Knicks · OT: LeBron goes in on Charles Barkley and a little swipe at Phil... (page 1)
DALLAS -- After years of being fodder for Charles Barkley to comment on in his role as an analyst on TNT's "Inside the NBA," LeBron James has heard enough.
"He's a hater," James told ESPN of Barkley following the Cleveland Cavaliers' 104-97 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. "What makes what he says credible? Because he's on TV?"
James had been stewing the past couple of days after Barkley took James to task for the four-time MVP calling out the Cavs for needing to fortify the roster with another playmaker to have a realistic shot at a repeat title.
"Inappropriate. Whiny. All of the above," Barkley said of James last week. "The Cleveland Cavaliers, they have given him everything he wanted. They have the highest payroll in NBA history. He wanted J.R. Smith last summer, they paid him. He wanted [Iman] Shumpert last summer. They brought in Kyle Korver. He's the best player in the world. Does he want all of the good players? He don't want to compete? He is an amazing player. They're the defending champs."
Barkley has consistently needled James, telling HBO's Bill Simmons over the summer that James would "never" ascend to top-five status in NBA history over Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain, and going back all the way to 2010 and James' "The Decision" television special, when Barkley told ESPN Radio 103.3 FM in Dallas/Fort Worth that it was a "punk move" for James to leave the Cavs to take up with the Miami Heat.
James initially took the high road when asked about Barkley's recent comments, saying they were "good for the ratings," while defending his competitive spirit.
But after ESPN followed up with a story asking Tristan Thompson for his thoughts on Barkley's comments, James chose to speak out again in ardent fashion.
"I'm not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that," James told ESPN. "I'm not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas. I never said, 'I'm not a role model.' I never showed up to All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying.
"All I've done for my entire career is represent the NBA the right way. Fourteen years, never got in trouble. Respected the game. Print that."
James, whose friendships with Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony have also been called into question, recalled watching a 1993 NBA Finals game between Jordan's Chicago Bulls and Barkley's Phoenix Suns and being surprised what he saw on his screen.
"Go watch the '93 Finals when John Paxson hit the shot," James said. "Barkley and Jordan were laughing and joking with each other during one of the games while somebody's shooting a free throw. In the Finals. But, oh, nobody were friends back then."
Bringing up Anthony reminded James of another basketball luminary who has tweaked him this season -- New York Knicks president Phil Jackson -- and he had a story to share about Jackson as well.
"I went to see Melo at the Garden two years ago when we were in New York," James said. "They played Portland. I went up to a suite at halftime, and Phil Jackson didn't say one word to me."
This fall, Jackson brought up James unprompted in an interview with ESPN's Jackie MacMullan and described James and his close circle of business associates -- Rich Paul, Maverick Carter and Randy Mims -- as his "posse."
"I'm here to win ballgames and take care of my teammates and take care of my, what's that word, oh, my 'posse,'" James said, animatedly.
He had more words for Barkley too.
"I know he wanted to retire a long time ago, but he can't," James said. "He's stuck up on that stage every week."
James then issued a challenge, of sorts.
"And if this makes him want to talk to me, the schedule's out there," James said. "He knows every road arena I'll be in. Don't just come up to me at All-Star and shake my hand and smile."
It was James' second bout of frustration shared with the media in a week, as the Cavs finished out January going 7-8. It was the first time James has had a losing record in a calendar month with at least 10 games played since February 2006 -- his third season in the NBA -- when the Cavaliers went 6-8, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
James also spoke up about the perception he and his inner circle face as young, successful black businessmen, believing that identity being so rare in the power structure of professional sports makes him and his partners targets.
"I collect one paycheck from this," James said of his role with the Cavs. "There's the owner, Griff's [David Griffin] the GM, I'm the player. Screw Charles Barkley."
James put on his baseball cap and offered a parting thought as he prepared to leave the visitors locker room at the American Airlines Center to head to the airport for a flight back to Cleveland.
"I'm tired of biting my tongue," James said. "There's a new sheriff in town."
