Wait a second now. I never said the Orlando series wasn't competitive. That's the problem with these message boards. Fans of a team all get lumped in together as having the same opinions. However, you were the one to compare the two series suggesting Orlando was competitive but OKC wasn't even though the two series were similar.
There was plenty of talk about how Sessions would improve the Lakers, but you are insinuating that everyone felt that Sessions was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Not true.No one mentioned Sessions is the best thing that happened to LA.
Jett Howard (left) and LeBron James Jr. are playing for the Miami City Ballers in the Amateur Athletic Union National Championships at Walt Disney World in the third-grade Division I category. (Gene Duncan, Walt Disney World courtesy) (August 1, 2012)
By Ira Winderman South Florida Sun Sentinel
5:18 p.m. EDT, August 1, 2012
Like fathers, like sons?
You bet.
While LeBron James is representing the United States at the London Olympics, LeBron James Jr. is representing South Florida on the [Miami] City Ballers in the Amateur Athletic Union National Championships at [Walt Disney] World.
The Ballers, a team that also includes Jett Howard, son of Miami Heat free-agent forward Juwan Howard, are playing this week in the third-grade Division I National Championships.
Juwan Howard has been among those in attendance this week.
BREAKING NEWS: Heat FA CLASS OF 2027 ALREADY DECIDED!!!
While LeBron James is representing the United States at the London Olympics, LeBron James Jr. is representing South Florida on the [Miami] City Ballers in the Amateur Athletic Union National Championships at [Walt Disney] World.Nothing like a couple of thread killing posts from you know who! WTG turnip!
And still Kobe can't win with the two best bigs in the league (Bynum - most gifted, 2nd best center and Gasol - very gifted all around, easily top 5 or 6 big man playing)? I believe I made my point and you have your heart on yours so let's leave it.
Let me see if I have this straight. With these same two bigs, Kobe won two rings. One with Bynum mostly injured and the second with Bynum still not at full strength. And in the last playoff series you have Bynum and Gasol admit interviews, they didn’t bring their A-game.
And the solution is Lebron, who has won 50 percent of the time with a shooting guard who people would argue is the 1<sup>st</sup> or 2<sup>nd</sup> best in the league. And Bosh, one of the best power forwards. Because perceive he plays team basketball. What matters is winning. That’s it.
If the Big Three could have gotten max contracts and still be able floor at full team, they would have. But they could not.That's not correct, they could have. The team will have to pay a lot of luxury tax just like LA Lakers have been doing for years.
Mike Miller could not have signed with the Heat if the Big Three had taken max contracts. Riley created salary cap room by having them each take less and get rid of Beasley’s contract. If a team is at the salary cap, they only sign players with contracts exceptions like the mini-mid, med-level, vet minimum, trade exceptions, etc. Or they can re-sign their own players to which they have the bird-rights. If the team is over the cap, they still have to pay luxury tax on the player, but unless they fit into one of these exceptions, they can’t sign a player at all.
You're naming a few here and there. However, it's almost the whole Miami team making financial sacrifices currently. If you don't see the difference here, I don't have anything more to say.
Tim Duncan took less, Metta Peace took less. He’s still makes less than he did the previous four seasons before signing with the Lakers. My point is, it doesn’t matter. You believe the Heat players are more committed to winning because the players could have made more playing somewhere else. Players taking less money to play on championship caliber teams is a common occurrence. Jordan Hill re-signed for less money than he was being offered on other teams. The advantage for the team is that they paid less than market price for their talent.
You're taking the point out of context, these are examples. Again, if the money is in their pocket, they can do whatever they choose. It's much easier to build a name for themself by donating the money to their local boys and girls club, cancer research, build a gym, give college scholarship to their highschool friends' children etc......
Leaving all that money on the table means that they have to dig deeper into their pocket to do all these things and I am certain serveral of the Heat players has already done that. Since it's not your money, it's easier to say "what's the difference". So why are all these millionaires, billionaire are still working?
