you don't consider the decision to be indicative of the size of his ego?

incredibly genuine? what? you gotta be fucking kidding me.

that said, of course he doesn't owe them ****. but the fans didn't deserve that shit salad.

it doesn't matter that he wasn't the original poster. it's incredibly offensive and someone with tons of kid fans shouldn't have that on their feed. just another brilliant idea from his pals.

lebron still has room to develop his game. i wish he would develop some better footwork. if he did, he could be dominant defensively(man to man) and in the post offensively.

i was a huge lebron fan before the decision. i still am, but that doesn't mean it wasn't dickish.

You can always improve your game as a player... I think he's already an elite defender. There's many a handful of guys I would consider better defenders. Offensively he is one of the best there has ever been. There is less than a handful of point guards that are better passers than him (Nash, Paul, Rondo).

Yes, I definitely think he is genuine. He explained why he left, explained what he was doing. He didn't bull**** about anything... He told Cleveland fans why he left. How is he NOT genuine?

So he re-tweets something that someone else said about him... with no profanity. and HE is the bad guy?? Because someone else called him a Nig??? I've never seen a guy catch more heat (pun?) for stuff he didn't do. He gets called all types of names and has bad things said about him, even racist things for no reason, and people STILL find a way to be angry at HIM. Unreal.

he is a mediocre one-on-one defender. with his skills, he should be the ultimate stopper. but i agree, his passing skills are superlative.

i agree, he was mainly genuine in the decision etc... i was talking more about the general pr spiel that he gives at every post game session. trying his best in every game, when he clearly has checked out at times for the cavs in the postseason. it seems like he was trying to lose in the prior playoffs so he had a reason for leaving.

but honestly, i'm not sure how the cavs GM could have done a worse job on the team in terms of building a young team around lebron. they pulled the anti-thunder plan. constantly trading for **** contracts for mediocre veterans that hamstrung them cap wise. shouldn't they have known that free agents would take pay cuts to play with a once-in-a-generation talent like lebron?

i edited the tweet. i can't type that word. and clearly, anyone calling him anything with a racist is clearly a fucking racist, dude. i'd advise you to just dismiss that.

but the criticism of lebron based on the decision and his narcissistic tendencies are warranted in my opinion...

this banal display of anything negative on twitter tires me. it's a gross attempted duplication of jordan tendencies that makes me want to throw up. he's trying to use marketing to convince us that he's the best ever, and if the heat start stringing off championships, some people may buy into that.

LeBron doesn't have to convince us via marketing he is the best ever. He isn't trying to be Michael Jordan, he is trying to be LeBron James. It doesn't matter what numbers he puts up or how many rings he wins, there will always be a large number of basketball fans who will consider Jordan the greatest NO MATTER WHAT. And I understand it, Jordan is the definition of champion and competitor. No athlete has ever had the determination and will power MJ had.

Everyone just piles on LBJ since The Decision. He is going to go out this year with a huge chip on his shoulder, with a me VS the world mentality, and he is going to dominate. I really believe the Heat could put Jordan's Bulls record of wins in a season in serious jeopardy. A lot of people dislike LeBron, but they shouldn't under rate him. He is the best player the world has seen in a long time, maybe ever (Kobe is great too).

i edited the tweet. i can't type that word. and clearly, anyone calling him anything with a racist is clearly a ****ing racist, dude. i'd advise you to just dismiss that.

I dont know what you mean by this... Dismiss what? Some guy called him racist stuff, I agree on that so I don't know what you are trying to say.

I disagree about is defense, I think he's a top of the line guy. Not the best, but far from mediocre. Even if his footwork isn't perfect, he more than makes up for it with his freakish athletic ability and size. Not to mention his help defense and the ability to chase down guys on fast breaks. I've never seen a player cause so much fear in opponents by trailing them on a fast break. Cause we've all seen LeBron many a ball against the backboard from behind.

I DO think he lost confidence in his shot or shut it down VS Boston last year or something. It wasn't the same LeBron I had seen the rest of his career. He lost his aggresiveness completely. Anytime he wants to take over a game, he has the ability to. I wanted to see him go to the rim everytime because there is nobody in the league who can stop him if he really wants to go to the lane. But I think for the most part he is really candid and honest in post game interviews and press conferences. He doesn't dodge questions about the game and I think he's a smart dude.

