Rev. Jesse Jackson's take on LBJ....

[oregonbucfan]

Jackson is the biggest racist in the world.

[benchwarmer69]

Jackson is the biggest racist in the world.

...And camera hound.

[ufojoe]

While i don't see the uproar in Lebron's actions

I agree with most of your football takes but...

Are you freaking kidding me?

Too many arrogant actions by LJ to list here. First and foremost, have the common courtesy to call Gilbert when you've made your decision. Don't leave it to one of your flunkies to make the call a few minutes before he announced it on ESPN.

LJ is still a kid. Men don't do what he did. You think Jordan or any other superstar would have had a TV special to announce where they were signing? No way. He has no idea how many enemies he made by handling things to way he did. He seems totally out of touch with reality.

I applaud Gilbert's letter, even if it was a bit over the top. Nice to see that passion from an owner. I can't wait to hear some more details on how Lebron was behind the scenes, over the years. I've heard some of the stories and Lebron's shattered brand is going to take some more hits before this is said and done. I read that one of the reasons he didn't like Chicago's offer was because they weren't going to give preferential treatment to his posse. Good for them.

The way LJ acted in the end reminds me of how Sebastian Telfair acted right before he was drafted. I had covered a few of his games earlier in the year and shot a story on him with shots of him at practice and in the classroom. Total access. Then, with a few games left in the season, things changed. He had this new posse around him and we couldn't get close to him except for shots of him on the court, during a game. Any requests for a quote or interview were met with silence. He would just ignore us. I think that was the advice he was given. He was a kid so I don't blame him. But Lebron is 25. Time to grow up.

[Hate]

We can agree to disagree, Joe.

I have no problem with Lebron leaving, or how ot was done. Once he became a free agent, he owed the Cavs nothing. As for Gilbert's outburst, what you have is a guy that got a glimpse into the future.... and the empty seats that will become all to common next season. Losing a player of James stature is catastrophic for that franchise..... and anything surrounding it. I don't blame him for being ticked off.

[ufojoe]

We can agree to disagree, Joe.

I have no problem with Lebron leaving, or how ot was done. Once he became a free agent, he owed the Cavs nothing. As for Gilbert's outburst, what you have is a guy that got a glimpse into the future.... and the empty seats that will become all to common next season. Losing a player of James stature is catastrophic for that franchise..... and anything surrounding it. I don't blame him for being ticked off.

He can play wherever he wants. We agree there. Although, being Wade's b-i-t-c-h is not something Jordan or Kobe would ever do. I just think Lebron realized that he doesn't have the mental strength to be "the guy" and wanted to play on an all star team to increase his chances of getting a ring. That's his business. But hopefully he realizes that he'll never be considered as good as Kobe or Jordan.

As far as how he did it? He spent seven years there. They bent over backwards to make sure his "team" was happy and taken care of. He owed them the common courtesy of calling the owner himself. Is he above making a phone call to the guy who signed his checks all those years? Leaving it to a flunkie is something a clueless kid does. And right now, that's what Lebron is. After he quit on his team in the playoffs, nobody should be surprised that he left like this.

Can't wait to see how he reacts if his team gets bounced in the playoffs next year. The pressure will mount to unbelievable heights if that happens.

[GameTime]

the whole thing is funny to me.  if lebron signs with the knicks he's just in it for the money.  if he signs with the cavs he doesnt care about winning.  if he signs with the heat he knows he isnt one of the greatest.  and that doesnt even get to the point of the thread and JJ.  which isnt even worth delving into.

lebron took less money to play with some great players.  and he gets mocked for that?  shoot, ill commend the guy for that.  kobe couldnt win without a true allstar next to him and some very clutch players to boot.  jordan played with a top 50 nba player his whole career.  im not a fan of the way lebron handled the situation, but the more i hear people downgrade him, the more im rooting for the heat.

[cheveliar]

We can agree to disagree, Joe.

I have no problem with Lebron leaving, or how ot was done. Once he became a free agent, he owed the Cavs nothing. As for Gilbert's outburst, what you have is a guy that got a glimpse into the future.... and the empty seats that will become all to common next season. Losing a player of James stature is catastrophic for that franchise..... and anything surrounding it. I don't blame him for being ticked off.

He can play wherever he wants. We agree there. Although, being Wade's b-i-t-c-h is not something Jordan or Kobe would ever do. I just think Lebron realized that he doesn't have the mental strength to be "the guy" and wanted to play on an all star team to increase his chances of getting a ring. That's his business. But hopefully he realizes that he'll never be considered as good as Kobe or Jordan.

