Cleveland Cavaliers Probing Miami Heat, LeBron James for Tampering

 

After months of speculation and whispers about potential tampering by Pat Riley and the Miami Heat in regards to the recruitment of LeBron James, it finally appears to be coming to a head. A Yahoo Sports report details that Dan Gilbert and the Cleveland Cavaliers have engaged a prominent law firm to investigate the potential tampering charges that occured prior to LeBron James’ Free Agency and while he was still under contract with the Cavaliers.

After James announced his decision to sign the Cavaliers, several sources reported that James met with Miami Heat President, Pat Riley during the 2009-10 season and while James was under contract with the Cavs. Other reports indicate that LeBron, Wade, and Bosh predetermined their futures as far back as 2008. The NBA indicated that they would not investigate tampering charges unless either the Cavaliers or the Raptors formally requested an investigation take place.

Dan Gilbert has reportedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the law firm’s services thus far, and as is his nature, will spare no expense to get to the truth and to get a firm resolution for his franchise and his fans. The plan for Gilbert is reportedly to be able to hand the NBA enough information to confidently launch a full scale investigation and to quickly arrive at a conclusion.

Some have speculated that the Cavaliers and Raptors would have no technical ability to allege tampering as they ultimately entered into a sign and trade agreement with their respective stars. I would argue, however, that their hands were forced and they had no other option but to get what they could in return after being hung out to dry.

If it is true that these players plotted together to leave their current teams and to team up in Miami ahead of time, it is not only distasteful and disgusting, but illegal. If Pat Riley contacted LeBron James and/or Chris Bosh while they were under contract with other teams, he and the Heat could be in some serious trouble with the NBA. It’s unknown at this point how the NBA would treat Dwyane Wade’s involvement. If Wade acted as a direct agent for Riley and the Heat to relay information and to recruit players that are under contract, I would think this would be an issue as well.

According to league rules, prior to the free agency period which began July 1st, no Miami Heat representative (and this includes Dwyane Wade)was allowed to discuss with James the specific circumstances around Wade, Bosh, and James joining together with the Heat. From all accounts, this is EXACTLY what happened.

In addition to the alleged dinner that Riley had with James during the season when the Cavs played at Miami (this is the same game in which LeBron announced he would change his number from #23 to #6), the Cavaliers’ lawfirm is also investigating a meeting with Riley and Wade with James’ inner circle that allegedly occurred in Chicago in June.

Potential penalties for tampering include front office suspensions, fines, and the forfeiture of draft picks. Many league sources question the NBA’s true desire to investigate these allegations due to the negative attention it would bring to the NBA and it’s biggest stars. After the NBA showed zero desire to look into the allegations when they first came out, it would stand to reason that this is true.

One thing is sure. Dan Gilbert is not going to let this die and he’s going to do everything he can to provide enough evidence to force David Stern’s hand. If Gilbert is able to uncover enough evidence (and it sounds like he is well on his way to do so), Dan Gilbert will be forced to investigate fully.

We’ll see what happens, but there has been enough smoke and things that just haven’t seemed on the up and up to indicate that something happened. The players even admitted that they discussed it at the Olympics and Bosh let it slip during their “Welcome Party” that it was pre-arranged. To what degree though, we’ll have to wait and see.

 

 

Proposal on the Table for NBA Fans

 

 

LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in the history of sports and one of the best players in the NBA today. Period. But NBA fans all over are starting to see who and what he really is. This includes Cavaliers fans who were once blinded by his supreme talent and charisma as well as uninvested NBA fans and general sports fans.

The events of this past summer has come to show us the immense degree of narcissism, selfishness, and arrogance of one LeBron Raymone James. He’s a young, powerful man with great wealth and great fame. Everyone can make a mistake or have a lapse in judgement. Not to mention, the way he seemingly quit against the Celtics in last year’s playoffs and the way he ended his career in Cleveland (http://bit.ly/aYc3fi)

But it just seems to be getting worse.

After losing for the second time this season, to the Boston Celtics, LeBron James complained that his coach, Erik Spoelstra, played him and Dwyane Wade too many minutes. LeBron then went on to intentionally bump his coach in a blatant sign of disrespect. If that weren’t enough, LeBron then is leading an internal campaign against his coach as they don’t believe he’s “the right coach for them” and “he doesn’t let them be themselves”.

That’s just off the court. On the court, LeBron has implemented the stagnant offense he once ran in Cleveland where he dribbles down the shot clock and forces his 4 teammates to stand around the perimeter and wait for a pass. When he doesn’t dominate the ball, he just stands on the wing and watches. This doesn’t sound like the leader he so often proclaims himself to be.

