One thing which i am not sure has been brought up in the LBJ conversation is Rich Paul and LBJ's inner circle dictating LBJs terms and decisions. According to this theory, Lebron completely entrusted his legacy to these unqualified (uneducated, hanger-on-ers, posse whatever you want to call them), self interested people and they've squandered his peak years in a fools errand. Todday reframed LBJ's decision nobly to go back to a racist owner and a hostile fanbase to get them a ring etc but it was a sacrifice that hasn't panned out (never will?). The alternative was entrusting his legacy to Riley and the superior Miami management who would have given him better chances at success than Dan Brown's whatever makes Lebron happy policy in Clevaland. None of us are privvy to the in-s-and-outs of management but it's not hard to see that Lebron has gotten his way in Cleveland and it hasn't panned out the way he would have liked.
To expand, Rich Paul is the common denominator btw Lebron and Tristan Thompson - who some say is vastly overpaid for what he provides to the Cavs. So Lebron at the behest of RP campaigned for TT which got his mate a better deal but put the Cavs in a compromised position to be maximally competitive. When key game are lost and won by a few pts, this is a significant factor in success and failure. Trading for Love is inexcusable to me though. People justify it as a sure thing, trading a maybe for a sure superstar etc. Now maybe to argue otherwise is racist too but i dont know if race is as important in this conversation when ppl who like basketball tend to be more egalitarian in my experience. I just hated to see a budding young core of Wiggins and Irving with a new exciting coach dismantled because Lebron thought he could do better with Love and Lue. Fuck that though. Is having a yes-man as a coach a good thing? Go back to Cleveland, great, but then gut the team and rebuild carelessly to have your cake and eat it too, hard to respect that. I wud respect Lebron a lot more if he had just worked with the team he inherited. I wud still have traded Dion though but Lebron got that decision wrong too. Maybe management wud have done that anyway but Lebron wanted him. It's hindsight now but Dion always sucked. My 2c.
They were trying to buy instant success pure and simple. Back to back finals so far though so they have had the definition of success without the ultimate. Only injuries stopped them winning last year when the Warriors were far more gettable. Also, this year isn't over just yet. Warriors still need to win 2 more. If you're running a team and you can build for 5-10 or if you feel you're close take the punt on topping up and go for instant success.
And Maxent, seriously, Lebron is 31. You want him to tutor a team of youngsters and wait for the next opportunity to get back to the finals hoping no other team has taken their spot. The only reason he came back to Cleveland was for success and to try and win a title for the city. He didn't come back to build a team that might just be successful after he retires. Why would you respect him less for wanting success and wanting to bring a title for CLE?
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