As far as how he did it? He spent seven years there. They bent over backwards to make sure his "team" was happy and taken care of. He owed them the common courtesy of calling the owner himself. Is he above making a phone call to the guy who signed his checks all those years? Leaving it to a flunkie is something a clueless kid does. And right now, that's what Lebron is. After he quit on his team in the playoffs, nobody should be surprised that he left like this.

Can't wait to see how he reacts if his team gets bounced in the playoffs next year. The pressure will mount to unbelievable heights if that happens.

Wade's b-i-t-c-h?  If he'd stayed in Clevland for the most money or went to NYC for the fame and glory most people would still be bashing this kid.  So now that he takes a shot at winning, his former owner goes off the deep end and people still call the guy a b-i-t-c-h?  I'll say this, you can call me whatever you want just make sure you throw in "champion" when I get my rangs!!!!!!

[keeponbucn]

LJ is still a kid. Men don't do what he did. You think Jordan or any other superstar would have had a TV special to announce where they were signing? No way. He has no idea how many enemies he made by handling things to way he did. He seems totally out of touch with reality.

I applaud Gilbert's letter, even if it was a bit over the top. Nice to see that passion from an owner. I can't wait to hear some more details on how Lebron was behind the scenes, over the years. I've heard some of the stories and Lebron's shattered brand is going to take some more hits before this is said and done. I read that one of the reasons he didn't like Chicago's offer was because they weren't going to give preferential treatment to his posse. Good for them.

Men don't do what? Take less money at a chance for a championship?

I don't like Lebron and hate the ESPN **CENSORED**baggery but the fact that he's taking less money to try and get a ring shows me a bunch about him.

The Cavs owner is an as-sbag and gave the rest of the league ammunition against him when competing for a FA. No player is going to want to play for that piece of garbage and how can you blame them? He did way more harm than good long term to his own franchise.

I hope he's fined Mark Cuban style.

[cheveliar]

LJ is still a kid. Men don't do what he did. You think Jordan or any other superstar would have had a TV special to announce where they were signing? No way. He has no idea how many enemies he made by handling things to way he did. He seems totally out of touch with reality.

I applaud Gilbert's letter, even if it was a bit over the top. Nice to see that passion from an owner. I can't wait to hear some more details on how Lebron was behind the scenes, over the years. I've heard some of the stories and Lebron's shattered brand is going to take some more hits before this is said and done. I read that one of the reasons he didn't like Chicago's offer was because they weren't going to give preferential treatment to his posse. Good for them.

Men don't do what? Take less money at a chance for a championship?

I don't like Lebron and hate the ESPN **CENSORED**baggery but the fact that he's taking less money to try and get a ring shows me a bunch about him.

The Cavs owner is an as-sbag and gave the rest of the league ammunition against him when competing for a FA. No player is going to want to play for that piece of garbage and how can you blame them? He did way more harm than good long term to his own franchise.

I hope he's fined Mark Cuban style.

+1 Keep...

[ufojoe]

Wade's b-i-t-c-h?  If he'd stayed in Clevland for the most money or went to NYC for the fame and glory most people would still be bashing this kid.  

Yeah, Wade's B is a bit over the top. But it's Wades team.

If he stayed in Cleveland, he would be getting bashed? By who?

You're right about N.Y. If he went to there, he would be getting bashed for going for the Billions and a team that isn't ready to win.

Chicago was a perfect place for him. He had his co-star and a supporting cast in place.

But he wanted to go play in Miami, on the playground with his friends. That's what kids do, I guess. And that's his right. He can play anywhere he wants. But as most people see, it was handled horribly. He needs to be an adult and make his own decisions. Not one return phone call/text to the owner after seven years of playing for that team? If it's advisers telling him that, fire them. If it was him, he needs to wake up. He really has no idea how he looks in his beloved home state. He'll get an idea when he goes back for that game in Cleveland.

The ESPN/Gray thing was a joke. If you don't see that, you're just biased in favor of Lebron and he can do no wrong.

So now that he takes a shot at winning, his former owner goes off the deep end and people still call the guy a b-i-t-c-h?  I'll say this, you can call me whatever you want just make sure you throw in "champion" when I get my rangs!!!!!!

Takes a shot at winning? Is that what that was? I see it as a guy who folded in the playoffs and realized he needed to be surrounded by an all star team to have a shot at a title. I could see if he was at the end of his career like Moses Malone was but at 25, Jordan nor any of the other superstars would have done this.

Can't wait to see the Heat fall in the playoffs.

[ufojoe]

The Cavs owner is an as-sbag and gave the rest of the league ammunition against him when competing for a FA. No player is going to want to play for that piece of garbage and how can you blame them? He did way more harm than good long term to his own franchise.

