This is so much more devastating than even that though. Try to imagine if say Ovechkin left his home country just to seek a bigger stage to showcase his talents. Or if Gretzky agreed to abandon the country he carried on his shoulders to play in some soulless place like say, Los Angeles. Wait...

Gretzky got traded by a crook owner. NO COMPARISON.

And regarding Ovechkin, did he hold an hour-long special on television just to tell Russia he'd be playing in the NHL? No. Again, NO COMPARISON.

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mechaphil

Just saying that it's a business in the end. I agree that it was a pretty classless way to leave his team and his home state. But let's say the roles were reversed. What if the Cavs took James at #1 and he'd turned out to be a bust? Do you really think the team would have been loyal to him and offered him a contract when no other team would have and his only other option was to play in Europe? Highly unlikely.

I also just read this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/sport ... 1&emc=eta1

Yes, it's a business. No, I don't have a problem with him going to another team. I'm glad we agree he's a dick. And if the Cavs took him at #1 and he turned out to be a bust, the only way them abandoning their player would be of the same magnitude is if they built him up to be the grand savior of the team and guaranteed he'd win 10 titles and made this big to-do about how they drafted the hometown boy because the team loves Cleveland and wants to do right by a Clevelander and wants him to win in Cleveland cuz he's from there.

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mechaphil

I just saw this on twitter

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Hold my beer and watch this...

That entire article can be discredited with the following statement: the monster that is LeBron James was created in high school by the praise, worship, gift-giving, and coddling he received long before becoming an NBA star, not by Dan Gilbert. A more appropriate relationship comparison would be Gilbert being the dumbass who went to bed with and tried to date a social climber, then got dumped because the social climber did exactly what he knew she had and would do again.

That writer also completely misses the point that it's not THAT he did it, it's HOW he did it. That is the central, universal theme to everyone's outrage.

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mechaphil

Dan says he is going to win a championship before lebron does. my question is with whom. Lebron left because he wanted to win and cleveland was not surrounding him with the players to win a title. he left himself with the i tried to stay by trying to get bosh but he said no. but i do not agree with the way he did it at all. should have told cleveland beforehand not crushed their hearts on TV.

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It's sad that as long as Quinn is in charge Regier will be here, and as long as Regier is here Ruff is here. Say hello to more years of mediocrity Buffalo. However it is urged that you don't accept it.

RIP K.E.G. 3-16-2004

Wonder if the editor told him to write a piece on that side of the fence.

But yeah, I was thinking about Kevin Garnett who could've bolted earlier from Minnesota but stuck around to try to win one there before he was traded to Boston. I seriously thought when Bosh went to Miami, the Heat would be ruled out since where would they get the money to pay for solid role players? I felt it would be Chicago, Cleveland, or NY as his top 3 choices. Guess not.

I feel real bad for Cleveland, first off Chris Bosh disses the city by telling LeBron that he won't play there. Second off James wears a Yankees cap and a Cowboys cap to games in Cleveland knowing that HE is the face of city. I'm sorry, but one can't do that shit when you're THAT much of a public figure. I hope he falls on his face in Miami, I mean, 3 Alpha males on one team who aren't even 30 years old yet? I don't know..

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"...they came down into the stands and asked if I knew how to do play by play. I said...No. But. I'll take a shot at it if you want".- Rick Jeanneret

Tom Brady wore a Yankees hat once, which made me hate him less...ha!

I can't WAIT for the Heat's first game at Cleveland.

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"Oh honey, I would but...I don't want to" ~ Karen Walker

That is funny...

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"...they came down into the stands and asked if I knew how to do play by play. I said...No. But. I'll take a shot at it if you want".- Rick Jeanneret

Read an article today about Jesse Jackson criticizing the Cavs owner for his Lebron comments. Jackson said that his disbelief that Lebron would leave and bitterness that he did was reminiscent of a slave owner mentality criticizing a runaway slave. Wow, talk about overdoing it and looking for a reason to play the race card. I may not like Dan Gilbert's letter, but that's just ridiculous.

Well, Jesse Jackson has beaten a dead horse for how many years? He isn't gonna retire his tired schtick anytime soon.

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mechaphil

link:

http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=327354

He treated LeBron like a slave? Sign me up for $100 million dollar slavery!

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This is kind of funny.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual