Cleveland's reaction to LeBron's New Commercial

[srdafish]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvgD9...layer_embedded

lol that **** is awesome.

[NCJ]

What is so crazy about it is it shows how much sports mean to people. I don't hate LeBron like some do, but I fully sympathize with the Cleveland fan base. I totally understand why they feel hurt and betrayed.

Fish as a Nuggets fan that may be going through something similarly with Carmelo soon, how are you guys feeling about him right now?

[PatSox]

"Should I disappear? Should I remind you that I've done this before"

Yeah we know

Boston? Game 5.....you QUIT

[srdafish]

What is so crazy about it is it shows how much sports mean to people. I don't hate LeBron like some do, but I fully sympathize with the Cleveland fan base. I totally understand why they feel hurt and betrayed.

Fish as a Nuggets fan that may be going through something similarly with Carmelo soon, how are you guys feeling about him right now?

Depends who you talk to. I'm of the opinion that the Nuggets should keep him and give it 1 more run, I think they are a Championship contender if they can get everybody healthy. Their bench is stacked once everybody gets back. Like I posted in the Nuggets thread, they just played Dallas even without their 3 best bigs, they should have won but Melo's shot went in and out.

A lot of people think they should trade him asap, I think unless the deal actually makes sense (which none of the rumored deals do) that's a dumb opinion.

[NCJ]

Depends who you talk to. I'm of the opinion that the Nuggets should keep him and give it 1 more run, I think they are a Championship contender if they can get everybody healthy. Their bench is stacked once everybody gets back. Like I posted in the Nuggets thread, they just played Dallas even without their 3 best bigs, they should have won but Melo's shot went in and out.

A lot of people think they should trade him asap, I think unless the deal actually makes sense (which none of the rumored deals do) that's a dumb opinion.

Fish it is nice of you to hold onto hope, I love you supporting your team, but I don't think there is any way in the world he re-signs. Melo has made his decision; he just isn't coming out and saying it directly. You are not going to find an adequate basketball trade for Melo. Even without all of the contract/resigning drama he would be one of the hardest players in the league to get proper value for. He is a truly great scorer, but only good rebounder, average at best passer, and a below average defender. That is a hard combination to get proper value for in a trade. Combine that with the whole teams he will resign with problem, and you guys don't have any leverage to command much in a trade. The New Jersey is the only team that he would consider resigning with that would give up young talent. If they can get Favors and a pick or two they should do it ASAP.

They should also try to move Billups. He does them no good on that team if they don't have Melo. The only thing he does is make your draft position worse. It is hard to accept, but one really bad year where you shed salary and get younger is much better than trying to hold on to something only to be bounced in the first round or not make the playoffs.

My question is more are you going to feel betrayed by Melo when he leaves for presumed greener pastures?

[srdafish]

Fish it is nice of you to hold onto hope, I love you supporting your team, but I don't think there is any way in the world he re-signs. Melo has made his decision; he just isn't coming out and saying it directly. You are not going to find an adequate basketball trade for Melo. Even without all of the contract/resigning drama he would be one of the hardest players in the league to get proper value for. He is a truly great scorer, but only good rebounder, average at best passer, and a below average defender. That is a hard combination to get proper value for in a trade. Combine that with the whole teams he will resign with problem, and you guys don't have any leverage to command much in a trade. The New Jersey is the only team that he would consider resigning with that would give up young talent. If they can get Favors and a pick or two they should do it ASAP.

They should also try to move Billups. He does them no good on that team if they don't have Melo. The only thing he does is make your draft position worse. It is hard to accept, but one really bad year where you shed salary and get younger is much better than trying to hold on to something only to be bounced in the first round or not make the playoffs.

My question is more are you going to feel betrayed by Melo when he leaves for presumed greener pastures?

You are completely dismissing the fact that Denver has a great team, which I can understand because everything you hear about the Nuggets is that Melo is definitly gone. The thing is that isn't the case at all, he's just doing what he thinks is best for him longterm, which is to take a wait and see approach. If the Nuggets get healthy for the Playoffs can you really see anyway they don't make the WCF at the worst? I can't, the West has some good teams but outside of LA none of them are great except Denver.

If the Nuggets take one last run at a Championship with Melo and fall short, then chances are he will leave, but if they get past LA I think he stays.