Chicago Bulls shooting guard Dwyane Wade, who played with James on the Miami Heat, said Tuesday, "Thank God [James] finally said something. LeBron, a lot of guys take a lot of shots at him, for whatever reason. He's always been [a focal point like], all of the great players in the game. He just has kept his mouth closed, continued to focus on what he need to. But it's about time he said something.
"Sometimes when guys get on a microphone in front of their face they just talk and talk and talk and forget about their history. We all make that mistake, but especially that guy on TV. He acts like he just walked on water. I like the fact that Bron called him out ... He said there's a new sheriff in town so I'm excited to see what's next."
I am a LeBron fan.
Take this quote out by itself and its like "Really"? Sounds like an entitled 16 year old valley girl who is offended by being ignored.
Did Lebron even go over to him? DId Lebron say a word to him, or did he expect to fawned upon. Wouldn't it be kind of "Tampering" for phil to have appeared to approach him?
Ok, The posse thing is understandable but its also a bit over the top Lebrons response as well. Younger LeBron had a big old chip on his shoulder and his group was very aggressive and did not make friends of management.
Lebron wants respect on and off the court, I get it, big ego, big accomplished player, etc.
So Barkley can't be critical of Lebron now? Barkley or any anaylist has to have a cred superior to be critical of him? Charles didn't say Lebron was NOT a great great player, just that he is whiney. I kind of agree.
On the court, Lebron is amazing, and in my book could be the greatest single player ever. Off the court, he is a trip.
Nalod wrote:"I went to see Melo at the Garden two years ago when we were in New York," James said. "They played Portland. I went up to a suite at halftime, and Phil Jackson didn't say one word to me."I am a LeBron fan.
Take this quote out by itself and its like "Really"? Sounds like an entitled 16 year old valley girl who is offended by being ignored.
Did Lebron even go over to him? DId Lebron say a word to him, or did he expect to fawned upon. Wouldn't it be kind of "Tampering" for phil to have appeared to approach him?
Ok, The posse thing is understandable but its also a bit over the top Lebrons response as well. Younger LeBron had a big old chip on his shoulder and his group was very aggressive and did not make friends of management.
Lebron wants respect on and off the court, I get it, big ego, big accomplished player, etc.So Barkley can't be critical of Lebron now? Barkley or any anaylist has to have a cred superior to be critical of him? Charles didn't say Lebron was NOT a great great player, just that he is whiney. I kind of agree.
On the court, Lebron is amazing, and in my book could be the greatest single player ever. Off the court, he is a trip.
Barkley also said he doesn't want to complete...That goes to the core of a player and his drive, an all time great...If Barkley is saying that about LeBron, its not fair...
Nalod wrote:"I went to see Melo at the Garden two years ago when we were in New York," James said. "They played Portland. I went up to a suite at halftime, and Phil Jackson didn't say one word to me."I am a LeBron fan.
Take this quote out by itself and its like "Really"? Sounds like an entitled 16 year old valley girl who is offended by being ignored.
Did Lebron even go over to him? DId Lebron say a word to him, or did he expect to fawned upon. Wouldn't it be kind of "Tampering" for phil to have appeared to approach him?
Ok, The posse thing is understandable but its also a bit over the top Lebrons response as well. Younger LeBron had a big old chip on his shoulder and his group was very aggressive and did not make friends of management.
Lebron wants respect on and off the court, I get it, big ego, big accomplished player, etc.So Barkley can't be critical of Lebron now? Barkley or any anaylist has to have a cred superior to be critical of him? Charles didn't say Lebron was NOT a great great player, just that he is whiney. I kind of agree.
On the court, Lebron is amazing, and in my book could be the greatest single player ever. Off the court, he is a trip.
Good points!
Lebron is a whiney bitch. Barkley was right. ANd to be fair, Barkley says lots of things about lots of people, including calling MJ a bad GM. I'm glad he's not like JVG and most of the other analysts out there who feel they can only say nice things about everyone, and in the process end up saying nothing meaningful.
