LeBatard: LeBroid and company misled the cHeat: if true, anybody surprised?

[csfansince60s]

From RealGM

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/234292/Le-Batard-LeBrons-Reps-Misled-Heat-In-Free-Agency

Dan Le Batard believes LeBron James knew he was going to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers for several days before he announced his decision. James met with Pat Riley on Wednesday of last week before announcing his decision in an orchestrated essay published by Sports Illustrated on Friday.

"I found it interesting that Chris Sheridan, when he broke this story, was talking in sportswriter narrative ? the mythology of going home, and the Rust Belt," said Le Batard. "I found that interesting because I didn?t think it could be right, that a sportswriter and an athlete would both have the sportswriter narrative. But, man, these guys planned that part out beautifully, so it doesn?t become about the way that his entourage feuded with Pat Riley at the end."

The Heat pursued Danny Granger and Josh McRoberts with the assumption James would re-sign........................................................

........
"The Miami Heat were behaving like a team that was gonna get him back," said Le Batard. "They were doing everything, like they were gonna get him back. That?s because the agent for LeBron James [Rich Paul] made them feel like they were gonna get him back. You can?t have two teams behaving like they were gonna get him back."

Le Batard also believes James was already planning on leaving the Miami Heat before the start of the Finals.

"I think it was before [the NBA Finals]. Here?s part of the problem, though, Dan. It?s hard for me to know what?s true and what isn?t, because people are talking about so many different things. But one thing that surprised me, and I heard it from a number of places, is that LeBron?s wife and LeBron?s mom didn?t want to actually go. When he was talking about going back and telling Pat Riley that he needed to talk to his family, he was talking about La Familia ? the group of guys around him. Again, I don?t know what to believe, and I need to talk to LeBron about it. And get honesty from LeBron about it, and I?m not sure those things are possible given the way that they?re spinning these things in a PR way. But I?ve heard in too many places ? not one or two ? that Savannah didn?t actually want to go."

It was all about family, huh, LeBron, or should I say La Familia, not you're real family. Classy: using the pretense of doing it for your family.....and yuh, and Wade and Bosh, you know, your "Brothers for Life"...

[Smokeeye123]

Lebetard is just crying salty tears because,being a miami fanboy, that it is over for the Heat being title contenders for at least the next 5 years.

[esel1000]

Lebetard is just crying salty tears because,being a miami fanboy, that it is over for the Heat being title contenders for at least the next 5 years.

Sounds about right

[mmmmm]

"You can?t have two teams behaving like they were gonna get him back."

Uhh... and why not?   That's called a player's market.

Cry me a river, Miami.  You were happy to take Lebron 4 years ago while multiple teams bent over backward trying to lure him.   This time you lost on that same game.

[indeedproceed]

LeBatard is the Miami Bill SImmons.

[2short]

One thing I have to comment on is the pr spin for the letter "lebron" put out about going back to ohio and leaving miami
anyone think a ghost writer ? or his agent at the least penned that?? 

[csfansince60s]

"You can?t have two teams behaving like they were gonna get him back."

Uhh... and why not?   That's called a player's market.

Cry me a river, Miami.  You were happy to take Lebron 4 years ago while multiple teams bent over backward trying to lure him.   This time you lost on that same game.

+1....no pity for the cHeat...live by the (Cavalier's) sword, die by (Cavalier's) the sword....kinda like the snake biting the fox as the fox was swimming/transporting the snake across the river and they both were gonna drown and the fox asks why he did it and he said "because I'm a snake"

[Celtics4ever]

You live by the free agent, you die by the free agent....

[Future Celtics Owner]

One thing I have to comment on is the pr spin for the letter "lebron" put out about going back to ohio and leaving miami
anyone think a ghost writer ? or his agent at the least penned that?? 

I wrote about this once I saw the letter. I am a natural cynic but Lebron really would have someone ghost write this thing...all he cares about is pr

[sed522002]

One thing I have to comment on is the pr spin for the letter "lebron" put out about going back to ohio and leaving miami
anyone think a ghost writer ? or his agent at the least penned that?? 

I wrote about this once I saw the letter. I am a natural cynic but Lebron really would have someone ghost write this thing...all he cares about is pr

Wasn't it written by Lee Jenkins,  but told by Lebron ? I'm sure Lee helped A LOT in bringing life to his words.

[Eja117]

Can anyone confirm if LeBatard means the Edited for profanity.  Please do not do it again. in French?

[86MaxwellSmart]

even funnier, when you consider the Draft Night trade Miami made--to get LeBron's Favorite PG--!  Lots of Hoopla when that happened.

[Eddie20]

Lebetard is just crying salty tears because,being a miami fanboy, that it is over for the Heat being title contenders for at least the next 5 years.

Sounds about right

Disagree on that. He was actually saying it's a great story that he went back to Cleveland and Miami fans shouldn't be spiteful that he left and was laughing at Bosh's "loyalty" saying it only took 40m dollars more to keep him. The reason he likely said that James misled the Heat is because he was steadfast in saying he was staying until the very end. He received that information from a source within the Heat and he stated that even the source was shocked that James left.

I also don't dispute his contact(s) within the Heat organization. He was the first one to say that the Heat turned down a Haslem for Turner tradeline deal.

If anyone wants to take a listen to his podcast the day the decision was announced.
http://www.theticketmiami.com/podcast_lebatard.aspx

[j804]

Any word on a fix for the quotes and "?" issues on the forum?

[Neurotic Guy]

There is so much said and presumed about people in this world, especially famous people, that you can probably find a way to draw just about any conclusion you'd want.  Sometimes the evidence is overwhelmingly against the righteousness of a human being (eg, OJ, Hernandez...). But a lot of the time I think we like to make minor villains out of people who are just being human.  I am very glad that my personal decisions have not been public because I've probably made mistakes, been selfish, been thoughtless and been embarrassingly wrong at times. 

Lebron appears to be a pretty decent guy overall who, like most of us, makes some good decisions and some bad ones.  Hopefully, he is nice to his wife, children, mother, neighbors, waitresses and barbers. That would matter more to me than what others speculate about how he treats Pat Riley, Dwayne Wade. or the fans of Miami.