LeBron Sweepstakes

[Phenom]

The decision came down to Philadelphia and Golden State per Rich Paul. I'm at peace with the outcome knowing I don't have to be haunted by the runner-up label

If he truly had GS in front of the Wolves he is a puss cake

[TheGrey08]

I should have stuck with my original prediction. LeBron did what LeBron has always done. He went to the team with the best chance to win. All this talk about family and culture driving his decision or his interest in providing leadership were just talking points for media consumption. His calculus was entirely related to which team would give him the best chance to win two more titles and match MJ’s six - hence the two-year deal.

I recall reports that LeBron wasn’t intent on going to Miami back when he left Cleveland. It wasn’t about being in South Beach. His goal was to play with Wade and Bosh. He saw combining with those two as his best path to a championship and he apparently tried to get those two to join him in Cleveland, but Wade did not want to leave the Heat and Bosh didn’t want to go to Cleveland. So it was easier for LeBron and Bosh to joint Wade in Miami and that’s what LeBon did because that’s who he is. But when the going got tough in Miami, he bailed on the Heat because that’s what LeBron does. The consensus was that he left Miami to return to Cleveland in 2014 because he saw a better chance to win in Cleveland playing with the young Kyrie at the top of his game and Kevin Love in his prime rather than the 32 year old Wade who was really declining by then and the 30 year old Bosh. An AI search shows that Wade had “significant chronic knee issues in 2014.” Wade also missed games in that final season with LeBron because of a foot nerve issue and intense migraines. The Heat had just lost to the Spurs in the finals and LeBron isn’t the sort to take the tough road.

LeBron is a mercenary who doesn’t look for challenges or even the biggest paycheck. He looks for the easiest path to win and that’s what led him to the Sixers as I initially thought he would. Like others, I was swayed over time by the media momentum and comments by LeBron himself that he was looking for fun, golf, personal satisfaction or family priorities. But in the end, LeBron was just looking for the best chance to win and by his calculation it was the Sixers. I think his calculation is spot on. Now I have another reason besides Embiid and Philadelphia sports fans to root against the Sixers. .

We definitely were sucked into the Rich Paul pod discussion and the talk that he may do something different while still wanting to be on a contender. Sadly he chose the (on paper) stacked Championship route and not the youth mentorship & perfect basketball fit route. That said I'm with you on the notion he once again showed us he chose maximizing his immediate change to win over all else.

Regarding the Heat though, based on what Windy and others have reported, one of the biggest reasons he left was b/c of D Wade's health & constantly not knowing game to game whether he would play. I think that's a fair reason to leave after going their specifically to play with him and him going back to CLE was the one decision he has made that I actually praised.

At this point to put it bluntly, I'm just so sick and fucking tired of the national media, talking heads, players, etc that continue to disregard Minnesota which is a state that has consistently ranked top 5 for decades now. Why is the NBA so pathetically sawwwwft??? Look at all the former Vikings players who decide to make Minnesota their home after they are done playing.. granted I get that the NFL runs through winter so the off season is mostly nicer weather, but still.

[TheGrey08]

The decision came down to Philadelphia and Golden State per Rich Paul. I'm at peace with the outcome knowing I don't have to be haunted by the runner-up label

Is that literally what he said? I haven't listened to the full pod, but the 2 or 3 times I've seen this claim on twatter it was an incorrect quote compared to the Rich Paul clip I saw. He was asked if it was down to those 2 teams and instead of confirming that he said: "it was pretty layered across the board". Across the board in that context would mean the top 5 teams. Granted when Max mentioned MN, Rich Paul's response sounded more like HE was the one who had them high on the list.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

It's interestig that Tim Connelly is one of the factors Rich Paul mentioned for why LeBron was considering Minnesota. Whatever his drafting history has been, he's respected in the league and that has helped change our reputation, along with Ant and winning, of course.