The Miami Heat lacked in two positions this season, the point guard and the true center. It looks as if Miami will try to solve one of those two issues by trying to go after veteran center, Samuel Dalembert during the 2011 free agency period. Dalembert might represent the best option that Miami has of …
“The answer to the question everybody wants to know, LeBron, what’s your decision?” These were the words asked by Jim Gray, host of ESPN’s The Decision while asking free agent LeBron James where he will play. “Umm, in this fall, man this is tough, umm in this fall I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and um join the Miami Heat.”
Those infamous words by uttered by LeBron caused a backlash of many against him. It wasn’t just Cleveland Cavaliers fans that were outraged, it was many fans across the country that suddenly disliked him. Some think this was jealousy that he didn’t pick their team. I can’t speak for others but talk to anyone who spoke to me about this last summer: I did not want LeBron in Chicago. The whole media circus in Chicago and the rest of the country had me disgusted and I was hoping he wouldn’t pick the Bulls. I got my wish.
While LeBron’s team may have cost my team a trip to the finals and a possible championship, I’m confident enough D-Rose and crew will win one this decade. It was so much fun watching them this season. Some people think LeBron and the Heat will be back and maybe they will. However, most of the NBA fans are rejoicing at last night’s victory that the Mavericks prevented the Miami Heat from winning their second NBA Championship.
How LeBron James left is what got me and many others upset. If he just left and signed with the Heat with no media circus, no televised special, no drama, I’m sure people wouldn’t have really cared. I’m really disappointed at how far ESPN has fallen as well. In the early to mid 2000s, I watched ESPN like a religion. Then it became Yankess this, Red Sox that. Lakers this, Kobe, LeBron that. Tiger this, Favre that. It was just annoying as can be and I had enough. So I guess I should say I was not surprised but still pretty disgusted at ESPN allowing this to happen. Shouldn’t be a surprise with their “Heat Index” either.
Then, like immediately after he signed with the Heat. “One, Two, THREE” all the big trombones, the dancers, the crowd chanted “YES WE DID” when the Heat had a welcome party for LeBron and Chris Bosh joining D-Wade in Miami. “#6 LeBron James!!! #1 Chris BOSH! And #3 Dwayyyyyynnneee Waaaaaaddeeee! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANDDDDD AND MAKE SOME NOOIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSEEE FOR YOUR MIAMIIIIIIIIIIIIIII HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAT!!!” Where were the other 12 players?
“This is, this surpasses a dream come true. You look at arguably the best trio ever to play the game of basketball.” Dwayne Wade said this before they even played one game, even though they only had and still do have just one ring between the three of them.
LeBron was asked how it felt to wear a Heat uniform. “It feels right, it feels right. We’re going to challenge each other in practice and once the game starts, it’s going to be easy. We’re going make the world know, not just this league, we’re going to make the whole world know that the Heat is back.” The presenter of the interview urged LeBron to talk about championships. “Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven.” That’s right, zero.
Sadly the Heat still got to the Finals after early season struggles that were music to my ears. Paul Millsap went OFF on the Heat with the Jazz down by eight with like a minute to go. The fact that it was Miami’s home court was even sweeter. And who could forget Rudy Gay’s buzzer beater against LeBron in Memphis? That was so awesome.
I don’t have a problem Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh or the Miami Heat. It’s that guy: #6, that I cannot stand. He is a representation of everything wrong with America today. The spoiled brat, King James, wanting stuff handed to him on a silver platter. His birthday party that cost $500,000 that could’ve been used for a much better cause. Half a million dollars for a freaking birthday party, is that not insane?
I truly feel sorry for LeBron’s children: LeBron Jr. and Bryce James. I feel bad for them knowing they have to grow up with a dad like that who acts juvenile and not mature whatsoever. Reportedly he deflected questions at the press conference after game six and did not shake the hands of the Dallas Mavericks.
Can we just lay the claim to rest that LeBron will never be as good as Michael Jordan was? LeBron may have two MVP’s, Michael had five, and a rookie of the year award, which Jordan also won; however Michael was THE MAN when the Bulls won six championships. Jordan said he would never call up Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and ask them to team up because he said he wanted to beat them.
