People hate Lebron and Bosh for leaving, but...

[Akshan]

For all the Heat fans that are flabbergasted by the disdain fans of other teams showed the Heat all I have to say is get over yourself. I live in south Florida and these same Heat fans that come to the defense of LBJ, as should be expected by the way, are the same ones who were showing an ample amount of anger at D Wade for not signing an extension a couple of years earlier and were downright apoplectic when he visited the Bulls during his much more toned down free agent excursions. There is not a Heat fan alive that can tell me they would not be hating D Wade the exact same way other fans hated on LBJ if he did the Decision and subsequently had a premature celebration bragging they would win 7 or 8 rings.

I personally think that the Decision was almost mean spirited as well as self indulgent farce that I'm surprised LBJ didn't think would make him out to be the Grinch that stole a city's dream. Of course every team he visited wanted him and whoever says they didn't is lying. As a Bulls fan I drooled over the thought of D Rose and LBJ trading alley oops to each other and Bosh giving us a true post presence. So I definitely rooted against them not only because we didn't get them but, also for the obnoxious Johnny Come REAL Lately Heat fans who talked so much ish about how they were taking over basketball. I can't speak for the commentators or journalists who definitely had something against the Heat but to think there would not be an extremely high level of hate is bordering on delusional.

As a Chicago sports fan I can tell you definitively, There is always next year.

Dwyane Wade made Miami Heat basketball and is one of the reasons I still watch the NBA so I would root for him even if he decided to sign with the Sacramento Kings.If Dwyane Wade had left Miami and Miami had gotten the 1st and 4th pick in a draft I would have been fine because my team has good management.Pat Riley from 2006 to now made my team go from 15 wins to 2 wins away from a title. Plus you live in South Florida and I been to South Florida , Miami is not a big basketball place but it's an amazing place to live and if I was 25 and had millions I would live in Miami ... I love South Beach and Biscyane Blvd.Also Miami fans are always late because come on its Miami they out drinking and **** but come playoffs it's packed and really loud you can't judge them based of the rich people who sit in the 2 grand seats.

[Akshan]

MLSE you look like a Raptors fan if you could get rid of everyone off your roster and get LeBron James and Dwyane Wade while having Chris Bosh stay would you throw a parade Yes or No ?

The **** no I would have a parade.

No way would I want a parade, I want a parade for winning.

You can take that how you want, but I am very serious... I'm not a fan of counting chickens before they hatch.

edit: My favorite time of year isnt free agency or the draft, it's the postseason. As a Toronto Sports fan I am sick of losing, nothing else matters to me but getting a chip.

Toronto is really not a big party place loll Miami always throws parades for big names look at Shaq when we got him but guess to each is their own and sorry to burst your bubble but Toronto getting a chip won't happen for a long time especially if they draft a player who won't be in the NBA for another 1 or 2 years

[magic1fan]

sorry but i have to laugh at people who claim other teams are jealous that bron and bosh went to miami. as we witnessed this year those three pairing up guarantees nothing. my team just went to three straight finals and won two straight. why exactly would i hate him? the bulls have a young team primed to be just as good if not better than miami why would they hate? most people probably don't really care. their arrogance and ignorance is funny. the pre celebration,making fun of dirk, that stuff is not cool,but it is no reason to hate them.

[6_Rings]

Cuz they lied to their teeth about teaming up. Wade even did the crying game in Chi to smokescreen Lebron's intentions. Traitorous bastard. Then came the whole dancing introductions which really was insult to injury.

[Heat3]

Cuz they lied to their teeth about teaming up.

Lied about what? Do you ever think that if your team had the cap room to sign all three then they might have considered going there? That always slips your mind doesn't it. Miami can sign 3. Chicago can sign 2. Hmm...were to go?... You guys dumped Salmons, dumped Kirk, should have gone all in if you really wanted to sign them all. For all the talk of they were already going to Miami, that would have never happened if Miami couldn't clear the room. The Heat went all in and was ready to rebuild with Chalmers and Beasley if it blew up in their face.

Wade even did the crying game in Chi to smokescreen Lebron's intentions. Traitorous bastard.

Traitor to whom? This is completely asinine! He never played or was employed by the Chicago Bulls. What exactly is he turning his back on? Are you automatically obligated to do what an employer wants simply because they are from the same city you are from? LOL...please apply that to your own life and see how irrational that is.

Then came the whole dancing introductions which really was insult to injury.

