Comments on: To Have One’s Cake and Eat It Too http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2010/07/15/to-have-ones-cake-and-eat-it-too/ Unbiased opinions from extremely biased people Thu, 24 May 2012 08:26:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Ryan http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2010/07/15/to-have-ones-cake-and-eat-it-too/comment-page-1/#comment-81045 Ryan Fri, 01 Oct 2010 20:06:25 +0000 http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/?p=7309#comment-81045 Ok, I get both points of view here... However, what no one is really getting at is the "big picture" here. The NBA is not doing good these days, there are a lot of bad teams.. really bad teams... no one is going to want to watch blow out basketball this is proven just look at the north carolina NCAA tourney a couple years ago. People do not want to see a B squad against an A squad. This move is going to hurt the league a lot. What made Jordan so famous and loved is all the money he brought in for the league and how NBA was actually talked about when he played. So much has been put on the post jordan era of basketball no one cares. Lebron had the chance to change that attitude. It is his choice where he wants to play and what he wants to do with his life, this writer has it backwards its not about 3 titles = 1 in cleveland its about the NBA improving and becoming a better league this move will not do that at all. However, miami is not the best team in the NBA yet and even superstar squads lose just look at the olmypics. However, if this team starts winning by 30 people will lose interest in the games outside of miami of course. Lebron should have not been so selfish and taken the easy way out for the league and the fans but so many players have done the samething maybe not at the same age. However if this turns into a trend this will ruin the game of basketball as the Yankees have ruined baseball. If you recall Shaq ditched orlando for LA and did not receive near the same backlash and it was not considered a bitch move, it's very similar though. Also stop adding Bosh to the mix he isen't anything to talk about he is not a top 20 player in the league. Lebron and D-wade on the same team is not the end of the world. I just hope they respect teams and don't run up the scores for their own good. Ok, I get both points of view here… However, what no one is really getting at is the “big picture” here. The NBA is not doing good these days, there are a lot of bad teams.. really bad teams… no one is going to want to watch blow out basketball this is proven just look at the north carolina NCAA tourney a couple years ago. People do not want to see a B squad against an A squad. This move is going to hurt the league a lot. What made Jordan so famous and loved is all the money he brought in for the league and how NBA was actually talked about when he played. So much has been put on the post jordan era of basketball no one cares. Lebron had the chance to change that attitude. It is his choice where he wants to play and what he wants to do with his life, this writer has it backwards its not about 3 titles = 1 in cleveland its about the NBA improving and becoming a better league this move will not do that at all. However, miami is not the best team in the NBA yet and even superstar squads lose just look at the olmypics. However, if this team starts winning by 30 people will lose interest in the games outside of miami of course. Lebron should have not been so selfish and taken the easy way out for the league and the fans but so many players have done the samething maybe not at the same age. However if this turns into a trend this will ruin the game of basketball as the Yankees have ruined baseball. If you recall Shaq ditched orlando for LA and did not receive near the same backlash and it was not considered a bitch move, it’s very similar though. Also stop adding Bosh to the mix he isen’t anything to talk about he is not a top 20 player in the league. Lebron and D-wade on the same team is not the end of the world. I just hope they respect teams and don’t run up the scores for their own good.

]]> By: David http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2010/07/15/to-have-ones-cake-and-eat-it-too/comment-page-1/#comment-69392 David Sun, 18 Jul 2010 06:16:44 +0000 http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/?p=7309#comment-69392 Oh, give it a rest. Reality check - Almost every NBA title team in history has had two or more hall of famers. Look at the rosters. If LeBron resigned with the Cavaliers, there was a very real chance that that kind of help would never arrive. Cleveland had neither the trade assets, cap space, or draft picks to make such a move. So of course he was going to leave and go play with other hall of famers. No one ever said Bird or Magics titles were diminished when they played with multiple hall of famers. Why are you going to hold LeBron to a higher standard? Stop sipping haterade. Oh, give it a rest.

Reality check – Almost every NBA title team in history has had two or more hall of famers. Look at the rosters.

If LeBron resigned with the Cavaliers, there was a very real chance that that kind of help would never arrive. Cleveland had neither the trade assets, cap space, or draft picks to make such a move.

So of course he was going to leave and go play with other hall of famers.

No one ever said Bird or Magics titles were diminished when they played with multiple hall of famers.

Why are you going to hold LeBron to a higher standard?

Stop sipping haterade.

]]> By: jwill http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2010/07/15/to-have-ones-cake-and-eat-it-too/comment-page-1/#comment-68872 jwill Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:35:09 +0000 http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/?p=7309#comment-68872 Charles and everybody else who are criticizing Lebron are delusional. First of all, if you had taken the great Scottie Pippen from Michael and gave him Mo Williams as his second best player, how many championships would Michael have? NONE!!! Charles tried to win championships as the so-called man and how many did he get? NONE!!! Three years ago Kobe Bryant without Pau Gasol and then Ron Artest, could not win. Lebron took a team in 2007 to the NBA Final with who as his second best player, maybe Larry Hughes, and they lost to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, three All-star players. You could very well make an argument that Lebron has gone deeper in playoffs with less talent than anybody, including Michael. This is why Lebron had to make this move, the expectations that have been placed on him are unreasonable. His last playoff game in Boston, a game that he had 27 Pts,19 Reb, 10 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk people are saying that he did not give his all. If anybody else had put up these kinds of numbers everybody would be saying that this was one of the greatest games of all times, but not for Lebron, people are saying that this was a mediocre game. And this proves that Lebron is in the discusion, for the title of greatest player of all time. All he needs is championship rings. Something that Charles does not have. Charles and everybody else who are criticizing Lebron
are delusional. First of all, if you had taken
the great Scottie Pippen from Michael and gave
him Mo Williams as his second best player, how
many championships would Michael have? NONE!!! Charles
tried to win championships as the so-called
man and how many did he get? NONE!!! Three years ago
Kobe Bryant without Pau Gasol and then Ron Artest,
could not win. Lebron took a team in 2007 to the
NBA Final with who as his second best player, maybe
Larry Hughes, and they lost to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker,
and Manu Ginobili, three All-star players. You could
very well make an argument that Lebron has gone deeper in
playoffs with less talent than anybody, including Michael.
This is why Lebron had to make this move, the expectations
that have been placed on him are unreasonable. His last
playoff game in Boston, a game that he had 27 Pts,19 Reb,
10 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk people are saying that he did not
give his all. If anybody else had put up these kinds of
numbers everybody would be saying that this was one of
the greatest games of all times, but not for Lebron, people
are saying that this was a mediocre game. And this proves
that Lebron is in the discusion, for the title of greatest
player of all time. All he needs is championship rings.
Something that Charles does not have.