I’m not the only one who sees it either as there have been several pointed articles and columns by respected and well known sports writers. The best, perhaps is Adrian Wojnarowski’s (http://yhoo.it/f1uVwW) continual written beatdown of LeBron James.

At this point, LeBron has been nothing but a whiny, selfish, immature, arrogant, dick and diva. NBA and sports fans everywhere are growing tired of the crybaby (http://bit.ly/b6haqZ).

So I propose, in honor of December 2nd and from this point forward, that his name never be spoken again. I propose that he shall only be referred to as #6.

I propose that we no longer speak, write, or type his name.

From now on, he is only #6.

 

 

 

Breaking News: Miami Heat Players Trying to get Spoelstra Fired

 

Here’s a shocker… The Miami Heat players are trying to get Coach Erik Spoelstra fired behind the scenes, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard.

For anyone who has paid any attention whatsoever, this should be no surprise at all. LeBron James has been publicly disrespecting Coach Spo all season and criticizing the coach for playing him too many minutes. LeBron also purposely bumped into Coach Spo in their loss to Dallas over the weekend. Chris Bosh also publicly criticized the coach for “working them too hard”.

The report indicates that the players are quietly grumbling about Coach Spo’s effectiveness and competence as a coach. They also believe he’s panicking in an attempt to keep his job. They specifically complain that he “isn’t allowing them to be themselves” and is “working them too hard”. One of the other reasons, and this should be no surprise whatsoever, is that Coach Spo publicly called out LeBron James. C’mon… everyone knows by now that NOTHING is LeBron’s fault and no one, let alone a coach, can ever call him out in front of his teammates.

Spoelstra reportedly criticized LeBron in front of the team telling him that he needed to get more serious. He then called him out in front of the team during a shoot around saying that he can never tell when he’s serious. Now I don’t know about you, but if THIS is being taken as harsh criticism by LeBron James, then he’s softer and more mentally weak than I EVER imagined! What a PU$$Y!!!

The players are also apparently questioning Coach Spo’s offensive strategy. If you’ve watched any games at all, you can see right through this. They’re trying to blame the coach, but it’s LeBron and company that are butchering the offense. When they’re unable to push the ball in transition, you see 1 of two things.

1. LeBron dribbles down the clock and either hoists up a fall away jumper or drives into traffic while 4 guys spot up and wait for a pass.

2. Dwayne Wade handles the ball and LeBron stands around on the wing.

Right, I’m sure it’s Coach Spo’s fault that LeBron is running a far worse version of his Cavaliers offense. I’m sure it’s Coach Spo’s fault that LeBron refuses to move without the ball or develop any sort of a post game whatsoever.

It’s no shock that these prima donnas are blaming the coach for their immense failure thus far this season. Just a couple months ago, LeBron James and company stood up on stage and declared themselves NBA champions for the next 8 years. They mocked the entire NBA and the 2 time defending champion Lakers for much of the summer and early NBA season.

Of course, their failure isn’t the players’ fault. It’s only a strange coincidence that the Heat look more like a watered down version of the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s not LeBron’s fault that he’s dominating the ball and destroying any kind of offense whatsoever and turning Dwyane Wade into a jumpshooter. It much be the coach’s fault that they have zero toughness or leadership and that they just want to “chill”.

The details from Chris Broussard are not shocking, but they’re disturbing. And just as Phil Jackson predicted, Erik Spoelstra will wind up getting run out of Miami primarily by disgruntled and suddenly lazy LeBron James. LeBron has made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t respect or even like Coach Spo and he’s going to make sure he’s not around for long. The funny thing is, however, that people think Pat Riley will change things.

Pat Riley is a great coach, executive, and NBA icon. But LeBron James doesn’t respect anyone. Mike Brown took the blame for the Cavaliers offensive woes for 7 years in Cleveland. It was Mike Brown who wasn’t offensively bright enough and who forced the Cavaliers to stand around and watch LeBron James dribble down the shot clock. Well, maybe not so much. As we found out, LeBron James disrespected and undercut Brown constantly. LeBron consistently waived off offensive plays and schemes and did what he wanted. He was just good enough that it worked more often than not.

But when the playoffs came and against good teams, LeBron failed time and time again. Of course, it was never LeBron’s fault. It was always his teammates and/or coaches that held him back. Of course, once he was teamed up with his BFF’s and under the tutelage of NBA legend Pat Riley, they would shatter the NBA record books.

