Michael Rosenberg of SI absolutely NAILS it with article about Cleveland and LeBron

• Y-Town Steelhound

  

  One of the most well-written articles you will ever read regardless of you feelings on LeBron;. Enjoy:
  
  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/michael_rosenberg/12/02/lebron.return.cleveland/index.html?eref=sihp
• Prescott

  I am not a Cleveland fan, but I have empathy for all Cleveland fans. This is a great that spells out exactly what LeBron can never have in any other city.
• Fab4Runner

  

  Two thumbs up.
• karen lotz

  

  Good article and I think LeBron would admit that he will/already does miss some parts of playing in Cleveland.
• DeyDurkie5

  

  Loved the quote by ryan napier...lebron knows cleveland is the best
• ytownfootball

  

  These are the mistakes you make when you're 25 and have little experience to go on. He'll not admit to it until he's out of the game and has a lifetime in the NBA to reflect upon it. Listening to those nut hangers of an entourage hasn't and will never serve him well. Too bad too, you know he already regrets it.
  
  Good piece.
• Jester

  

  Great article.
• sleeper

  

  No doubt Lebron regrets leaving. He will win a Championship eventually, maybe several, but he wins 1 in Cleveland = GOAT.
  
  At least we have Peyton Hillis.
• thedynasty1998

  

  I'm really not saying this to be a hater, but I have a problem with several parts of this article and think it is horrible:
  

  Cleveland was hoping its plucky young team would drive hard to the basket, hit its free throws, grab every loose ball and dump LeBron James in a vat of hot wax.

  Young? Who? Instantly lose credibility.
  

  If LeBron had played for Miami for seven years, then left for Cleveland in the same way, would Miami be nearly as angry as Cleveland is?
  
  Trick question. NBA stars don't leave Miami for Cleveland.

  What is this guys stance? That he should have stayed in Cleveland? He justifies Lebron's decision right here.
  

  It is an ego borne of insecurity, and this is why he left for Miami in the first place: He wanted things to be easier.

  Insecurity? Really. I'm quite sure Lebron is very secure. And no shit he wanted things easier. Why wouldn't he? He wants to win championships and wanted a place where he thought he could do that.
  
  
  Sorry, just a bad article.
• Fab4Runner

  

  thedynasty1998;586500 wrote:I'm really not saying this to be a hater, but I have a problem with several parts of this article and think it is horrible:
  
  
  
  Young? Who? Instantly lose credibility.
  
  
  
  
  
  What is this guys stance? That he should have stayed in Cleveland? He justifies Lebron's decision right here.
  
  
  
  Insecurity? Really. I'm quite sure Lebron is very secure. And no shit he wanted things easier. Why wouldn't he? He wants to win championships and wanted a place where he thought he could do that.
  
  
  Sorry, just a bad article.

  
  
  
  Not a bad article. Regardless of your little nitpicking it remains true that no other fans will love Lebron the way Cleveland fans did. Whether he regrets leaving or not I am 99% certain he misses the fans, excitement and atmosphere in Cleveland.
• Y-Town Steelhound

  

  Fab4Runner;586508 wrote:Not a bad article. Regardless of your little nitpicking it remains true that no other fans will love Lebron the way Cleveland fans did. Whether he regrets leaving or not I am 99% certain he misses the fans, excitement and atmosphere in Cleveland.

  
  Agreed. I think dynasty just missed the central point of the article. I for one think it was one of the better articles I've ever read and another testament to why SI is superior to ESPN in their writing and presentation.
• ytownfootball

  

  If you're not a fan of the Cavs, or other Cleveland sports franchises you'll not get the central meaning of the article. Not in the least surprising.
• Jester

  

  thedynasty1998;586500 wrote:I'm really not saying this to be a hater, but I have a problem with several parts of this article and think it is horrible:
  
  Young? Who? Instantly lose credibility.
  
  What is this guys stance? That he should have stayed in Cleveland? He justifies Lebron's decision right here.
  
  Insecurity? Really. I'm quite sure Lebron is very secure. And no shit he wanted things easier. Why wouldn't he? He wants to win championships and wanted a place where he thought he could do that.
  
  Sorry, just a bad article.

  
  First off, not really sure what you mean by your first statement. He's saying the team is young, which mostly it is. Are you thinking he was using young as a name of a player or something?
  
  As for the second thing you quoted, the way I took it, is that Miami fans aren't as passionate as Cleveland fans. Hell they've got three superstars on their team and they can't even fill the stands. Players these days only care about things like warm weather, after parties, etc. They'll turn their back on their hometown just to be in more desirable locations with higher profile people. It's an ego thing, IMO.
  