The Cavs messed up royally. They were lucky enough to get the 1st pick of the draft and take LeBron years ago... Then didn't do ONE DAMN THING to put a solid team around him. They put all the pressure on him since the time he was 18 and he did a TON for that team, city, and fans. People forget, the Cavs were one of the worst teams EVER before LeBron, and in 2 years he made them a playoff team. He never won the title but the Cavs were always serious contenders the past few years, and it was 100% because of LeBron. The Cavs didn't even try to give LeBron his Scottie Pippen sidekick. Jordan's teams were great TEAMS. Cavs were a one man show. They had a chance to get Amare last year and they went the cheaper route and went for Jamison.

obviously he doesn't have to do that. that's why it's unsavory when he tries.

of course he will have a huge chip on his shoulder, who wouldn't? and i agree that the backlash has influenced some people's opinion of his game.

dismiss the racist comment because it isn't coming from anyone i care to hear.

i was commenting on his one on one defense. obviously he is a great help defender. with his skills, he could be the best all around defender ever.

i don't think he's quite at the point where he can dominate a game whenever he wants to. to do that, he'd need better footwork;)

for the most part he is candid. but usually he is asked extremely straightforward questions. when the discussion moves toward grayer areas, i don't buy his line.

they attempted getting him a sidekick, they just failed miserably. i have no pity for the cleveland front office and tons for the cavs fans.

Tomorrow Celtics vs Heat. Cant wait for it....

As a LeBron hater, I must say that his new commercial was actually very well done, and there's probably some truth to it. What did you guys think?



Oh, and Lakers 1-0 whoooo! How about Mr. Shannon Brown last night?

^ i loved it too.

brown and blake were great. can we please bench fish?

Yeah he doesn't no when to stop shooting. Good to see the young guys like Brown steppin' up though, shows there's a future for the Lakers. :thumb:

as a lakers fan, bosh's stat line so far this year looks great.

13.5ppg / 6.5rpg / 33min / 1.5ast

how the hell are they going to contend with excellent rebounding teams come playoff time?

I'm a huge NBA fan and I bet it a lot. I always profit with NBA betting (complete opposite with NFL betting :confused:) so I'll post my bets in here with reasoning in case anyone is interested in betting or just discussing NBA games.

Lakers look really good... Sheldon Brown has really come into his own, you can tell he is getting very comfortable out there and can handle the spotlight. I feel like he is under Kobe's wing a little bit and eventually he will lead that team. But it's LA's size that's so problematic for teams. They are going to easily wrap up the West #1 seed and stroll to the finals. No contenders in the west.

Heat are gonna grab the #1 or #2 seed. They'll struggle VS some good teams here in the opening month, but they have such a talent advantage over most teams that they will cruise past the bottom feeders on the league on skill alone. I was really impressed with the Heat VS Orlando the other night, though there was no chance of the Heat losing. Celtics are going to be a tough battle for any team this year. When healthy, they have been amazing the past few years. They are the most fluent and smooth team in the league and I can't wait to see Boston VS Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.

Rebounding and inside game will definetly be the Heat's biggest problem to solve as the season goes on. I think Bosh can bang down low with guys like Gasol, but they are going to have to have another big body step in and grab some boards and give some solid minutes come playoff time. I think the Heat are gonna have to see what Ilgauskas has left in the tank, and by the end of the year I think Jarvis Varnado will be a really nice role player for them. Having depth down low is key...and Boston has a TON of it.

