchez.

Sanchez said he believes "hundreds of thousands of kids" nationwide will be impacted by what James is providing. The northwest Miami neighborhood which hosted Wednesday's event has a high school graduation rate of between 50 and 60 percent, something the Boys & Girls Club is trying to raise considerably.

Days like Wednesday will make that task easier, Sanchez said.

"Every kid here will have the same chance as the same kid in any other community," Sanchez said. "Every kid here can do their homework like every other kid in the country, because the technology is the same. They have a place here, because of LeBron."

HP's association with James goes back many years, and the company did not hesitate when this opportunity came along.

"We don't do celebrity sponsorships," said Satjiv Chahil, HP's Strategic Advisor for Global Market Development. "We celebrate achievers from society who have multifaceted lives, who have an appreciation for technology and who have a human cause. ... We celebrate LeBron."

The first thing James and Brinson did when they arrived at the Miami club Wednesday was check out the furniture -- a passion project for them both.

Brinson has a long-standing interest in interior design. So that, combined with James' idea to explore a line and seeing how the couple's two sons, LeBron Jr. and Bryce, tend to test the durability of children's furniture in their home, added another element to what the MVP's foundation is trying to do with initiatives nationwide.

"I just like seeing the smiles on the kids' faces," Brinson said. "And anyone who's benefiting from him coming to talk to them, or just seeing him, it might not be something that they'll be able to do every day ... this is probably the first and last time that something like this can happen and they'll remember it for a long, long time."

James took an overwhelming amount of criticism for "The Decision" -- both what he said, and how he said it.

Moments like Wednesday, and the reminder that plenty of good came out of that night, make it easier for him to put aside how naysayers reacted.

"I would do it again," James said. "I won't play this game forever. But the things that we're doing in the communities, things that we're doing in the gymnasiums, in the computer labs, they will last. When I'm done playing basketball, I can still go back to some of those same parks and see what we were able to accomplish that day in 2011. That's important to me




Or this:

Lebron "the Villain" James is also the biggest supporter of charities in the league and was the only NBA player to make Parade Magazine's list of the most charitable athletes. He started the Lebron James Family Foundation to raise money to support single parent families in the Ohio area. Oh and the proceeds from that over the top, self-indulgent, and disrespectful spectacle "The Decision"? Everything he made went to the Boys and Girls Club of America, all 2.5 million dollars worth.

No suspensions, no outlandish on court behavior, he's never been charged with a criminal offense, or found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs, and yet he is the league's "bad guy". Why? Because it's fun. It's just as fun to cheer against Lebron as it was to cheer for MJ, and "The Decision" gave us the perfect opportunity to get emotionally invested in the guy, albeit in a negative way. He might be the NBA's "Bad Guy" but despite two bad decisions that he made without malice, he has given us no reason to label him as a villain... but let's still cheer against him, it's more fun that way.


So enough already about using a TV show , a fan celebration , tweets and tattoos as your excuse for hate.

If you are going to be that petty in your judgement of NBA players then I would suggest that if you went through every teams roster, player by player, and judged them as hard as you try to judge James, then you would dislike so many players that you wouldn't even be interested in the NBA any more.

"so so when an egotistical buffoon gets in your face and tells you how much better he is than you DO resist the urge to flip him the bird, twocoach..."
Too funny. Kobe is "confident", James is an "egotistical buffoon".

And "In your face"? Did James show up at your job and trash talk you as you walked to your car? No? James isn't doing anything any different than any one else. And for me to classify someone as an egotistical buffoon they would have to actually be WRONG to think they are great at what they're confident about.

"And for me to classify someone as an egotistical buffoon they would have to actually be WRONG to think they are great at what they're confident about."


interesting. i on the other hand will tell him to go to hell, then continue with my day...


is what it is, i guess... 











CL67 

"Once again you are injecting your own personal bias into a situation that was anything but fair..."

Simply not true Jefe. I know you think I do, but I have no bias against the Lakers team . I have said for 2 years plus that the only thing I hold against them is the idiocy of Laker fans here in regards to how they IMO care way to much about James and his TV show and Heats fan celebration.