  And as for the final thing, I actually do think he is somewhat insecure. He's been labeled and labeled himself as the next great player in NBA history and has yet to do anything to prove that. Instead of sticking it out like some players have in the past and fulfilling his promises to the city, he bolted for the easiest opportunity to come play on Dwayne Wade's team. Instead of building his own team and his own legacy, he's using somebody else's to try and get a ring.
  
  Just my opinion.
• thedynasty1998

  

  I understand the point, I just think he was talking out of both sides of his mouth. And yes, SI is absolutely better than ESPN.
  
  Lebron will never be loved the way he was in Cleveland, I get that. Cleveland has GREAT fans! But what does that really get him? He doesn't want a personal relationship with any fans. They won't help him win a championship. It's certainly not a thriving city.
  
  I just think it's too easy to say that he'll miss the fans, when no one knows what drives him. He will still have his close knit support group. He is still a superstar. He is still marketable. Given time (few months) people will be back on his bandwagon (see Bill Simmons).
  
  Will Miami ever have the same atmosphere as Cleveland? No, they won't. But he's making money. He has a mansion in South Beach. He's playing with his friends. I think those things make him happier than "fan's that support him".
• Fab4Runner

  

  thedynasty1998;586519 wrote:I understand the point, I just think he was talking out of both sides of his mouth. And yes, SI is absolutely better than ESPN.
  
  Lebron will never be loved the way he was in Cleveland, I get that. Cleveland has GREAT fans! But what does that really get him? He doesn't want a personal relationship with any fans. They won't help him win a championship. It's certainly not a thriving city.
  
  I just think it's too easy to say that he'll miss the fans, when no one knows what drives him. He will still have his close knit support group. He is still a superstar. He is still marketable. Given time (few months) people will be back on his bandwagon (see Bill Simmons).
  
  Will Miami ever have the same atmosphere as Cleveland? No, they won't. But he's making money. He has a mansion in South Beach. He's playing with his friends. I think those things make him happier than "fan's that support him".

  No one is denying that being in Miami is making him happy. Simply making the point that he had something in Cleveland that he will never have there...he will miss that.
• vball10set

  thedynasty1998;586519 wrote:I understand the point, I just think he was talking out of both sides of his mouth. And yes, SI is absolutely better than ESPN.
  
  Lebron will never be loved the way he was in Cleveland, I get that. Cleveland has GREAT fans! But what does that really get him? He doesn't want a personal relationship with any fans. They won't help him win a championship. It's certainly not a thriving city.
  
  I just think it's too easy to say that he'll miss the fans, when no one knows what drives him. He will still have his close knit support group. He is still a superstar. He is still marketable. Given time (few months) people will be back on his bandwagon (see Bill Simmons).
  
  Will Miami ever have the same atmosphere as Cleveland? No, they won't. But he's making money. He has a mansion in South Beach. He's playing with his friends. I think those things make him happier than "fan's that support him".

  
  you make a good argument until you get here..he was making money in Cleveland, and he could have a mansion anywhere he wants--but IMO he needs fans to support him the way that only Cleveland fans can--with passion and unconditionally.
• thedynasty1998

  

  Jester;586516 wrote:First off, not really sure what you mean by your first statement. He's saying the team is young, which mostly it is. Are you thinking he was using young as a name of a player or something?
  
  As for the second thing you quoted, the way I took it, is that Miami fans aren't as passionate as Cleveland fans. Hell they've got three superstars on their team and they can't even fill the stands. Players these days only care about things like warm weather, after parties, etc. They'll turn their back on their hometown just to be in more desirable locations with higher profile people. It's an ego thing, IMO.
  
  And as for the final thing, I actually do think he is somewhat insecure. He's been labeled and labeled himself as the next great player in NBA history and has yet to do anything to prove that. Instead of sticking it out like some players have in the past and fulfilling his promises to the city, he bolted for the easiest opportunity to come play on Dwayne Wade's team. Instead of building his own team and his own legacy, he's using somebody else's to try and get a ring.
  
  Just my opinion.

  
  Young? Mo Williams, Parker, Jawad Williams, Moon, Jamison and Graham are all older than 27. The only "young" players they have that play are Hickson, Sessions and Boobie. Hardly considered young.
  
  See my previous post about the passionate fans.
  