In other news, the Grizzlies continue to be pathetic in every aspect. I thought they were on the rise, but they just signed Mike Conley Jr. to a big extension. Which makes zero sense, he is one of the worst point guards in the league... Early on here, I am seeing a lot of really terrible teams with not a lot of upside. The two worst being Toronto and Detroit. It's a stretch to find a bright spot on either of those teams. After watching Blake Griffin's debut, the Clippers definitely have some excitement to them, but they are still the same ole Clips. They will never go anywhere with Baron Davis running the point, they need to cut ties with him ASAP. Teams that I see sliding this year are the Suns and Jazz. Suns lost Amare and the days of that fierce offense are over. Nash doesn't have the talent around him anymore, which is kinda sad because what Steve Nash does is a work of pure art. Jazz just don't have much after Deron Williams. I don't think they'll finish strong this year, Deron is going to have to play a ton of minutes and he's asked to basically do everything. A team I see on the rise is Portland. They have a true go-to guy in Roy, and Aldridge has been quietly budding into a star. This year he will really break out. They have a lot of role guys, and when they get their big men all healthy, they are gonna be tough to rebound against. The thing I am most excited to see is what happens to Carmello. He wants out, it's just a matter of where he lands. If I were Denver management, I'd absolutely deal him and get some guys in return and some picks. Or else he is gonna walk in the off-season. The Knicks would be really intriguing with Melo and Amare... Watched Golden State the other night too... As I've always thought, Monta Ellis is a freak scorer. A true top 10 scorer in this league, and he will take the big shot. I always love watching the Warriors, and they have some serious talent this year (finally got rid of Maggette). But like usual, they dont play any defense and basically play pick-up game style so they aren't really going anywhere.

I called this at the beginning of the season and I'll say it here now... There is NO WAY the Lakers don't win another title this year. I'm telling you, refs play a huge part in who wins games and their influence is often over-looked. But even aside from that, can anyone see the Lakers NOT winning the west pretty easily? Does anyone see the lakers losing a game 7 in LA? I sure don't. Whether it's the Heat, Boston, or Orlando out of the east, the Lakers are grabbing their title and Phil is riding into the sunset with his 4th 3-peat, which is just ridiculous.

Just some NBA thoughts I felt I had to drop

Lakers are gonna win, but maybe the Spurs.... they are playing well. Just saying, The Celtics Im gonna just say are gonna win the East.

I say the Celtics are gonna win the title this year.. just way too deep... Lakers will most likely come out of the West but i would never bet against the Spurs if they're healthy. They know how to defend the triangle of the Lakers plus they got a good big in Tiago Splitter.

I can't see anyone but the Lakers or Mavericks winning it all this year. Dallas is scary-deep.

Dallas will win 50+ like they do every year, but they aren't serious contenders. Only one real scorer and too unathletic on defense with Kidd and Dirk out there.

not to mention caron butler's black hole like effect on offenses. their core talent are all past their primes(terry, dirk, and kidd). dirk is still plenty effective though.

legit title contenders:

lakers

heat

celtics

magic (really doubt this though. i have little faith in nelson, carter, or lewis. they could take leaps and bounds if they managed to land melo or paul.)

spurs

utah (biggest surprise team of the year for me. good thing for them they fleeced minny for jefferson.)

okc (doubtful but they have two top 10 players in westbrook and durant. if they could trade off some assets for k love or some good big man I would take them more seriously.)

Ah cmon now, Miami is still a legit title contender even though they started slow

whoops. didn't mean to omit them.

Only 3 REALLY serious contenders to me are Lakers, Celtics, and Heat.

Then there's a step down the ladder with Thunder, Spurs, and Magic

Then the third tier I'd put Utah and the Mavs.


I think the Thunder are good enough to bang with just about anyone right now. Absolutely scary what they could do in the west in the next decade if that core of Durant, Westbrook, and Green stay intact. They've got a stud point guard in a point guard's league and one of the top 3-4 scorers in the game who can get any shot he wants and unlimited range. Lovin the Thunder.

Still not sold on Utah. They've always had a hard time winning me over. Not sure they are physical enough down low to bang with the big boys. Though I DO think letting Boozer go was smart, I was saying last year that Millsap is better. Boozer is over rated, you need guys that protect the rim and Jazz couldn't do that. Deron Williams always gives Utah a chance but I just don't see enough scorers out there for them for me to take them real serious.

And damnit, I HATE the Spurs. Always have, always will. I grew up as a little kid loving Shaq (so I rooted for Orlando and Lakers). So I watched a lot of Spurs games, and they would get so many calls it's ridiculous. Always regarded them as fundamental, but so cheap in how they would win. Biggest flopping team in the NBA with Ginobili, Parker, Duncan, and Bowen when he played. And I hated the Hack-A-Shaq bull**** too. But I have always loved Popovich as a coach and once again he has his team looking great. Spurs are always under the radar, never flashy, and always a contender.