Lebron is reaping what he sows. Talks about himself and "his legacy" in the third person, and forever will have to live with his phoney The Decision moment. If I were Phil in that suite, I'd say Lebron has to come to me, not vice versa.
On top of that, I'm convinced Lebron uses HGH. And it was a complete phony-baloney cop out to take his talents to South Beach. As good as he is/was, he should have told Wade and Bosch to come to Clevland which needed a championship.
Having said all that, he is an amazing talent, and he deserves credit for that, but as great as he is, he's not half as great as he thinks he is. Perhaps the biggest prima donna we've seen in the sport, and in the last couple of months he's proven it with his thin-skinned nature.
Some might say he's a hater...and he is, to an extent. But I believe he cares about the sport and even about the Knicks in relation to hoops broader appeal and history.
Too bad he comes across as such a chump. Dumb as he sounds, he ain't exactly stupid.
Nalod wrote:"I went to see Melo at the Garden two years ago when we were in New York," James said. "They played Portland. I went up to a suite at halftime, and Phil Jackson didn't say one word to me."I am a LeBron fan.
Take this quote out by itself and its like "Really"? Sounds like an entitled 16 year old valley girl who is offended by being ignored.
Did Lebron even go over to him? DId Lebron say a word to him, or did he expect to fawned upon. Wouldn't it be kind of "Tampering" for phil to have appeared to approach him?
Ok, The posse thing is understandable but its also a bit over the top Lebrons response as well. Younger LeBron had a big old chip on his shoulder and his group was very aggressive and did not make friends of management.
Lebron wants respect on and off the court, I get it, big ego, big accomplished player, etc.So Barkley can't be critical of Lebron now? Barkley or any anaylist has to have a cred superior to be critical of him? Charles didn't say Lebron was NOT a great great player, just that he is whiney. I kind of agree.
On the court, Lebron is amazing, and in my book could be the greatest single player ever. Off the court, he is a trip.
Barkleys comments extended beyond simple X's and O's on the court. He questioned LeBron's character through those implications. LeBron had every right to call Barkley out- who is one of the biggest hypocrites I've seen in the public eye (save for politicians).
As for that Phil Jackson stuff: I agree, it was petty, but in the grand scheme of his argument, he was spot on. I've never seen such a talented ball player disrespected at every turn.
Chandler wrote:Nalod wrote:"I went to see Melo at the Garden two years ago when we were in New York," James said. "They played Portland. I went up to a suite at halftime, and Phil Jackson didn't say one word to me."I am a LeBron fan.
Take this quote out by itself and its like "Really"? Sounds like an entitled 16 year old valley girl who is offended by being ignored.
Did Lebron even go over to him? DId Lebron say a word to him, or did he expect to fawned upon. Wouldn't it be kind of "Tampering" for phil to have appeared to approach him?
Ok, The posse thing is understandable but its also a bit over the top Lebrons response as well. Younger LeBron had a big old chip on his shoulder and his group was very aggressive and did not make friends of management.
Lebron wants respect on and off the court, I get it, big ego, big accomplished player, etc.So Barkley can't be critical of Lebron now? Barkley or any anaylist has to have a cred superior to be critical of him? Charles didn't say Lebron was NOT a great great player, just that he is whiney. I kind of agree.
On the court, Lebron is amazing, and in my book could be the greatest single player ever. Off the court, he is a trip.Good points!
Lebron is a whiney bitch. Barkley was right. ANd to be fair, Barkley says lots of things about lots of people, including calling MJ a bad GM. I'm glad he's not like JVG and most of the other analysts out there who feel they can only say nice things about everyone, and in the process end up saying nothing meaningful.
Lebron is reaping what he sows. Talks about himself and "his legacy" in the third person, and forever will have to live with his phoney The Decision moment. If I were Phil in that suite, I'd say Lebron has to come to me, not vice versa.
On top of that, I'm convinced Lebron uses HGH. And it was a complete phony-baloney cop out to take his talents to South Beach. As good as he is/was, he should have told Wade and Bosch to come to Clevland which needed a championship.
