Here’s hoping and praying Lorenzen Wright is OK. Wright went missing Sunday.
Can’t say I blame Matt Barnes for wanting to compete for a title instead of rebuilding. Not even a good fit for the Cavs right now at 30. But turning down all that extra money? Things are bad in C-town when more money can’t even buy FA.
Understatement of the year: “They are not blockbuster moves, but the Cavaliers are taking steps to fill holes on their roster.” [Plain Dealer Staff]
Windhorst has GOT to be joking with this one: “Word is LeBron indeed advised Paul to demand a trade but he wants CP3 to stay in Western Conf. to make a better rivalry.” [BW Twitter]
“Now, after the shadiest summer in league history concluded with those three all on the same roster (not to mention the apparent shenanigans with James Jones and Richard Jefferson opting out from and then returning to the Heat and Spurs, respectively), that question has moved from a hypothetical “what if?” to a very real “it did.”" [John Hollinger thinks the Heat will win 63-68 games. sounds familiar?]
“At his home in New York, Miller must be smiling, for James represents the ultimate victory for the player. He broke no rules. He merely exercised his rights. He articulated that the condescending paternalism that is such an odious part of pro sports (could we cease once and for all with calling owners “mister?”) must now give way to full, even cold-blooded partnership. If teams can trade players without the players’ consent, the players must then be able to utilize their power to manipulate the free agency process.” [Howard Bryant]
It was sort of obvious that if LeBron left writers would point out how absolutely atrocious the Cavs rosters the last few years have been. My problem with all this analysis is that the Cavs were very good defensive teams, and that player accolades do not always translate to winning. How many all-star games, MVPs, all-defensive teams etc did Amare Stoudemire play with in Phoenix? They never won “anything” either. The Cavs rosters were full of mostly one-dimensional offensive players because the offense was built around LeBron James.
Shaq wants to be a Celtic. If the Cavs do a sign-and-trade who the HECK do the Celtics have that is young and worth taking a look at?
Should the Cavs retire LeBron’s number? Is Benedict Arnold on Mount Rushmore? Speaking of…”The connection between Arnold and treason continued into the 20th and 21st centuries. In a recent reference, Dan Gilbert, owner of the National Basketball Association’s Cleveland Cavaliers, subtly invoked Arnold in 2010. Upset over the manner in which LeBron James announced his departure from the team, Gilbert’s company lowered the price of posters bearing James’s likeness to $17.41, referring to the year of Arnold’s birth” [Wikipedia BA]
“You think the NBA wants two of its top players in Miami, where basketball runs a distant third to the Dolphins and Miami Hurricane football? Of course not. But this is how players think today. It’s hard to believe, but the new battle cry is the old one: “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.’’ It’s not going to make building a contender any easier in small and mid-level markets. Then again, Kevin Durant likes Oklahoma City just fine. It doesn’t look like he’ll be bailing out on the Thunder anytime soon.” [Mitch Lawrence on CP3]
“LeBron made announcement at 6:27 pm PT. Surprised he didn’t do it at 6:24 so he’d be guaranteed to be Finals MVP next year.” [Question in Simmons Mailbag]
Tweets To The Present: Follow me @tompestak
“These days “brand management” & “doing what is best for your family” apparently means turning off as many of your fans as possible.” [Brian Windhorst]
“For those who missed it, Pooh Jeter, the 5-11 PG who impressed with Cavs summer team, has signed with Kings.” [SamAmico]
“Great day on the course with my coach Byron Scott. Oh yeah we played firestone.” [Mo Williams]
Since when did we get to the point in this world where your boss doesn’t deserve respect? Why should the employee be considered and equal? Showing the employee respect is one thing, but Howard Bryant actually says an “equal partnership.” WHAT? When the owners are the ones who have everything on the line? When the owners are the ones who pay all of the bills? When they owners are the ones who pay the athletes..they are now supposed to be equal? Does that make sense at all to anyone else? Do you consider yourself equal to your boss at work? Do you think you should have the same privileges/power that he does? No, that wouldn’t make sense in a normal work environment.
I agree. People just want to see these guys play together. I think its bad for the league and its bad for sports. I think that players should have power, just like anyone else at their work does: choice of where to work. If you want to change firms you should be able to, as long as the contract you signed allows it. But that doesn’t mean this collusion or elevation to the heights of the owner. Hopefully the new CBA addresses this issue
Eh. I get annoyed with my boss when he says, “My house is on the line.” And mine isn’t? Anyway, comparing sports to any normal working environment is a little silly. That being said, the NBA and every other sports league needs parity. The ironic thing is if the players form their own league in response to a lockout, they’ll need parity too. It can’t all be Globetrotters and Generals.
all i’m saying is that both sides need a little perspective, and should treat each other with respect, which is clearly not happening
There’s a major difference between the operation of a basketball team as a business and a regular private sector business, which is that most people who buy sports teams buy them as a luxury item, a huge boat or plane they can show off. They don’t really buy them to make money off of them so much as to get their box seats and say they own a base/foot/basketball team. If they’re lucky, when they get sick of owning the team and decide to sell, the value will have increased and they can make some money back, but that doesn’t seem to be the point of buying the team most of the time (otherwise, do you think so many teams would be so terribly run?)
In that way, the operations of a sports team are more like those of government. (If you’ve ever taken a political science class, you’ll recognize that sports team owners are one way of solving a collective action problem to provide a public good–professional sports entertainment.) It’s more about providing a service to as many people as possible than about providing the best possible service at the lowest possible cost. So what happens as a result? Budget deficits (paying the luxury tax), union driven salary inflation (Rashard Lewis, Joe Johnson), and a diminished product in an attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator (the entire pyrotechnic, top-forty, cheerleading live game viewing experience).
I agree with Justin regarding the need for perspective from both sides (owners and players). I also agree with Rich’s sentiment that there needs to be an acknowledgement that the owners make this entire thing possible. There’s kind of a knee-jerk syndaclism among NBA fans (no surprise NBA viewers tilt more liberal than most other sports fans) where they seem to want to support the players at all costs, when the situation has more nuances than “labor good, owner bad.”
I’m about at wits end with Henry Abbot. Now the guy is pro-Chris Paul. Talking about how it’s ok for “players to take control of their careers.” Wtf Henry…..he had control and guess what, HE SIGNED A FREAKING CONTRACT! Henry just lazily skips over that part. No mention that Paul could have just passed on the extension, taking the qualifying offer, played for next to nothing last year, and be a FA right now. Nope. That’s ok. Sign your contract. Get your money. Then don’t honor your contract. What kind of ethical code does Henry Abbott abide by?
I can SOMEWHAT understand excusing LBJ. But to say it’s ok for players to force their way out of contracts they signed in a league that is forced to pay said players when they get hurt…even if it’s career ending injuries (see Jayson Williams)? Huh????How is that fair to the owners that a player can sign a contract, get paid a ton, and then not honor the deal..while the owner is stuck with that salary, and if not him, someone else is. One way or another, that player is getting paid. Shouldn’t the owners, at the very least, be able to expect a player to..you know..play?