I LOOOVVEEE hack a shaq. If you spend that many years of your life playing basketball and you still can't make free throws consistently, then you deserve to be abused.

Well it has always baffled me why Shaq can't make more than around 50% of his foul shots. I don't understand how any NBA player could shoot under around 70% to be honest. Shaq has taken a million foul shots by now. But then again I kinda understand, shaq has probably never actually shot a basketball in his life outside of 5 feet from the rim. His incredible size and strength allows him basically to camp out under the rim and wait for dunks. I just think the hack a Shaq is cheap. I understand fouling him when he has the ball, but they would put bench warmers in the game to immediately foul him as soon as the ball was imbounded. Just cheap. But to Shaq's credit, he did make a lot more foul shots when they counted and when teams would do the hack-A-Shaq

holy crap the magic made some trades today:

R. Lewis for G. Arenas

V. Carter, M. Gortat, and M. Pietrus for H. Turkoglu, J. Richardson, and E. Clark.

possible starting 5:

Howard
Bass
Turkoglu
Richardson
Nelson/Arenas

looks pretty damn good. I'm excited to see them play. I'm guessing they will use Arenas as a 6th man scorer type, but he could surely start. maybe they will dump nelson for a big man or something.

It's like your or I shooting with an orange, that's why.

Wow what a huge day for the Magic... I love the Lewis for Arenas trade. Both have huge, undeserved contracts but Arenas brings more to the table. Lewis is 6'10" but the only thing he can do is shoot 3s. Arenas can handle the ball, run pick and rolls, and run in transition. Love that move... Arenas is gonna be great off the bench for Orlando and give them some quick scoring when guys need a breather. And he can score in bunches.

Love the other trade too. Vince has definitely lost a step. I've watched a few games this year where Vince's guy just blows right by him, and he isn't the marquee scorer he used to be. Good job of getting him out of town before he really declines. I like Pietrus as a small forward off the bench, and I think Gortat was probably the single most valuable backup in the league. But Richardson is under rated, he shoots the 3 and is great at the rim, and Turkoglu was terrible at his stops in Toronto and Phoenix but he was great for the Magic before and really understands that offense. I watched him play the other night and it was like he never left.

I like the trade for the Suns and Wizards too. Wiz get rid of Arenas who has been a cancer in that city ever since he signed that gigantic contract a few years ago. And Gilbert goofing around and hogging the ball isn't great for John Wall's progression either. Suns got some solid pieces and Turkoglu wasn't doing anything in that offense either and they got a 1st round pick. So it's a win-win for everyone in my book. But the Magic are DEFINITELY not finished trading. They NEED a backup big man for when Dwight inevitably gets in foul trouble. They are crazy if they think they are beating Boston in a 7 game series with the crazy depth the Celts have at big man. I just wonder who is really available that they could get?? Not many big men come to mind. If they could land a guy like Biedrins for Golden State I think someone like that would be a great pickup.


Anyone watch the Christmas day games? Particularly the Lakers-Heat game? Wow, I was really impressed with Miami and for the first time in years I am worried about the Lakers. They haven't played a tough schedule and are already a handful of games behind the Spurs and Mavs for home court. They better right the ship fast. For the Heat to go into LA and manhandle the Lakers like that showed me a lot. Ever since Miami thrashed the Cavs in Cleveland they have been a totally different team. You can throw there slow start out the window cause this is the team right now that we all thought they'd be. They are rolling.

Just gotta comment on what the Spurs are doing... After demolishing the Lakers the other night, I have to acknowledge how great San Antonio is playing this season, despite my hate for them (though my hate has lessened now that Horry and Bowen are gone). Duncan deserves a ton of credit. Not many super stars would be comfortable altering their game like he has. He can still score if he isn't doubled in the post, but they have really brought along their young guys and they are a running transition team now. Ginobili and Parker are still two of the toughest guys to guard in the league and they have a lot of firepower from the outside. Just really, really impressed with what they are doing right now.

I think it's more about the lakers just playing poorly. At the end of the year I still bet LA comes out of the west. It's been painful watching kobe run so many isolations.

the spurs are an outstanding passing team, better than any others I've seen this year. having said that...

