KilgoreTrout
Hall-of-Famer
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2009
- Messages
- 21,953
- Reaction score
- 14,405
- Points
- 123
I am still seeing a lot of people excusing LeBron in the press, either because they have an interest in doing so, or because they missed the point. So I wanted to summarize our grievances, so that we can make clear what is truly disturbing about this situation.
It is important to say that we don't begrudge LeBron his right to switch franchises as a free agent. His contract expired, and he was free to go. We didn't own him. He was free to go play with his buddies in South Beach and probably win championships. That all sounds like a great time. However, the way he went about this all was morally-dubious and possibly abhorrent, and there are numerous reasons that we, as fans, are insulted and offended, and disillusioned once again.
My list is as follows:
1. To announce the decision in 1-hour of bought time on a network that had already shown a propensity for whoring, was tacky, unnecessary, silly, callous, and many other things.
2. He almost certainly quit on his team, coach, and fans in (multiple?) playoff series in which the team was favored to win. Is there another "superstar" who is suspected of doing this? Would Bill Russell have done this? What about Joe Montana? Would Pete Rose even have though of pulling up short in a playoff series?
3. The whole arrangement may have been concocted years ago, yet his owner, teammates, and fans were led to believe, up to the very end, that there was a chance he was coming back.
4. In announcing to his team that that he was leaving after many free agents had signed, he left his team in the lurch. Even Bosh, who is only a follower, and overrated, had the semi-decency to tell the Raptors that he wasn't coming back, so they could plan for the future. If he really was looking to leave long ago, then we could have even traded him last summer, and gotten value for him.
5. He accepted his MVP awards in Akron. He went on record as saying that his goal was to win a championship for his hometown. His recent actions contradicted everything he had professed to be. In other words, his image was a complete fabrication, and he is a complete fraud. He is Tiger Woods II.
Those are 5 pretty reprehensible actions. Those need to be emphasized. People who aren't that clever will think that we are bitter about the mere fact that he left. Those people need to be educated! Let us spread the word, friends! Let us make others aware of how the actions of this professional athlete - a supposed hero - were downright antisocial.
It is important to say that we don't begrudge LeBron his right to switch franchises as a free agent. His contract expired, and he was free to go. We didn't own him. He was free to go play with his buddies in South Beach and probably win championships. That all sounds like a great time. However, the way he went about this all was morally-dubious and possibly abhorrent, and there are numerous reasons that we, as fans, are insulted and offended, and disillusioned once again.
My list is as follows:
1. To announce the decision in 1-hour of bought time on a network that had already shown a propensity for whoring, was tacky, unnecessary, silly, callous, and many other things.
2. He almost certainly quit on his team, coach, and fans in (multiple?) playoff series in which the team was favored to win. Is there another "superstar" who is suspected of doing this? Would Bill Russell have done this? What about Joe Montana? Would Pete Rose even have though of pulling up short in a playoff series?
3. The whole arrangement may have been concocted years ago, yet his owner, teammates, and fans were led to believe, up to the very end, that there was a chance he was coming back.
4. In announcing to his team that that he was leaving after many free agents had signed, he left his team in the lurch. Even Bosh, who is only a follower, and overrated, had the semi-decency to tell the Raptors that he wasn't coming back, so they could plan for the future. If he really was looking to leave long ago, then we could have even traded him last summer, and gotten value for him.
5. He accepted his MVP awards in Akron. He went on record as saying that his goal was to win a championship for his hometown. His recent actions contradicted everything he had professed to be. In other words, his image was a complete fabrication, and he is a complete fraud. He is Tiger Woods II.
Those are 5 pretty reprehensible actions. Those need to be emphasized. People who aren't that clever will think that we are bitter about the mere fact that he left. Those people need to be educated! Let us spread the word, friends! Let us make others aware of how the actions of this professional athlete - a supposed hero - were downright antisocial.
Last edited: