As far as the rest, my point about being coddled in Cleveland has more to do with never leaving home than anything else. Jordan had a tremendous college experience, and Chicago has not a hop, skip, or jump from where he grew up. There’s nothing wrong with comfort zones, per se, but there is such a thing as being too comfortable. LeBron had that whole region eating out of the palm of his hand by the time he graduated high school, and I don’t think it served him well. Just my opinion, though.

Reality, though, is that half the teams in the league planned for the summer of 2010, at great risk. Why was Cleveland caught flatfooted when it arrived? Pat Riley was in Wade’s ear about recruiting other A-listers, and took the chance of losing him, clearing out cap space at the expense of the year (or 2) before. Look at what Chicago is doing right NOW- they haven’t been fooled by big regular seasons, they are thinking long-term about building around Rose. And just ’cause things went one way for Jordan doesn’t mean that’s the way of the world. Ask Kevin Garnett how he feels about 12 years of loyalty to the Timberwolves.

Again, I’m looking for one sign of Cleveland management being competent outside of drafting the consensus #1 pick the last two times they won the lottery. I don’t see it.

And since you took such a shine to lists, here’s another:

Gene Banks
Dave Corzine
Quintin Dailey
Kyle Macy
Orlando Woolridge
Rory Sparrow
Granville Waiters
George Gervin
Jack Haley
Sam Vincent

“Nobody wants to play in Cleveland”, I’m glad we’re dealing in facts here and not just your expert opinions. “Just because James carried them to a finals and two 60+ win seasons doesn’t mean something was ‘building’”. I’d think most franchises would feel they were onto something good if they’re armed with the best young player in the league and post back-to-back 60+ win seasons in that player’s sixth and seventh seasons (when he was age 24/25).

And it’s not a stretch to say every superstar in the NBA is coddled. “LeBron’s comfort zone was having his a$$ kissed in Cleveland.” Are you familiar with “The Jordan Rules” by Sam Smith? MJ fared pretty well in his own comfort zone.

It’s my opinion that if James wanted to be placed along side Magic, Bird, and Michael in the pantheon of all-timers, he should’ve remained in Cleveland and won it on his own. We’ll never know if he could have pulled off what each of those three did.

I happen to like James as a player. I was disappointed to see him leave the Cavs, strictly from a historical perspective.

#1 what on god’s green earth does Michael Jordan have to do with any of this? Nobody is talking about Jordan. And trolling out a list of regular season records doesn’t prove a thing. since you like lists, though, here’s one:

Daniel Gibson
Danny Green
J.J. Hickson
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Cedric Jackson
Darnell Jackson
LeBron James
Antawn Jamison
Coby Karl
Jamario Moon
Shaquille O’Neal
Anthony Parker
Leon Powe
Sebastian Telfair
Anderson Varejao
Delonte West
Jawad Williams
Mo Williams

It doesn’t take a revisionist to see the flaws in that roster. A bunch of has beens and never weres…. Varejao is the only player on that list who improved since that year, and he still more a great role-player than franchise anchor. Can you name the last team that one a title with one legit all-star? You won’t find one- and that includes all of Kobe’s and MJ’s teams. Nobody wants to play in Cleveland, and those Cavs sure weren’t gonna luck out with the lottery again. Just because James carried them to a finals and two 60+ win seasons doesn’t mean something was “building”.

You also miss the larger point about stepping out of one’s comfort zone. Fair or no, LeBron’s comfort zone was having his a$$ kissed in Cleveland. Do you still live at home with your mama? I bet not, and you are a better man for it.

The Bulls at various times added valuable pieces like Orlando Woolridge and Dennis Hopson

Cavaliers in Lebron James’ first 7 seasons:
35-47
42-40
50-32
50-32…lost NBA title
45-37
66-16
61-21

Let’s not revise history and pretend Cleveland wasn’t building something good. Jordan didn’t run off and sign with an Eastern Conference rival in order to stack a line-up and win a ring. LeBron did.

Look at the list for the past 20 years, it is almost all NFL, NBA, and MLB stars who won a championship the year they were awarded it.

What are you smoking? I know smoking crack is bad but smoking Lebron’s a$$ crack has to be worse.

Very well put.

I don’t think enough people know how to admire his team game.

For being the best player in the NBA now and one of the best ever, he somehow just meshes with his teamates so well, He has monster games but while you watch you see how much of a team player he is and forget about his stats, I just can’t really think of another player quite like that, that dominates but doesn’t overshadow his team. Magic is the only similarity to me.

LeBron is a modern day Magic Johnson.

The LeBron haters are pathetic,

LeBron is a much better person than MJ and Kobe … better player? You all can debate but he is a great face for the NBA which right now has loads of thugs or negative personalities, bad leaders, and selfish people.

And yes, he was coddled in Cleveland- there were absolutely scared to say “no” to anything he wanted, and you can’t run a business that way. There’s a story about his first year in Miami where LeBron asked Wade to ask Spoelstra to change the team’s flight from that particular evening to the following day, so he could party with his friends on South Beach. Wade balked, so LeBron went to Coach Spo himself, and was told, “That’s not how we do things here.” Don’t tell me that management has nothing to do with getting the best out of players, which is exacrly what the Arison family and Pat Riley have done. Does anyone honestly believe the Cavs would have won a title if LeBron had stayed? Fat chance, IMHO.

What kind of utter nonsense is this? He took the Cavs to a Finals appearance. If he’s patient and allows the franchise to build around him he eventually wins a title. Bringing a championship to a championship-starved city would have elevated him to G.O.A.T. talk.

Now he’s the guy who bailed to go play with his friend who had already earned his ring.