I wasn’t taking it out of context. You first said how the Heat players would not be able to provide for families and donate to charities because they took the pay cut. Now you’re saying they have to dig deeper into their pockets to do the same thing. I guess you are point out sacrifice when signing with the Heat, though you don’t know how signing with the Heat has effect their donations. And considering Bosh and Lebron are actually bringing home more money than they were when they were in Canada and Michigan, respectively, I think it’s moot point. Unless you are suggesting they had promised to donate and give away money that they would have gotten from max contracts if they had signed with other cities.
Players should want to win, regardless of pay. The lowest paid nba players makes more than 99 percent of Americans.This is the strangest statement I've read, so K. Bryant shouldn't have made 25 mil a year? He should just play for the minimum? Same for Gasol, Bynum, Nash, Artest etc....
Until that happen, I can't see how they are that much hungrier to win.
I don’t know where you misunderstanding is. There is nothing in there where I state Kobe or any player shouldn’t make what they make. I’m saying is that players should want to win and their pay should not be a factor. Kobe has played with the same will to win since he came into the league and his salary did not affect his play. If Kobe can get 20 mil, 25, 40 mil, good for him. I’m saying that players should have the same will to win regardless of their salary, The players on the 2012 Team USA Basketball aren’t motivated to play based on their 25,000 fee they will get for playing in the Olympics.
My point is, their salary doesn’t show a greater or lesser commitment to winning. A player may be on a team that is not that good, but that doesn’t mean that player isn’t going out and trying to win just as much as a player on the Heat.
BREAKING NEWS: Heat FA CLASS OF 2027 ALREADY DECIDED!!!
While LeBron James is representing the United States at the London Olympics, LeBron James Jr. is representing South Florida on the [Miami] City Ballers in the Amateur Athletic Union National Championships at [Walt Disney] World."Nothing like a couple of thread killing posts from you know who! WTG turnip!"
You're right, LA Lakers had their time in the sun. But I am talking about the last two years where LA had two of the top 5 big men in the league but can't get out of the 2nd round. Actually, they got humiliated both years.Let me see if I have this straight. With these same two bigs, Kobe won two rings. One with Bynum mostly injured and the second with Bynum still not at full strength. And in the last playoff series you have Bynum and Gasol admit interviews, they didn’t bring their A-game.
And the solution is Lebron, who has won 50 percent of the time with a shooting guard who people would argue is the 1<sup> st</sup> or 2<sup> nd</sup> best in the league
Mike Miller could not have signed with the Heat if the Big Three had taken max contracts. Riley created salary cap room by having them each take less and get rid of Beasley’s contractNot true, not at that time. Beasley had about the same contract amount as Miller. Basically, they are trading one for the other.
You first said how the Heat players would not be able to provide for families and donate to charities because they took the pay cut.That's also not true, I never said that. I basically gave example what they can do with that money they left on the table. It can provide a lot more for their family, friends or whatever charity the want to give it to.
So, most LA players don't want to sacrifice financially, but they are still hungrier right?My point is, their salary doesn’t show a greater or lesser commitment to winning. A player may be on a team that is not that good, but that doesn’t mean that player isn’t going out and trying to win just as much as a player on the Heat.
Actually, the funniest thing about this thread, and the mindset of Heat fans in particular - especially you turnip - is your complete disdain for NBA history. The Lakers will always be relevant - they may not win an NBA championship every year, but their "time in the sun" is a reoccuring certainty. It's happened time and time again. For as long as they've been in the league, on average, they've been in just about 50% of all NBA Finals since the league was formed."You're right, LA Lakers had their time in the sun. ""But I am talking about the last two years where LA had two of the top 5 big men in the league but can't get out of the 2nd round"One of the funnier things about what this thread has turned into is summed up right there.
At the beginning, the Lakers were current 2x defending champs. We never heard about the past. We only heard each season was championship or bust.Actually turnip, that's been your mantra since "Yes.We.Did". Lakers fans not only live for the present and the future, but also have a tremendous regard and appreciation for the past and their team's glittering legacy...which is a lot more than I can say about your own sadly myopic point of view. I guess it's understandable though, given how lame the Heat have been, even with their expansion franchise tag, until they finally figured out a way to beat the system.
Now all the have left is the 5> 1 or 16> 2 nonsense.It's not nonsense, turnip - it's fact, it's quantifiable, proven NBA history! That you can't fathom it is decidedly your problem.