Insult to what injury? Three guys that aren't on your team, had never been on your team are being presented to fans of the team they are employed by? One of which had played for this same team for seven years already? That insults you? Do you get insulted when you travel outside of Chicago and see fans of other teams wearing non-Bulls jerseys?

By your responses it's pretty easy to see why you hate: they aren't Chicago Bulls. Don't try to pass it off as anything else.

[MF Doom]

People still mad at LeBron?

People need to let it go and move on.

[knicksNOTslick]

Just because we hate on Lebron, it doesn't mean we're mad. LOL The dude just failed in the biggest stage of his career and he came up short. Really, really short. Yea, I'm really mad. You can tell by the number of times I'm laughing AT him bricking shot after shot in the 4th and passing it to his lowly teammates.


And to the Lebron homers/Heat bandwagoners that defend him by saying "Yea, Lebron is a douche but so is most of the NBA"... well, we definitely don't like the douche that the media is trying to shove us into liking him and constantly crown him King and Future of the NBA when he hasn't even played in the NBA. Come on, he was manufactured as a superstar before he even earned it and that's why he felt entitled AND has this huge ego. Nobody likes those types of guys.

And some of you guys think ESPN is anti-Lebron??????? What channel was the decision on again? LOL ESPN worships Lebron and the ground he walks on (with the exception of Skip Bayless). It's just that it's really hard to defend him now cuz he's been choking.




Also, people generally root for the underdog, the guy who leaves it all on the line when his team needs it. People love competitors who shine through when their team needs it most. People were rooting for Lebron when Cleveland was the underdog to the Spurs. People still liked him at that time. Had he risen to the occasion and played through under pressure, they could've made the FInals against the Celtics in his last year in Cleveland. And who knows, he would've gotten the respect of his haters had he just risen to the occasion. BUT NO, Lebron didn't do any of those things. He opted to join a team that on paper, looked most dominant. He bragged about winning multiple championships before they even played... AND to top it all off, he showed everyone that he's a loser by wilting under pressure.

Why would people root for that guy?

[Sedale Threatt]

...that 3 man party/intro thing wasn't bad thing.

Yeah it was. One of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen.

[doozyj]

Nobody hates Bosh, only Lebron.

[knicksNOTslick]

Nobody hates Bosh, only Lebron.

Yup. I find it hilarious though when people make fun of him or discredit him as part of the Big 3.

[Sky_Knicks]

"The Decision" is the lesser issue for me. I hate Lebron because hes an arrogant buffoon/jerk and his ability to hide this from so many is so good that it angers me . I have never liked him so every time I hear "You're just mad he didn't choose your team" I get annoyed.

I do not hate/dislike Bosh. He seems like a pretty nice guy. Unfortunately, by choosing to join the Heat, he too must deal with some hate. But I don't get the feeling that people think Bosh is a douche like Lebron. They just enjoy calling him weak and making fun of him cuz hes on the heat.

[DanTown8587]

Cuz they lied to their teeth about teaming up.

Lied about what? Do you ever think that if your team had the cap room to sign all three then they might have considered going there? That always slips your mind doesn't it. Miami can sign 3. Chicago can sign 2. Hmm...were to go?... You guys dumped Salmons, dumped Kirk, should have gone all in if you really wanted to sign them all. For all the talk of they were already going to Miami, that would have never happened if Miami couldn't clear the room. The Heat went all in and was ready to rebuild with Chalmers and Beasley if it blew up in their face.

Bulls could have easily, and rumored to, dump Deng to sign all three. The choice was there's. Even LeBron and Wade have alluded to this in the past. So the theory "But the money wasn't there" doesn't hold weight. The Bulls didn't, rightfully, deal Deng unless they were then signing James in the next move.

The Heat, Bulls and Nets had the cap space (or ability to move pieces) to get the cap space to sign all three. Reasons for why Wade, James and Bosh chose Miami are pretty clear. But let's not chalk this up to "Miami had fore thought, no one else did".

[No Offense]

It's so funny watching people attempt to justify liking him and downplaying what he does. I know it's funny because it wasn't long ago that I was doing the same exact thing.

[The4thHorseman]

I hated Lebron way before he stepped foot on an NBA court. I don't like players that feel entitled...like they are already crowned KING before they prove themselves. And don't tell me it's the media's fault because this kid had CHOSEN ONE tattooed on his back. He is far from being humble and I already didn't like that from him.

