How hated will LeBron be?

[admiralsnackbar]

Cleveland can't even retain it's workaday joes. LeBron will just be one more person fleeing that decrepit city's borders, and nobody will blame him for it.

[SenorSpur]

Not a Cleveland fan, but I suspect that the Cavs did so much for Lebron James to make him stay. It didn't work out, but , I think they tried their best to surround Lebron with a group of players to win a championship. It would have been better if they traded for Amare instead of Jamison like i said all along. If Lebron leaves, i really think it's going to hurt him because management and most of Cleveland fans really want him back. There would really be no reason, except change of scenery if Lebron leaves. He's getting more money if he stays in Cleveland.

Let's also not forget, every personnel move the Cavs have made in recent years, has had the seal of approval or disapproval from LeBrick. The Cavs FO and ownership have not made a single move without consulting "his lowness". If he wants to distance from them, ok. Yet he had a hand in it all.

[Bob Lanier]

Everyone else from Ohio who's worth a tinker's damn has left. You'd think they'd be used to it by now.

[mogrovejo]

Not a Cleveland fan, but I suspect that the Cavs did so much for Lebron James to make him stay. It didn't work out, but , I think they tried their best to surround Lebron with a group of players to win a championship. It would have been better if they traded for Amare instead of Jamison like i said all along. If Lebron leaves, i really think it's going to hurt him because management and most of Cleveland fans really want him back. There would really be no reason, except change of scenery if Lebron leaves. He's getting more money if he stays in Cleveland.

I agree they showed commitment to build a contender around him but when it comes to execution they failed miserably. They were never able to put a top-15 player at his position next to him, with the possible exception of Varejao (and Boozer). They went from a team lacking offensive talent to a team with 3 awful defenders, All-Non D team level, in the starting line-up. They were never able to put another high-level shot-creator along him. It all started with all those crazy contracts they handled to veteran role-players in 2005. It crippled them till this day, especially because they kept trying to do the same thing over and over, instead of just hitting the reset button.

As some guy (Adande?) wrote a few days ago, LeBron was the youngest player in the Cavs rotation 7 years ago... and he still is today.

[tlongII]

what the is your sig? seriously

That is disgusting!

[baseline bum]

Cleveland fans already turned on James in game 5. It's obvious he will be a pariah there when he leaves.

[picc84]

I wonder how the people of Cleveland act when they see Lebron in the streets now.

You talk about an entire city ready to collapse, if he leaves there's really no reason for them to exist. So if they were kissing his ass before, its gotta be disgusting now. He's looking for any excuse to bounce, and they know it.

If Bron goes to get a haircut and the barber even nicks him dude is gonna have a straight up heart attack. Go to Cleveland and it probably feels like the Twilight Zone where the little kid was sending everyone to the cornfield.

Damn, the nick that made a knick. Sounds like a Joe Budden line.

[JoeTait75]

You talk about an entire city ready to collapse, if he leaves there's really no reason for them to exist.

Cleveland was there long before LeBron got here. Cleveland will be here long after he leaves.

The Cavaliers, by the natural order, are the third team in this city. Browns are first, Tribe is second. If LeBron leaves things will revert back to their normal state. Everyone will care about the Browns, some people will care about the Indians and no one will care about the Cavaliers.

And if the Browns ever do what the Saints did last year, people will forget LeBron ever even existed.

Wondering if JoeTait or any of the other locals have a good read on what it will really be like if he jumps ship.

I would dislike him more than Modell. So will others, though maybe not THAT much.

Others will thank him for the seven years he spent here.

His people in West Akron will still have his back, as they should. He really does love Akron, that's no put-on.

[dbestpro]

If he bails on Cleveland and goes to NY, I think most will understand except for Ohio fans. If he goes to Chicago or Miami he will replace Kobe as the most hated player in the NBA.

[SomeCallMeTim]

I agree they showed commitment to build a contender around him but when it comes to execution they failed miserably. They were never able to put a top-15 player at his position next to him, with the possible exception of Varejao (and Boozer).

Wallace. Tough luck with him getting hurt though.

[scottspurs]

"I don't hate anyone, hate is such a strong word."-Tim Duncan

[picc84]

Cleveland was there long before LeBron got here. Cleveland will be here long after he leaves.

The Cavaliers, by the natural order, are the third team in this city. Browns are first, Tribe is second. If LeBron leaves things will revert back to their normal state. Everyone will care about the Browns, some people will care about the Indians and no one will care about the Cavaliers.

The Browns...

Does that really refute my assertion?