Problem for Laker fans is that now the guy with 1 is > >> > then the guy with 5. The team with 2 is > >> > then the team with 16.You sad, sad, distorted little man. It's thinking like this that has not only given rise to the "Heat Haters" club in the first place, but has made bandwagon Heat fans such as yourself the scourge of not only the NBA, but of fandom everywhere. You win one title in the wake of "The Decision", "Yes.We.Did" and "The Celebration", and all of the sudden you see yourselves as the greatest thing since sliced bread and even have the temerity to see your franchise eclipse the Lakers when it comes to relevance and overall greatness.
Let me see if I have this straight. With these same two bigs, Kobe won two rings. One with Bynum mostly injured and the second with Bynum still not at full strength. And in the last playoff series you have Bynum and Gasol admit interviews, they didn’t bring their A-game.
hold up. do you honestly believe that? players always say stupid things like that after a lost. bynum and gasol didnt have their "A" game because of OKCs defense. OKC has the best defensive bigs in the game. Serge Ibaka makes ALOT of PFs not have their A-game. If you believe this is just as simple as Gasol and Bynum 'not having their A-game', I got some beach front property in Arizona you should buy. OKC is better. Their bigs defend. The Lakers bigs are a hug advantage for them over 26 or 27 teams in the NBA. OKC is not one of those 27.
the solution is Lebron, who has won 50 percent of the time with a shooting guard who people would argue is the 1 or 2 best in the league. And Bosh, one of the best power forwards. Because perceive he plays team basketball. What matters is winning. That’s it.
A 50% title rate for Miami's big 3 is higher than LAs rate. LA has won 2 titles in the 5 years Kobe had Gasol/Bynum. 50%>40%. Plus something tells me, the Lakers are done winning titles until Kobe can accept his role once again as Robin.
Are you saying that you would rather have Wade and Bosh over Bynum and Gasol? I'll take the later two any day.Nice try. But I think I'll take our bigs over your boys any day.
Not true, not at that time. Beasley had about the same contract amount as Miller. Basically, they are trading one for the other.The Heat had a salary of over 64 million when the season started with the big 3. The salary cap ended up being 58.04 million, though it was projected at being 56.04 million. The luxury tax started at about 70 mill. You are obviously confusing the salary cap with the luxury tax. A team can go over the cap space with salary exception. But the team didn't pay a tax until hitting 70 mil in payrole. Obviously the Heat salary was higher than the minimum cap space, but because contract many of the contracts were exceptions. When Riley signed the big three, by league rule, he still had to leave space below the salary cap with money allocated to the rest of the players that would fill the minimum 12 man roster.
You first said how the Heat players would not be able to provide for families and donate to charities because they took the pay cut.That's also not true, I never said that. I basically gave example what they can do with that money they left on the table. It can provide a lot more for their family, friends or whatever charity the want to give it to.
So, most LA players don't want to sacrifice financially, but they are still hungrier right?The Lakers have been over the cap in a luxury tax hole most of the last 30 years, have won more championship, been to more Finals, won more playoff rounds and made more money than any NBA Team. It's not about sacrificing, it's about winning. And giving up salary doesn't mean they are less committed to winning. Obviously, the record doesn't show that. And why should they? As you seem to point out, sacrificing means less they can do for charities and their families. I don't know about you, but if I can win AND provide maximum amount for my family and causes, I probably would go that route, instead of the route of just winning.
Plus something tells me, the Lakers are done winning titles until Kobe can accept his role once again as Robin.Batman...Robin...who cares, I'll take them either way. Something tells me that, as a Laker, Kobe is going to tie and/or eclipse Michael Jordan's ring count with the Bulls before he hangs 'em up.
A 50% title rate for Miami's big 3 is higher than LAs rate....nice sample size, clown.
LA has won 2 titles in the 5 years Kobe had Gasol/Bynum.and 5 titles in his 16 pro seasons...31% (Kobe) > 11% (James). Thanks for playing!
...nice sample size, clown.the sample size i was using was the one given in davwy posts. so if you want to call your boy a clown.. feel free. but dont use my post as the reason.