I have no issue with the Lakers being the bully on the block because they annually generate much more income then others teams.
They aren't breaking any rules, so all is fair in love and war.
That is how I look at things and that is why and how I view what James/Bosh/Wade  and Riley did. Nothing but good business for all of them.


"Hmmm, I have an idea, why not let the GM that was hired to run the team and take care of the day-to-day business DO HIS JOB???"


Normally,  I agree with this. Honesltly, I don't even know who the Hornets GM was, how long he had the job, what his agenda was, etc...

What was his track record in previous trades? Was he hired on on interim basis?

Like I said, TO ME, if something is owned evenly 30 ways and a decision has to be made, my commons sense tells me majority vote.
Obviously 30 billionaires agreed? Correct?

Seems to me, the only outrage came from Laker fans. Not so much from Hornet or Rocket fans, or just NBA fans in general.
Wonder why?


."The Lakers had a need that needed to be addressed before the start of last season, had the assets necessary to make the move,"


That's your opinion but the majority of jury members felt differently after deliberations.

"Bosh has nothing to do with my argument!  "


Not by name, but he is a perfect example to be used to counter your claim. You act like the Lakers were the only team that had to learn a new system while on the fly, and I counter that the Heat had to learn a new system on the fly during the playoffs. Spoelstra had to go with lineups which had NEVER played together before.


"and I gave you my reasons and made my argument - from what is clearly an admittedly Laker-centric point of view"

Fair enough, but at least admit it the Lakers or ANY other team but the Heat would have won, you would be quiet as a mouse on the subject. Are you telling me that if the Lakers would have won that you would have publicly been saying the championship was tainted in ANY way?


"Turnip. arguing with you is like trying to reason with a drunk guy at a bar -"

But you side with CL and Mamba?

I strongly disagree. I try to weigh and consider the other persons opinion. When it comes to the Heat vs Laker fans on this thread, I just usually strongly disagree.

How many times have I made a point ot you that completely makes sense and then your counter is to name the name of the thread?

Again, that is fine, but if you going to end up going there, why try to have an adult debate to begin with?


"You are preaching to an uncaring audience here."


Then why do you and the others take the time to even respond?

"Turnip. arguing with you is like trying to reason with a drunk guy at a bar -"

But you side with CL and Mamba?"


obviously he has no problem with RIGHT thinking people...

















CL67

"Once again you are injecting your own personal bias into a situation that was anything but fair..."

Simply not true Jefe. I know you think I do, but I have no bias against the Lakers team . I have said for 2 years plus that the only thing I hold against them is the idiocy of Laker fans here in regards to how they IMO care way to much about James and his TV show and Heats fan celebration.

SO then why do you allow your bias against Laker fans cloud your judgement when responding to my point about the Stern trade veto?

As far this business of our rendering judgement here on this thread about the folly that was "The Decision" and the "Yes.We.Did" Celebration, I really not sure what you expect?!?!  It happened, it pissed a lot of people off, some felt compelled to express their opinion on it here, on a thread that was literally created in the wake of those events, and then you somehow felt compelled to take up residence here - at the virtual exclusion of participation on any and all other boards, including the Heat team board - in order to crusade against Heat hatred while simultaneously foisting your Heat bias here and pontificating about your genuinely nausea inducing "Heat insider" point of view.  It's patently ludicrous.

"Hmmm, I have an idea, why not let the GM that was hired to run the team and take care of the day-to-day business DO HIS JOB???"

Normally,  I agree with this. Honesltly, I don't even know who the Hornets GM was, how long he had the job, what his agenda was, etc..

For the record, his name was Dell Demps and he was hired in the summer of 2010, just as Chris Paul was starting to grow very disenchanted with life as a Hornet, and his agenda was to try and do whatever was necessary to not only try and mitigate Paul's displeasure, but also make the Hornets much more competetive than they were.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/
story?id=5399241

The trade that we worked tirelessly on with the Rocket's GM Daryl Morey and the Lakers' Mitch Kupchak would've yielded his club Goran Dragic, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin & Lamar Odom in advance of the 2011-2012 season, while allowing Paul to pursue his post Hornets life.  Instead, and as a result of Stern's meddling "for basketball reasons", the Hornets got themselves the perenially injured Eric Gorden. Chris Kaman and a couple of draft picks.  You decide which deal was better.