One other thing to consider is Denver might actually be better off letting him walk for nothing, because when the hard cap comes into play Denver will have tons of cap space. If there is a hard cap teams will be forced to trade good players for cap relief, Denver would be in the best position to land one of those players.

I wouldn't jump to conclusions saying Melo is all in on leaving, if you watch the team play they have a great chemistry and they have more room for improvement than almost in team in the league considering they've been playing without their 3 best bigs and are still 4th in the league in point differential.

Billups is the only Nugget that can sell tickets not named Melo, so trading him would empty the Pepsi Center in a hurry.

[NCJ]

You are completely dismissing the fact that Denver has a great team, which I can understand because everything you hear about the Nuggets is that Melo is definitly gone. The thing is that isn't the case at all, he's just doing what he thinks is best for him longterm, which is to take a wait and see approach. If the Nuggets get healthy for the Playoffs can you really see anyway they don't make the WCF at the worst? I can't, the West has some good teams but outside of LA none of them are great except Denver.

If the Nuggets take one last run at a Championship with Melo and fall short, then chances are he will leave, but if they get past LA I think he stays.

One other thing to consider is Denver might actually be better off letting him walk for nothing, because when the hard cap comes into play Denver will have tons of cap space. If there is a hard cap teams will be forced to trade good players for cap relief, Denver would be in the best position to land one of those players.

I wouldn't jump to conclusions saying Melo is all in on leaving, if you watch the team play they have a great chemistry and they have more room for improvement than almost in team in the league considering they've been playing without their 3 best bigs and are still 4th in the league in point differential.

Billups is the only Nugget that can sell tickets not named Melo, so trading him would empty the Pepsi Center in a hurry.

Actually, you guys only have about 10 to 15 million in cap space as currently constructed even if Melo leaves and you get nothing for him. If the cap goes down that number drops even more. Do you really see any free agents that are available next summer for the Nuggets to pick up that are worth that? Unless Nene somehow leaves 11.6 million on the table and walks away you are still going to be near the top of the cap. So basically you are saying your options are win a title and keep the same team together, lose in the playoffs and lose Melo for nothing, or trade Melo and your other valuable options, get worse for now, but get enough draft picks and young players to be able to contend in the near future.

If you don't trade Billups, you owe him $14,200,000 next year unless you cut him five days into the offseason. If you don't sign Melo, why is Billups staying next year? Even if he does stay, he is not a true number one option. The only thing he does is keep you from getting a better draft pick and keep a promising young PG on the bench behind him. You are much better off trading him.

The Nuggets still have the same troubles they had last year. Everything depends on the matchup for you guys. You match up well against OKC and Dallas, but Portland and Utah, if healthy, will beat you in a seven game series. Everything depends on the matchup.

However, you still are not answering my main question. Are you going to feel betrayed by Melo when he leaves for presumed greener pastures?

[srdafish]

You've seen it. We've seen it. He's seen it. And all of us have paid attention to it. How can we not? How can Melo not? How can ANYONE watch Nike Basketball's new "LeBron Rise" commercial and not think about what's going to happen to Carmelo Anthony in the next eight months or so.

Because where Melo is right now is pretty much where LeBron was this time a year ago.

So let's try to get inside Melo's head. Let's do a John Malkovich and BE Melo. And let's use LeBron's look-back, second-guessing ad to help us with his thinking.



Let's imagine Melo (that's us now; are you with me?) has just walked into the living room from the bedroom, Jordan signature house slippers on. Kiyan, 3, has followed us in. We plop down on the sofa. Grab the remote. Turn on the television. As we flip through the channels, the LeBron commercial pops on the screen. As we watch, our mind -- MELO'S mind -- drifts. Inward.


What Should I do?

The Nets? Do I really want to go there? Not sure me and Devin Harris are going to be enough to win rings. But the owner's got dough. Me and "D" could be the cornerstones of something big! Plus, Hov's [Jay-Z] there and Spike … Spike is killin' me. Why did he tell the Post that I'll be with the Knicks? I gotta call him.

Should I admit that I've made mistakes?

I never said I wanted to be traded, never said I wanted out. All I said was, "I'm keeping my options open," and told Marc Spears the other day that it was "time for a change." I also said, in basically the same sentence, "I feel like my time is now to make a decision if I want to leave or if I want to stay." Stay! No one talks about that part. D-Wade didn't sign an extension last year, and he stayed.