Having said all that, he is an amazing talent, and he deserves credit for that, but as great as he is, he's not half as great as he thinks he is. Perhaps the biggest prima donna we've seen in the sport, and in the last couple of months he's proven it with his thin-skinned nature.
Does it matter? That Heat team won titles because of him and promptly became a lottery team following his departure despite having acquired an all-star caliber PG to replace him (Goran Dragic) and addimg a consummate small-forward in Loul Deng. Make no mistake, LeBron didn't "need" those guys, as he proved by winning a one-off title in Cleveland just two years later against a historically great team.
Nalod wrote:"I went to see Melo at the Garden two years ago when we were in New York," James said. "They played Portland. I went up to a suite at halftime, and Phil Jackson didn't say one word to me."I am a LeBron fan.
Take this quote out by itself and its like "Really"? Sounds like an entitled 16 year old valley girl who is offended by being ignored.
Did Lebron even go over to him? DId Lebron say a word to him, or did he expect to fawned upon. Wouldn't it be kind of "Tampering" for phil to have appeared to approach him?
Ok, The posse thing is understandable but its also a bit over the top Lebrons response as well. Younger LeBron had a big old chip on his shoulder and his group was very aggressive and did not make friends of management.
Lebron wants respect on and off the court, I get it, big ego, big accomplished player, etc.So Barkley can't be critical of Lebron now? Barkley or any anaylist has to have a cred superior to be critical of him? Charles didn't say Lebron was NOT a great great player, just that he is whiney. I kind of agree.
On the court, Lebron is amazing, and in my book could be the greatest single player ever. Off the court, he is a trip.
Great point about Phil. If get were seen talking during a game, the media would have roasted then both. Sometimes you have to be professional. I like that he's speaking his mind but at the same time humble yourself bitch
NardDogNation wrote:Chandler wrote:Nalod wrote:"I went to see Melo at the Garden two years ago when we were in New York," James said. "They played Portland. I went up to a suite at halftime, and Phil Jackson didn't say one word to me."I am a LeBron fan.
Take this quote out by itself and its like "Really"? Sounds like an entitled 16 year old valley girl who is offended by being ignored.
Did Lebron even go over to him? DId Lebron say a word to him, or did he expect to fawned upon. Wouldn't it be kind of "Tampering" for phil to have appeared to approach him?
Ok, The posse thing is understandable but its also a bit over the top Lebrons response as well. Younger LeBron had a big old chip on his shoulder and his group was very aggressive and did not make friends of management.
Lebron wants respect on and off the court, I get it, big ego, big accomplished player, etc.So Barkley can't be critical of Lebron now? Barkley or any anaylist has to have a cred superior to be critical of him? Charles didn't say Lebron was NOT a great great player, just that he is whiney. I kind of agree.
On the court, Lebron is amazing, and in my book could be the greatest single player ever. Off the court, he is a trip.Good points!
Lebron is a whiney bitch. Barkley was right. ANd to be fair, Barkley says lots of things about lots of people, including calling MJ a bad GM. I'm glad he's not like JVG and most of the other analysts out there who feel they can only say nice things about everyone, and in the process end up saying nothing meaningful.
Lebron is reaping what he sows. Talks about himself and "his legacy" in the third person, and forever will have to live with his phoney The Decision moment. If I were Phil in that suite, I'd say Lebron has to come to me, not vice versa.
On top of that, I'm convinced Lebron uses HGH. And it was a complete phony-baloney cop out to take his talents to South Beach. As good as he is/was, he should have told Wade and Bosch to come to Clevland which needed a championship.
Having said all that, he is an amazing talent, and he deserves credit for that, but as great as he is, he's not half as great as he thinks he is. Perhaps the biggest prima donna we've seen in the sport, and in the last couple of months he's proven it with his thin-skinned nature.
Does it matter? That Heat team won titles because of him and promptly became a lottery team following his departure despite having acquired an all-star caliber PG to replace him (Goran Dragic) and addimg a consummate small-forward in Loul Deng. Make no mistake, LeBron didn't "need" those guys, as he proved by winning a one-off title in Cleveland just two years later against a historically great team.