Like I said, TO ME, if something is owned evenly 30 ways and a decision has to be made, my commons sense tells me majority vote.  Obviously 30 billionaires agreed? Correct?

You're missing the point (as usual) - the point being that 30 billionaires should never be co-owners of a team and allowed to get mixed up in the day-to-day operations of that team, least of all get mixed up in the ratification of a trade wherein there is a conflict of interest between their own team's agenda and the more salient agenda of the one team that they have no business getting mixed up with in the first place!

"The Lakers had a need that needed to be addressed before the start of last season, had the assets necessary to make the move,"

That's your opinion but the majority of jury members felt differently after deliberations.

<< f a c e p a l m . . . s i g h >>  You're an idiot.

"and I gave you my reasons and made my argument - from what is clearly an admittedly Laker-centric point of view"

Fair enough, but at least admit it the Lakers or ANY other team but the Heat would have won, you would be quiet as a mouse on the subject. Are you telling me that if the Lakers would have won that you would have publicly been saying the championship was tainted in ANY way?

No, but I certainly would've been prepared to try and defend it from the hordes who would've been looking to make that claim, being that - let's face it - last season was anything but normal!

"Turnip. arguing with you is like trying to reason with a drunk guy at a bar -"

But you side with CL and Mamba?

Not true - I go my own way, as always.  If they happen to express an opinion that I agree with, and it coincides with an argument being made here, I'll let it be known...but otherwise I consider myself something of a lone wolf on this thread.

How many times have I made a point ot you that completely makes sense and then your counter is to name the name of the thread?
Again, that is fine, but if you going to end up going there, why try to have an adult debate to begin with?

That's an interesting question, turnip...I guess it's because I'm perpetually bewildered as to why you've spent the better part of the last two years looking to enter into an "adult debate" with a bunch of certifiable Heat Haters here in the "Heat Haters" club to begin with!

"You are preaching to an uncaring audience here."

Then why do you and the others take the time to even respond?

Well, for me personally, and to be perfectly honest with you, I guess it's because I take offense to, and resent, this idea that you feel like you are entitled to always have the last word here on a thread that was originally set up as a platform to give people who feel compelled to sound off against the evils of the Miami Heat in the post "Yes.We.Did" era.  Not to mention as a further effort to try and rally against this insane idea that you've decided to take up residence here to the exclusion of a presence anywhere else in the CBS online community.

I suppose I'm continually hoping that you will cease and desist, but it looks like that is simply too much to hope for.

"SO then why do you allow your bias against Laker fans cloud your judgement when responding to my point about the Stern trade veto?
"
My judgement isn't clouded. I totally understand the way you are viewing the situation.
When did I ever offer an opinion on whether or not I felt the trade was fair , unfair, should or should not have been voided based on MY feelings?

MY feelings are that if the trade was done within the rules, whatever they are/were, then it should stand.

Obviously, and it has nothing to do with me and something in the rules allowed the trade to be voided.
 
I didn't study the reasons of the verdict but considering what was at stake for alot of people, I have to assume that there was just reason to void the trade or quite frankly he couldn't have.

Now, back to opinion. Couple things. You guys (not specifically you) are always calling Stern dishonest,, etc.  For what reason would he NOT want the Lakers, one of the biggest markets, probably  historically the most high profile team to NOT be one of if not the leagues best?

Then, back to you, for 2 years you carry on about what the Heat did to change the power balance in the league. You preach how wrong it was. You claim the lockout happened becasue of it and then rant about fairness to small market teams, etc.

However, directly coming off the lockout , you feel slighted becasue the majority of owners didn't want to see the Lakers get 2 of the top 10 players in the league (plus they already had one) + cap space for giving up players who are not leading anyone, anywhere, as a groupe, let alone being seperated and sent to 3 different cities. Total hypocracy by you once again.

