[lilballa141Participant]

Honestly I never understood the hate surrounding him….he played his contract.. fulfilled his duties while the management failed him.. left.. raised money for kids and became hated.. Yes i understand the way it was done he could’ve left without it and let the GM’s know beforehand . But if you think about it… did you see how the owner acted? Is that really a guy you would’ve told to his face you’re leaving? he would’ve slandered him on the spot.

I bring this topic up now because we see how situations are being handled.. look at Dwight/ Melo/ Gordon/ Williams.. all these enigmas forcing their way out of town.. Look how they are handling their situation.. people called Lebron Immature/Unprofessional/stupid/Inconsiderate etc. but looking back at the situation.. and even at the time he was very professional.. refused to talk about the situation during the season (unlike previous names mentioned) and didn’t slander anybody, the team, or the city when he left. He only said good things about them…

Now that the hate has died down. some people truly still hate him for taking the *easy* way out. Even then I don’t consider anything in the NBA "easy" considering you guys became the target taking everyone’s best shot… and not to mention the hostility he faced not only on the court… but off of it. Just a walk to the grocery store to get a bag of cinnamon toast crunch and people are saying "eff you you suck i hope you die and never win a ring" .. just cant be that serious

Is this the guy people truly hated? I never understood it.. Just my 2 cents.. maybe I’m missing something but hey what do I know? I’m just a black guy from Virginia Beach behind a keyboard

[WizardofOzParticipant]

I agree. The Howard/Melo situations were way worse IMO. At least LeBron played his contract out w/o complaining unlike those two crybabies who held/are holding their teams hostage.

[KayjayParticipant]

We take LeBron James for granted a lot some times. He’s the best player in the league right now, and truth is we are all a little spoiled. I think a lot of people loved the guy when he was in Cleveland, even though some thought he was overrated. I think just a lot of people wanted to watch the guy win a ring in Cleveland as if he was the hero. In the end everyone has their own opinions including myself who thought he should of went to the bulls. But it was LeBron’s decision, not mine. And look, it paid off. So I say we should just wait till the hate dies down, and if it doesn’t, so what? My father still hates Jordan, and he’s a die hard Celtic fan.

Hell I’m a Kings fan, and I still hate Kobe with a passion. But I tell you what, when these guys careers are over, we’ll be able to say "That guy was an amazing player.". Its sports man…

[river09Participant]

 I lost a lot of respect for him with how he handled the entire ‘Decision’. I wouldn’t say I hate him, that seems a bit harsh. I’ve posted many times about how I’m fed up with players signing with winning teams instead of having more team loyalty and trying to win with the team that brought them into the league in the first place, and Lebron is the embodiment of the exact opposite. He would have been probably my favorite player in the league (behind T-Wolves players, big fan) if he had stayed in cleveland, not joined forces with someone who has been considered as his main rival (Wade), and proved to all of us that he is the best in the NBA by winning a championship in his hometown with a less help…. But oh well…

[WizardofOzParticipant]

I’m just tired of all these players that feel like they’re entitled to win every yr. Like in the summer of 2010, Wade was threatening to leave before they signed Bosh and LeBron so he could go to a winning team. Guess what, you won the ‘chip in 2006. You think Pat Riley didn’t want to win after that? Same w/ Kobe when he was demanding a trade in ’07. Management wants to win too, and you’re not going to win a championship every yr.

That’s why I’m a big fan of what KG did in Minny. He was loyal to them and stayed there probably even longer than he should’ve.

[lilballa141Participant]

@Wizard That’s completely understandable but the thing is, it’s not like in the summer of 10 the heat had been competitive the previous four years after winning it all. If they had a great team and saw the management was working towards something their would be no argument.. I think its safe to say people want results and action rather than…. yea.. were just gonna prepare for not this summer, but the next summer and HOPE, YOU can help us sign a free agent. As long as a team has pieces and can contend for a title I don’t think anyone has a problem.. as for the complaining, please post the rosters of  the teams those years and understand their frustration.