It’s still possible that they get this thing turned around, but it’s unlikely. LeBron has shown that he respects no one and I don’t think it will be any different with Pat Riley. He may publicly say and do the right things, but when it comes down to it, LeBron respects, and listens to one man. LeBron James.

Erik Spoelstra was in a no-win situation from the minute Pat Riley assembled this team. If they made it work and won a title, he merely did was he was supposed to do and what any coach could do with that team. If they struggle, however, it will never be the players’ fault. The Heat can’t change their roster at this point and those “stars” aren’t going anywhere for a few years. The only thing that can be changed, fair or unfair, is the coach.

At this point it’s crystal clear that LeBron James and Chris Bosh at a minimum have zero respect for Spoelstra. Udonis Haslem, the only player with any leadership or toughness on the team is out for an extended period of time and his influence is significantly diminished. LeBron James is running rough-shot over the Heat organization just as he did in Cleveland, but this time, it’s shaping up to be catastrophe.

 

 

 

LeBron is a DICK!

 

Miami Heat Head Coach, Erik Spoelstra is literally in a no-win situation. If he wins it all, he did was he was supposed to do with a “Superteam”. If they don’t win, it will be all his fault. Any time they struggle, despite the clear deficiencies in the team and with certain players, it’s his fault. He’s already being undermined by his players in the early NBA season and the lack of respect seems to be getting worse.

LeBron James publicly called out his coach for “playing him too much” after the Heat were manhandled by the Celtics for the second time in the young season. Chris Bosh then called out his coach for “working them too much” when the “stars” just want to “chill”. Bosh demanded that Coach Spo meet them halfway.

The latest evidence of the complete and total lack of respect for Coach Spo happened in the Heat’s game against the Mavericks. Coach Spo called a timeout and as LeBron James was walking off the floor, Spo was walking onto the floor towards him. LeBron clearly saw him and intentionally bumped into him. Spo was less than pleased as you can imagine and flipped around with a rather angry look. I don’t blame him.

He’s been disrespected time and time again and it’s clear to me that the “stars” are trying to force Pat Riley onto the floor. LeBron James has never respected a coach. He continually undermined and circumvented Mike Brown in Cleveland and made Brown the scapegoat for the Cavaliers troubles. As you can see, the same issues have transferred to Miami and the only constants are LeBron and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Do you really think Big Z is the reason the offense is again stagnant and LeBron either dominates the ball or stands around the perimeter?

I don’t even think LeBron would respect Riley, but he’s clearly fed up with Coach Spo and I think he’ll be disgruntled and dysfunctional as long as Spo is around. There are no guarantees he and the rest of the team will snap back into shape if and when Riley comes down to the floor, because there are serious problems on this team. But there are constant examples and evidence that LeBron and company have ZERO respect for their current coach.

Take a look…  WOW, LeBron is a DICK!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phil Jackson Apologizes for Heat Comments (Well, Kinda)

 

Phil Jackson is arguably the best coach in the history of the NBA. He is undoubtedly the best coach in the history of the NBA when it comes to mind games, psychological warfare, and good, old fashioned, gamesmanship. They don’t call him the Zen Master for no reason. Phil talks a lot… but there is meaning (albeit sometimes hidden or subtle) behind each and every public comment he makes.

Last week, Phil commented on the possibility and according to some, likelihood, that we’ve all been speculating about since the Miami Heat landed their prized free agent class. This possibility or certainty depending on who you ask, is that of Pat Riley returning to the floor to coach a team that has a chance to win a title and pushing out incumbent coach, Erik Spoelstra much in the same way he did with Stan Van Gundy the last time the Heat won. Although as of today, it would appear that any coaching by Pat Riley would be done to salvage the season and to avoid the biggest bust in sports history rather than to take over once the team was primed for a championship.

Last week Jackson said:

“The scenario that sits kind of behind the scene, is that eventually these guys that were recruited — Bosh and James — by Pat Riley and Micky Arison, the owner, are going to come in and say, ‘We feel you (Riley) can do a better job coaching the team. We came here on the hopes that this would work,’ and whatever, I don’t know. That’s kind of my take on it, is that eventually if things don’t straighten out here soon, it could be the Van Gundy thing all over again.”

Phil drew large criticism for his comments and the target of his comments, Erik Spoelstra, called them “Inappropriate” and “Ignorant”. I don’t blame him. Spoelstra is in a no win situation in Miami. If he wins, he did what he was supposed to do with that kind of talent. If he loses, then it’s all his fault as we have already learned that nothing is LeBron James and company’s fault.

