Lebron James to Sign with Miami Heat

[Dirty]

I think you saw this coming.... especially after yesterday ... if they can put aside their ego's and share the ball they can be formidable

[Dirty]

Live on LeBron: ‘The Decision’ reaches its bloated climax

8:20 pm July 8, 2010, by Mark Bradley
This is Dr. Evil. Like LeBron James, he was intent on world domination. I'm just sayin'.

Depending on your slant, “The Decision” — so named by ESPN, the Worldwide Leader in hyperbole — represented either a harmonic convergence of news, sports and entertainment or the surest sign yet that our world is doomed. LeBron James, a basketball player of some note fawned over to no end by ESPN (and, to be fair, other outlets), offered to announce his choice of teams on the Worldwide Leader, and the Worldwide Leader waited all of two-tenths of a second before saying, “Yes, please!”
The result of this might not have been what LeBron intended. The Internet overflowed with screeds directed at LBJ and ESPN. (Full disclosure: I wrote one of them.) The always-reactionary world of Twitter went nuts, spawning all manner of “who-does-he-think-he-is?” Tweets and a couple of pretty fair jokes. To wit:
Have you heard? During LeBron’s announcement, Kanye West is going to run to the microphone and tell the world that Michael Jordan was better.
And this:
Have you heard? Apple is coming out with a LeBron iPhone. But it will only vibrate because it doesn’t have a ring.
This “Summer of LeBron” — yes, more ballyhoo — always had the potential to get out of hand, but somehow the excess managed to exceed itself. ESPN rolled out its “LeBron Tracker” before Memorial Day, and even Larry King sat for an audience with the King. Speaking of which:
Chad Ochocinco, no stranger to hype, offered two sneering Tweets in response to the word circulating early Thursday that LeBron was headed toward Miami to ally himself with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. From C.O.:
“Nickname is #KingJames. Kings lead with the help of an army (supporting cast on team) – a lead dog doesn’t join superstars to make it easy.”
Also this:
“Kobe-Magic-Jordan-Bird all created legacies on their own teams. They didn’t join together to make winning a ring easy.”
For one of the few times in its history, ESPN itself seemed in no hurry to claim credit for breaking word of LeBron’s destination. At least not on its Web site, which as of 8 p.m. Thursday would speculate only that James was “leaning” toward Miami, according to “all indications” and “barring a late change of heart.”
Skeptics among us were left to weave all manner of conspiracy theories: That the Miami rumor was a red herring floated by LeBron’s “team” to drive up ratings; that ESPN, even if it knew full well where he was bound, wouldn’t come and say so for fear of killing viewership for “The Decision,” not to mention the three-hour “SportsCenter” that served as a lead-in.
And here even a longtime LeBron admirer (meaning me) was left to start counting. Bill Russell: Eleven NBA titles, no one-hour specials. Michael Jordan: Six NBA titles, no one-hour specials. Kobe Bryant: Five NBA titles, no one-hour specials. Tim Duncan: Four NBA titles, no one-hour specials.
Tell me again: Why exactly is LeBron James the King? Or is he simply the King of All Media?
The suspicion is that LeBron has alienated much of an audience that previously had no cause to dislike him. (He has always seemed a pretty good guy, has he not?) But there was an A-Rod sort of preening about this whole summer, and a guy looking to market himself on a global stage shouldn’t be copping moves from Alex Rodriguez.
Perhaps we should all feel grateful to LeBron for letting us have our lives back. But I’m not sure that’s how we’re going to see it. There was more to this “Summer of LeBron” than a talented young man making an important career decision. There was something approximating a calculated plan intent on world domination, and nobody likes a megalomaniac.
The guess here is that LeBron might have outschemed himself. The guess here is that a lot of folks who wouldn’t have minded if he won are now hoping he’ll lose.
And with that, I’ll open the phone lines for comments, wisecracks and admiring comments about the quality of ESPN’s coverage. Join me as we WITNESS — another big LeBron word — “The Decision.” And heaven help us all.
Oh, and for a look at esteemed colleague Mike Luckovich’s artistic take on King James, click here.


Live on LeBron: 'The Decision' reaches its bloated climax | Mark Bradley

[Dirty]

Can you imagine how many times the heat will be on TV this season? WOW

[Reno Paul]

I'd like to see the odds on the Heat winning the NBA Championship now.

2.5-1 maybe????

[Dirty]

Before everyone starts screaming he screwed Cleveland and it was about money.... he left $30 million on the table to go the the Heat.... He just wants to win


I am sure Greek may have odds up in the next few days....

[juuso]

Wow! Champions caliber team here. Wade and Lebron together should be huge. I'd like to see strong center with them too, but they should do well even with an average center in the team.

[Dirty]

It sure is going to be fun to watch how this team grows together