SC12's blog
LeBron Traitor Shirts are Now Available! More styles and colors at www.LeBronsLegacy.com (trademark pending). |
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Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight; As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier. This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment. Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us. The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you. There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you. You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal. You have given so much and deserve so much more. In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight: "I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE" You can take it to the bank. If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels. Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there. Sorry, but that's simply not how it works. This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become. But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio. The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma. Just watch. Sleep well, Cleveland. Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day.... I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only: DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue.... Dan Gilbert |
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After attempting to keep it a secret all day, the location of LeBron's Hour of Narcissism has been revealed: The Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich, Connecticut. - The title of tomorrow's show has been confirmed: "The Decision" - James will announce his plans within the first 10 minutes of the special, Norby Williamson, ESPN's vice president of production, told The Associated Press. - ESPN reports Jim Gray, who was hand-picked by James' team, will interview LeBron. Which prompted this reaction from Bill Simmons, "Jim Gray did the '96 Olympic bombing, Tyson-Holyfield II, Artest Melee, Pete Rose '99 ASG and LeBron's Choice. He's the king of debacles." - The show is not taking place in Connecticut because ESPN studios are located in Connecticut. This popular rumor fails to realize that ESPN headquarters is a 90 minute drive away in Bristol, CT. However, it should be noted that Greenwich, CT is home to many Knick players, including Allan Houston. It's also only 5.3 miles from the Knicks Practice Facility in Purchase, NY. - Two Cablevision helicopters have been flown to the New York Knicks practice facility, according to numerous sources. After the location was announced Twitter began to buzz: Suns Forward Jared Dudley tweeted: Breaking News!!! My sources tell me Lebron will announce that he will be goin to the NY KNICKS tomorrow on ESPN.. This is serious.. WOW!!!!
A number of journalists continue to report that LeBron has been in regular contact with Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony (he's attending Anthony's wedding this weekend) who are said to be pressuring him to come to NY. Amare wasn't shy about his recruitment this afternoon when he tweeted: @kingjames come join me @Amareisreal in NY, we can do something really special. "Oh let's do it" !! It's all circumstantial, but a quick google search will show you that there are plenty of Boys and Girls Clubs in Akron, Cleveland, Chicago and Miami, but LeBron chose the one just a short chopper ride from NYC. The location is the one fact we know that we weren't supposed to know until tomorrow and certainly seems to be in the Knicks favor. It continues to appears more and more certain that LeBron James will be walking away from Cleveland. |
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Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld.com reports, "Several sources indicated that James' advisors Maverick Carter and Randy Mims could be traveling to New York on Wednesday and sources have hinted that James will be joining them for the trip. Sources also said that Carter and Mims have been picking the Knicks' brains for details and information on their salary cap and free agent plans over the past few days." The Knicks are Ready. Kennedy again, "There have also been rumblings that the Knicks could be planning a large press conference for later this week. While the team should be officially announcing Stoudemire's five-year, $97 million contract signing, likely on Thursday, the scale of the event and extensive planning going into the press conferences indicates that something bigger may be happening in the Big Apple." Amar'e May Have Sealed the Deal. One source pointed out that Donnie Walsh is not a massive risk taker and that signing Stoudemire all by himself seemed out of character. The idea that James and Stoudemire are coming as a package deal makes more sense and lines up more with Walsh's approach. Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=16714#ixzz0sxtVWkax |
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LeBron's "Team" is in place for a New York decision. 
