Mo takes shot at Wade/Durant takes shot at competitive spirit in the NBA...

• hoops23

  

  mogotti2:
  

  Come on d wade, watch your mouth. I read your article.

  KDthunderup:
  

  Now everybody wanna play for the heat and the Lakers? Let's go back to being competitive and going at these peoples!

  I agree with KD. Too bad more people aren't like him.
• wes_mantooth

  

  I agree with Durant....the NBA is losing my interest quickly.
• thedynasty1998

  

  Care to explain what Mogotti2 is talking about?
• wes_mantooth

  

  thedynasty1998;425345 wrote:Care to explain what Mogotti2 is talking about?

  
  Heard on the radio that Dwade is sticking up for how Lebron handled things....THE DECISION..
  
  And also, he stated that Lebron didnt tank in game 5
  
  http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2010/07/dwyane-wade-lebron-james-defender/
• hoops23

  

  There was a recent ESPN article in which Wade said "LeBron never quit on that team, but his teammates let him down"... Obviously I'm paraphrasing...
• jordo212000

  

  wes_mantooth;425348 wrote:Heard on the radio that Dwade is sticking up for how Lebron handled things....THE DECISION..

  
  what does Mo expect? Of course D-wade is going to stick up for Lebron, they are still honeymooning. Lebron had some bad games, but his teammates never really ever bailed him out in the playoffs. Mo has been atrocious two years in a row, Jamison was putrid, and Shaq gave up 2 points for every point he scored
  
  James has been playing with a bunch of Titos
• thedynasty1998

  

  Wade is dead on in his assessment, not sure why mogotti is upset?
• wes_mantooth

  

  Yeah, Lebron def quit in game 5, but no way Dwade sells him out....teammates dont do that.
• KR1245

  

  hoops23;425350 wrote:There was a recent ESPN article in which Wade said "LeBron never quit on that team, but his teammates let him down"... Obviously I'm paraphrasing...

  
  Pretty close to what he said. Wade could have made his point without mentioning Brons teammates
• Fly4Fun

  

  Gotta love Durant at this point... I'm still a Cavs fan but he might be my new favorite player.
• Ironman92

  

  I'll bet a vquarter that years down the road Durant leaves for greener pasteurs...or he'll go on and become Dominique
• jpake1

  

  DWade stuck up for his teammate, go figure. LeBron gave up at points in that series. I forget which game, but he was absolutely horrible and didn't even try. He looked like an uninterested spoiled girl in a grocery store. The last game he looked like he didn't care, but he's such a fucking freak, he actually had a pretty good stat line. As for Mo... LBJ could have done it differently, and should have. I don't disagree with the choice of team, obviously, but don't act like you didn't have a say in the decision. Maybe if you play like you did in the offseason, ESPN is on LBJ's nuts and comparing him to Michael hardcore because you won the last 2 championships. As for Durant, that dude is cool as shit. He's a fuckin' superstar but the dude to your right on the coach watching Entourage drinking some beer and eating food that'll give you a heartattack. I think he's my 2nd favorite, I've rarely watched him unless they're televised, but he seems like a very cool dude. I hope he leads the Thunder to a ring or two, even if it ends my Heat's chances.
• hoops23

  

  LeBron's style of play hurt Mo, imo.
  
  Mo is an aggressive player and playing alongside LeBron made him more passive. Obviously, I'll take that trade off, but I think we'll see a much better Mo Williams this year.
  
  I still to this day believe if we had a better coach this past season, we may have won a title.. That is, if LeBron didn't have this all planned when I think he did.
• killdeer

  

  this is a really interesting time for the NBA...
  
  this may be an era when commissioner "brown noser" Stern has to decide whether maintaining competitive balance is one of his charges....
  
  what is clearly happening is that multimillionaires are deciding that they want to play with other elite multimillionaires. There is no ownership structure in free-agency; and no provision to accuse players of colluding in the same way owners have been crucified for...............
  
  
  when the players start calling the plays, the head coach is clearly superfluous, the GM almost an afterthought, and the owner is a peer.........
  
  
  this whole darn thing is bass-ackward.........
  
  the NBA is just 3 or 4 more deals like this away from collapse.
  
  and Dan Stern is asleep at the wheel.
• hoops23

  

  I agree 100%
  
  Competitive balance has always been an issue in the NBA, especially when two teams share over half the league titles.
  