Then the whole 2010 FA summer came. I don't think I would've been mad if he took on a challenge like the Bulls, Knicks or even stay put with the Cavs... BUT Mr. Chosen One himself decided to go to Staples and purchase the EASY button. He went to the Heat team to form a Big 3 after so many years of calling himself KING and telling everyone they are WITNESSES. That's just pathetic to me and I can never respect him for that.

So yea, before the decision and before Lebron was a household name, I already didn't like him.


Nothing's changed. I'm a Knick fan but I can respect Michel Jordan and Reggie Miller as great competitors, but not Lebron James.

If he took on a challenge??? He played 7yrs for a horrible franchise who hardly have any postseason success in the teams existence before he got there. Nobody put a gun to his head and told him to sign and then "re-sign" with Cleveland.If he wanted it the EASY way he would have never signed with Cleveland in the first place. Not his fault that GM Danny Ferry is an idiot when it comes to giving out contracts.

When has he ever referred himself as "King" to the media or others? When did he tell people publicly to "Witness what I do on the court."

After everything you said above on why you dis-like him and can never respect him, you wanted him to come to NY. Makes no sense man.

[MLSE]

The **** no I would have a parade.

No way would I want a parade, I want a parade for winning.

You can take that how you want, but I am very serious... I'm not a fan of counting chickens before they hatch.

edit: My favorite time of year isnt free agency or the draft, it's the postseason. As a Toronto Sports fan I am sick of losing, nothing else matters to me but getting a chip.

Toronto is really not a big party place loll Miami always throws parades for big names look at Shaq when we got him but guess to each is their own and sorry to burst your bubble but Toronto getting a chip won't happen for a long time especially if they draft a player who won't be in the NBA for another 1 or 2 years

uhh Toronto is a pretty huge party city, don't let your assumptions get it twisted.... and I will deal with no parades until then my friend it'd be corny to have one otherwise.

[Walid]

As a raptor fan I don't hate Bosh or the way he left, it was his decision and that's cool. We're rebuilding rather than remaining a mediocre treadmill team.

As for LeBron, lol.

[kingkirk]

People don't hate Bosch. And they don't hate Lebron for leaving. They hate him for the WAY he left.

Don't get it twisted.

What he said, whcih has been explained a million times, yet it still doesnt get through...

[Conclusion]

People don't hate Bosch. And they don't hate Lebron for leaving. They hate him for the WAY he left.

Don't get it twisted.

What he said, whcih has been explained a million times, yet it still doesnt get through...

It's just a sorry excuse for the degree of hatred LeBron gets. If you legitimately hate LeBron only because of the way he left, then you are one extremely sensitive person, and everyone probably thinks you're annoying. If another player did the exact same thing, I guarantee you that he would have gotten 1/5th of the ridiculous hate LeBron gets. It's just a double standard that is based upon LeBron's prevalence in the media, his skill level, and grand expectations. Don't pin all your hatred on a measley poor PR choice; I'm sure it's a component, but overall it's just a lame excuse.

[coldfish]

I didn't hate O'Neal when he left Orlando and formed a super team in LA.

I didn't hate Grant Hill when he left Detroit. I didn't hate Tmac when he left Toronto. Both of those guys spurned the Bulls too and tried to form a super team in Florida. Sound familiar?

People weren't trying to burn Eddie Jones in effigy when he took a max contract to play for the Heat.

My dislike for Lebron has nothing to do with the fact that he left his team or didn't come to mine. I don't see why that's so hard to comprehend. Free agency movement has been going on for a very long time and included elite players. None of them ever got this backlash which is pretty good evidence that the backlash isn't based in the fact that these guys changed teams or even joined up.

[NO-KG-AI]

How many elite players have left in the last 10 years? It's really not about the decision, LeBron, like "the man" in every sport lately has had half the media and fan world just waiting for him to do something to give them any sort of ammunition.

Honestly, if it bothered people so much as to go on a message board every day to diss and rip on him, dedicate their screen name to hating him, and bring up LeBron in every post, it's just sad.

But really, I dunno what "LeQuit, LeChoke", taking the easy way out, wanting to be WAde's Pippen, not having heart/balls, or any of that has to do with the decision. The backlash is supposedly decision related, but the insults aren't related at all.

Really, the worst thing LeBron did was leave his team on TV, that EVERYONE tuned in to watch, and had a pep rally with his new team where he bucked them up by saying he came there to try and win a ton of championships This leads to insults and bashing on his manhood, his competitive nature, his game, his personal life, his mother, his legacy, everything.

It's really quite hilarious when you think about it, the ESPN generation absolutely needs a bad guy, and when they can't find one, they make one.