Magic GM critical of LeBron's move

• 2quik4u

  

  Orlando Magic general manager Otis Smith said Friday he was surprised James went to Miami because he thought the two-time MVP was "more of a competitor."
  
  He said the "great ones" do it on their own and "usually stay in one location."
  
  It was rare public criticism from the usually coy Smith and perhaps a move to motivate his Magic. James had announced a day earlier that he was joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami to form an All-Star trio.
  
  Asked if James' move to Miami will cause a power shift in the NBA, Smith responded, "Is Kobe retiring?"
  
  "He's proven he can do it on his own," Smith said of Lakers star Kobe Bryant, smiling over the comments. "Oops. My bad."
  http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5367298
• jordo212000

  

  There is some truth in that. I gotta admit I like the fact that the Magic are tweaking the Heat already. Stan Van Jeremy started all this when he was discussing the difference between Durant and Lebron
• Little Danny

  

  He's already letting Dwight Howard know how he'll respond if Howard tries to pull a stunt like this. I am not going to be surprised to see a lot of the others GM's respond in a similar manner.
• AcidBurn

  

  magic? wanna be's. howard is already overpaid to dunk. funny stuff.
• IggyPride00

  

  Otis played in the league. Pretty much every retired player I have seen comment on Lebron has essentially laughed at him for resigning himself to lapdog status at the ripe old age of 25.
  
  They all point out that Jordan would have never dreamed of teaming up with the enemy, and then use Kobe as the modern example for overcoming the "can't win it on his own" mantra.
  
  Barkley was interesting because he said he and MJ were best friends, played on all-star teams together, dream team, but like hell he ever considered signing with the Bulls and admitting defeat when he was in his prime. He hates that he never won a title and Michael can hold it over him, but he also couldn't bring himself to be his bitch is what he said in no uncertain words.
  
  He said ring chasing ain't so bad when you're washed up like he, Scottie and Hakeem were in Houston isn't so bad, but when you're young and in your prime you need to be a man.
• AcidBurn

  

  jordan always had pippen who happens to be on the top 50 of all time team. james never had that elite allstar sidekick. now he does, so we'll see what happens.
• 2quik4u

  

  AcidBurn;418823 wrote:jordan always had pippen who happens to be on the top 50 of all time team. james never had that elite allstar sidekick. now he does, so we'll see what happens.

  
  lol Jordan never had the 3rd best player in the game and the best power forward in the game
• AcidBurn

  

  no but he did have a very good toni kukoc in his prime who was one of the top 15 players in the league at that time.
  
  wade/james/bosh is pretty much equal to jordan/pippen/kukoc
  
  im not sold on bosh yet. wade and james will make him look like all world.
• KR1245

  

  Barkley was pretty critical of Lebron as well.
• 2quik4u

  

  AcidBurn;418847 wrote:no but he did have a very good toni kukoc in his prime who was one of the top 15 players in the league at that time.
  
  wade/james/bosh is pretty much equal to jordan/pippen/kukoc
  
  im not sold on bosh yet. wade and james will make him look like all world.

  lol at this ahahaaa
  
  kukoc was good dont get me wrong he was in fact the best euro player at that time
  
  but to say he is on par with bosh is a fucking joke
• AcidBurn

  

  you must under the age of 30. offensely kukoc was as good as pippen. defensively pippen was alot better. i didnt say he is on par with bosh, kukoc was probably better. he put up great numbers even on a team with two elites. bosh has yet to really prove anything except that he can look like the best player on the raptors. do your homework junior.
• gut

  AcidBurn;418847 wrote:
  im not sold on bosh yet. wade and james will make him look like all world.

  
  And that's not true of Pippen and Kukoc with Jordan? Those guys weren't top-15 players when Jordan wasn't there. Very good, top-15-20. I know Pippen was one of the top-50 all-time. He put up similar numbers without Jordan - IMO a top 5 player with Jordan, more like top-15 without. LOL, Kukoc isn't the other guy I'd bring up with Jordan, that would be Rodman.
  
  The simple fact is Jordan won 3 titles without either Kukoc or Rodman. He had Pippen, who was a very, very good player Jordan made great, and a solid cast of role players those first 3 titles.
• hoops23

  

  LOL @ people using the "NBA top 50 players of all time list"... There's like 200 players on that list, smh...
  
  Scottie was good, no doubt.. But he wasn't considered a top 3 player in the NBA at the time.
• gut

  KR1245;418849 wrote:Barkley was pretty critical of Lebron as well.

  
  As he and others should be. Lebron took his ball and went home. At the crusty old age of 25 he threw in the towel and took the path of least resistance to a championship. That's a guy who wants to beat the 2nd best.
• 2quik4u

  

  gut;418864 wrote:And that's not true of Pippen and Kukoc with Jordan? Those guys weren't top-15 players when Jordan wasn't there. Very good, top-15-20. I know Pippen was one of the top-50 all-time. He put up similar numbers without Jordan - IMO a top 5 player with Jordan, more like top-15 without. LOL, Kukoc isn't the other guy I'd bring up with Jordan, that would be Rodman.
  
