Wait, seriously. You think Dwayne Wade, on his own, decided without talking to anyone, especially his GM, that out of supreme benevolence, he was going to chance it and opt out with the hopes that the club could get more pieces? COME ON, MAN! _
I don't think this is accurate. Living down south you start to hear a lot of local reporters and local stations talking about this stuff and the growing belief is that LeBron and Riley are not very close. They both respect each other but like I said before, there seems to be a disconnect between the two. This is part of why some people believe Riley was publicly calling out LeBron in his press conference last month. Basically telling him not to be a coward and go running for another team.
Well then Lebron and Melo are terrible planners lol. They could have just opted in for a year each then had all the cap room with the Knicks
It just amazes me the lack of loyalty even if YOUR team is offering full contracts. Amazing what has happened in the NBA. 1. Lebron truly is a scumbag unless he signs with the Heat or goes back to Cleveland...but just the thought that he is taking this long is so....Lebron. 2. If he comes to the Knicks, nobody can talk smack about him..nobody. Godly fellow who loves his family. Still searching for tickets for the pep rally.
It's not happening, not in a league with a soft cap, a franchise with a ton of money, to the franchise's icon. Nope, not happening. Riley would be slitting his own throat. _
I don't think it's a lack of loyalty. I think it's the concern of having a better team. If Miami added the proper pieces, LeBron would be signing a 5 year deal. But the fact that they didn't, brings uneasiness to a guy in his prime looking for championships. I guess you could call it loyalty, but I think it has more to do with basketball than personal crap.
I'm going to the pep rally in LA when Melo goes there. Then I can finally root for him again. One of my favorite mementos in my office is my framed Sports Illustrated 2003 cover with Melo resplendent in his orange uniform. Can't even look at it now. _
Man Falc...thats pretty sad though no? Looking for championships? Dan Marino? I could see that..Don Mattingly...I could see that. Great players who never won? I get that..the guy has 2. Cant he allow his team to have an off year? Ok..maybe thats it. Maybe he is hesitant to sign with the Heat because its not a one year problem. Once you give Wade 4 years at lets say 14 million...it becomes a bigger problem. Seriously, does anyone see that?
Thats another thing that blows me away. Seriously....LA? Kobe after his injuries? How much does he have left? Does anyone really think Kobe has another 2 or 3 years of stardom left? LA? I dont get that at all.
It is mostly accurate. There are cracks in the armor, but it is a family atmosphere up and down the organization. It's why the Heat didn't trade Haslem earlier this year even though they were not expecting to play him. Similar to how Pacers ended up trading Granger, didn't take care of their own. Mourning has a job there, Howard has a job there. They all are at each other's events. Have you heard of a Knicks player going to see Dolan's band play?! Extreme example. You are definitely right there are cracks in the family thing, losing the finals might do that, but Riley would end his own career as JStokes said if he lowballed Wade or didn't support him.
Did you root for him when he was on the Nuggets? I think you are a Nets fan so it kind of makes sense you didn't root for Melo since he joined the Knicks.
Gasol at center Lebron forward Anthony foward Hardaway JR guard Calderon guard. Would that not clearly be the best team in the East? Let me tell you guys something here...clearing throat....Hardaway is about to become one of the better players in the NBA. This guy? Watch out.
I agree it's sad, but at the same time this a new era of sports and it has become a business. I do think that's true though. I think LeBron sees this as a much bigger issue than just one year. Say Miami loses next season, now everyone is one more year older. What if Wade isn't the same anymore and he's locked in for multiple years? What if Bosh continues a decline and is locked in for multiple years? There's just so much uncertainty with Wade and Bosh that I believe LeBron is worried about his future. Yes, I would take the Heat management over Cleveland, but would you honestly take the Heat roster over Cleveland? Not if you're looking into the future.
No, I'm a Melo fan. Actually, my first NBA team ever as a little kid was the Lakers, was a big Chamberlain, West, Elgin Baylor, Goodrich, Hairston fan. _
That's easy to do when you are appearing in the finals every year and are constantly winning games. Do the Spurs attend each other's events? Not that I know of. The Knicks is a bad comparison because that organization has been dog shit for years. If the Knicks start winning championships, don't you think Phil Jackson would attend LeBron James kids basketball game? I sure as hell would if the best player in the world was on my team and we are winning rings lol It goes both ways. Yes things may break apart because of the finals loss, but things may also come together because of finals wins. Miami isn't just a family all the time. That's apparent now