As far as the vote, yes Gilbert and Cuban were vocal, but that is THEIR personality. Why should the names of owners be attatched to the vote? Alot of these owners are friends. Being friends though doesn't mean you have to vote to let your friend win championships and leave yourself little or no chance.


"It's patently ludicrous."

It's patently ludicrous that any of us are still here, but here we are.
As fair as what you are saying in your post is, I could easily twist it the other way back at you now since the Heat DID win and James DID do all the things you claimed he never could or would.

Don't worry, I have some scheduled vacation time coming soon (and this will then be the last place on my mind) and if the thread ever turns back into what Mamba had turned it into I won't be here participating. You will have time alone.


"the Hornets got themselves the perenially injured Eric Gorden. Chris Kaman and a couple of draft picks.  You decide which deal was better"

It really isn't for me or you to decide, however the only team that would have been a contender out of all the teams involved was the Lakers. The other players are IMO a dime a dozen in as far as leading you to a championship.

Anyway, a year later, the Hornets ended up being bad enough to get 2 cream of the crop players from the draft, so in hindsight, that is probably better for them then ending up a 8-10 seed or whatever.

"No, but I certainly would've been prepared to try and defend it from the hordes who would've been looking to make that claim,"

Hordes?
The only fan base that I know of that is making that claim, now, after the fact is Laker fans. I never once heard an Ok City or Celts fan or ant other use the word asterik.-

" let's face it - last season was anything but normal!"

I agree, but I thingk it was the most difficult season for a  player to play of all time.
I said from day 1 that whoever won will have more then earned it.


"You're missing the point (as usual) - the point being that 30 billionaires should never be co-owners of a team and allowed to get mixed up in the day-to-day operations of that team, least of all get mixed up in the ratification of a trade wherein there is a conflict of interest between their own team's agenda and the more salient agenda of the one team that they have no business getting mixed up with in the first place"


I don't claim to know what the best way would have been to settle these types of things but to me, it keeps going back to a majority if all teams have equal stake.  Maybe let the 30 GM's vote?


"I guess it's because I'm perpetually bewildered as to why you've spent the better part of the last two years looking to enter into an "adult debate" with a bunch of certifiable Heat Haters here in the "Heat Haters" club to begin with"

Why not? How many times do you guys want to talk about a TV show and a fan celebration and then pat each other on the butt?

I have no problem reading opposite views and opinions. Sometimes I learn from them and adjust my opinion, Learning is never a bad thing.


"this idea that you feel like you are entitled to always have the last word here "

I have walked away from many a discussion without needing the last word.

If you respond to this and feel ot should be the last word, just say so and we can move on. Honeslty, it is NBD to me.

turnup-

let jefe say there should be an asterisks.   who cares.  there wont be.  David Stern/nba are the only ones who could put some Roger Maris type asterisks in the books..  i dont know if it has ever happened in major sports history outside of Maris.

let him cry.  let him say anything he wants.   he is just like a kid having his temper tantrum.  months of predicting the Heat demise to be wrong.  thrown in his face.   let him cry, it's all he has left.

RAISE THE BANNER!!!

That' the one thing I like about CL67.....All the crap and hate he have for the Heat, he is man enough to say that the Heat won the title fair and square.

Jefe is just a little baby who is currently living in his worst nightmare......Last year he said LBJ would never win a title with the Heat and a year later, LBJ is having probably the best year a basketball player could ever have.

Can you guys imagine if LBJ win gold at the olympics?

Think about the year he just had.

Regular Season MVP

Finals MVP

NBA Champion

Olympic Gold?

Got engaged to his longtime GF

Life is good for LBJ.

All he is missing is the ASG MVP and his year would be complete. 

turnip, flauge, punchline...no crying, no suffering and no nightmares here - it's all good - I'm just representin' here at the HHC...and letting y'all know that in spite of the amazing accomplishments by your beloved, colluding "Three Kings" in this past asterisk season, a change is a comin' and all will be well and right in the NBA moving forward.