In addition, no matter what he does or says, the players clearly don’t respect or listen to him. Just look at the comments by LeBron James criticizing the coach for playing him too many minutes. Just look at Chris Bosh‘s comments that the coach is inappropriately working them too hard when they just want to “chill”. They clearly have no respect for “Coach Spo” as they like to call him (largely because they can’t pronounce his name). Hell, LeBron couldn’t even pronounce the name of the damn OWNER!

And the last, and maybe difficult situation working against Spoelstra is that he must constantly look over his shoulder waiting for Pat Riley to come downstairs in his $5,000 suits and push him out the door like he did a few years ago with Stan Van Gundy. He’s just in a no win situation and the last thing he needs is the game’s best coach predicting that he’ll be pushed aside. The only thing worse would be for one of his 3 stars to say the same (as if they haven’t already said so in private).

Jackson has since softened on his stance saying “It was an off-handed remark about if things continue to go poorly for Miami, what might happen. But, obviously Stan felt that he had to say something. Unfortunately he got defensive about it. I didn’t mean to do that. I should apologize because I do not know about his situation.”

Some apology huh? Well it gets better in typical Phil fashion:

“Stan was going home to be with his family and that was his reason for leaving. I have no idea about the rest of it; why he came back out (to another job) after retiring and being with his family. But, that’s his decision and fine.”

When discussing his previous comments about Spoelstra Phil offered a slightly more genuine tone:

“I’m not throwing any aspersions on Spoelstra. He’s a very fine young coach.”

Now like I said, Phil doesn’t say much, if anything, without a reason. He is the very best at getting in the opponent’s head and it certainly appears that he’s already done so as the Heat and the Magic are two of the main competitors for the Lakers in the East.

In addition, he’s 100% correct and he’s not saying anything that every other basketball fan, writer, or analyst hasn’t been saying for months! Maybe Phil is trying to subconsciously talk the stars into lobbying for Riley to coach. The more dysfunction that exists in the Miami locker room, the better. For the Lakers and the rest of the league who were mocked by the South Beach Trio during their “Welcome Party”.

Either that, or Phil is trying to get the scenario out in the open to make it harder for Riley to take over quietly or to make up some BS excuse as to why Spoelstra is stepping down. Even though we would all have known exactly what was going on anyway if it were to happen, after these comments, there will be little doubt.

LeBron Just wants to have FUN

 

In a Cindy Lauper-esque fit of whining following the Heat’s blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers, LeBron James made it clear that he just wants to have fun! As if the motivations of the superstar trio weren’t made painfully clear last week when Chris Bosh criticized Coach Erik Spoelstra for working the team too hard when they “just wanna chill”. Bosh then demanded that the coach “meet them halfway.”

Brian Windhorst, former Cavs beat writer, accepted a job with ESPN to cover the Miami Heat this season. He is as familiar as anyone with LeBron James as he’s followed him throughout his high school and college career. Windhorst quoted LeBron James last night as saying:

“You’ve got to have fun while you’re (playing). We’re not doing that right now, we’re not having fun at all.”

I hate to tell you LeBron, but ask Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant if winning NBA Championships is “fun” while you’re fighting for NBA prominence. It’s clear that LeBron and company not only assumed, but EXPECTED the rest of the NBA to roll over for them and hand them the trophy.

This type of attitude is exactly what has been holding LeBron’s incredible physical talent back from reaching its full potential. He is mentally weak. Period. Everyone thought Dan Gilbert was batshit crazy when he said about LeBron, “some people think they should get to heaven and and not have to die to get there.”

But looking at how LeBron and the Miami Heat have approached this off-season and the beginning of the regular season, it certainly rings true.

LeBron is the one who stood up on the stage in Miami with the dry ice and the lights and club music predicting not 5, not 6, not 7, not 8 championships. LeBron is the one who stood up there mocking the rest of the NBA by saying that Pat Riley could literally step onto the floor today and run the point with him and they would still dominate the NBA.

LeBron is now the man who whined about playing too minutes after he failed down the stretch against the rival Celtics. The one who always points the finger in the opposite direction. It has never been and in LeBron’s mind, will never be his fault. EVER.

The Miami Heat are now 8-6 and while there is a lot of NBA season ahead of us, they are severely struggling. They have been manhandled and beaten around and they look NOTHING like an NBA Champion or a team to challenge Jordan’s 72 win total.