Something told me I shoulda gone along with D-Wade, LeBron and Chris when they made that pact during the Olympics. If I'd just joined in then, I wouldn't be here now struggling with this decision. I knew it was going to be big, but not outta control like this. It's hard trying to play ball with all of this drama going on.

Should I remind you I've done this before? Should I give you a history lesson?


E'r'one knows. They know.

What should I do? Should I tell you how much fun we had?


With Chauncey. I can't just leave him here like that. This cat saved my career. Nothing against A.I., but "Smooth" got me here. He took us there. Never met a dude like him before. They keep telling me, "If you get a chance to play with a great point guard, stay with him as long as you can. Because once they are gone, your game's gonna change forever."

But he knows this is a business. He understands that. So he knows nothing I do is personal against him. But still. Here's my thing: Would he do the same to me if the situation were flipped? Chauncey's a pretty loyal dude, so I don't know. Free agency makes a person do strange things. Act outta character or expose your true character.

I know this trading deadline is lurking, and the club is going to want to do something before it can't do nothin'. The way we're playing so far, the way we look right now, we're in a better position to win one than we've ever been. And that's with Kenyon down, "Bird" down, without J.R. finding his groove yet, Afflalo getting fully acclimated and Harrington getting used to the offense. And Coach hasn't even gotten totally comfortable being back.

But how long is he going to be here? That's the question that bothers me. I don't want to sign a six-year deal and two years in Coach Karl gets sick again or decides to retire. And Chauncey's not going to be here for six more years, either. How can I sign a long-term deal or make a commitment with them knowing that, in a few years, I might be without the two most important people to this franchise?

Should I really believe I ruined my legacy?

Never that. My legacy is pretty much what it is. There's only two other players in the league that I could go play with that would make it look like I needed them to help me: That's Kobe and Durant. And neither one of those moves to either of those teams is happenin'.

What should I do? Should I have my tattoo removed?

Nah.

Wanna see my shiny new shoes? Should I just sell shoes?


The M7s hit stores on Nov. 20. I should get that on a shirt.


Or should I tell you I am not a role model?


I wonder what Barkley, Magic and them guys are going to say about me if I leave? I respect those guys, but they went all-in on LeBron. That was kinda foul.


Seriously, what should I do? Should I tell you I'm a championship chaser? That I did it for the money? Rings?


Chicago is a good look. A really good look. But after watching the Bulls, I'm not sure they really need me. Pooh dropped 39 on Detroit; and the next game, Lu dropped 40 on the Blazers. They already got scoring. And Booz isn't even in the lineup yet. He's good for another 20 a night. I'm not sure they really need me. Not for what I do. Unless they get rid of Luol, I can't see where I'd fit. But at the same time, like Booz said, if I go there, we'd easily be the best starting five in the league. And with Coach Tibs there, I'd definitely get a ring or two. Or three. We'd be the only team year after year that would stop Miami from becoming a dynasty.


But MJ keeps saying don't play for them. He keeps saying the organization is wack. And Mike's my man; he should know. I know he's got stories about that Reinsdorf dude who owns them. But damn! Playing with Pooh has got to be like playing with the new Chauncey. How can I pass that up?

Should I accept my role? As a villain?

If I leave now, I'm the bad guy. If I leave later, I'm the bad guy. If I get traded, something I can't control, I'm going to be the bad guy. I'm a villain already, and I haven't even done anything.

Maybe I should just disappear.


Yeah, do a Sprewell. Vanish. Stay home and play NBA 2K11 all day. Hold up, I need some type of security in case this lockout actually happens. I'd look like a fool being the only one not getting paid because I won't sign an extension with either the Nuggets or the new team I go to. Where's Billy Hunter's number?


Should I stop listening to my friends? They're my friends.


Better listen to my wife, too.

Should I try acting?


Is that Don Johnson now, or did they digitally drop LeBron in that shot? I need to ask him. That was kinda hot. Oh, here's my part: Should I be writing this down? I really shoulda been on "The Wire."


Should I make you laugh? Should I read you a soulful poem?

"Way down in the jungle deep … "(Laugh)

Should we just clear the deck and start over?


Start over? I'm better off going to the Knicks. I need to call Amar'e, anyway. See what's really going on. I was thinking that the Spurs were going to part with Tony Parker and go with George Hill at point and, in the process, the Knicks were going to make a move to get TP there before the trading deadline, and that's when I was going to make a decision on going to N.Y.