So, live it up, y'all, and have fun raising your little banner because it's one and done!

"So, live it up, y'all, and have fun raising your little banner because it's one and done!  ,"a change is a comin'





Jefe, what, besides hope is the reasoning for this?


While, of course , the Heat does not have to win, wouldn't  you agree their path this year should be easier then last year all things being equal?

Forget about potential injuries to any team because that is projecting the unknown.


So, taking that into consideration, in the East, the Bulls were the supposed top challenger. Rose is projected to be out until March. The knock againt them was lack of shooters and since last season ended they have lost Korver.  They traded a couple other pieces here and there, but nothing that could be considered significant. All in all, wouldn't you say their roster is worse now then last years?


Pacers, Celts couldn't beat us with a hobbled Bosh  and Wade before so I see no reason to say why they should beat us this season.

In additon, the Heat added Allen & Lewis while losing nothing. Chalmers is getting better each season and Cole will also be improved. Then, as much as you didn't want to see it happen, James got the monkey off his back and diversified his all around game. Reality is, it appears he is just entering his prime  and his best is yet to come.



Last I looked, the Thunder were still the supposed team to beat in the West and we just beat them 4/5. Maybe if they represent the West again this year they will have grown from the experience. Maybe Harden will play better . A team limited to only 2 offensive scoring threats isn't beating the Heat 4/7.  



Or, were you trying to say that the Lakers were going to overtake the Thunder and then knock off the Heat becasue they added Nash?     


While the scanario is in the realm of possibily, it is a longshot at this point at best and if it is the reason behind your new found confidence that the Heat will fail,  it should be under the category of miguided IMO.


           


      

  

"While the scanario is in the realm of possibily, it is a longshot at this point at best and if it is the reason behind your new found confidence that the Heat will fail,  it should be under the category of miguided IMO."



<sigh> but only because YOU say so. how about everyone let FA finish and see what's gonna happen BEFORE you keep up the dynasty propaganda...


it surely isn't like the Heat stood head and shoulders above everybody. gee, thought you were a proponent of "proper perspective"...













CL67 

" how about everyone let FA finish and see what's gonna happen"

Once again. You pipe in. Open your mouth, and the ignorance and hate comes rolling out.

Wasn't it Jefe who proclaimed the Heat was one and done?   

I simply asked him why and then offered rasoning as to why, AS OF TODAY, the day after HE made the claim, that is didn't make any sense .



"it surely isn't like the Heat stood head and shoulders above everybody. gee, thought you were a proponent of "proper perspective"..."


And where did I say they did?  

You sure are good at gum flappin' but often what comes out of those gums  doesn't add up to  what the actual point made was.


I believe I pointed out that the Heats supposed toughest opponent in the Heat had gotten worse while the Heat had gotten better.


Would you not agree that the Heat deserves to be a heavy favorite (which they are) to win the EC?


If you win the EC, you are then in the Finals (which the Heat is also currently favored to win).


SO based on that knowledge, as of today, then how can you state so smugly (as Jefe did) that the Heat has to be one and done?            




  

, "thought you were a proponent of "proper perspective"..."



Here is some more perspective.  While if everything clicks and everyone stays healthy for the Lakers, it is possible to vision them in the Finals, but if you wanted to put me on the other side of debate, I could make a strong case that the Lakers are not as good as the Clippers.

Lakers are good.   But they havent done anything this offseason that i would say they have passed OKC.  they are closer with Nash, but still not better.    Problem for LALA land, is OKC is young and getting better, Lakers are older and slowing down. 

Kobe turns 34 in a month.
MWP turns 33 just after the season starts
Nash will be 39 when the playoffs start.
Gasol is 31.  