The Heat just lost the only player with any mental or physical toughness, any leadership whatsoever, and any heart in Udonis Haslem for the foreseeable future. And after this horrific start, after LeBron has turned the Miami Heat with all his own handpicked teammates into a watered down version of the Cavaliers offense, he just wants to have fun.

LeBron thinks “having fun” is the key to winning in the NBA? I hate to tell him, but he and the team aren’t having fun because they’re not very good. They’re not having fun because the rest of the NBA isn’t rolling over for them; they’re actually making them work for what they want. They’re not having fun because LeBron’s domination of the basketball and complete disruption of anything resembling an offense has turned Dwyane Wade into a spot up jump shooter. And just look at how Dwyane has played this year to see if that’s going to be a successful formula.

The Bottomline is you just have to look at LeBron and the way he approaches the game and any objective person can see that mentioning him in the same breath as Jordan, Bird or Magic or even Kobe is pure blasphemy!

Jordan, despite the fact that he and the Bulls WERE actually that much better than everyone else, NEVER just expected teams to lay down and hand him the trophy. Just ask Jordan and Kobe what it takes to win an NBA Championship and I guarantee you the word “FUN” will NEVER come out of their mouth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ESPN Reporter:” LeBron Didn’t Quit, He Choked” (Video Attached)

 

Former Akron Beacon Journal and Cleveland Plain Dealer Cavs beat writer, Brian Windhorst has followed LeBron James as closely as any other journalist on the planet. Following “Windy’s” great coverage of the 2010 summer of free agency and the debacle that was “The Decision”, the Axis of Evil, aka ESPN offered Windhorst a job as a national writer. Of course, ESPN assigned him specifically to cover the Miami Heat as they have dedicated unprecedented programming and resources to following their cash cow, LeBron James.

I personally don’t have the slightest issue with Windy “taking his talents to South Beach”. He’s a young, up and coming sports writer and there is no doubt that ESPN will provide him great exposure and experience nationally. Some Clevelanders, however, were less than pleased with what appeared to be Windy following LeBron James down to Miami and continuing to carry out ESPN’s extreme bias and lack of independence as it relates to LeBron and the Heat.

So the hosts of a new Cleveland Sports Talk “Radio” Show (It’s online) at Cleveland.com’s Digital Sports Network conducted a 45 minute interview with Windy last week. The guys at “The Gloves are Off” show that airs from 2-6 PM on weekdays pulled no punches and went after Windy on several tough questions. It was honestly refreshing to have hosts actually dig deep into issues and ask uncomfortable questions instead of just lobbing the customary softballs.

For the full interview, please visit this link (http://bit.ly/aqznlG) and while you’re there take a moment to check out the daily lineup as there are some very good programs available literally all day.

Of particular interest, was the section of the interview that focused on the issue of tampering by both Heat President, Pat Riley and Heat player, Dwyane Wade. Now, from the information that is provided in this interview, which is consistent with everything I’ve heard all summer, there doesn’t appear to be any way that this will be even pursued by the Cavaliers or the NBA League Office. But from what Windy is saying, the Miami Heat are acting awfully suspicious and guilty in their actions. And it has been reported by more than one reputable reporter so I have little doubt that the meeting between Pat Riley and LeBron James during the 2009-2010 NBA season and while LeBron was under contract with the Cavaliers actually took place.

The issue of Dwyane Wade acting as an agent for the Heat in discussing free agency and recruiting with players who are under contract with other teams is also interesting and at the very least, appears inappropriate. Again, it could never be proved and nothing will ever come of it, but it certainly appeared that the players controlled the NBA and the league office had little or no control over the free agency process over the summer. If nothing else, the NBA cannot be pleased with this appearance.

Not to mention, the NBA’s philosophy is for superstars to stay with the teams that drafted them. They set up the rules, salary cap, and contracts to provide incredible incentives to allow this to happen. With the trend of superstars leaving their original teams to join up with other superstars continuing, if not growing (Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and we’ll see who’s next), the NBA again, is losing control over the process and their league.

The next area of particular intrigue of the interview is when the guys press Windy on his thoughts regarding LeBron’s effort in not only game 5 of the Boston series, but the series as a whole. They flat out asked him if he believed LeBron quit. Windy’s answer was interesting as he said he didn’t think LeBron quit, but rather choked under the pressure. Windy explained that, in his mind, choking is far worse than quitting as choking shows that you just don’t have what it takes whereas if you quit, you could’ve gotten the job done but chose not to put forth effort. And I have to give tremendous credit to Windhorst for being one of the very few ESPN employees who have ever said anything this critical of LeBron James.