Sure it matters. It's part of his legacy too. He baled on Cleveland. And w no disrespect to his skills kyrie and Tristan played fantastic ball and the NBA gets an assist for dinging draymond
IMO he's better than MJ. But he's also a prima Donna without parallel and deserving of the criticism he got
Chandler wrote:NardDogNation wrote:Chandler wrote:Nalod wrote:"I went to see Melo at the Garden two years ago when we were in New York," James said. "They played Portland. I went up to a suite at halftime, and Phil Jackson didn't say one word to me."I am a LeBron fan.
Take this quote out by itself and its like "Really"? Sounds like an entitled 16 year old valley girl who is offended by being ignored.
Did Lebron even go over to him? DId Lebron say a word to him, or did he expect to fawned upon. Wouldn't it be kind of "Tampering" for phil to have appeared to approach him?
Ok, The posse thing is understandable but its also a bit over the top Lebrons response as well. Younger LeBron had a big old chip on his shoulder and his group was very aggressive and did not make friends of management.
Lebron wants respect on and off the court, I get it, big ego, big accomplished player, etc.So Barkley can't be critical of Lebron now? Barkley or any anaylist has to have a cred superior to be critical of him? Charles didn't say Lebron was NOT a great great player, just that he is whiney. I kind of agree.
On the court, Lebron is amazing, and in my book could be the greatest single player ever. Off the court, he is a trip.Good points!
Lebron is a whiney bitch. Barkley was right. ANd to be fair, Barkley says lots of things about lots of people, including calling MJ a bad GM. I'm glad he's not like JVG and most of the other analysts out there who feel they can only say nice things about everyone, and in the process end up saying nothing meaningful.
Lebron is reaping what he sows. Talks about himself and "his legacy" in the third person, and forever will have to live with his phoney The Decision moment. If I were Phil in that suite, I'd say Lebron has to come to me, not vice versa.
On top of that, I'm convinced Lebron uses HGH. And it was a complete phony-baloney cop out to take his talents to South Beach. As good as he is/was, he should have told Wade and Bosch to come to Clevland which needed a championship.
Having said all that, he is an amazing talent, and he deserves credit for that, but as great as he is, he's not half as great as he thinks he is. Perhaps the biggest prima donna we've seen in the sport, and in the last couple of months he's proven it with his thin-skinned nature.
Does it matter? That Heat team won titles because of him and promptly became a lottery team following his departure despite having acquired an all-star caliber PG to replace him (Goran Dragic) and addimg a consummate small-forward in Loul Deng. Make no mistake, LeBron didn't "need" those guys, as he proved by winning a one-off title in Cleveland just two years later against a historically great team.
Sure it matters. It's part of his legacy too. He baled on Cleveland. And w no disrespect to his skills kyrie and Tristan played fantastic ball and the NBA gets an assist for dinging draymond
IMO he's better than MJ. But he's also a prima Donna without parallel and deserving of the criticism he got
Cleveland bailed on LeBron before he ever seriously contemplated leaving. That supporting cast around him was a joke, which was made clear after he left. Despite their rotation remaining almost entirely intact, the team only won about 13 games....and that was what LeBron had been taking to Conference Semi Finals and Finals.
Fastforward to the Kyrie era and I have to ask: what did Kyring and Tristan win before LeBron came back?
Vmart wrote:What is LeBron's legacy. Have the most talent and win.
The most talent? You mean the lottery teams he was on and made contender?
Lebron went off topic and discussed Barkley's off basketball related issues.
To me Lebron was out of line.
Barkley response was actually very cool, he said Lebrons points were fair, and he did not escalate. In fact, Charles made Lebrone look thin skinned. From Charles:
"I have no problem with what LeBron said," Barkley said on ESPN Chicago's Waddle & Silvy radio show on Tuesday. "Some of it was true. I did pay my debt, that's not true. I was never late to the All-Star Game, so that's not true. But I don't overreact, I'm not gonna say anything bad about him or get personal, I stick by what I said. He was all whiny and everything last week. If I'm going to be straightforward, like I always try to be, I know guys are going to come back at me sometimes. I'm good. He got personal but I'm never going to get personal on an NBA player. All of my criticisms or critiques are always just about basketball and I'm going to keep doing what I do."