I agree that parker is extremely difficult to defend.

a sound defender should be able to corral ginobili. so much of his game is reliant on making defenders pay for making the wrong play. someone that doesn't jump for his up-fakes etc would do fine(kobe, allen, wade).

other than parker, they don't really have that many people that can create their own shot. something that will be key come playoff time(ditto for the mavs).

Lakers are playing terrible right now. I think they are trying to figure out how to work Bynum back into the mix, and Gasol and Odom have been playing a ton of minutes while Bynum was out. I really think Bynum could eventually be a force in the post. He's still really young and he has a great body for a big man. Pretty thick and has a big wingspan too. Lakers just look old to me. Teams are just running them out of the gym, they can't get out in transition and run. I still think they are coming out of the west too, but right now I definetly don't see them getting the 1 seed at this point. They are already like 6 games back of the Spurs for home court. Kobe is trying to do too much, he's taking a lot of tough shots right now. I think he needs to throw the ball down to Gasol more, I love his post game and he's a great passing big man.

Good defenders have been trying to guard Manu for years. Lefties are always tough it seems. He is shooting lights out right now though, I don't think anyone can guard him right now. Parker is tricky cause he doesn't shoot the long ball, but he is so sneaky at getting points in the paint. and when he drives he has guys like Hill, Bonner, and Neal hanging around the 3 point line waiting for a kick out.

KG went down the other night. I guess it isn't serious, but Boston has had a ton of injuries this year. A lot of pressure on Pierce right now to hold the fort down. Good thing they stocked up on depth in the post or else they'd be really screwed. I love watching Boston play when they are healthy, it's just beautiful on both ends of the court.

it's not about chemistry with bynum, he's been in and out of the lineup for years. they just aren't moving the ball well.

bynum has been a force for years, he just has to split touches with three other excellent offensive weapons(kobe, pau, odom). his biggest problem isn't his skill level. he's injury prone.

it's too early to talk about seeding. but they certainly have dug themselves a hole.

Well as I am typing this, Lakers are getting their asses kicked by the Grizzlies... at home. It probably is too early to talk about seeding, but the Lakers are digging themselves a huge hole right now, losing to teams like Memphis at home, while the Spurs are crushing teams like the Thunder.

The bad teams keep getting worse. Clippers, Wizards, and Kings are all making a run at the #1 draft pick again... If either of those teams gets the first pick though, they could be really serious contenders in a few years. Imagine adding a #1 overall pick beside a John Wall or Blake Griffin. Or beside Tyreke Evans and Cousins.

seems like the lakers may be suffering from the disease of more(TM Bill Simmons). PS, have you read:

http://www.uncrate.com/men/images/20...basketball.jpg
I highly recommend it for any NBA fan.

I feel like Wall and Griffin are destined for greatness. they are absolute studs with chips on their shoulders. Cousins has the skill to, but I'm not sure how long it will take for him to figure his shit out(his post moves are better than 80% of the big men in this league already).

I don't think Evans has the drive to be great. he's one of those kids that was treated as if his shit didn't stink from an early age, and I doubt he had many people telling him how stuff really was. he won ROY because he was used so much(they finished with 25 wins, not that he had much help). he is a very good young player. I just don't think he has what it takes to be a hall of famer type.

Haven't read Bill Simmons book. I've never been a huge Bill Simmons fan, but maybe I oughtta give it a read. There is no doubt in my mind that Griffin has eventual Hall of Fame type talent. I'm not ocmpletely sold on Wall. I think he is gonna be great, but he seems like a worse version of Rose to me. It's way too early to really tell, that Wiz team he is on is awful. I think Evans is a stud too, but not on the level of Wall and Griffin, but I like Cousins game. You're right, he does have good post moves already, which it seems like a lot of guys come into the league lacking (See Dwight Howard for example, he's really just developed good post moves these past couple years). There's always been questions about Cousins and his maturity level, but he's still a young kid and he'll get it figured out.