That's alot of guys in their 30s.   And only Gasol could be albelled early 30s.   Kobe/MWP mid 30s.. Nash is almost 40.    Durant, Westbrook, Serge, and Harden are going to be hard to keep up with especially if the series goes 6 or 7 games.   Lakers best shot would be to finish them early.    Look at boston and miami.  Boston looked tired that second half of game 7 in Miami.  

the Lakers run is more than likely over.   Grabbing a 39 year old PG for the playoffs is not the huge signing you guys make it out to be.   Im not 100% sure on the new CBA rules, but at 9 million a year, this contract seems like it has two possibilities for the Lakers.   1) A noose.   2)amnesty.

you overpaid and didnt get much closer to a title.  your coach is a joke.  and your 2nd best player (Kobe) is not willing to allow your best player (Bynum) to have the offense run through him.   LA has MAJOR problems that i dont believe they can overcome, even if you guys dont see it.    

 " Im not 100% sure on the new CBA rules, but at 9 million a year, this contract seems like it has two possibilities for the Lakers.   1) A noose.   2)amnesty"

"Let’s recap the rule: Teams can use the amnesty provision just once during the length of the current collective bargaining agreement. The provision can only be used on players who were under contract with the team at the time the CBA was ratified. Any contract signed after that is not eligible. Any player who is traded is no longer eligible. Teams may only use the provision during the offseason. Players are then put on a special waiver where each of the other 29 teams can submit bids – subject to their salary cap limitations – to claim the player at a given price for the length of the original deal."


He can't be amnestied.  Like I said at the time, I understand why the Lakers made the move but it did come with risks.
The goal is to try to get back to championship level while Kobe is still around.
IMO, the best path is doing whatever it takes to get Howard.

and your 2nd best player (Kobe) is not willing to allow your best player (Bynum) to have the offense run through him

Bynum doesn't work hard enough for the offense to be ran exclusively through him like say a Shaq. Now, I WILL say that he deserved more looks however...but he has to be willing on the court to the be the man before he can be the man. He improved last year and I'll be interested to see how much he progresses this yr(that's IF we keep him). As for us being DONE, keep on counting us out, fine by me. Hypothetically speaking, if we land Howard, that all but solves our pick and roll problem, and that is huge. Nash certainly can't "keep up" with WB, but who can?!? The only person that can stop him is himself, PERIOD...if we crackdown on their p&r, which is the greater majority of what they do, I'll live with everything else.....but there's TWO sides of the ball. I'm sorry, but IMO Nash,Kobe,Gasol,Howard is near impossible to guard, just pick your poision. Nash is still a top 2 to 3 pg as for as assists and running an offense,Kobe can play off the ball, Gasol can get back in the post, and Howard has a killer faceup game. That would be the best starting 5(I understand if you disagree) in the game. We do need to shore up our bench a little more. 2 more wings with Jamison and Hill would be ideal. As for Nash's contract, there's nothing to worry about there. At this point, Nash, Eyenga, and Bynum/Howard(if we retain them) will be the only guys on the books for Nash's last year, and that's if Nash doesn't retire. I'm MORE than sure that if Kobe and Gasol came back, they would be back at a reduced price. We'll have MORE than enough flexibilty to build around Bynum/Howard in 2014.

"Once again. You pipe in. Open your mouth, and the ignorance and hate comes rolling out."


once again, you respond, open your mouth, and foolishness and fanclown-ism falls out...


"I simply asked him why and then offered rasoning as to why, AS OF TODAY, the day after HE made the claim, that is didn't make any sense ."

apparently unlike YOU, he wasn't getting ahead of himself...

"And where did I say they did?  

You sure are good at gum flappin' but often what comes out of those gums  doesn't add up to  what the actual point made was."


as the guy who LOVES poppin' off AND "gum flappin'" around here this takes a good deal of nerve. lol, funny. you want to declare these guys a dynasty BEFORE all the moves are overwith. it's not quite rocket science, ol' sock...

"SO based on that knowledge, as of today, then how can you state so smugly (as Jefe did) that the Heat has to be one and done?"          

how about i wait and see who's gonna do what. SEE? unlike YOU i don't get ahead of myself. i'll wait 'til ALL the pieces are in place, THEN i'll make my assessment as it were. i can't help it, ol' sock. i'm simply SMARTER than you...















CL67