Nalod wrote:Barkley only discussed basketball related issues. It involved Lebron and the Cav's.
Lebron went off topic and discussed Barkley's off basketball related issues.
To me Lebron was out of line.
Barkley response was actually very cool, he said Lebrons points were fair, and he did not escalate. In fact, Charles made Lebrone look thin skinned. From Charles:"I have no problem with what LeBron said," Barkley said on ESPN Chicago's Waddle & Silvy radio show on Tuesday. "Some of it was true. I did pay my debt, that's not true. I was never late to the All-Star Game, so that's not true. But I don't overreact, I'm not gonna say anything bad about him or get personal, I stick by what I said. He was all whiny and everything last week. If I'm going to be straightforward, like I always try to be, I know guys are going to come back at me sometimes. I'm good. He got personal but I'm never going to get personal on an NBA player. All of my criticisms or critiques are always just about basketball and I'm going to keep doing what I do."
When you are saying a player don't want to compete, you are getting personal....Also Barkley isn't playing ball anymore, he is taking shots at LeBron from an analyst booth..He should be able to get hit there too...
And LeBron mostly spoke about things Barkley did relating to the game...
holfresh wrote:Nalod wrote:Barkley only discussed basketball related issues. It involved Lebron and the Cav's.
Lebron went off topic and discussed Barkley's off basketball related issues.
To me Lebron was out of line.
Barkley response was actually very cool, he said Lebrons points were fair, and he did not escalate. In fact, Charles made Lebrone look thin skinned. From Charles:"I have no problem with what LeBron said," Barkley said on ESPN Chicago's Waddle & Silvy radio show on Tuesday. "Some of it was true. I did pay my debt, that's not true. I was never late to the All-Star Game, so that's not true. But I don't overreact, I'm not gonna say anything bad about him or get personal, I stick by what I said. He was all whiny and everything last week. If I'm going to be straightforward, like I always try to be, I know guys are going to come back at me sometimes. I'm good. He got personal but I'm never going to get personal on an NBA player. All of my criticisms or critiques are always just about basketball and I'm going to keep doing what I do."
When you are saying a player don't want to compete, you are getting personal....Also Barkley isn't playing ball anymore, he is taking shots at LeBron from an analyst booth..He should be able to get hit there too...
And LeBron mostly spoke about things Barkley did relating to the game...
Throwing dudes out windows, Gambling debts, don't call me a role model......Not basketball related.
"Don't want to compete with what you got" is how I took that comment. Charles did not say the man was not a top 5 player. He was saying LeBron is whining with the roster he pretty much tells cav's to get.
Lebron has huge input in all roster and coaching decisions. I think Riley was totally put off by Lebron's decision to leave after he had given him what ever he wanted, as has Dan Gilbert.
Pretty obvious Lebron and Dan are not great together, and Riley was pretty bitter when Lebron left. Riles is a dyck but there was something to it that was not gracious. Riles let Wade walk but in the end he was grateful to wades contribution. Phil is obviously no fan of Lebron off the court and why should he feel like he has to suck up to the dude?
Lebron and his group were in the box in the Garden. Was LeBron testing phil to see if he would respect him, or does the man have no humility to go and make the first move without feeling disrespected.
Remember when Kevin Love went to a redsox game a year before he hit free agency and the world was abuzz about it? Well Imagine a photo of phil and Lebron in a box during the season in MSG!!!
Lebron is obviously annoyed wit some things and we all know he is not always very mature sometimes. Lets not be so naïve either, he has a big ego and he should have one. I might say he earned it too.
Jordan and Kobe have been very brash at times in their own way.
While Charles might have gone a bit far, LeBron did not take the higher road.