  Miami is his team. The argument that it isn't is just dumb and a poor attempt at an insult. Looking at his tattoos, like the author stated, would lead me to believe that he is very secure in himself. He's secure enough in himself to do "The Decision". I don't think it was ever more evident. Did you watch him last night? He didn't show one ounce of insecurity.
• thedynasty1998

  

  vball10set;586535 wrote:you make a good argument until you get here..he was making money in Cleveland, and he could have a mansion anywhere he wants--but IMO he needs fans to support him the way that only Cleveland fans can--with passion and unconditionally.

  
  The money argument is that it doesn't matter where he is. A mansion in South Beach is far different than a mansion in Akron.
  
  What does it mean that he needs fans to support him? I agree that he has always seemed to want to please everyone. But do Miami fans not support him? Does his team not support him?
• ytownfootball

  

  Young as in finding an identity without their star player, young as in haven't played together all that much...it's easy to do see?
  
  I would suggest that all the tattoos is an over compensation for severe insecurity...again, easy to do.
  
  need I go on?
• thedynasty1998

  

  ytownfootball;586542 wrote:Young as in finding an identity without their star player, young as in haven't played together all that much...it's easy to do see?
  
  I would suggest that all the tattoos is an over compensation for severe insecurity...again, easy to do.
  
  need I go on?

  
  I see things differently then. The Cavs have a roster of experienced players. Is anyone calling the Miami Heat young? They have been together as little as anyone.
  
  We are really getting into the mind of Lebron here. There really is no evidence to think Lebron is insecure. 99.9% of America would say the opposite, that he is one of the most secure men in the world.
• Y-Town Steelhound

  

  thedynasty1998;586546 wrote:I see things differently then. The Cavs have a roster of experienced players. Is anyone calling the Miami Heat young? They have been together as little as anyone.
  
  We are really getting into the mind of Lebron here. There really is no evidence to think Lebron is insecure. 99.9% of America would say the opposite, that he is one of the most secure men in the world.

  
  See but you're doing the same thing that you're chastising the author for doing but with the opposite opinion. At least he brings up the tattoos and his body language. You bring up "The Decision" when most people know it was just a stupid marketing ploy. You can have a big ego and still be insecure. I think being told you're God's gift to basketball for most of your life and then going 7 years without leading a team to a championship would make anyone insecure about their abilities.
  
  LeBron is just the A-Rod of basketball. Great player, media force, couldn't lead his team to a championship, went to a team with someone who HAS led their team to a championship (Wade/Jeter), will never be viewed the same again in the eyes of the public.
• KR1245

  

  Y-Town Steelhound;586550 wrote:See but you're doing the same thing that you're chastising the author for doing but with the opposite opinion. At least he brings up the tattoos and his body language. You bring up "The Decision" when most people know it was just a stupid marketing ploy. You can have a big ego and still be insecure. I think being told you're God's gift to basketball for most of your life and then going 7 years without leading a team to a championship would make anyone insecure about their abilities.
  
  LeBron is just the A-Rod of basketball. Great player, media force, couldn't lead his team to a championship, went to a team with someone who HAS led their team to a championship (Wade/Jeter), will never be viewed the same again in the eyes of the public.

  
  Agreed.
• hangonsloopy

  

  Y-Town Steelhound;586550 wrote:LeBron is just the A-Rod of basketball. Great player, media force, couldn't lead his team to a championship, went to a team with someone who HAS led their team to a championship (Wade/Jeter), will never be viewed the same again in the eyes of the public.

  
  Great comparison.
• royal_k

  

  Y-Town Steelhound;586550 wrote:See but you're doing the same thing that you're chastising the author for doing but with the opposite opinion. At least he brings up the tattoos and his body language. You bring up "The Decision" when most people know it was just a stupid marketing ploy. You can have a big ego and still be insecure. I think being told you're God's gift to basketball for most of your life and then going 7 years without leading a team to a championship would make anyone insecure about their abilities.
  
  LeBron is just the A-Rod of basketball. Great player, media force, couldn't lead his team to a championship, went to a team with someone who HAS led their team to a championship (Wade/Jeter), will never be viewed the same again in the eyes of the public.

  Bingo.....very insecure.
• hoops23

  

  There was one sign that stood out to me during last nights game, which was being held up by a female, I believe...
  
  To paraphrase it:
  
  "LeBron, are your new fans selling out home games?"
  
  Or something like that... Either way, he central point of the sign hit the nail on the head. LeBron will never get the love in Miami that he got here. He had the state of Ohio on his side.