First of all, the following teams in the last 5 years have proven you cannot win a title alone, as a lone superstar:
2010 - We see the Celtics rip and plow through individuals (Howard, LeBron) and we are again reminded of how a combo of players, Pau & Kobe can overcome anything. It also needs to be mentioned that their chemistry and captainship stems from D. Fisher, who is the textbook definition of role player.
2009 - Lakers put the team together, win their first.
2008 - Boston Celtics defeat the Lakers, who saw the Celtics as a team beast, and acquired Pau in order to help All-Universe-All-Time Kobe. Kobe couldn't do it alone, and in his first try he can't even do it with Pau.
2007 - The Spurs are a consummate team. Tony Parker and Duncan led the pack, but Manu may have had his finest, if not most impactful season, in 2007.
2006 - You have to remember that Shaq was a monster back then, and he was injured a lot of this season, and the Heat STUNK. His health v. Detroit and Orlando in the playoffs was huge, and against the Mavs he gave D. Wade the freedom to win MVP. D. Wade, contrary to popular belief, didn't win that alone.
So that's just the last 5 years.
This past weekend, Mike Jordan was quoted as saying the following about the Heat situation:
"There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, 'Hey, look, lets get together and play on one team."
I will now dissect the lies.
- Yes, you would have. Had the opportunity arisen to play on those teams, you would have.
- Magic and Larry, specifically, were past their peak when you reached yours. Talk about your peak contemporaries. This would be like LeBron saying, in 20 years after 6 Cavs championships, "There's no way I would have ever called up Micheal & Shaq and said, let's get together...."
- In a way, you DID exactly what you said you wouldn't do in the Olympics in 1992. Why is this any different? You chose to join forces with all the best players, and dominate.
- Michael refuses to admit that Pippen was dominant, on both sides of the floor, and if he was on any team other than the Bulls, he would possibly be thought of as the 2nd best player of the 1990's. Jordan had his Wade.
- I don't know if the league is different, but Wade & James want to win, and they recognize from the past 5 years, the way to do that is to join with another great player.
I am starting to get really pissed off at this whole situation, because people are holding to their original points, which don't make any sense anymore. Here are some more lies that are being spouted by the public & press, daily:
- On the day they signed, the "The Heat won't have any money!" argument started to appear. Nobody would listen to the fact that James, Wade & Bosh were stating, out loud, "We will take less money!" and they did. The roster in Miami is clearly strong enough to win, this year.
- People are still insisting there is no way LeBron can be in the pantheon of the all-time greats. I may have believed this at first blush, and I certainly held venomous feelings towards him for the insanely juvenile production he put on for 48 hours announcing. But, remember the following things. (1) He is 25, what if him and Wade win 5 of the next 8, or more? (2) What if he averages a Triple Double? (3) What if he has a series like he did v. Detroit in '07? I don't care who is teammates are, that was insanely amazing and repeating would be unreal.
- The biggest lie is that the jealousy of a person of what we would consider sub-acceptable human intelligence at our daily jobs, is able to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars and make life choices that suit him and his family the best. The public & press needs to admit that is the motivation behind most of the anger, and the hope of failure.
Good luck to you, LeBron and D.Wade. I wish you no ill-will.
I disagree with just about all of this. Especially the part about me being jealous. I'm no more jealous of LeBron than I am of the superstars I like. In fact, I am now much less jealous of him.
ReplyDeleteI don't necessarily think you fall into that category of being venomous towards LeBron, are you? I am saying those who are furious with him, for any reason outside of the literal smokeshow he put on in his announcement, are really grabbing at straws.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this was really aimed at you, but more the people who, at the end of the day, think the 3 following things:
1. LeBron should have stayed in Cleveland, where he would have won a title, or multiple titles.
2. Given that he didn't stay, he is never going to be in the upper echelon of players.
3. The "good old days" were a time when Mike Jordan could have won the title with him and 11 Sundaita Gaines', and those days still exist if only LeBron stayed in Cleveland.
I don't see you thinking any of those 3 things - this wasn't really aimed at you.
And I also want to point out that Barkley, who is very outspoken now about the quality of person LeBron is based on moving, went from the Sixers where he was everything, to the Suns, where he had Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle & Danny Ainge, and went on to win 62 games and make the Conference Finals. Barkley is being sorta mean, for no reason.
ReplyDeleteI do believe the first two points, though. I think he should have stayed in Cleveland because I like when players stay in the same place. I also think he could've won multiple titles with Byron Scott coaching that team and a competent GM (don't know if they have one yet).
ReplyDeleteAs for him being in the upper echelon of players, I think he gave up the chance to be MJ, Larry, or Russell and is, instead, settling for being Pippen. Pippen is one of the all-time greats (I think Olajuwon would have something to say about you calling Scottie the second best player of the 90's), but is never in the discussion of the absolute best ever. I would like to have seen LeBron insert himself into that discussion and now I don't think it can ever happen.
You're right about #3, though. I don't give a shit about the good old days. The people who pine for the glory days of the Lakers and Celtics of the 80's will also tell you the league is too watered down now without ever understanding the irony of that thinking.