[Pro-21Participant]

 The media and these wannabe basketball experts have created an atmostphere where a person’s legacy is determined by the total of their championship rings. Lebron didn’t just become the best player this year, he has been for at least the last 4 years, no one really has comparable stats to him. BUT because of the whole "king without a ring" ideology and everyone choosing to ignore a great player’s accomplishments him leaving was an easy decision. With that being said I don’t believe he ever bought into any of that and he just wanted to win a championship like any true competitor would, and the fact is that the criteria for a championship remains the same; you must have a few hall of famers and a roster of more than capable multidimensional players, otherwise you don’t have a chance. 

[lilballa141Participant]

@KayJay I agree.. and I wanted to see that as well, but obviously clevelands front office didn’t and I can say that with confidence. No way you want him to win and in SEVEN years his best teammate is MO WILLIAMS. And about the whole overrated thing.. people are just too much he can only be as overrated as your opinion about him was.. not others.. the media influences people to easily its almost sad. Also its pretty tough as a player when you’re an 18 year old rookie in the league being compared to the greatest to ever play a game.. I guess noone realizes how dumb those expectations are from a kid who would just be finishing up his senior year.

@River Lost respect? okay yea I see why you could say that but at very worse he helped raised a million or so for kids..even if you have to "look" like the bad guy i say thats a pretty good reward whether you’re hated or not. Also When he first joined the heat they werent exactly what you say a "winning team" Loyalty is a fickle matter considering how as soon as he left the whole state turned on him.. you call that loyalty? .. His Main Rival is also his best friend.. not to many people have the opportunity to do that. I’m sure the majority of people criticizing him would do the same exact thing

[Sewok15Participant]

I think it was the victory celebration before ever playing a game and claiming they were going to win the next 5+ championships that got under peoples skin. I did not really mind "the decision" or the way he left Cleveland. I actually watched it with one of my friends from Cleveland and he was crushed but there really was no easy way to break that news. Lebron is almost always a professional but the same cannot be said of the knuckleheads now who demand trades to a different team every other week.

[SubZeroParticipant]

I would just much rather see superstars competing against each other instead of teaming up. But I have nothing against Lebron, except for he and Wade crying at every call. I had no problem with how he handled leaving. Maybe he should’ve warned Cleveland that he was coming back before he did it, but I honestly don’t think he did it to piss them off or anything. Obviously I hate how everyone is coming to the Heat because they think it’s an easy championship before they retire and I would much rather see the Thunder win, but I don’t hold anything against Lebron

I think I hate talking about why people should or shouldn’t hate him more than anything

[llperez]

kinda like kayjay said, it’s sports. We’re supposed to root against guys. Lebron is a beast and kicks everyone’s team’s a$$ on a regular basis. You are not supposed to like that guy if you have a favorite team that you stick with. Its all in fun and part of being a sports fan.

[river09Participant]

@lilballa141

 I lost respect for him as a basketball player in the NBA.. I don’t hate the guy personally.. "The whole state turned on him", if I was a Cav’s fan I would be pretty pissed at his whole ‘Decision’ too. As for raising millions of dollars for disadvantaged children, that’s awesome. I don’t think anyone here will disagree there… I agree with WizardOfOz on this, KG did it right, and please note he’s still loved in Minnesota, he recieves standing ovations whenever his name is announced in Target Center in Minneapolis. 

[lilballa141Participant]

@River I see that but what basketball wise did you lose respect ? wanting to play with a friend? someone whom he is comfortable with? yea beinbg upset / disappointed / betrayed is one thing .. physically taunting him, burning his jersey, swearing at and about him, and slander towards his mom is another. also as wiz said… KG did it right… but even he (as wiz said) stayed to long before deciding to swallow his pride and admit he was never going to win a ship their.. bron realized it early

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