Windy: After LBJ signed w/ Heat is when he really burned the Cavs

[blazenmp]

My best guess is that he's going to write a book that doesn't hold any punches, while knowing that his coverage of The Decision has garnered national praise and that his talent is well known by larger markets. Windy has a bright career ahead of him.

He is more an author than a reporter. I want the news, the facts from a reporter, not a new novel from an author. I'm not bagging on Windy, I think he's just doing what he can to make a buck. But, isn't a beat reporter supposed to be reporting the facts more than worrying about writing a new book?

 

[blazenmp]

I dunno. Pat Riley already talked Lebron into leaving. Whenever he wants Lebron's attention he just has to flash the rings. Plus he's got the added heft of Wade backing him, and the pressure Lebron has put on himself to win.

I think Pat Riley has an opportunity to exert control on Lebron like hasn't been exerted in his career, and Lebron will be better for it.

It's not like Riley hasn't handled egos before. I mean the man coached Magic Johnson for petesakes, who was as much a primadonna as Lebron.

I think you are giving the man (Riley) too much credit. This was an orchestrated event by players, Riley just happened to be an insider and knew what he needed to do to appease them.

 

[iEchoic]

I'm not sure where some of this Windy criticism is coming from. The guy has been writing for years that #6 has been encouraging the front office to "win now" by going after veteran free agents while foregoing a youth movement. A couple months ago Windy was on The Sports Guy's podcast going over #6's apathy toward recruiting free agents to Cleveland and his inability to get Trevor Ariza to commit. The only new information is what #6 has done since signing with Miami. Now Windy is able to compare that with his actions in Cleveland.

His book painted an overwhelmingly positive picture of LBJ. Now all the articles coming out, including Windy's, make him seem like a reincarnation of Satan, a manipulative, scheming crook. You really don't think there's been a change there? Either Windy hasn't been in the loop that entire time or he's been afraid to write about it.

 

[ThisIsMyAlibi]

His book painted an overwhelmingly positive picture of LBJ. Now all the articles coming out, including Windy's, make him seem like a reincarnation of Satan, a manipulative, scheming crook. You really don't think there's been a change there? Either Windy hasn't been in the loop that entire time or he's been afraid to write about it.

Windbag apologists:

"LeBron has changed!!!"


Wait for it.

 

[MoFlo]

Windbag apologists:

"LeBron has changed!!!"


Wait for it.

Actually, if you followed Windy at all, you'd know that he's been quite critical of LeBron when he's deserved it.

 

[MDLT]

Well, LeBron has changed, in that his ego took him down a road that he hadn't gone down. In short, he took it to another level. Hell, it sounds like even his friends were warning him from what he was about to do.

Further, Windy and virtually everyone else could not have known LeBron had no plans at all to stay in Cleveland. They played that all close to the chest.

These were all significant turn of events, so I don't blame Windy for now looking at the situation from a new angle.

 

[Is it True]

This is far fetched but if some how the Cavs could put together a team that would take apart Miami in the playoffs, this would make my life. As long as Miami never wins a final while Lebron is there. Fucking hate that guy more than anything.

 

[Absinthe]

He really is an idiot if he was pushing for players like Ben Wallace and Shaq. Those players were temporary solutions to long term problems with the team. They should have surrounded Lebron with young players as soon as he was drafted. That way, he could have evolved with those players and they could have grown together as talents and as a team. Ben Wallace, Wally, and Pav were never going to win anything. Blown draft picks, terrible contracts, and betting on overrated vets is what killed the Cavs chances of winning a championship.

 

[PistolPete]

It's not like Riley hasn't handled egos before. I mean the man coached Magic Johnson for petesakes, who was as much a primadonna as Lebron.

“That November, as a new season was set to open, Magic Johnson announced to the world that he was HIV positive, a stunning event that brought revelations about the climate of sexual frivolity around the Lakers. Johnson admitted he had been sleeping with 300-500 people a year. The team’s locker room, and its sauna, had been a place where the star and other players had entertained women, even right after games. Johnson would retire to the sauna after a game, have sex, then put on a robe and return to the locker room for his post-game media interviews. How far had the team gone in condoning such questionable behavior? ‘I cared,’ West said in his interviews for this book. ‘I did things for those guys. It was ridiculous, some of the things I did for those guys. If the public knew they’d be outraged. It was a pretty crazy period for us.’”

Egos were really managed on those Showtime Lakers... Super talented players will do what the hell they want with the backing of the front office 99% of the time : like in society, the rules apply only to those at the bottom of the ladder

 

[Jon]

Yes, LeBron could have made the Cavs job easier, but Trevor Ariza was not going to be the guy to keep him in Cleveland - and it's not like traded players have much of a choice in the matter. We would have gladly taken Amare over Shaq, or Bosh over Jamison, and perhaps even done so without an agreement to extend; but you can't force teams to trade you all-stars for crap.

Fact is even on his rookie contract, LeBron couldn't draw free agents to Cleveland. Have we gotten even a single bargain over the course of his career? Heck, many were turned off at the prospect of having to play second fiddle. Even Damon almost pleaded with Miami to beat the Cavs offer, Sarunas thought he had a better shot of winning in Indiana, Chuky Atkins took a pass because he felt he wouldn't get playtime over Eric Snow, etc, etc.

 

[Green Lantern]

The albatross known as LeQuit is gone..it makes me think the Cavs should have done it the way to ensure their future..use the draft properly and not take on guys on the downside of their careers..but as Windy said they had to do it the way they did..perhaps the first two years of Ferry's hire perhaps they could have done it the old way..get young players and a vet to school him..yeah like that would have worked...