Hersh Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 This is another reason I don't respect Lebron: "I did it the right way; I didn't short-cut anything," James said. "It's the hardest thing I've ever done." This is another reason I respect Durant: "It's tough, that's the only way to explain it. As a whole I'm proud of the guys for how we've fought all season," Durant said. "I wouldn't want to play for anyone else or any other city." One guy will bring a championship home to his team where it will mean more in my opinion. The other joined his rivals to win a championship. I respect the superstar guys that fight against the best in their prime and don't go join them to win a championship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoSkins0721 Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I mean that's not always true. Take Tony Romo sits to pee for instance . . . :hysterical: As far as respect goes, I absolutely respect him as a ball player, but think he is a scumbag otherwise. Pretty much my thoughts. "Scumbag" might be a bit harsh, but close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chew Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 The other joined his rivals to win a championship. I respect the superstar guys that fight against the best in their prime and don't go join them to win a championship. of all the Lebron praise/hate, this is probably the point I agree with the most. He realized he couldn't do it himself, so he met with two other top 15 players in the east and basically decided "why should we play against each other when we can play with each other?" Kinda cheap, but whatever. Cleveland didn't bring Lebron any help, so I guess he had to roll out. I don't agree with how it was done, but he finally got himself a championship. "The King finally has a ring." he won it fair and square, so the hate is over. some people are already bring up the "can he get the rest of his not 1 not 2 not 3..." but I say that thhis dude shine for a few months before u start talking about the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 He has my respect as a basketball player. He came to play and he had an incredible Finals. The Decision will always bee one of those memorable moments that will mar my perception of a person; but I don't feel as strongly about it as I used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Although, I would argue that this was the easiest of years for this to happen. It was a year of less wear and tear, less planning and strategy, less need for depth, and so physical greatness counted more this year than most. I think it's the opposite. There were what, 16 less games this season than usual? But the season started two months later than usual. The schedule was absolutely grueling this season. More back to backs than I can ever remember, unheard of back to back to backs for almost every team. I think Miami played in something like 5 games in 6 days at one point.This was the most physically taxing season of any of these players careers. Battier talked about how brutal the schedule was at one point, complaining that he had no time to recover from injuries like he usually did. He's the type of player that gets injured a lot too, draws post defense on seven footers and has to throw his body around taking charges and hard fouling. Depth took you farther this year than any other year. There were points when teams like Denver and Indiana had the best records, and look how far Philly made it this season on pure depth. They were picking 2nd overall two years ago. LeBron's consistency this season was downright freakish. Him putting up an automatic 30, 8, and 8 every damn night while his efficiency just kept climbing to career highs should have been impossible. Not this year with that schedule. That kind of nightly focus and endurance is crazy when you think about how exhausted and injured everyone in the entire league was. This schedule did Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard in and basically took them out of the playoff picture this year. Look across the league and scoring and efficiency were down for every single player except LeBron and Durant pretty much. Those guys aren't normal human beings, even by NBA star player standards. Like Bill Simmons said, LeBron is a cyborg, you can't injure him. He's like Terminator, he'll just just paste his skin back over his metal chassis until he no longer feels the need to carry on with the facade of humanity. Those leg cramps were the first time I think I've ever seen him show physical weakness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Larkin Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 The butt hurt in this thread is SKY HIGH . . . Haters gonna hate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chew Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 The butt hurt in this thread is SKY HIGH . . .Haters gonna hate. Typical Lebron fan/defender response...LOL I'm pretty sure just about every person in this thread gave Bron his props. Additional opinions might have been spoken on, but the "do you respect lebron, yes or no" question has been pretty much a "yes" from everybody... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.T.real,lights,out Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Nah, if that were the case he'd have at least six championships by now. He has begun to deliver on the promise expected of him. This is only one. He isn't in Michael territory yet or even Kobe. Give me a break..he has what 3 MVP's, he's one of if not the best player in the world but b/c he couldn't win with a terrible Clev team he hasn't lived up to what was expected of him. Crazy talk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCsportsfan53 Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I was a fan of his when he entered the league and for the first 2 or 3 years but he wore on me hard. Turned into a full on hater in recent years, hated the way he acted on and off the court and the way he carried himself but you have to give him credit. To come out and publically say he was immature and not happy with the way he conducted himself personally and professionally takes both guts and the self reflection that so few athletes are capable of today. He really was a different guy this year and you saw it all through the playoffs. No more whining about calls, no more tantrums. He no longer looked like a guy who felt he was entitled to the title, he looked like a humbled guy working his ass off to earn it so my respect level for him has gone up immensely and would have even if they had lost this series. I was genuinely happy for him last night and the look on his face when he hugged that trophy was awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HooHog Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 DC53 - I agree with pretty much everything you said there. To be honest, he gained back a lot of respect from me last night not just in playing well or getting over the hump. I loved watching him tell Chalmers to stfu when Mario decided to ham it up for the crowd. Seems to me like he's grown up a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan T. Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 What was the first thing Lebron James did when the buzzer sounded? He walked to the OKC bench and hugged Kevin Durant and the other Thunder players. I respected that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chew Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 What was the first thing Lebron James did when the buzzer sounded? He walked to the OKC bench and hugged Kevin Durant and the other Thunder players. I respected that. That was HUGE for me too. He talked to KD for like 10 seconds. Shows how much he's matured. Bron was a different person this year than the jerk/douche he was in the past...he admitted it himself, he was disappointed in himself over the last few years with how he conducted himself. There was so much humility last night... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ixcuincle Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 The maturity factor is also why LeBron is more likable than Ronaldo. Ronaldo still acts like a kid. LeBron is a man. A grown man. Good for him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVAbrendan Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Maybe Lebron isn't the most wholesome dude out there, but he certainly hasn't done anything to warrant the kind of Heat (pun intended) that he gets. Sure, the Cleveland exit pony-show was in bad taste, but people have got to realize loyalty in sports is not what it once was. If you had a choice of living and playing in Cleveland, OH or moving to Miami, FL and playing with some other superstars, what would you pick? Personally, I was sick of hearing about the guy not winning a ring. I'm glad he did so we can all move on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Typical Lebron fan/defender response...LOLI'm pretty sure just about every person in this thread gave Bron his props. Additional opinions might have been spoken on, but the "do you respect lebron, yes or no" question has been pretty much a "yes" from everybody... Well, seeing as how "No" is actually winning the poll, the evidence does not support your conclusion here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdiamond Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Video from his celebration last night... notice who's on his shirt... real classy. (you can see him at :22 seconds in) My issue with him is not only how he handles himself, but the fact he should put up even better numbers than he does most nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teller Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Great player, but the decision was the ultimate dick move. If you're going to rip a city's guts out, do it quietly, not in a prime time special. Imagine RGIII playing out his rookie contract and then doing some **** like that to announce he was "taking his talents to Independence Hall." STFU. So yeah, I respect his game, but I have no use for him as a person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Although, I would argue that this was the easiest of years for this to happen. It was a year of less wear and tear, less planning and strategy, less need for depth, and so physical greatness counted more this year than most. Legtimate question: are you freaking insane? This was the most grueling NBA season in history. Bar none. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor703 Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 As a basketball player I respect him, but he still has a long way to go before I respect him as a person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulane Skins Fan Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I respect his ability to play basketball. I don't respect his ability to be a person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 By the time he retires, I think LeBron will be one of the most beloved figures in the history of the NBA. LeBron's story is sensational: - Mozartesque basketball prodigy that signs a 90 million dollar shoe contract as a high schooler, - comes in and takes the league by storm, wins his first scoring title by age 23. - wins two MVPs by age 25. Everyone realizes "Holy crap, he's still years away from his prime..." - relationship gets rocky in Cleveland despite his individual and team success, drama thickens, he leaves the city in a daze and the franchise nearly collapses, going from first two one of the worst teams ever. - hubris gets off the charts with that dramatic pep rally moment + childishly mocking Dirk during the finals. Tries to embrace his new role as the NBA's heel but can't. Goes from the top of the sport to universally scorned and mocked in a single year. Hits rock bottom. - comes back the next year with a post game, shuts his mouth, wins an incredibly special third MVP (at just 27, holy crap), and actualizes every bit of his impossibly good basketball potential on a historic march to a championship. And that might just the first half of his career. His story is such a spectacular bildungsroman. Fans will be boasting about watching LeBron James play to the youngsters once they are old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticksboi05 Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 It doesn't change my opinion of him. He's still a whiner on the court. That makes me dislike a lot of NBA players though. I already respected him as the best player in the NBA which he locked up a few seasons ago. He had a dominant playoff run which isn't unexpected. He's experienced and he was hungry. Honestly, you know what's as annoying as people who still try to say he sucks, people who stroke themselves for defending him. People are going to think what they want to think. Cry about it. And it's a shame that Rose tore his ACL taking out arguably the biggest threat. That said, injuries happen and he earned his ring. Good for him. The fact that he called up and joined the Big 3 in Miami is still going to curb the enthusiasm that the public has over this ring but oh well. He needs to be happy for himself and his team, not the public. But man, you do have to imagine how much of a PR goldmine it would've been if this was Cleveland and not Miami. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulane Skins Fan Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 By the time he retires, I think LeBron will be one of the most beloved figures in the history of the NBA.LeBron's story is sensational: - Mozartesque basketball prodigy that signs a 90 million dollar shoe contract as a high schooler, - comes in and takes the league by storm, wins his first scoring title by age 23. - wins two MVPs by age 25. Everyone realizes "Holy crap, he's still years away from his prime..." - relationship gets rocky in Cleveland despite his individual and team success, drama thickens, he leaves the city in a daze and the franchise nearly collapses, going from first two one of the worst teams ever. - hubris gets off the charts with that dramatic pep rally moment + childishly mocking Dirk during the finals. Tries to embrace his new role as the NBA's heel but can't. Goes from the top of the sport to universally scorned and mocked in a single year. Hits rock bottom. - comes back the next year with a post game, shuts his mouth, wins an incredibly special third MVP (at just 27, holy crap), and actualizes every bit of his impossibly good basketball potential on a historic march to a championship. And that might just the first half of his career. His story is such a spectacular bildungsroman. Fans will be boasting about watching LeBron James play to the youngsters once they are old. What about any of that makes him likeable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 That was HUGE for me too. He talked to KD for like 10 seconds. Shows how much he's matured. Bron was a different person this year than the jerk/douche he was in the past...he admitted it himself, he was disappointed in himself over the last few years with how he conducted himself. I think Lebron recognizes that the Olympics are his chance to become the #1 athlete on the entire planet. He's smart enough to know that the second the buzzer sounded, Durant became his most important teammate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattFancy Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I've always respected him as a basketball player. He'll go down as probably one of the 10 greatest. Its just that off the court he comes off as a douche. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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