  The simple fact is Jordan won 3 titles without either Kukoc or Rodman. He had Pippen, who was a very, very good player Jordan made great, and a solid cast of role players those first 3 titles.

  
  says it all right there
• Little Danny

  

  Pippen was never top 3 while in the league. Consider when he was named to the first dream team you had Bird, Magic, Barkley and Ewing were still at the top of their game, Isaiah, Hakeem, not to mention Stockton and Malone. Later on Bird and Magic were gone and Barkley and Ewing had slid, but you still had Hakeem (who was #1 probably for a stretch while Jordan was out), Stockton, Malone, Reggie Miller, etc.
  
  I will say Pippen was one heck of a defensive ball player though. Maybe tops in the league.
• IggyPride00

  

  He had Pippen, who was a very, very good player Jordan made great, and a solid cast of role players those first 3 titles.

  Horace Grant was a really good power forward for the first 3 titles. He averaged roughly 14 and 10 a game, finished in the top 7 in offensive rebounds all 3 of those seasons and made an appearance on the All-Defensive 2nd team a bunch of times.
  
  As a reference, Gasol (who many people worship as the best side kick around) has only average 18 and 10 for his 3 Laker seasons and no one is going to mistake him for being a top flight defender any time soon.
  
  Grant is often forgotten about when people think of the Bulls, but 14 & 10 with all NBA caliber defense in the low post is pretty damn good out of a power forward when Michael & Scottie were combining for more than half the teams points every night. Grant made the all-star team the year Jordan was retired, and he/scottie/michael were a damn good big 3 of their own in the early 90's.
• 2quik4u

  

  still doesn't change the fact that lebron has the third best player ( #2 best shooting guard) and the best power forward
• gut

  IggyPride00;418910 wrote: Grant is often forgotten about when people think of the Bulls, but 14 & 10 with all NBA caliber defense in the low post is pretty damn good out of a power forward when Michael & Scottie were combining for more than half the teams points every night. Grant made the all-star team the year Jordan was retired, and he/scottie/michael were a damn good big 3 of their own in the early 90's.

  
  I didn't forget about Grant. IMO he was an outstanding role player. But Pippen + Grant << Wade + Bosh. Not even a debate.
  
  The Lebron apologists are hard at work trying to justify the expected forthcoming titles. The "3 kings" is simply an unprecedented alliance. You can try to make comparisons, but that ignores how much better the legends made #2, and how much better he and #2 made #3. You just can't put enough lipstick on this pig. The inarguable fact is Lebron joined forces to challenge the 2nd best, and understandably that isn't going to sit right with a lot of people.
• hoops23

  

  2quik4u;418919 wrote:still doesn't change the fact that lebron has the third best player ( #2 best shooting guard) and the best power forward

  
  Yeah, I don't get how people are comparing this to the Bulls.. Simply dumbfounding.
  
  We all found out who LeBron was. Us Cavs fans were obviously blinded by it... But now everything is coming out. Dan Gilbert spilled some beans and Joe fucking Tait, who is a Cavalier radio legend (30 years with the team and in the boradcasting HOF) just had an interview today where he said in the 7 years LeBron was here, he NEVER spoke to him outside of post game interviews...
  
  Seriously?
• 2quik4u

  

  did gilbert say something else besides his letter?
• hoops23

  

  2quik4u;418928 wrote:did gilbert say something else besides his letter?

  
  Aside from LeBron quitting on the team and cutting off all communication between himself and the Cavs after the Cavs were eliminated... No, not yet..
  
  I expect more juiciness soon though, especially if LeBron responds.
• IggyPride00

  

  The Lebron apologists are hard at work trying to justify the expected forthcoming titles.

  Oh I agree wholeheartedly.
  
  What Lebron essentially did would be the equivalent of Jordan calling Charles Barkley in 1990 saying "you know, I'm tired of getting my face beat in every season hearing how I can't win a title and I know you are too. Let's call Isiah and ask him if we can come to the Pistons so at least we know we can win some rings. You, me and Isiah would be the best trio in the game."
  
  Over any of their dead bodies would such a thing have ever happened.
  
  I don't blame Lebron for taking the path of least resistance, but I do think it's funny that many of the legends of the game and the average Joes who played in the league have like no respect for it and are treating him like a chump.
• IggyPride00

  

  especially if LeBron responds

  Lebron said tonight he is not responding.
  
  He basically said no one in his family will lose sleep over what Dan said, if anything it vindicated his decision to leave if that is what the owner really thought of him. He also said it will make he and his family stronger and more powerful. He wished the Cavs luck next season as well.
  
  Basically he took the high road, and if Gilbert continues to push this it will look like real sour grapes on his part and the media is already turning against him and NBA players are not impressed one bit it.
  
  An un-named player told J.A Adande, and he has said he heard the same sentiments from others, that you would never want to go play for a guy like Gilbert because if he could think that poorly of, and trash a franchise player like that when he left it is a place you want to avoid. Basically his true colors came out and you don't want to put yourself in that line of fire.
  
  The stuff about him quitting is making him look like a big hypocrite as well, because as people have said, if he was a quitter and such a horrible guy why were you on your knees begging him to take $126 million of your dollars?
  
  I like what Gilbert did, but it is time for it to be put to rest as there is no real upside to be gained from getting further in the mud when Lebron is apparently not going to throw it back.
• hoops23

  

  It sounds like Gilbert has moved on anyway. To essentially agree to a sign and trade tells me he's moved on and is now looking at the business side of things.
  
  Also, don't give me the argument of players not wanting to play for Gilbert.. $$$ makes people forget everything.
  
  Hell, Donald Sterling, a known racist has no problem luring NBA players to his trash ass team.