I feel myself vomiting - Melo and Bron????

[Banner18now!]

These guys have no sense of competition or interest in facing a challenge.  They want to be handed fame and glory the easy way.  They may earn a lot of titles, but they aren't champions. 
It's often said that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.  These guys are looking for a shortcut.  For that reason, the Heat and Lebron James in particular should never be remembered as one of the all time greats.

So because guys like Magic and Bird were lucky to be drafted by great franchise we should look at them differently than players that were drafted onto terrible franchises like (James in Cleveland).  Because HOFers would go play with Jordan in Chicago (like Rodman) we should treat him differently than James who couldn't even get one of his closest friends in Bosh to even consider going to Cleveland. 

Shaq left Orlando to go to L.A. because he didn't think he could win in Orlando long term (despite the fact that he had an All-NBA teammate in Penny).  No one says crap about him. 

This irrational hate of Lebron James is just plain silly.

Bird and Magic had to beat each other to win a championship.  They didnt join forces.  Shaq had to beat Olajuwon and Duncan, they didnt join forces.  Wilt and Russell were fierce rivals, they didnt want to play with each other.  Rodman was an elite role player, not a franchise type of player.
Lebron's natural rivals are Wade and Melo.  Despite being the better player, he doesn't want the challenge of beating them.  My disrespect of James is not irrational.

"There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry [Bird], called up Magic [Johnson] and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team,'" Jordan said after playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada. The interview aired on the NBC telecast of the event. "But that's ... things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys."

Exactly, players wanted to beat the best not join them to have a calk walk through the league. Today's NBA players are over paid whiners who want to take the easy way out. Instead of trying to beat the best lets just join together so we can win an easy ring.

[gpap]

Imagine if Ainge could pull a rabbit out of a hat and convince Lebron and Melo to join Rondo in Boston

Realistically, I do agree with other fans. If Melo does go to Miami, the NBA is going to become absolutely ridiculous.

It's like what would be the point of watching??

[Waew]

Idk why people keep saying its hypocritical for us to raise concerns. We did not want another superstar after our big 3. We just wanted a role player like David west type. That would have been sufficient.

[fairweatherfan]

Idk why people keep saying its hypocritical for us to raise concerns. We did not want another superstar after our big 3. We just wanted a role player like David west type. That would have been sufficient.

*cough* Chris Paul *cough*

[Waew]

Seems like the Class of '03 is as tight as ever.  But when will they get Mo Williams there to round out the lineup?

...in all seriousness people talk a lot about how players should take less money to get a better team around them - we had a thread about it today.  You're already insanely rich, so be unselfish, championships are all that matter.  Kobe got a lot of criticism for taking a big extension and hampering the Lakers' ability to put stars around him.  If LeBron et al really are going the other route, why is that a bad thing?  I mean, the competitive advantage would suck, but really, aren't we just getting mad about seeing an unusually unselfish generation of guys all wanting to maximize their chances at rings?

While I don't mind players teaming up, I feel this is bad for the NBA. There'll be very little competition now that it feels pointless to watch.

I completely agree, that's the biggest problem with it.  On paper that's a crazy team.  But nothing is guaranteed - the Mavs beat a healthy Heat in 2011.   And all four guys would be over 30 next year.  Whatever comes of it, it'll have a limited shelf life.

I hope it doesn't happen for the record.  That'd be a huge roadblock to getting our next contender going.  But all the moral indignation about it seems pretty silly, since they'd be doing something in reality that a lot of the same people like as a hypothetical.

its guaranteed. That is most of team USA playing on the same team with a bunch of ring chasers on the bench like ray Allen, rashard Lewis, Greg oden, Michael Beasley

[Waew]

Idk why people keep saying its hypocritical for us to raise concerns. We did not want another superstar after our big 3. We just wanted a role player like David west type. That would have been sufficient.

*cough* Chris Paul *cough*

we wanted cp3 when these guys were well past their prime. When lebron and co are 34 and 35 I would be ok with young Melo on the heat. But right now all 4 are from team USA prime.

[RJ87]

Methinks Mark Cuban would start a riot against the league if this happened. He's probably already reached out to the league office and the NBPA with this rumor going around. If the owners squashed the CP3 to Lakers deal, then I definitely see them getting involved in something like this. It's a mockery of the CBA.

With that said LBJ/Wade/Bosh/Melo would be terrible for the league - the East would be even more crappy than it already is, and overall parity would be a joke.

[mef730]

Methinks Mark Cuban would start a riot against the league if this happened. He's probably already reached out to the league office and the NBPA with this rumor going around.

He's at least got the FBI on the case...

Mike

[fairweatherfan]

Idk why people keep saying its hypocritical for us to raise concerns. We did not want another superstar after our big 3. We just wanted a role player like David west type. That would have been sufficient.