]]> By: Jackson http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2010/07/15/to-have-ones-cake-and-eat-it-too/comment-page-1/#comment-68763 Jackson Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:32:43 +0000 http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/?p=7309#comment-68763 I agree wholeheartedly with your article. One of my favorite aspects of the NBA is the way in which it inspires debate and argument. And at the forefront of these debates are the ones that pit one superstar against another. Russell vs Wilt, Bird vs Magic, Jordan vs any athletic wing that has come after him. Recently people have debated Kobe vs LeBron. I think the real tragedy of LeBron's decision is that from a legacy/NBA narrative perspective, he has soiled his prospects in any of these future debates. Bird, Magic, Jordan, and Kobe may have been blessed with fantastically talented teammates, but they were loyal to their fanbases and shaped their teams in their own images. LeBron can now lay claim to neither. And so he cannot be in the GOAT debate anymore. This really sucks because one of the most enjoyable aspects of following the NBA is watching the rise of future greats who can someday lay claim to the crown. My father speaks with reverence about Bird and Magic--and it saddens me that I will not be able to hold LeBron in that regard when discussing basketball with my children. I agree wholeheartedly with your article. One of my favorite aspects of the NBA is the way in which it inspires debate and argument. And at the forefront of these debates are the ones that pit one superstar against another. Russell vs Wilt, Bird vs Magic, Jordan vs any athletic wing that has come after him. Recently people have debated Kobe vs LeBron. I think the real tragedy of LeBron’s decision is that from a legacy/NBA narrative perspective, he has soiled his prospects in any of these future debates. Bird, Magic, Jordan, and Kobe may have been blessed with fantastically talented teammates, but they were loyal to their fanbases and shaped their teams in their own images. LeBron can now lay claim to neither. And so he cannot be in the GOAT debate anymore. This really sucks because one of the most enjoyable aspects of following the NBA is watching the rise of future greats who can someday lay claim to the crown. My father speaks with reverence about Bird and Magic–and it saddens me that I will not be able to hold LeBron in that regard when discussing basketball with my children.

]]> By: Caleb http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2010/07/15/to-have-ones-cake-and-eat-it-too/comment-page-1/#comment-68758 Caleb Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:02:50 +0000 http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/?p=7309#comment-68758 What this article and lots of other folks are basically saying is this - its okay to play with other great players as long as they are traded for or sign to the team you already play for... but god forbid you join them on another team! Lebron is still going to be Lebron... as good as Wade is, Lebron will now be the best player on his team. The only thing that has changed is that he will now have incredibly talented teammates. Why is this a bad thing? Why is okay for Kobe to play with Gasol and Bynum and not okay for Lebron to play with Wade and Bosh? Because the Wade/Bosh combo is better? Oh so I see... you can have good teammates, just make sure they aren't *too* good. Would I have respected a decision by Lebron to stay in Cleveland and try and continue to guide that team towards a title? Absolutely I would have. I do think it would have been admirable. But his decision to go to Miami makes sense too and people are being really hypocritical and irrational in their analysis of it. What this article and lots of other folks are basically saying is this – its okay to play with other great players as long as they are traded for or sign to the team you already play for… but god forbid you join them on another team!

Lebron is still going to be Lebron… as good as Wade is, Lebron will now be the best player on his team. The only thing that has changed is that he will now have incredibly talented teammates. Why is this a bad thing? Why is okay for Kobe to play with Gasol and Bynum and not okay for Lebron to play with Wade and Bosh? Because the Wade/Bosh combo is better? Oh so I see… you can have good teammates, just make sure they aren’t *too* good.

Would I have respected a decision by Lebron to stay in Cleveland and try and continue to guide that team towards a title? Absolutely I would have. I do think it would have been admirable. But his decision to go to Miami makes sense too and people are being really hypocritical and irrational in their analysis of it.

]]> By: JB http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2010/07/15/to-have-ones-cake-and-eat-it-too/comment-page-1/#comment-68745 JB Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:37:13 +0000 http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/?p=7309#comment-68745 "He’s trailblazing a path no once-in-a-generation talent should take because it not only demolishes his chances to be the greatest player to ever live, but it does a disservice to the game of basketball." Seriously? LBJ has damaged a team-oriented game by not emphasizing himself? Did you actually just write that? Yep, he should've been more selfish and thought about his own legacy a little bit more, because basketball is a 1-on-1 game where you win a championship by being an outstanding individual. “He’s trailblazing a path no once-in-a-generation talent should take because it not only demolishes his chances to be the greatest player to ever live, but it does a disservice to the game of basketball.”

Seriously? LBJ has damaged a team-oriented game by not emphasizing himself? Did you actually just write that? Yep, he should’ve been more selfish and thought about his own legacy a little bit more, because basketball is a 1-on-1 game where you win a championship by being an outstanding individual.

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