  The NBA has one thing right, and that's the rookie salary cap. Other than that, the NFL has the salary cap down to a "t".
  
  This move, a long with the possible new "Super Team" in NY that could involve Melo, CP3, and Amar'e, has killed a lot of my interest in the NBA, and I LOVE basketball.
  
  It's a damn shame, and I wholeheartedly agree with Durant on this issue. Players wanted to go at each other back in the day, not join up. It's obvious this move has hurt LBJ's legacy as "the guy". National pundits continue to rip him, spoofs are popping up every where about "The Decision", and former and current players are speaking out.
• jordo212000

  

  There isn't anything the NBA can do. These guys are free agents. Keyword is free. They can sign wherever they want. You can't say "well you are a free agent, but you can't sign in LA or you can't sign in Miami, but you can sign anywhere else" if you are David Stern. Stern can set it up so that the drafting team who normally wouldn't be a player in the free agent mix can offer more (ala Joe Johnson and the Hawks), but that requires a greedy guy to accept.
  
  I am a casual NBA fan. I rarely watch any regular season matchups at all because there are no storylines and I do not care whether the Bucks beat the Clippers. However, you Cavs fans are only seeing it from your perspective. The NBA just got more interesting. I will be very intrigued to see how the Heat matchup with other teams around the league. The playoff games are all must watch now. I love the super-team route the NBA is taking. Guess what we might get to watch some good basketball this year. Wouldn't that be a shame.
• wes_mantooth

  

  ^^^I disagree. I think that these new super teams make other markets lose interest. Competitive balance is what keeps the casual fan watching games. Just like in college basketball...I am an OSU fan, but I will watch almost any competitive game...like Big East games and such. The NBA is a flawed product and it is getting worse.
• jordo212000

  

  wes_mantooth;425788 wrote:^^^I disagree. I think that these new super teams make other markets lose interest. Competitive balance is what keeps the casual fan watching games. Just like in college basketball...I am an OSU fan, but I will watch almost any competitive game...like Big East games and such. The NBA is a flawed product and it is getting worse.

  
  Sure some of the small market teams who aren't going to be good are going to lose interest. However at the same time, pre-Lebron Cleveland wasn't exactly a thriving basketball city, and there were no "super teams" being assembled. That's just a fact of life, if you suck people in your city won't care about your team. My point is that whether or not Lebron joined the super-Heat, fans in Cleveland still would lose interest in the NBA. The super team is just the strawman
  
  people like me who could care less about a few small potatoes franchises, are going to be able to watch some nice basketball matchups. The NBA now has a villain (the Heat) and we all know that good vs. evil drives ratings. I'm pumped for the NBA season
• KR1245

  

  jordo212000;425785 wrote:There isn't anything the NBA can do. These guys are free agents. Keyword is free. They can sign wherever they want. You can't say "well you are a free agent, but you can't sign in LA or you can't sign in Miami, but you can sign anywhere else" if you are David Stern. Stern can set it up so that the drafting team who normally wouldn't be a player in the free agent mix can offer more (ala Joe Johnson and the Hawks), but that requires a greedy guy to accept.
  
  I am a casual NBA fan. I rarely watch any regular season matchups at all because there are no storylines and I do not care whether the Bucks beat the Clippers. However, you Cavs fans are only seeing it from your perspective. The NBA just got more interesting. I will be very intrigued to see how the Heat matchup with other teams around the league. The playoff games are all must watch now. I love the super-team route the NBA is taking. Guess what we might get to watch some good basketball this year. Wouldn't that be a shame.