Lastly, let us NOT forget that Barkley whined his way out of Philly and got traded to Phoenix & then the Houston Rockets in his own attempt to create a SuperTeam and get a hollow ring at the end of his career. Muthaeffing hypocrite
Nalod wrote:holfresh wrote:Nalod wrote:Barkley only discussed basketball related issues. It involved Lebron and the Cav's.
Lebron went off topic and discussed Barkley's off basketball related issues.
To me Lebron was out of line.
Barkley response was actually very cool, he said Lebrons points were fair, and he did not escalate. In fact, Charles made Lebrone look thin skinned. From Charles:"I have no problem with what LeBron said," Barkley said on ESPN Chicago's Waddle & Silvy radio show on Tuesday. "Some of it was true. I did pay my debt, that's not true. I was never late to the All-Star Game, so that's not true. But I don't overreact, I'm not gonna say anything bad about him or get personal, I stick by what I said. He was all whiny and everything last week. If I'm going to be straightforward, like I always try to be, I know guys are going to come back at me sometimes. I'm good. He got personal but I'm never going to get personal on an NBA player. All of my criticisms or critiques are always just about basketball and I'm going to keep doing what I do."
When you are saying a player don't want to compete, you are getting personal....Also Barkley isn't playing ball anymore, he is taking shots at LeBron from an analyst booth..He should be able to get hit there too...
And LeBron mostly spoke about things Barkley did relating to the game...Throwing dudes out windows, Gambling debts, don't call me a role model......Not basketball related.
"Don't want to compete with what you got" is how I took that comment. Charles did not say the man was not a top 5 player. He was saying LeBron is whining with the roster he pretty much tells cav's to get.
Lebron has huge input in all roster and coaching decisions. I think Riley was totally put off by Lebron's decision to leave after he had given him what ever he wanted, as has Dan Gilbert.
Pretty obvious Lebron and Dan are not great together, and Riley was pretty bitter when Lebron left. Riles is a dyck but there was something to it that was not gracious. Riles let Wade walk but in the end he was grateful to wades contribution. Phil is obviously no fan of Lebron off the court and why should he feel like he has to suck up to the dude?
Lebron and his group were in the box in the Garden. Was LeBron testing phil to see if he would respect him, or does the man have no humility to go and make the first move without feeling disrespected.
Remember when Kevin Love went to a redsox game a year before he hit free agency and the world was abuzz about it? Well Imagine a photo of phil and Lebron in a box during the season in MSG!!!Lebron is obviously annoyed wit some things and we all know he is not always very mature sometimes. Lets not be so naïve either, he has a big ego and he should have one. I might say he earned it too.
Jordan and Kobe have been very brash at times in their own way.While Charles might have gone a bit far, LeBron did not take the higher road.
Your are right, Gambling debts, throwing people out windows are a bridge too far...
ActionJackson wrote:Bravo LeBron!!!! F*** fat boy Barkley and his big garbled sometimes barely intelligeble mouth. His comments about the the current game are often petty at best and TMZ level shock value at worst. He's basically there to be a "Yassa...No suh" new age coon for the NBA on TNT and rarely realizes that the audience is laughing at him not with him. I'm most definitely NOT a LeBron fan boy but in this matter I stand with him 1000% and wish he wouldve posted a pic of his 3 rings and subtweeted Barkley with the comment "Got Rings??? No, well then shut your mouth!!!"
Lastly, let us NOT forget that Barkley whined his way out of Philly and got traded to Phoenix & then the Houston Rockets in his own attempt to create a SuperTeam and get a hollow ring at the end of his career. Muthaeffing hypocrite
So if you don't have a ring, even a HOF player cannot do his job as a studio analyst?
Can a player, with more rings than another have that count to justify an opinion?
Shaq can play the fool because he has rings?
Phil has 11 rings, basically everything he say's is fact?
NardDogNation wrote:Vmart wrote:What is LeBron's legacy. Have the most talent and win.The most talent? You mean the lottery teams he was on and made contender?
I don't doubt his talent never did. Only thing I doubt is when the situation isn't right or enough talent isn't there he bails out. He bailed out in Cleveland the first time. When the Heat started its slip he bailed out to go back to Cleveland which just so happened to get better talent through draft. That's his legacy. If he goes the Patrick Ewing Route or the Karl Malone route and sticks to Cleveland the way he was suppose to it would have made his legacy that much better. But that is my opinion.
