The 2009/2010 NBA Season Thread

[sandman]

LeBron is a bitch. he's more concerned with becoming a global brand than the best player in the NBA.

i don't fault him for leaving - that's his right. but show some class for your hometown fanbase that supported you for years.

I love that the Cleveland owner called him out on his BS. because it is true....lebron QUIT on his team during PLAYOFF games!

Faldor - i agree. Kobe is so far greater than LeBron. and i too HATE kobe. over the last 2-3 years i cheered for Cleveland and wanted to see LeBron take over as the greatest and bring a title to Cleveland (in large part because of my hate for kobe). but in a couple of the very limited number of NBA games i have actually watched in recent years, i saw lebron quit on his team more than once.

luckily i forgot about this last night and i just watched the phillies game, cause i know my curiosity would have gotten the best of me. all of this is just another reminder for me why i do not follow the NBA closely.   

[gilee7]

Personally, I think the Cavs are still a possible playoff team even without James. The Magic, Celtics, Heat, and Bulls are probably at the top, followed by the Hawks and Bucks. But I think the Cavs will still push for a playoff spot; they're kinda there with the Bobcats as a 7th, 8th seed.

D, you act like the Cavs are a horrible team. Like Faldor said, Mo Williams was an all-star, a very solid PG. Jamison's best days are behind him, but he's still a very good player. Hickson is a promising young player. Varajeo is one of the best defenders and hustle guys in the league, somewhat similar to Joakim Noah. They have a solid bench. They'll push for a playoff spot.

[faldor]

It will be interesting to see how Cleveland does without Lebron.  I wouldn't be shocked if they were awful and went straight to being a lottery team.  But, I do think they do still have some decent players like gilee pointed out and certainly wouldn't be surprised if they were contending for a playoff spot.  Maybe face the Heat in the first round of the playoffs.  I would absolutely LOVE it if the Cavs signed someone or made some moves to improve the team and ended up winning a championship before Lebron.  But I don't see that happening.

Lebron went from a hero to a villain last night in mostly every NBA city except for one.  He will get booed heavily in not just Cleveland, but NY, Boston, LA, Chicago, NJ, etc., etc.  It will be interesting to see how he reacts, as he's never faced that type of adversity and hatred towards him.

[D]

u guys are spitting some major erroneous shit in this thread.

Answer this question with honesty and no bias


what happens when Lebron shoots 6-24 in a game or similar?

U get game 5 against Bos where they lost by almost 30


What happens when Kobe shoots 6-24?

Oh shit, u win an NBA championship.

Just check the stats. 2 years ago Lebron avg damn near 40pts 8rebs and 8 assists a game in the playoffs!

WHY? cause he has to. He has to go for 30-8-8 just for Cleveland to win.

Kobe appears to be the better player because he has more HELP

U put Lebron on LA, they still win those titles. Kobe is a better clutch player, but overall basketball talent, Lebron is still right there with Kobe..Kobe isn't WAY better. Kobe is a better pure scorer,defender,leader  but Lebron is a better rebounder, slasher,passer etc

Mo Williams SUCKS in the postseason, did u not see his stats this past postseason? Anderson is ok but once again, he will get some rebs,play some defense but he isn't a "STAR" JJ Hickson didn't even play this past postseason... Antawn Jamison SUCKS. I watched him in Dallas, Wash... he can score but does nothing else, he can't REB or play D.

Lets don't forget how Kobe quit on LA against Phoenix....


If Lebron quit on Cle.. i'd hate to see what he'd do if he didn't quit... a guy average 30-8-8.... wow the Cle. owner is a joke.

Has Lebron ever had a Shaq?   Does he have a Gasol or Artest or even a Lamar Odom? NO he doesn't

NBA, u have to have a TEAM to win  a title. Lebron clearly has a good regular season team, but the playoffs are a different beast.

[crow316]

what happens when Lebron shoots 6-24 in a game or similar?

U get game 5 against Bos where they lost by almost 30


What happens when Kobe shoots 6-24?

Oh shit, u win an NBA championship.

