Kin
Active member
Erndog said:
No, but that seems pretty implied by my question. I'm asking why it's worse if the good team a player is on is a result of his own agency and decision as opposed to the decisions of others so saying "because they chose it" isn't really an answer. I mean, unless you're of the opinion that there's something inherently wrong with a player choosing to sign with another team.
Erndog said:
Ok, but there's a few problems with that quote from Jordan
1) In the years since his retirement Jordan has basically revealed himself to be a pretty big jerk who takes pot shots at everyone and anyone who he thinks slighted him in any way and is constantly making self-aggrandizing statements about how much better things were in his day.
2) It's an easy thing for Jordan to say considering that it's never a problem he faced. The Bulls did surround him with players that were a good enough supporting cast to win a title, including all-stars and hall-of-famers. Even if we accept that there's something questionable in what Lebron did, Jordan questioning it is like a kid with rich parents saying he'd never steal something.
3) The never quoted second half of that quote is, in part, "But that's ... things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today."
Erndog said:
And he did that in Cleveland for 7 years, during which time they repeatedly failed to surround him with the sort of talent that could win a title. In his last year in Cleveland, the other starters on the team were Mo Williams, Anthony Parker, JJ Hickson and a 37 year old Shaquille O'Neal. I mean, compared to the starting five of James, Carlos Boozer, Ilgauskas, Eric Williams and Jeff McInnis you can argue that James' supporting cast was getting worse, not better.
I mean, when you say he should have been the catalyst...is there any doubt that's what he's become in Miami? That it's his team? That he's the one who'll take and hit the big shots with the game on the line? Why is that negated because of the way by which he joined the team? He's no less the leader or the guy on the Heat than Jordan was to the Bulls, Bird was for the Celtics or Johnson was for the Lakers and really, if you look at the titles that James won and his supporting cast vs. the titles those guys won and the strengths of their supporting casts? It's pretty easy to make an argument that James is more of a catalyst than those guys were.
