stanleybostitch wrote:Interesting timing. Wonder what side of the proposed trade he was on - have to think he wanted to hedge bets and hold onto future assets, and when he vetoed whatever trades are being discussed Lebron vetoed him out the door.
As the story goes, during the 2010-2011 offseason, power broker and "consultant" to CAA, World Wide Wes, had essentially arranged for LBJ and Bosh to go to Chicago. The sticking point? Reisendorf had endured the constant warring between Jerry Krause ( the then GM) and Michael Jordan over personnel control. Krause was very well hated around the league, but not for his skill set. He was actually a very good GM. Jordan was more often than not, wrong about personnel, but demanded more and more say ( his epic pre Twitter era freak out over Rodney McCray over Walter Davis, his old alum from college)
So Reisendorf made it simple. I like you, I want you, I need you, but not as de facto GM. He also didn't want elements like Rich Paul and Maverick Carter around.
The base problem and I could see Reisendorf seeing it damn early, is that LBJ is a world beater as a player, but an idiot as a de facto team runner. The rest of the league saw how LBJ and Nike used the press to railroad Danny Ferry in Cleveland for basically following marching orders - Give LBJ what he wants. Danny Ferry acquitted himself well in Atlanta, unfortunately his end there overshadows him really rebuilding that squad given it had no chance at real free agents.
LBJ, Bosh and Wade all took a bit less money. To sign Haslem, Wades personal enforcer and buddy. And Mike Miller, a gunner, who was buddies with LBJ as well. This all despite the team desperately needing a pivot and rim protection ( As if they thought Erick Dampier's corpse was going to do it or Joel Anthony...) Without Chris Birdman Anderson and his off the court problems and the amnesty provision, not sure the Heat would have won any rings at all.
LBJ builds another idiotic roster. Instead of taking the heat for it, he says someone sprays something racist on his house, though it's all painted over when the cops come.... Instead of taking responsibility, the GM in place is pushed out. The previous coach is forced out for LBJ's buddy, Lue.
Players should not be running their teams. Time and time again ( Gary Payton, Kevin Garnett, etc), when it happens, it's a mess waiting to blow up in the team's face.
When Wade and LBJ mocked Dirk by feigning sick in the press, when Dirk was actually ill and trying to play through it, that just shows what a classless douchebag he really is and it's clear he has no business doing anything other than playing the game. Historic level player, will never take that raw talent and ability from him. Human beings were simply not built to move like him at his size. He's like a video game come to life. But off the court, he's really a blithering idiot who has no common sense with the press and doesn't seem to want anything other than Yes men and other "buddies" around him.
LBJ loves Shabazz Napier, lobbies for him. Even though the entire league understands he's a tournament hero only. ( Shades of Loy Vaught...) But to appease him, Riley burns assets to get Napier. Who is useless and everyone knows it. It's not as bad as Scotty McKnight making the Jets 53 to appease The Sanchize, but it's pretty damn ugly.
Interesting thing I've heard both Seinfeld and George Carlin say in interviews about comedy. That you need people who can be honest enough to tell you when your stuff is bad, when it's not going to work, that you need to hear ugly things sometimes. Like pruning a tree so it can grow. You just can't sit around and hear 100 percent of how awesome and right you are all the time.
It's everyone's fault but LBJ. Boo hoo. What a crybaby. That degree of solipsism only occurs socially with adult women. When the best way to describe a man's behavioral model is by looking at the base nature of most women, something is very wrong. If you want to really win, it can't be all about you all the time. Would he have ever won anything without the gift of gold from Nike and the league itself? Anyone wonder if he's got a picture of himself as a centaur hanging in his living room?