Yeah, Kobe had a bad SHOOTING night, and he knew it, so he focused on other aspects of his game, and they WON. LeBron had one of his  "7 bad games of his career" and he gave up. He didnt try. We all watched it happen. He had a bad game, and followed it up by quitting on a team he knew he was leaving.  He quit because he knew he couldnt win. He knew he couldnt win, so he is now running to his long pre-orchestrated joke of a superteam.  Look at the games the Lakers lost to Boston in the Finals.  Kobe didnt quit until the horn sounded. Thats why he's greater than LeBron.  The difference between the two is night and day.  Kobe wouldnt want to join Wade, he'd want to beat him.

[gilee7]

Even if people hate Kobe, they still respect the guy. Not very many people are going to respect Lebron anymore.

I've never cared much for Lebron anyway, mainly just because of all the unjust praise people heaped on him, labeling him the best player on the planet and already trying to compare him to Jordan, which is ridiculous. I said in this very thread after the Bos-Cle series that Lebron quit on his team. He showed no passion, no heart; the last few minutes of game 6, instead of hustling, trying to create TOs, force Boston to make free throws, etc., he just stood around, so the rest of the team just stood around. They just gave up. And throughout the whole series Lebron had such a non-chalant attitude, basically just shrugging his shoulders after every loss and acting like it was no big deal. That was when I lost all respect for the guy. And then with the way this whole free agency was handled, going back to two years ago or so when Lebron was already hyping it up and dropping hints, to the primetime special, it was just incredibly distasteful and egotistical.

You can't even compare Kobe and Lebron. Kobe actually wants to go down as one of the greatest players of all time. Lebron is running from it. LeBitch always falters in the playoffs and at the end of big games; and instead of trying to rise to the challenge, he's painted himself as a coward. He can't lead a team to the promised land; he has to be led. Wade can now take all the shots at the buzzer. Wade and Bosh can now share in the blame if he doesn't win a championship. As everyone has said, LeBitch has taken the easy way out.

[D]

no no, people will respect him when he wins a title just like Kobe.

Kobe fucking QUIT against Phoenix.. he took like 1 shot in game 7 2nd half.  Lebron quitting down 30 isn't quitting. that is acknowledging the game is in the refrigerator


That Bos game is overblown.. weren't they down like 8-10 with 30 seconds to go... fouling was pointless.

Everyone keeps overlooking the fact that Kobe has an amazing team and Lebron does not.

Lebron had a triple double in one of those Boston games but everyone just talked about his poor shooting performance...

can't go both ways on it. When Kobe sucks, u had Pau and then Ron Artest in games 6-7 step up and play huge. When Lebron struggled, NOBODY stepped up and did anything.

U are gonna compare Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison to Pau Gasol and Ron Artest?

that there proves my point.

What makes me laugh is how u guys say Kobe would've carried Cle further..   lets see, Lebron lost to Boston in 6 games, Kobe barely beat Bos with the much better stacked team of his and if Kendrick Perkins doesn't get injured.. who knows!?


The whole argument discounts teammates,head coach etc. U guys act like it doesn't matter and it does matter. Teams win championships, not one player.

Also the thing with D Wade is, he has done way less than Lebron since winning the title. so really it isn't like Lebron is piggybacking another superstar. When Kobe won 3 rings, he did it playing with the number 1 guy in the league.

so how is Lebron and Wade teaming up any different than Shaq and Kobe?

[crow316]

Shaq didnt "team up" with Kobe. That team was built. 
    And the Phoenix  game you love to bring up when talking about Kobe is COMPLETELY different. And irrelevant.  LeBron was on the best team, record wise, in the league. In a much more important game. His team was FAVORED to win the series. Hell, his team was FAVORED to win the title. And  following one of his "3 bad games in his career" I mis-spoke earlier, I said 7,  LeBron quit on his team.   

[faldor]

Lebron and the Cavs have been favored to win the title the last 2 years and they haven't come close.  If you're able to get homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs, you shouldn't be too far away from being able to win a championship.  A few tweaks here and there and who knows what could've happened.  But Lebron has taken the easy way out and is joining a proven winner in Wade.  I hope Miami doesn't win, but the odds are they will win at least a few titles.  Lebron may not even be the best player on his team right now, forget about best player in the league.

[D]

Wait, Shaq didn't sign with LA as a Free Agent?