Windy went on to say that he’s seen several instances throughout LeBron’s career when he handled pressure very poorly and some of his worst performances were in situations with the greatest pressure. He pointed out the misnomer that LeBron has been very “clutch” in his career by citing the fact that his best games were actually in situations where there was little, to no pressure on James as he was the underdog and had nothing to lose.

I thought this was particularly interesting as I’ve heard LeBron apologists for years cite his “clutch” performances against the Pistons and Wizards but they fail to acknowledge the fact that the failures far outweigh the great performances and pressure certainly appears to be something that LeBron struggles with.

Windy then went on to cite an undisclosed instance, prior to the Boston series, that indicated that LeBron was not only struggling with pressure, but crumbling under pressure. Windy made it clear that due to his relationships in the NBA and his need to maintain trust and confidence in those relationships that he wasn’t able to disclose the specifics. He did say that it had nothing to do with the Gloria and Delonte scandal.

So the question is, WTF is this situation that he’s referencing? 

I’ve heard speculation that it was related to the lawsuit from the man claiming to be LeBron’s father as the timeline seems to match up. I would sure hope that this isn’t what caused him to choke and quit like a coward, but who knows… LeBron has demonstrated that he’s not the leader, competitor, and mentally tough player that he says he is so I guess it’s possible.

Overall, I loved the interview. They pressed on issues instead of just allowing the BS political answers to pass and got to some great points. I do wish they would’ve spent more time discussing the Boston series, free agency and the current Heat failures instead of focusing so much on Windy’s decision to leave. But who knows, it could have been a condition of the interview as Windy may have wanted to get his side of the story out there for Clevelanders.

I also wish they would’ve asked about the infamous “MVP Celebration” the night before game 2 of the Boston series. I don’t know, maybe this was off limits out of respect to the Cavaliers organization, but I would like to know how accurate these reports are. For those who aren’t aware, it’s been reported that LeBron took his teammates out to celebrate his MVP the night before game 2 and the players were out “celebrating” until 5 AM. Now, the game didn’t tip off until 7 or 8 PM, but still… do you want your “Championship Contending” team partying until 5 AM the night before a game? I don’t think so.

They were able to get 45 minutes out of Windy which is a far longer interview than you’ll typically see and I love that. The issue, however is so complex that I truly hope Windy will come back sometime soon and give them another 45 minutes because there is just so much ground to cover. All in all, it was one of the best and most real interviews I’ve heard in quite some time and certainly on the topic of LeBron.

Bravo to the guys at “The Gloves are Off” and I hope you’ll check them out soon. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miami Heat Calls out Fanbase: “Fan Up!”

 

 

Any NBA franchise would be in absolute heaven if their team landed the free agent class that the Miami Heat compiled over the summer of 2010. Heat fans have been relatively spoiled over the last decade with the acquisition of Shaquille O’Neal and the drafting of Dwyane Wade who lead the team to an NBA title. Most fan bases wait YEARS, if not decades for such success.

And then, Pat Riley orchestrated the unthinkable. He threw his flashy rings in LeBron James‘ face and blinded him with the promise of 5, 6, 7 ,8 or even 10 championships. He sold not only Dwyane Wade to stay, but to recruit the two other highest sought after free agents of the summer, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Never mind that Bosh is incredibly overrated and was an afterthought, but the ability to bring back Dwyane Wade and sign LeBron James was one of the most savvy and incredible moves in NBA history. Obviously we’ll need to see if it ultimately works, but just in terms of pulling off the impossible and taking the NBA by storm, Pat Riley and the Heat succeeded.

But for all the franchises in the NBA, the Miami Heat might be one of the least deserving. For years, their fans have failed to fill the arena. So much so, that the NBA league office convinced the Heat to change the color of their seats so that it wasn’t so blindingly obvious that the arena was mostly empty on televised games.

And after Riley staged the coup of all coups, they held their little party on South Beach and invited fans to celebrate the “New Look” Miami Heat. Fans showed up… but not like they would in other cities. There were plenty of empty seats in the arena and it’s quite honestly, embarrassing. Could you imagine if the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, or a dozen other strong fan bases landed this team in the off-season? Not only would the place be filled to capacity, but they would be lined up around the block for miles just to be in the area!

So now after the first month or so of the season, and after a month of less than stellar performance by both the players and the fans, the Miami Heat organization has literally called out its fans (http://on.nba.com/9nOObw).