One guy who has really impressed me so far is Kevin Love for the TWolves. He's way under the radar in ****ty Minnesota but he's averaging 21 and 15. That's unreal. I didn't think he would do anything in the NBA but I always under estimae those big men who play below the rim. A lot of them turn out pretty good (Love, DeJuan Blair, Boozer, Scola, etc)

turner will be a solid pro, nothing more.

wall is far more developed than rose was at this age, time will tell, but he has a fire under his ass to be great.

this season is the first that I have liked what howard has done in the post. I've no idea how it took this long, considering how prolific a defensive player he was early on.

I haven't seen a full game of love, but the numbers he is putting up are godly for a kid that can't jump. especially his rebounding. I see him getting traded in the next couple of years and playing a huge role for a championship contender(he may have to wait until free agency though, I think he's under contract for 2 years after this one).

Yep, me too. I could see him playing a huge role for another team. I haven't seen many tWolves games either, they are never on national tv, but I check box scores and stuff almost every night (cause I bet) and I've seen Love have some crazy games. He went 30-30 a couple weeks back which is sick.

I've never bene sold on Turner. I live in the Philly area and nobody is even that excited to have Even Turner. I didn't think he would be good coming out of college and so far I still think the ame thing. I think he's a 12 point - 5 ast - 4 reb type of player. Just your average guy to plug in. I cna just tell he doesn't have the right mentality or personality to be a guy who takes the last shot.

I don't know why it took so long with Howard either. There's seriously like no post guys in the game anymore. I wish there was, I'm a big fan of throing it down in the post. When I play, i'm a bigger guard and I always take my man down to the block and use some moves. Other than Gasol, Duncan, Howard, I can't really think of many true post guys anymore. All these 7 footers are shooting threes nowadays. With Dwight, I never understood why he couldnt evne do basic moves like a drop-step. With his size and strength it seems like he should score every time.

Agree..Kobe is the best thing since Jordan in my opinion. Whatever his issues are off the court never took away from what he could do on it.

Anyone here realy envy and like an NBA players game? I love Paul Pierce's game. It's like he's not lightning quick but just quick enough. So many moves, a bit of a flopper but gets himself to the foul line. I've always been a big fan of the pump fake and nobody uses it better. Best pure mid-range game in the league...The lost are, the mid-range. Everyone is hangin around the 3 point line or going to the rim. First 3 dudes that come to mind when I think of great mid-range games are Kobe, Pierce, and Brandon Roy. Though Roy's career might be short lived, he's had a lot of knee problems and he's got em again now. Plus he was never a quick guy to begin with.

I kinda had to force myself to read some simmons early on. he can be off-putting, but he loves sports and is extremely knowledgeable. he is often quite funny too.

my favorite players to watch are(trying to make a small list, inevitably will add more later):

gasol
kobe
durant
westbrook
wade
melo
lebron
rondo
griffin
stoudemire
nash
cp3
d. williams
dirk
ginobili
rose

it's a shame roy is basically done at his age. and I'm not really sure why he's crying about fit with teammates when the franchise can't rely on him going forward. especially with the whole oden situation just happening.

Awesome list dude. Couldn't agree more with everyone on the list. Only guy I don't like sometimes is Wade. I don't even know why, he's terrific.

And yeah, real shame about Roy. I think he's one of the good guys of the league. Portland has gotta go a new direction though. Oden just keeps getting hurt, now Roy. They've got one of the oldest point guards in the league too... Miraculous that they are as good as they even are to be honest. I'll have to read some Simmons. I'm not much of a reader, and the only things ive heard about Bill Simmons is bad things from a sports site I've lurked for like 5 years now (Deadspin)

How about that final score from the Lake Show? :D

LBJ being the typical asshat that everyone knows he is: LeBron James (KingJames) on Twitter

once again showcasing how dumb his friends are.

I won't join in on the LeBron bashing. I like the dude, and thought his twitter comment was pretty funny actually. He gets booed and trashed by everyone in Cleveland, including by their owner publicly tons of times, I have no problem with him taking a jab back at them. Cleveland is making a strong run for the worst record in the NBA this season, I think they'll get it. I feel for the guy they take with their high pick in the draft, everyones gonna be expecting him to be the next LBJ when that isn't possible.

Heat are just train wrecking the NBA. Since those first few weeks, they've been insanely good. Best record in the east right now I think. I could definitely see them breaking the Bulls single season wins record some season. Aside from their initial chemistry issues, they are the team everyone expected them to be.