So a guy quitting just because he isn't a favorite is ok, but a guy averaging almost a triple double and not fouling at the end of a lost game isn't?

[crow316]

Shaq signed with LA as a free agent yeah. And they built a team with him.  What LeBron is doing, would be the equivalent of Shaq, back then, signing with the Jordan Bulls and bringing Reggie Miller with him, just so he can get his ring. 
   Also, LeBron did more than just not foul at the end of the game. Which, by the way, you should still TRY. There was time. You always have to try in a do or die play-off game.  He tanked in game 5, and was disinterested in playing in game 6.

[D]

well Lebron signed as a FA with D Wade and they will have to build a team also. Those 3 guys aren't showing up by themselves and winning every game unless a team is put around them.

People are listening to the media bash and piling on. Lebron did nothing different than what Shaq did. He wants to win, Cle doesn't offer a viable long term winning enviroment.

He took less money so he could win titles. I respect that.

[crow316]

Shaq came to LA to win, yeah.  Shaq did not devise a plan to create a "super-team" because he couldnt win.  And Shaq also left Orlando with tact. 

Lebron did nothing different than what Shaq did. He wants to win, Cle doesn't offer a viable long term winning enviroment.

Lebron made it a circus. Long term winning environment?  LeBron left a team that had the best record two years in a row.

[D]

Shaq's Orlando team weren't great? Did they not go to the finals in 1995 and get swept?

So Shaq admitted he couldn't win, so he came to LA....


whats the difference?

Like i said earlier, Miami have been terrible the last 3 seasons, so lets don't act like LBJ is joining a championship team.

If Miami win a title, it will be because of Lebron James just as much as the other two.

If u want to look at it on paper right now:

Kobe and Lebron u can give advantage slightly to Kobe
Ill take Pau Gasol over Chris Bosh
that leaves Wade... but Odom,Bynum and Artest are greater than 1 D Wade.

I think its bullshit how if Lebron wins a title, somehow it will be less or tainted

Does Derrick Jeter get tainted cause he has 5 rings with a team who has the highest payroll by far and tons of future HOF'ers?

[faldor]

The problem is, like crow said, the way Lebron has handled this whole situation has turned people against him.  I never expected him to go back to Cleveland and would've had no problem if he "left" for another team like a normal human being.  But the minute I heard he scheduled a prime time event to make his decision, I knew I was going to hate it regardless unless it was to stay in Cleveland.  And then during the interview saying that none of the teams knew except the one he chose, which he told just before the interview.  It was just shady all around. 

And tonight didn't help matters.  The 3 of them in uniform being introduced in the arena with the PA announcer, smoke show and all.  And the coup de grace, the signing of their contracts was SPONSORED by Office Max and Sharpie.

Now I know that stuff isn't Lebron's fault per se, but the situation is just beyond ridiculous.  Lebron has made this whole situation about him.  I guess that's just the sign of the times and that's what the modern day star is these days and for years to come.  Is Carmello Anthony going to do the same thing next year?  I hope not.  Once is enough.

[D]

Speakingof Carmelo, if he turns down their 3 year extension, Denver better trade him ASAP

only thing worse than losing LBJ was the fact Cleveland lost him for nothing.

[BigCombo]

only thing worse than losing LBJ was the fact Cleveland lost him for nothing.

Cleveland received a 16MM trade exception, two future first round, & a second round pick for their "sign & trade" of Lebron.

Quietly Chicago is looking pretty good.  They've signed Boozer and now picked up Korver.

As a Laker fan, I'm thrilled all the high profile FAs are leaving the Western Conference.

[D]

Fuck u Mark Cuban

Used our very valuable DUST chip on Tyson Chandler?

GTFO

Poor Dirk, he should've left and went to Chicago or something.

Pathetic.

[w.axl.rose]

when i noticed that you had posted in this thread, i thought your post was going to say "My Dallas Mavericks just got dangerous again" lol

[D]

I am pissed.. Chandler is an upgrade over Damp and he and Haywood are a pretty decent 1-2 punch in the middle but Jesus, that 13 million non guarantee contract was our ticket to get a superstar to pair with Dirk.............

I do hear we may get Al Harrington, that def makes us a top 3 team in the West u would think, especially if Roddy Beaubois keeps developing.