That's why I respect players like Ewing and Malone. Ewing in his prime could just as easily left NY for Golden State and teamed up with Hardaway, Mullin and Richmond. But he didn't. The level of Loyalty to the team that drafted him.
NardDogNation wrote:Chandler wrote:NardDogNation wrote:Chandler wrote:Nalod wrote:"I went to see Melo at the Garden two years ago when we were in New York," James said. "They played Portland. I went up to a suite at halftime, and Phil Jackson didn't say one word to me."I am a LeBron fan.
Take this quote out by itself and its like "Really"? Sounds like an entitled 16 year old valley girl who is offended by being ignored.
Did Lebron even go over to him? DId Lebron say a word to him, or did he expect to fawned upon. Wouldn't it be kind of "Tampering" for phil to have appeared to approach him?
Ok, The posse thing is understandable but its also a bit over the top Lebrons response as well. Younger LeBron had a big old chip on his shoulder and his group was very aggressive and did not make friends of management.
Lebron wants respect on and off the court, I get it, big ego, big accomplished player, etc.So Barkley can't be critical of Lebron now? Barkley or any anaylist has to have a cred superior to be critical of him? Charles didn't say Lebron was NOT a great great player, just that he is whiney. I kind of agree.
On the court, Lebron is amazing, and in my book could be the greatest single player ever. Off the court, he is a trip.Good points!
Lebron is a whiney bitch. Barkley was right. ANd to be fair, Barkley says lots of things about lots of people, including calling MJ a bad GM. I'm glad he's not like JVG and most of the other analysts out there who feel they can only say nice things about everyone, and in the process end up saying nothing meaningful.
Lebron is reaping what he sows. Talks about himself and "his legacy" in the third person, and forever will have to live with his phoney The Decision moment. If I were Phil in that suite, I'd say Lebron has to come to me, not vice versa.
On top of that, I'm convinced Lebron uses HGH. And it was a complete phony-baloney cop out to take his talents to South Beach. As good as he is/was, he should have told Wade and Bosch to come to Clevland which needed a championship.
Having said all that, he is an amazing talent, and he deserves credit for that, but as great as he is, he's not half as great as he thinks he is. Perhaps the biggest prima donna we've seen in the sport, and in the last couple of months he's proven it with his thin-skinned nature.
Does it matter? That Heat team won titles because of him and promptly became a lottery team following his departure despite having acquired an all-star caliber PG to replace him (Goran Dragic) and addimg a consummate small-forward in Loul Deng. Make no mistake, LeBron didn't "need" those guys, as he proved by winning a one-off title in Cleveland just two years later against a historically great team.
Sure it matters. It's part of his legacy too. He baled on Cleveland. And w no disrespect to his skills kyrie and Tristan played fantastic ball and the NBA gets an assist for dinging draymond
IMO he's better than MJ. But he's also a prima Donna without parallel and deserving of the criticism he got
Cleveland bailed on LeBron before he ever seriously contemplated leaving. That supporting cast around him was a joke, which was made clear after he left. Despite their rotation remaining almost entirely intact, the team only won about 13 games....and that was what LeBron had been taking to Conference Semi Finals and Finals.
Fastforward to the Kyrie era and I have to ask: what did Kyring and Tristan win before LeBron came back?
Let me plain: Lebron is an amazing player. I personally think he is better than MJ was. The point I'm making is about his leaving for Miami. He should have told Bosh and Wade to come to Cleveland. He was the big alpha and Cleveland was his home team. Bosh was ready to depart Toronto; Wade already won in Miami and was a Chicagoan.
Point is not his skills but his so-called spotty legacy to the extent it extends past his considerable talent.
He is very thin-skinned primma donna. Barkley is right. Team paid up for the players that Lebron demanded should be paid up. They are over the cap. Lebron wants more talent and is now complaining (fundamentally) about the consequences of his own demands.