|
So the weekend is over and absolutely nothing has been accomplished other than Amar'e getting an awful max deal from the Knicks (Donny Walsh has nothing on Isiah Thomas) and Joe Johnson getting an even more awful max deal from Atlanta. Well, nothing but a bunch of sportswriters and so-called journalists trying to gain credibility and ratings by leaking every little thing that they hear to the public. Even if whatever it is they hear makes absolutely zero sense. See Stephen A. Smith about a week ago. So instead...they've just lost all credibility. At this point, I have absolutely stopped paying attention to anyone and everyone, unless their name is Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who has yet to release an unsubstantiated rumor.
For some reason...and I honestly cannot give you that reason...in fact I have no freakin' idea where this sentiment comes from...people seem to believe that LeBron James is staying in Cleveland, Dwyane Wade is staying in Miami, and Bosh is following one of them after both decide. Now Wade, I can understand. Let's ignore the fact that he met with the Bulls twice for over 2 hours, and that he's got incredibly strong roots in Chicago, and that he's going through a nasty divorce and custody battle that could be effected by his decision...let's ignore ALL THAT...and assume that Wade has been playing the Bulls and is nothing but a "spy" for the Heat as so many journalists (I'm looking at you, Bucher) seem to believe. (And that reminds me...just a little side note. I happened to throw in my 2 cents about Bucher being, how shall I say...gullable for simply believing that Wade is not even CONSIDERING defecting to the Bulls and assuming from the beginning that he's just spying for Miami. He was so irked by opinion that he decided to direct message me on Twitter at 3:46 AM a couple of nights ago. Next time, Ric...let's hold out till the sun comes up to offer up a retort.) Anyway, let's ignore all of the above factors, and just assume that Wade is staying in Miami like so many are doing just because he's been unabashedly loyal to the Heat in the months leading up to free agency, even though that means nothing once July 1st hits. Fair enough. Wade may be staying...I have no problem with that opinion.
But answer me this.
Why are so many people all of a sudden SOOOO sure that LeBron is staying in Cleveland? Exactly what has changed in the past 7 days to make people believe that he's leaning more toward Cleveland than Chicago? I mean he clearly has said nothing. His camp has said absolutely nothing. So who is all this coming from? NOBODY. The media is totally making almost all of these rumors up, or simply getting them from their absolutely absurd so-called "sources". Stephen A. Smith must have heard from a friend of a friend of an uncle of a bartender who served a drink to LeBron's baby-mama that he's going to Miami or staying in Cleveland, but absolutely definitely not coming to Chicago. From sources like this...HOW COULD YOU EVEN DOUBT ANY OF THESE RUMORS?
I don't blame the media for rooting against a LeBron defection. The general concensus in the media is to be anti-Chicago Bulls...it stems from all the way back to the MJ days. No one ever roots for a past behemoth in the league to return to glory. Only Chicagoans could be rooting for a switch. That goes for LBJ, Wade, and Bosh. Let's not forget that folks in the media are people as well. They have opinions, and they have preferences. And this past week, a lot of these preferences and opinions have come out. The random rumors from so-called NBA insiders claiming that the general "concensus" is that LeBron is staying in Cleveland, especially when I, or anyone else, have been unable to find any comment, quote, or leak to substantiate this sentiment, clearly conveys the fact that it's very likely that the media are simply rooting for the Bulls to come up empty (I'm looking at you again, Bucher). After all, the Bulls have been, and always will be...the bad guy. Especially in this situation where they are trying to steal away the hometown hero from the poor, underdog loser that keeps on chugging along every year in hopes of eventually winning SOMETHING. But guess what...with or without LeBron, the Cavs have always been losers. Keeping LeBron won't ever change that...especially if Wade and Bosh join forces in Miami and ESPECIALLY since they have no cap-space. And then the Bulls, an already fairly formidable opponent, acquire Boozer or Lee to team up with Rose and Noah. And LeBron knows that.
And that brings me to my next point. At this point in his career, going into his 8th year, LeBron's main concern has to be winning a championship...not money. People, including the highly respected KC Johnson, keep saying players never pass up money even if you can get more W's for less money. You're telling me LeBron is willing to risk never winning a title in Cleveland (which if he didn't last season, definitely won't after this summer...not with that supporting cast) just to appease his hometown fans and take on an extra $25 mill? The guy is on his way to being a freakin' billionaire. In his 8th year, with the knowledge that Jordan won in his 7th, you really think he's going to go for the extra $25 mill rather than jump to a team that is in a much better position to win a title with his presence? Come on. I mean...really? I just cannot buy that. I won't buy that. It makes no sense to me. Trust me, I know a title is not guaranteed in Chicago. But the chances of winning with the Bulls' roster and cap-space has to be at least twice as good as winning one with the Cavs. If anything has become clear to LeBron, it has to be the fact that it ain't happenin' in Cleveland.
So someone explain to me where all of this optimisim for Cleveland comes from. Why are Cleveland fans so optimistic? Why is the media so optimistic on Cleveland's behalf? I understand being hopeful, but the optimism is providing nothing but false hope. LeBron has given no hint that he's staying. His team has given no hint that he's staying. If anything, the fact that he's delaying his decision till after his basketball camp in Akron is over on Wednesday night is a sign that he's LEAVING. If he weren't leaving, why wouldn't he just announce it before or during the camp so he could like a damn hero for those kids and the cities of Akron/Cleveland? What's the point of delaying it till after? Unless, he's leaving, and then it makes perfect sense as to why he's delaying till after. I'm not saying that this is exactly what's going on, but is there anyone out there who can argue with my logic? All I'm saying is there absolutely should not be this much anti-Bulls sentiment and pessimism out there...I have seen nothing that calls for it. If anything, I have seen the opposite. Just wait it out, people.
|
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 