 

That’s right…. after landing the top 3 free agents in the most coveted free agent class in NBA history, the fans have been unenthused, absent, and well, typical Miami fans. Miami and Florida fans for years have had the reputation of being one of the worst fan bases in the country and the facts support it. Just look at the Tampa Bay Rays, who despite being forced to play against 2 of the largest markets in baseball and 2 of the best organizations in all of baseball, have been able to compete head to head with the Yankees and the Red Sox.

Not only have they been able to compete, they’ve beat them! And despite the success of a great, young team, the fans have been completely absent. So much so, that the team is now forced to dismantle the great talent they’ve accrued and the Rays will soon be irrelevant. Just because the fans are so worthless that they refuse to support their team. Again, put the Rays in dozens of other markets across the country, and tell me if they would have this problem. Put this team in Chicago, Houston, Denver, DC, Philadelphia, NY, L.A., Minnesota, Cleveland… hell put them almost anywhere other than Florida and it would be sold out for years!

And the same thing is happening with the Miami Heat. The fans are not showing up to the games and the ones that do come late and leave early. The fans that do show up are less concerned with their team and more concerned with a party or where they’re gonna land their next 8 ball or god knows what else. The fans that do show up, hardly support the team and the place is as quiet as if they were the T-Wolves.

 

I have my thoughts about this team being dysfunctional and based more on style than substance with an absolute lack of toughness (both physical and mental) and leadership. But that’s neither here nor there. It’s honestly sad, that this team went out and acquired this many superstars and despite the national hard-on for the Heat, the local fans are embarrassingly worthless.

It’s just a shame that a city more deserving wasn’t able to hit the lottery and land these type of free agents. Oh that’s right, the NBA superstars have literally ruled out all but about 3 cities that they’re willing to play in so the other 95% of the NBA is just out of luck.

So Miami Heat fans… “Fan UP”

 

 

 

 

 

LeBron Whines About his Whining Being Blown Out of Proportion; Also struggles with English

 

 

By now we’re all aware of LeBron James publicly calling out coach Erik Spoelstra following the Miami Heat’s loss to the Boston Celtics. Of course, LeBron James’ failure down the stretch where me missed two free throws, a layup, and bricked a 3 pointer off the side of the backboard was not his fault. As we now know, it was his coach’s fault for playing him too many minutes. That’s right, the 25 year old superstar and self proclaimed “King” complained that he played too many minutes and wasn’t “Fresh” enough down the stretch. I and everyone else have written about the ridiculousness that goes with this statement, but LeBron is at it again.

The “King” just can’t shut up and he is in desperate need of someone other than the dozens of YES MEN that he surrounds himself with. Now LeBron is whining about his whining being taken out of context. He’s backpedaling faster than Darrelle Revis covering Randy Moss as he’s now blaming the media for taking his comments out of context and blowing it out of proportion. After all, saying the coach was at fault for playing him and Dwyane Wade too many minutes isn’t  a criticism of the coach… wait… what?

If that’s not criticizing the coach and if that’s not whining about playing too minutes, then I guess LeBron speaks another dialect of the English language that I’m not familiar with. But LeBron is insisting that his comments were taken out of context and he threatened to stop talking to the media and take a page out of the Randy Moss playbook. Right LeBron, great guy to model your PR strategies after!

Before Saturday’s game, James said his comments were “Blown out of proportion”.

He then went on to say “You kind of understand sometimes what Randy Moss is talking about, when he says I will not be answering any more questions. Because every time I say something it gets turned out of character”.

That’s right, OUT OF CHARACTER! So not only is James whining about his whining being blown out of proportion, but he actually DOES appear to speak a different dialect of the English language!

He then went on to let us know that he and Coach Spo are on the same page as far as minutes are concerned and they have discussed it.

“It’s a conversation that me and Coach Spo had, and that’s what i was basically saying, that he’s still trying to figure out rotations. That’s what it was all about. And the rotations will be figured out through the course of the year, where i don’t have to play 44 minutes and D-Wade doesn’t have to play 40 minutes. I do think there will be games where we will both both have to play high minutes”.

First of all, that is NOTHING like what he said following the Celtics loss so I guess this must be the English translation of whatever dialect he was speaking following the loss to Boston. But he’s essentially saying that he’s in charge of rotations and minutes and he’s STILL whining about having to play 40+ minutes. My god, you’re 25 years old and supposedly one of the best athletes in the world. You can’t play 40 minutes in a game? In a tight game against an Eastern Conference rival? Wow. It just goes to show you what kind of a competitor and a leader he really is. Or isn’t.

