One of my favorite lines to quote from anything is Dennis Eckersley’s advice to Mike Birbiglia around the 4:15 mark of this epic clip. Sometimes it’s easiest to just outright dismiss someone or some group of people rather than continue to fret about their decisions or actions. And I know of no better way to do so more effectively than with Eck’s epic, “Ehh, f*** ’em.”
So that’s really all I’ve got to say about LeBron James:
Ehh, f*** ’em.
In one fell swoop last night, LeBron defied logic multiple times. He didn’t just choose a team in an only medium-sized market where he’ll have to play alongside other stars while simultaneously disappointing a room full of children. He also somehow managed to make Kobe Bryant a sympathetic character. Who among us won’t be rooting for the Lakers if they square off with the Heat in the Finals next year?
Rooting for the Lakers. Who (outside LA, of course) could have imagined that a few weeks ago?
Or, I suppose, we could opt for the other approach, the one I’m more likely to take: We can continue not paying all that much attention to the NBA because the college game is more exciting anyway, and because the NBA is silly enough to schedule its playoffs during baseball season.
In other words: Ehh, f*** ’em.
Tedquarters 
I follow the NBA a little, mostly just the Knicks, but I like you happen to love College basketball, but over the past few years the NBA IMO has managed to F— the college game up as well with the mandatory age limit BS, creating the whole one-and-done situation that I think its really hurting the college game.
Just let the best players go to the NBA out of HS, that’s where most of the top talent belongs. Forcing these kids into school for a year benefits no one at all. I have yet to see a decent explanation of what the benefits to the NBA or the college game are here. Sure as college basketball fans we wouldn’t get to see Derrick Rose or John Wall in college, but if they are just going to come in for a year, and often leave the school after a year in a heap of trouble, like Rose and OJ Mayo did, its good for no one. It makes it hard for coaches to recruit and sustain teams and it makes it hard for fans to follow as each year it takes half the season to figure out what teams and players are good.
I needed a shower after watching that thing last night. I still can’t believe LeBron and his “team” could be that tone-deaf. He spent half the time talking about how much he’s done for the Cavs, minutes after murdering pro basketball in that town forever without ever delivering a title.
LeBron on Miami is probably good for the NBA, but it’s bad for LeBron and, by extension, for NBA fans. He had a chance to be the greatest of all time and I think he’s thrown that away. He’ll just be viewed as a front-runner who needed to join D-Wade’s team. Bulls, Nets, Knicks, Clippers and Cavs (maybe in that order) all made more sense.
That said, I can’t wait to watch them next year. And I don’t really get the college basketball love. Outside of 3 weeks in March (where the attraction is the format more than the quality), it’s pretty painful. Its regular season makes the NHL’s look meaningful and the quality of play toggles between mediocre and awful.
I’m of two minds. On the one hand, I already watch little enough of the NBA where I’m just inclined to say “eff it” regarding the league as a whole. On the other, suddenly I feel like rooting that much more for the Knicks. The again, that entails rooting indirectly for Dolan, so maybe I’ll go with option one.
As a Knicks fan who hoped LeBron would come here, it’s hard to hate him or consider him despicable for going to Miami. Knicks fans were hopding to get two top FAs, the whole pitch was that we’d invite LeBron to come here and bring along any friend he wants. He did that, except he decided to do it in Miami.
I feel bad for Cleveland, but Knicks fans who were hoping he’d come here would be celebrating if he ditched Cleveland for New York.
As for rooting for the Lakers against the Heat, let’s not forget that Kobe forced a trade to LA before he ever played an NBA game. LeBron didn’t force a trade, he left as a free agent.
I’m disappointed, mainly because LeBron is a great player and I enjoed and looked forward to watching him try to carry his team to a championship. That’s certainly diminsihed now that he’s on Miami with Wade. We wanted to see him achieve a championship on his own.
But should we really begrudge him for choosing a team that gives him the best chance to win? If he were just a good player we’d probably cheer for him taking less money to compete for a championship.
In a way, as much as he’s being described as selfish, this is an act of humility. LeBron doesn’t think he can carry a team by himself, so at the risk of harming his “brand” and reputations, and going from admired to hated, he joins up with a team where he won’t be the only star, he’ll get less salary (though no income tax maybe balances it out), his scoring numbers will go down, but he’ll have a better chance at winning.
This is a series of excellent points.
I have to disagree. There is a completely selfish aspect to his move here. From a monetary standpoint yes, he is taking less, but that’s about it. And don’t think for a second that humility has anything to do with it. He realizes that his “brand” needs titles to succeed, and he took the easy way out, even if he has to share the spotlight.
Where the complete selfishness lies is in what Cleveland did for him and what he in return did to them by leaving. Lebron now speaks as if winning was all that matters, and I can respect that, but not how he left the Cavs. From the day he got to the Cavs, that organization has jumped through hoops to do everything in its power to build Lebron the supporting cast he needed to win there. They went out of their way to make it happen for Lebron, but the problem was in Cleveland Lebron did not do the same.
Lebron is now willing to take less money in Miami to win, but was he ever willing to take less than the Max to allow the Cavs to sign some better roll players? He also didn’t do the Cavs any favors by signing for only a 4 year extension back when his rookie contract ended, opting instead to plays the free agent market this year. While that is his right, it also surely hamstrung the Cavs ability to convince other players to come play with James in Cleveland. What free agents we going to sign long term with the Cavs the past couple seasons without knowing if James was going to stay.
Its been more than well documented that the Cavs missed out on more than a few good supporting cast members for Lebron because LBJ wouldn’t commit to the team. But now I’m supposed to believe him when he said he as much as he could to bring the Cavs a title, but that Miami is the better place for him. Hes leaving the Cavs roster in shambles right now, with little cap space, due to the big contracts of guys like Mo Willians and Antwan Jamison, guys who the Cavs only dealt for in the first place to try and build a winner for James. Now he quits on the team on the court, and bolts leaving the Cavs in shambles, mainly because of what they tried to do FOR HIM!
To say that the move is anything but selfish is just ignorant.
“jumped through hoops”
excellent
I love ECK!
As an LA resident (but former NYer) I could still never ever root for the Lakers or Kobe over anyone. You really have to see what it’s like out here to understand, but it’s one of the most annoying and least educated fanbases you’ll ever find. All they know is “Kobe rules!” and how to place flags on their car antennae. And I contend that if Lebron were traded straight up for Kobe two years ago, then the Lakers still win 2 straight titles and probably win 70 games a year with Lebron.
But the way Lebron went about this was inexcusably cruel towards Cleveland and he’ll never live it down. He has a right to play where he wants, but he (and ESPN) should be ashamed at last night’s circus.
Kid has, deservedly or not, set himself upon a path to create some serious ill will out there. Can’t really think its anything he has experienced before. Will be interesting to see how he handles it.
The decision to go to Miami, epic though it seems, really won’t be something to judge for a few years. Win a few championships and that PR train wreck from last night fades away.
Don’t win any? Yikes…
But didn’t he put himself in a lose-lose situation? If he wins, it will be expected because he and his buddies gamed the system to create a “dream team.” If he loses despite gaming the system, he will have no excuses.