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Amar'e Stoudemire is a New York Knick. 5 years for $100 million starting at $17 million this year. No insurance for a career ending knee injury, no insurance for a career ending eye injury. Jim Dolan, Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni have just pushed all their chips to the middle of the table and called LeBron's hand. An Amar'e/LeBron pick and roll would be downright lethal. As much as it was speculated that Bosh and LeBron were the ideal pairing, you can't help but think D'Antoni may have preferred Amare all along for his ability to get up and down the Court faster than Bosh. Also, don't discount the Dolan's hesitancy of paying max money to a guy who only stops tweeting when he sleeps. The Garden, despite it's recent changes, still values it's secrecy and Chris Bosh would have constantly had to be reeled in. Of all the free agents who will get overpaid this summer, Amare is the one Knick fans should be ok with. He's 6'10" and 27 years old and plays a position that is not deep in talent in the NBA. This is much easier to swallow than Joe Johnson or Rudy Gay. Amar'e also brings a swagger with him that is perfect for New York. He emerged from the Garden today with a blue Knick cap and said, "Yea, the Knicks are back!" He is popular around the League and has already begun recruiting friends Carmelo Anthony and Tony Parker to join him either by asking for trades or when they're free agents next summer. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves though, LeBron Raymone James is still a free agent and the Knicks just increased their appeal considerably, for that reason Knick fans have to be ecstatic about this signing. |
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Forbes reports on the Interbrand Presentation made to LeBron yesterday: During their meeting with LeBron James, the Knicks showed the free agent how much more money he could possibly earn while playing in New York. An NBA title in New York could be worth $240 million to LeBron, according to Interbrand, about $60 million more than if he brought a ring home to Cleveland, and more than double the value of a Chicago championship. LeBron could potentially earn as much as $2 billion while playing in New York. The estimate dwarfed the $700 million he’d likely earn in Cleveland, the $690 million in Chicago, and $600 million in Miami. Click Here for the Slide show at Forbes: http://blogs.forbes.com/sportsmoney/2010/07/lebron-james-what-the-knicks... |
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Great read from Mike Vaccaro at the New York Post. There are a ton of rumors and speculation out there, but he makes a good point here: Dolan is the Knicks lone constant and can offer LeBron long term assurances in ways Walsh and D’Antoni can’t. Will this be his Steinbrenner moment?
After decade of failure, Dolan can erase it all By MIKE VACCARO It isn't often in life when you get one shot at redemption, one chance to wipe clear a debt of under-performance. Golf allows you that; you can get smoked for 17 holes, press your bet on the 18th, and all can be forgiven. Vegas allows you that; you can bust for two straight nights then put your remaining bankroll on red as you head to the airport. Today, James Dolan lays the double-or-nothing bet of his life. You can talk about the meticulous way Donnie Walsh rid the Knicks of excess nickels the last two years, every transaction designed with this afternoon’s 1 o’clock LeBron James meeting in mind. You can talk about the singular reason Walsh felt he needed to hire Mike D’Antoni as coach, that being D’Antoni’s relationship with James, strengthened at the 2008 Olympics. Both men will be there when the most meaningful pitch in Knicks history is presented today in Cleveland. But they are supporting players. Walsh is 69 years old, and even if the Knicks draw the royal flush in this high-stakes game, there’s no telling just how long he will be a part of a five-year LeBron plan. And D’Antoni . . . well, let’s just say he always will serve at the pleasure of his superstar. And superstars tend to be fickle. No, for better or worse, Dolan is the permanent fixture in the team photo. Knicks fans may light candles and say Novenas that he will sell the team someday, but that day is far off in the future, especially with the near-billion-dollar renovation of the Garden under way. Dolan will be there for every second of a LeBron James Era. So it is Dolan who will have to make this sale. If you are a Knicks fan and you’ve been beaten down by the tide of stories that already have counted the Knicks out, this may seem like the killing blow. One NBA insider told me yesterday, “I’d be less surprised if Patrick Ewing were in the starting lineup on opening night next year than LeBron James.” He isn’t alone. Chicago and Miami seem more likely, more logical, if he bolts Cleveland. Even the Nets would seem more plausible. If you are a Knicks fan, you have to cling to two hopes: 1. That James still hasn’t made a decision. Nobody knows for certain, of course, but if James is approaching his suitors with an open mind, the Knicks still have a string of natural resources. They have Manhattan — even if the Nets now rent a conspicuous billboard on the island. They’ll soon have a refurbished home. Madison Avenue may not hold the center-of-the-universe status it did in Don Draper’s day, but it is still useful to be living and working in earth’s media capital. Unless James has been fooling all of us, he has to be savvy enough to recognize this. 2. That Dolan finally will honor his birthright and deliver salvation to the jewel of his empire, and not sanitation. Sure, this wouldn’t be what the smart money is betting. Dolan is not Mark Cuban. He is not Mikhail Prokhorov. He’s not even Jerry Reinsdorf, who for all of the ways he’s been cartooned and lampooned still could blind LeBron with seven championship rings — six for the Bulls, one for the White Sox. If Dolan is ever to shed the notion that he is an accidental tourist in a boss’ suit, it has to be now. The truth is, not only does he need to be there today, he has to be. He has to have the kind of moment that George Steinbrenner had in the fall of 1976, when he pursued Reggie Jackson so relentlessly that Jackson admitted, “He hustled me like I was a broad, man. He made it impossible for me to say no.” Without that defining moment, there’s no telling what would’ve become of Steinbrenner and his Yankees. Without a similar stroke of inspiration and luck, it’s awfully clear what will become of Dolan and his Knicks. It’s not a pretty picture to ponder. He gets one mulligan for all his past sins. It arrives at 1 o’clock today. |
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