  
  
  Super teams are bad for the NBA. Going into the season knowing that there are only 4-5 teams that have a chance of winning the title is not good for the NBA. Its not good for Cavs fans, its not good for casual NBA fans. If this super team thing continues it will be even worse. The number of teams that have a legit shot at winning the title is already low, if this super team thing continues that number will continue to shirnk. It might be good for the fans of those teams but it wont be for the other 26 teams in the league.
• wes_mantooth

  

  jordo212000;425792 wrote:Sure some of the small market teams who aren't going to be good are going to lose interest. However at the same time, pre-Lebron Cleveland wasn't exactly a thriving basketball city, and there were no "super teams" being assembled. That's just a fact of life, if you suck people in your city won't care about your team. My point is that whether or not Lebron joined the super-Heat, fans in Cleveland still would lose interest in the NBA. The super team is just the strawman
  
  My point is people like me who could care less about a few small potatoes franchises is going to be able to watch some nice basketball. The NBA now has a villain (the Heat) and we all know that good vs. evil drives ratings. I'm pumped for the NBA season

  
  I just think you are in the minority. There are maybe 3 teams that have a shot at the title this year...that is not a good thing.
• jordo212000

  

  KR1245;425793 wrote:Super teams are bad for the NBA. Going into the season knowing that there are only 4-5 teams that have a chance of winning the title is not good for the NBA. Its not good for Cavs fans, its not good for casual NBA fans.

  
  haha, what did you say the past few years? It was the same situation. We all knew that the Lakers, Cavs, Celtics, and Magic were probably going to be competing for the championship. Everybody else was just bystanders. Seriously, who thought the Hawks were going to win the Finals? Like it or not, the NBA has never been a league where the resources are spread evenly. I argue this all the time when comparing it to be baseball. Idiots talk about MLB not having parity, but baseball has had more parity in the past 10 years than the NBA has
• enigmaax

  KR1245;425793 wrote:Super teams are bad for the NBA.

  
  The NBA has always centered around its super teams. The 80s was a boom period - NBA popularity increased astronomically and two teams combined to win 8 of 9 titles. The NBA wasn't hurting in the 90s when the Bulls won 6 titles. The Lakers and Spurs have combined for 9 of the last 12.
  
  What is the difference besides there might be a couple different teams in the mix?
• jordo212000

  

  enigmaax;425798 wrote: What is the difference besides there might be a couple different teams in the mix?

  
  The difference is in who it benefits. I hate to say it, but now that the shoe is on the other foot, Cleveland fans are no experiencing what Timberwolves fans have probably been saying for the past few years.
  
  You have a point about popularity being driven by a team's dominance. Let's face it, everybody knew that the Bulls were going to win. It was unfair to the other teams haha, but people still watched and the NBA was very popular.
• enigmaax

  jordo212000;425800 wrote:The difference is in who it benefits. I hate to say it, but now that the shoe is on the other foot, Cleveland fans are no experiencing what Timberwolves fan have probably been saying for the past few years.
  
  You have a point about popularity being driven by a team's dominance. Let's face it, everybody knew that the Bulls were going to win. It was unfair to the other teams haha, but people still watched and the NBA was very popular.

  It goes back to the whole good vs. evil thing. People either loved Chicago or wanted to see someone beat them (and called everyone else bandwagoners). Either way, people were interested. Hell the Spurs won four titles and few people really cared for the most part - remember hearing about how much of an anti-dream matchup Cleveland vs. San Antonio was? But throw the Lakers or Celtics in and suddenly everyone is watching again. Miami is going to be good for the NBA now as long as they win because everyone is going to have an interest - you're gonna see a lot of new Heat fans and you are going to see the rest of the world watching them the whole way just hoping they get beat.
• jordo212000

  

  I am still waiting for KR1245 to tell me more than 4 teams who he thought realistically had a chance to win the finals last year. We can go back to earlier posts in this very forum. EVERYBODY knew who was going to be players for the championship (Magic, Lakers, Cavs, Celtics). The regular season was a formality