I hope he's fined Mark Cuban style.

From what I heard, Gilbert was holding back. Seems like Lebron, once the cameras are off, is a big time jackazz.

Glad for Cleveland that he stuck up for them and spoke him mind.

[Badabing]

1.  The Cavs Owner was bitter because his franchises’ worth just got cut in half.  Without Lebron, you can expect winning to decline, merchandise sales to decline, and ticket sales to decline.  Who wouldn’t be outraged?  Not saying he handled it well, just saying---that’s what he’s pissed about.

2. I’m not mad at Lebron for choosing Miami.  But I don’t condone the 1 hour special, “the Decision.�  I think he would have taken less “heat� if he didn’t make a big ordeal about it.  Never the less, he still would have been “dissed� about his decision.

3. Jesse Jackson is a moron.  Gilbert did “OWN� lebron, just like the CEO of my company “OWNS� me.  But “OWNing� is a lot different in this sense than slavery or a physical possession.�

4. Jesse Jackson should be one individual who loses “freedom of speech.�  Honestly, we all say dumb things.(setting myself up for a knock there), but he is in the media(for whatever reason) and what he says is heard by masses.  Can you imagine if somebody that is actually taken seriously said that?  

[ufojoe]

Is Jesse part of this thread? Oh yeah, I forgot.

I thought it was Josh Johnson we were ranting about.

[ufojoe]

Nice to know that former NBA, Hall of Fame players feel like I do regarding his choice of teams...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2010/07/06/DI2010070603290.html

Michael Wilbon
Washington Post Sports Columnist
Monday, July 12, 2010; 1:30 PM

Burnsville, Minn.: I don't think fans are angry that LeBron switched teams, but that he appeared to go on the path of least resistance. If he had said on his tv special, "I'm going to take my talents to the Chicago Bulls/NY Knicks and I'm going to beat Dwayne and Chris's Heat in the playoffs", I think fans would have thought much better of him. As it stands now, he just looks like he's ring chasing, and doesn't have the competitive fire that we expect our great stars to have.

Michael Wilbon: I agree with your perception of the reaction to LeBron. And a great, great many former players, close to and away from the game, agree with you passionately. I know Hall of Fame players whose immediate reaction was "Wow, I'm glad the league isn't full of superstars who chose not to compete with the best, but simply join the best." That's a raging sentiment out there right now; I've had that communicated to me by any number of people..."If you can't beat 'em join 'em" is not a sentiment great players share...They believe if you can't beat 'em, try again to beat 'em." And I get that. I'm of an era where I nod in agreement when I hear that. I wonder how, if at all, it's going to affect LeBron, or even if that sentiment reaches him and resonates on any level...


NYC: Why did no one on "the decision" special bother to ask LeBron why he chose to do the special rather than release a statement to the same effect? Or Lebron, what did you hope to gain from dragging this decision out on television. He came off as an oblivious child.

I didn't ask him, no. And I didn't feel like I wanted to come off a second-guessing my bosses on live television...just as I don't use this space or the newspaper column to go through a major second-guessing of my editors of The Washington Post. I can't speak to why others might not have, but now you have my reasoning. I'm paid by ESPN to ask questions of people like LeBron, so that's what I did...What you're asking is a TOTALLY legit question. I don't ask an athlete who has a great relationship with a Washington Post reporter "why did you choose to talk to The Washington Post" on this particular manner. I get the interest; but it's for somebody else to criticize (totally legit) or ask LeBron...not the people airing his decision..

By the way, I don't have any problem with LeBron doing this on TV, just as I have zero problem with Kevin Durant simply stating his intentions to re-up with Ok City...I don't need everybody to do the same thing, or do it as I would have done it...I had a future HOF major leaguer call and say to me the other night he disliked the way LeBron did it and wouldn't have done that, and I totally respect that, but we agreed that "different strokes for different folks" should apply.

Boston: Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, and Charles Barkley were all drafted the same year, but it is absolutely inconceivable that they would have had a "free agancy summit" and decide to all play together. Their competitve natures told them they wanted to beat their rivals, not join them. The NBA as I knew it is dead.

Michael Wilbon: Ummmm, yes on all counts. AND, don't think those three players haven't expressed that sentiment, EXACTLY as you just did.[/b]

[Biggs3535]

Didn't Barkley play with Olajuwon (and Drexler) in Houston in an effort to win a Title?  I don't have a problem with LBJ going to Miami to play with other great players.  Garnett and Allen did the same in Boston. 

The huuuuge problem for LBJ is how he handled the whole situation, not what his ultimate decision was.