*cough* Chris Paul *cough*

we wanted cp3 when these guys were well past their prime. When lebron and co are 34 and 35 I would be ok with young Melo on the heat. But right now all 4 are from team USA prime.

That's moving the goalposts a bit there - we didn't want a fourth superstar except for when we tried really hard to get one.  I'm sure we kicked the tires on Dwight Howard too, even though there was basically no chance it'd work out.  Teams want as many stars as possible, no matter how many they've already got.

But by the end of next season Wade will be 33, Bosh 31, LeBron and Melo 30, with Melo turning 31 during the playoffs, so it's not that different in age anyway.

[knuckleballer]

Idk why people keep saying its hypocritical for us to raise concerns. We did not want another superstar after our big 3. We just wanted a role player like David west type. That would have been sufficient.

*cough* Chris Paul *cough*

It would have been an extreme challenge and an uphill battle to beat the Heat with Chris Paul.  If Melo goes to the Heat, there's no challenge left for the Heat.  It's over barring injury.  If anyone would still watch, you'd see these guys blow everyone out while patting themselves on the back and James calling himself King.  It would be so lame.

[greg683x]

Idk why people keep saying its hypocritical for us to raise concerns. We did not want another superstar after our big 3. We just wanted a role player like David west type. That would have been sufficient.

*cough* Chris Paul *cough*

we wanted cp3 when these guys were well past their prime. When lebron and co are 34 and 35 I would be ok with young Melo on the heat. But right now all 4 are from team USA prime.

That's moving the goalposts a bit there - we didn't want a fourth superstar except for when we tried really hard to get one.  I'm sure we kicked the tires on Dwight Howard too, even though there was basically no chance it'd work out.  Teams want as many stars as possible, no matter how many they've already got.

But by the end of next season Wade will be 33, Bosh 31, LeBron and Melo 30, with Melo turning 31 during the playoffs, so it's not that different in age anyway.

We would've had to trade Rondo to land Chris Paul and still risk him not resigning here after one season.  Miami has to give up nothing and risks nothing. The Paul comparison doesn't apply.

[D.o.s.]

Methinks Mark Cuban would start a riot against the league if this happened. He's probably already reached out to the league office and the NBPA with this rumor going around.

He's at least got the FBI on the case...

Mike

Yeah, that's not true at all. Cuban allegedly reached out to a PI who used to work for the FBI after the 2006 Finals...

but only according to that Private Investigator.

[D.o.s.]

Meh, Lebron could sign for the league minimum and still make more than anyone.  For that matter, put these four together and they'll all make way more off endorsements than they ever could on the court.

As much as I'd like to complain about teams stacking, if the Celts somehow pulled Love, Melo and Asik to Boston, I wouldn't be too upset about it.  I know, those four aren't exactly the Miami four, but "any given Sunday" doesn't exactly apply in the NBA.

Mike

How would Melo be in both Miami and Boston at the same time?   

He wouldn't be.  My point is that it would be hypocritical of me to complain about Miami stacking its team with all these great players but cheer if Melo et al went to Boston, instead.

Mike

It's not hypocritical at all.  Melo to the Celtics would be a move by team management to try to contend and Melo would be paid his worth.  Melo to the Heat would be a move orchestrated by players taking pay cuts so that they wouldn't need to work up a sweat while cakewalking to a ring.

Talk about splitting hairs.

how the hell is that splitting hairs?

Three guys take a pay cut to make room so they can have 4 superstars which at this point there would be zero competition in the East vs. a team that would pay what your supposed to pay a superstar on a team that is trying to compete. That's what free agency was supposed to be for not so superstars can collude and all join the same team.

You don't think the Celtics would pay as little as possible for Carmelo Anthony if they could?

You don't think Rondo would've pitched 'Melo the idea?

[LilRip]

Taking massive pay cuts to create a super team is anti-competition. It's like when large companies in an industry with limited players conspire to drive prices up. Shouldn't there be rules in place to prevent that?

[djbilly33]

I would agree with the rest of you and stop watching as well.  What's funny is that free agents that aren't going to Miami want max contracts while the best player in the world and his buddies make half of a max contract deal. If Lebron who already took a paycut to play in Miami takes another cut to have Melo join, think about Jeff Green who we will pay 9 million a year to next year makes nearly as much as Lebon who's the greatest in the world.  The comparison between our best player, Rondo, who in my opinion is overrated will be making more the LeBron which is ridiculous, and he wants more money.  What a joke!! Love worth a max contract? NO WAY! Not when LeBron will be making significantly less than him. The league will become a joke and lose many fans.  If Melo leaves NY to join Mia I will lose any respect I have left for him.