It's not the building, it's the fans. A friend went to a game this year (vs. a nobody) and said that it was still the loudest hoops arena he's ever been too. That's impressive considering how bad they have been lately.Originally Posted by Boston Red
Variatio delectat - Cicero
Ask Boston fans about that. The old Garden was hot, cramped and rocking. Their new building is modern, comfortable and anything but intimidating. It's hard to replicate the environment that leads to the frenzied fanbase.
Agree 100%. They should have gotten Amare Stoudemire when they had a chance. I think the Cavs have crossed the rubicon when it comes to their handling of LeBron and supposedly letting him pick his own coach is a major mistake and a laughable one at that.
True, but LeBron has the chance to put the Bulls back on the map in a big way. Out of all the teams, Chicago can offer the best supporting cast available RIGHT NOW. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah are better than anything on NY or Cleveland.2) I do think that the "ordan issue is huge in Chicago. Put it this way. Jordan is the Bulls. Outside of MJ, they have been one of the worst and least relevant franchises in the history of the NBA. They're winning percentage w/o Jordan is 44% and they have never made the finals. The spectre of Jordan in Chicago is simply too large.
The Nets are a step down from the Bulls, but they are better than the Knicks. The possibility of adding John Wall plus Brook Lopez, as well as the ability to add another high profile FA.3) The Nets, is LeBron willing to spend two years of his prime in Newark (although he was happy to spend seven years in Cleveland...)
And the biggest media circus in America to boot.4) The Knicks....the Knicks. It has to be NY. Think about this. In Chicago, he needs to win a ton of titles to compare to Jordan whereas if he brings one to NY, he is beyond immortal. MSG is the greatest arena in sports (and I'm generally not one for hyperbole). It has to be NY. We are all thinking about 2010 only, but if LeBron/Bosh (etc..) go to NY, you will be others flock to NY. Also, if the Knicks will spend money and will go over the tax.
That and while the Knicks have the money, they have a current roster that is far worse than anything the Cavs have ever had. Even if they add a couple of players, they are seriously lacking in any hope of fielding a decent team for the future.
I'm hoping he ends up with the Bulls. It just makes too much sense, even with the pressure of succeeding Jordan. If anybody can do it, it is either LeBron or Kobe.
Except for that time he traded Antonio Davis and Brad Miller so they could keep the immortal Jonathan Bender.
/bitter Pacers fan disgusted with what has happened to that once proud franchise
Not enough basketballs to go around with that setup.
As a Lakers fan, there's a 0% chance he goes to the Lakers. If -% were possible, I'd go with that.
And he brought Bender back to the Knicks this year ...Except for that time he traded Antonio Davis and Brad Miller so they could keep the immortal Jonathan Bender.
/bitter Pacers fan disgusted with what has happened to that once proud franchise
"The players make the manager, it's never the other way." - Sparky Anderson
It's not so much the building, it's the price point. Most teams price out their die-hard, loud fans. It's sort of a chicken/egg argument.
Variatio delectat - Cicero
I remember visiting Cleveland soon after LeBron was drafted. The sporting goods store was bursting with LeBron gear before he had stepped foot on the court. They changed their uniforms for his first season. He truly is a symbol of the fainting glimmer of hope Cleveland athletic teams have. The city would be absolutely devastated if he leaves.
Let's not go overboard here. Cleveland isn't going to just suddenly stop functioning if LeBron leaves. It's just sports, not life. And as great as he is, this is still a football town. If he leaves and the Browns somehow make the playoffs, Clevelanders would be fine with that. I know they haven't won a championship in a long time, so any will do, but if you asked Clevelanders whether they'd rather have an NBA title, a World Series title for the Indians, or a Browns Super Bowl championship, the vast majority would pick Super Bowl, followed by World Series, with NBA title a distant third. LeBron's big accomplishment has been to get Cleveland interested in the NBA. But they still talk way more about the Browns and Indians than the Cavs when the NBA playoffs are over.
Wear gaudy colors, or avoid display. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. The fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live. Be like your ancestors or be different. We must repeat!
Change LeBron to Jordan, Cleveland to Chicago, and Browns to Bears and you have the same impact.
Variatio delectat - Cicero
I give my Browns fans friends a lot of grief, but I have a lot of respect in that, when they lost the Browns v.1.0, they didn't curl themselves up into a ball and cry "woe is me." They fought like crazy to force Modell to leave the team name and history behind and pressured the NFL to give them an expansion franchise when the NFL hadn't really expressed the intention to expand at that point. When it comes to LeBron, I think most Clevelanders would like him to stay, but they know that if he wants to go, they can't stop him. They just want him to make a decision to either stay or go so they can see how the Cavs react.
The Cavs need LeBron for sure if they want to maintain their ticket sales, but Cleveland as a whole? I think you might see more people put their disposable income into more Browns and Indians tickets. Before LeBron, I'd say a significant portion of the population would have easily traded the Cavs for a decent NHL franchise. There are quite a few hockey fans and high school hockey is pretty popular in a number of communities up here.
Wear gaudy colors, or avoid display. Lay a million eggs or give birth to one. The fittest shall survive, yet the unfit may live. Be like your ancestors or be different. We must repeat!
One thing all of this has done, is further firm my stance that I really hate LeBron James the person.
Just out of curiousity, why is that?
When all is said and done more is said than done.
Calvin Murphy stated on the radio yesterday that the rumors involving Lebron James, West, and his Mom are 100% true. Can anybody say lawsuit and cease and desist.
If you have a losing record at Reds games, please stop going.
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