This is nothing new for Cavs fans who had a front row seat for the last 7 years and who were unfortunately shown who he really is, but it’s funny that everyone else is starting to see his true colors. He can complain all he wants about his comments being “Taken out of character”, but the reality is that he is not a competitor, he’s not a leader, and he just wants the trophy handed to him without having to earn it.

 

 



Pat Riley Drops the Hammer on LeBron James

Miami Heat President and Free Agency Mastermind, Pat Riley

 

LeBron James spent the first 7 years of his NBA career controlling nearly every aspect of his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. Many wondered if this would continue with the Miami Heat under the watch of NBA LEGEND, Pat Riley. The answer is a RESOUNDING NO!

According to local Cleveland radio host, Michael Reghi with ESPN 850 WKNR, LeBron James has had his privileges revoked by Pat Riley. Reghi was the Cavaliers play by play announcer for the first few years of LeBron James’ career and was removed when Dan Gilbert purchased the team. He has watched LeBron James very closely, has inside knowledge regarding the team and its operations and still has various contacts within the NBA.

For those who are not aware, LeBron James received tremendous, and sometimes inappropriate, benefits from the Cavaliers organization. They will now to try to downplay it in order to minimize any repercussions with the league office and to minimize their feeling of embarrassment, but it is certainly accurate. For YEARS, LeBron James was given preferential tickets for his family and friends, locker room and team flight access for his friends (including Maverick Carter and LRMR), and even jobs and cars for part of LeBron’s entourage. In addition, LeBron regularly controlled the team’s schedule and flight itinerary in order to accommodate his ability to stay an extra night when the Cavs played in L.A., NY, Miami, New Orleans, Atlanta, etc. This happened quite often during the year and over his 7 years in Cleveland. Some of this was grandfathered in by Gilbert upon his acquisition of the team and some of it was added in an attempt to keep LeBron happy and improve the chances of resigning him to a long-term deal.

Honestly, who could blame Dan Gilbert or the Cavaliers. LeBron is a great player and WAS a Cleveland Icon. The organization was handcuffed and were forced to continually roll over and give LeBron, his friends, and his family ridiculous benefits in an attempt to keep him. According to Reghi, Pat Riley has put an immediate stop to this type of benefit for LeBron James. One of LeBron’s friends was given, for all intents and purposes, a seat on the Cavs bench for EVERY game and several of his friends were permitted to fly on the team plane and stay in the team hotel. Pat Riley has not allowed this type of benefit, let alone the jobs and cars provided to LeBron’s friends and family and reports are that LeBron is PISSED.

Reghi’s indicated that source said LeBron is very unhappy that these benefits are not being provided and that he’s starting to regret his decision to leave. In addition, in one of Miami’s final pre-season games this year against the New Orleans Hornets, LeBron is said to have approached an Assistant GM and requested that the team stay an extra night in New Orleans. When asked why, LeBron is said to have given his typical response in these instances…. to party and to hang out on Bourbon Street with Chris Paul. The Assistant GM is said to have called Pat Riley who said for “everyone get your asses back to Miami immediately”. This again, is said to have rubbed LeBron the wrong way.

As I mentioned before, Maverick Carter and LRMR were given incredible access, influence, and benefit with the Cavaliers during the LeBron James era. But in Miami, they are not allowed the same benefits or latitude and LeBron, THE ENTITLED ONE, is not very happy with Riley or with his new team. LeBron may adjust and learn to live with Riley’s groundrules, but it’s honestly doubtful that he’ll do so happily. He knows with the criticism he took this summer that he can ill afford to appear even MORE selfish and like even more of an asshole so he’ll keep quiet. But if you have paid any attention to who LeBron is and what he’s about, you’ll know that he will not take this well.

Its absolutely the right move for Riley as he has a chance to cut this type of BS out before it starts, whereas Dan Gilbert inherited much of it. If history tells us anything about Riley, we also know that he is only about ONE THING….. WINNING. Pat Riley doesn’t give 2 shits about spending the team’s off day in New Orleans for an extra night so LeBron can party with his BFF. But if history has told us anything about LeBron, it’s that he is ABSOLUTELY about this type of thing and he will not take it lightly.

LeBron will NEVER admit it because he’s too stubborn, too proud, and is honestly too hurt from the backlash he received nationwide and in Cleveland, but I think he’s starting to see that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.