But the Spurs just signed TP to that extension, so I guess he's not going anywhere. Which means I've got to wait two more years before CP3 comes to New York. That'll give LeBron and them a three-year head start on us. I'm not sure that works for me.

I'd do NY, but I need someone to go there with me right now. Maybe I need to wait until the season's over and see who might be available to come there with me. See just what the Knicks are willing to spend. See how serious they are about trying to win.

What should I do?


I need to keep it 100; I need to just wait. I need to play out this season, nix all trade requests, see where I can take the Nuggets and see what my best option is once the season is over. That'll be the smartest thing to do. The least I could do is help them win a chip this year. And if I decide to leave, do it with dignity. I realize this is a business, but it's a business that can go two ways.


(pause)


Should I be who you want me to be?


Hell, yeah. If I learned anything from watching what happened to you, LeBron, this summer, it's that people can get really sensitive when it comes to how you treat people. Even in business. Especially when the franchise plays the victim. And the media will turn on you. You warned me about this, Bron. If the public thinks I dogged Denver or "played" them in any way -- even if I didn't -- it's going to come back and haunt me. If I lose a few dollars in the end, so what? I'll make up for it in peace of mind. Lesson learned. I gotta be smart about this one. Because, next year, I don't want to be doing this same commercial.

Scoop Jackson is a columnist for ESPN.com.

That's from ESPN.com and I think if you read it you'll understand where I'm coming from, if you don't think Melo is thinking about the reaction LeBron got after his decision, I think you're foolish. LeBron never really had to deal with any negative press in his first 7 years, but Melo has, quite a bit in fact, so to think he'll not think about how this will portray him, I think that's nonsense.

Which is why I can't answer your question as of right now, it depends on how things play out to my feelings on him leaving or staying.

People in the media keep talking about him saying "it's time for a change", which is understandable because they're ****ing idiots. Read the whole quote, like scoop said he also said in the same interview that he could in fact resign with Denver.

[srdafish]

Not to mention basketball wise Denver is the best place for him, they built the team around him and it would take a couple years for another team to be able to do that, add in the looming lockout and that's another season he loses in his prime. Is it smart to bolt now to a team that wouldn't win as many games as he would win this year in Denver AND look like the bad guy? I don't think so.

People can sleep on Denver all they want because of the Melo situation, but they are a lot better than people give them credit for and if both Melo and the Nuggets decide it's best to just play it out and see where the chips fall, they will be in the WCF giving LA everything they can handle and maybe more.

[srdafish]

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls fans can be forgiven if they daydream about what might be Monday night when Carmelo Anthony leads the Denver Nuggets into the United Center.

There has been a lot of speculation about Anthony's expiring contract -- which includes a player option for next season, and whether he'll sign an extension with Denver or end up with the Bulls, New York Knicks or New Jersey Nets before the trade deadline.

But Anthony said after Monday morning's shoot-around that his focus is on the present.

"Maybe if I was a free agent, I would let my mind wander, but I can't do that right now," he said. "I got to focus on being a Nugget and playing Nuggets basketball.

"It wouldn't be right if I let my mind wander and think about if I was here in Chicago."

But Anthony did talk about how much he likes the Bulls' style of play.

"I don't want to say this in the wrong way and then you all take it ... but anybody would love to play with a guy like Derrick Rose," Anthony said. "A young point guard, young star, get the ball up and down the court. He's improved his game every year.

"You got a young big man in [Joakim] Noah. You got [Carlos] Boozer, right now Boozer's hurt, but they've got a good team right now."

Anthony admitted Chicago has a unique aura because of Michael Jordan's legacy.

"Of course, what MJ [brought] to the city. Just the city itself, being a big city, the fans out here and just the historic value of basketball here," said Anthony, who described Chicago as a top-three basketball city. "Everybody knows what Chicago basketball's about."

Anthony is likely to hear some cheering from Bulls fans when he's introduced, but he's not sure exactly what to expect.

"I'm on an opposing team, so I'm pretty sure they won't cheer for me too much," he said. "We'll see, but I'm not looking forward to that, though."

The Nuggets are 4-2 and atop the Northwest Division, and Anthony didn't discount the possibility of returning to Denver.

"Sure, why not? I don't see why not," he said. "We're winning, we're winning basketball games and I'm happy, and everybody else on the team is."

People can keep listening to un-named sources all they want, I'll believe what I hear from the horses mouth over somebody that won't even put their name on what they are saying.