LeBron joined his friends and they got oh so close only to fail in their first season. What happens in the years to come remains to be seen. I will enjoy the summer knowing it was another year without LeBron getting a ring and watching the Welcome Party for comic relief. It does feel good to know I’ve never played a single game of organized basketball and that I have as many rings as LeBron does. Let’s just hope the Bruins can overcome a 3-2 deficit in the Stanley Cup Finals and the world will be 100% saved.
bearsfolife 6-7-11 Shooting guard Ray Allen chose to exercise his player option for next season for $10 million, which guarantees that he will be partnered with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo for one more season. Not a surprise move, but it appears as if Allen still believes the Celtics can be contenders in …
Every time I think about a player or coach heading into retirement, one thing I hope is that they get the opportunity to exit the stage with dignity and pride. As the Los Angeles Lakers’ season came to a dreadful end last night at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, whistle after whistle blew that …
Written by: bearsfolife The NBA draft deadline is looming and we’ve already seen several players who have already committed to staying in the draft or are essentially likely to go to the NBA Some of those players are making the correct decision, others, unfortunately, are not making the right call. Today, we will discuss 5 …
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. (AP) — Right from the start, Derrick Rose wondered why he couldn’t be the MVP. It turns out, nothing could stop him.
Rose officially became the NBA’s youngest MVP on Tuesday and joined Michael Jordan as the only Bulls player to win the award, which was no surprise given his spectacular season and Chicago’s leap to a league-leading 62 wins.
He has a ways to go before he catches Jordan, who won five MVPs and led the way to two championship three-peats, but he sure is off to a good start.
“I’m not even touching that man right there,” Rose said. “I’m far away from him. If anything, it would be great to be close to him. This is a different team, a different era.”
In his third year, the dynamic point guard led the Bulls to their best season since the championship era.
The 22-year-old Rose got 1,182 points and 113 first-place votes from a panel of media voters, supplanting Wes Unseld as the youngest to win the award with a runaway win. Orlando’s Dwight Howard (643 points) finished second, Miami’s LeBron James was third, the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant was fourth and Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant finished fifth.
A product of Chicago’s South Side, Rose established himself as one of the top players in the league after going from Rookie of the Year to All-Star in his first two seasons. He took another step this year with one of the best all-around performances by a point guard.
He averaged 25 points and 7.7 assists while leading Chicago into contention for its first championship since the Jordan-Scottie Pippen era. For all the groaning over the Bulls missing out on James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in free agency, they did quite well for themselves anyway.
Rose showed up to training camp openly wondering why he couldn’t be MVP. Then, he backed it up.
“It really just came out,” Rose said. “That’s the way I thought at the time. I put a lot of hard work into my game, especially during the summer. … I dedicated my whole summer to basketball. Even though it was tough, I did it.”
Rose was a picture of humility during the news conference. He thanked everyone from the fans to his teammates, coaches and management, and he choked up when he mentioned his mom, Brenda Rose, and older brothers seated in the front row.
At one point, he looked at her and paused.
“Just thinking how hard she works,” he said. “Those are hard days. My days shouldn’t be hard because I love what I’m doing. That’s playing basketball. You keep me going every day and I love you.”
Rose ranked seventh in scoring and 10th in assists, making him the only player this season in the top 10 in both categories. The only other Bull to do so was Jordan in 1988-89, when he led the league in scoring (32.5 points) and finished 10th in assists, according to information provided to the team by the Elias Sports Bureau.
Throw in a 4.1 rebounding average, and Rose joins another elite group. He’s the seventh player in league history to average at least 25 points, 7.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds, along with Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Larry Bird, Wade and James, according to Elias.
“We all knew how good he could be,” veteran forward Luol Deng said. “It’s a big surprise for all of us how quick he got there. We knew he was going to get there; we said that from the start. He’s just a hard worker, a humble kid. He’s really out there just to win games.”
In the postseason, he’s been just as impressive.
He scored 39 and 36 points in the first two playoff games against Indiana. Then he shook off two sub-par performances and a sprained left ankle to score 25 points in Game 5 as the top-seeded Bulls closed out what had been a tight first-round series with a 116-89 victory.
They stumbled in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Atlanta, losing 103-95. Rose scored 24 points, but he hit just 11 of 27 shots and did not attempt a free throw. He also limped off the court after twisting his left ankle, but expects to be ready for Game 2 on Wednesday.
It’s been a rapid, steady climb for a player who came into the league with soaring expectations. He helped Simeon Career Academy become the first Chicago Public League team to win back-to-back state championships, then led Memphis to the NCAA championship game before the Bulls drafted him with the No. 1 pick in 2008 after defying 1.7-percent odds to win the lottery.
“I’ll never forget the morning after we got that pick where we got the entire management staff together to meet,” general manager Gar Forman said.
They knew then who they were picking.
And when they started talking to him, Forman said, “It was obvious to us that not only was Derrick a very special talent, but he possessed the intangibles that you need to become a very special player in this league. Going into that draft, I remember our feeling was this is too good to be true.”
Now?
“Our feeling is still this is really too good to be true,” Forman said.
Rose has added new touches to his game every season, expanding the range on his jumper to go with those explosive drives to the basket.
“He’s been everything you could ask for,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s been a leader, a player. He’s only going to get better.”
