JUSTgottaBELIEVE

QUOTE (Boogua @ Jul 4, 2016 -> 11:48 AM) Lebron's decision also paved the way for a decision like this. He was the best player in the world (Durant is not) joining two other top 10 players at the time (1 of which had a ring). That was the first time that really happened. Great point

QUOTE (Deadpool @ Jul 4, 2016 -> 11:30 AM) Situationally, this is much more damaging than "the decision". The good news is, it's a one year deal with a player option and the Warriors will have to find $35 million in cap space to re sign him after this season. They were both terrible decisions IMO. But I think it's ridiculous that some are saying this is worse or far worse than Lebron's exit from Cleveland. I have spent a considerable time and have many friends living in Cleveland as my wife was raised there and trust me Lebron leaving was really really bad.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Jul 4, 2016 -> 11:20 AM) LeBron wasn't on a team capable of winning a title. LeBron didn't join a team that was already the best in the NBA. LeBron wasn't joining a team where he was the second best player. LeBron wasn't joining a team that was already the best in the NBA. LeBron didn't join a team that could win a title without him. LeBron didn't join a team that beat his team in the playoffs in acknowledgment he wasn't good enough to beat them. Oh come on. Lebron handled his exit far worse than KD handled his. Can we agree there? Also, Lebron was the hometown guy - born and raised in Ohio. KD had no roots in OKC other than the fact they drafted him. Lebron left his hometown team that had gone decades without a championship and was completely desperate for one while KD left a franchise that has been in existence for less than a decade.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jul 4, 2016 -> 11:17 AM) lol at some people saying this doesn't hurt a legacy. Too early to say. Did it hurt Lebrons legacy?

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jul 4, 2016 -> 11:15 AM) Much worse than LeBron's decision. People apparently have short memories...

QUOTE (JenksIsMyHero @ Jul 4, 2016 -> 11:07 AM) Who cares? Still gets a chip and it's included on the resume. Lebron needed Kyrie, Wade and Bosh to win his rings. Does anyone care? No. He played great and so will Durant. Agreed 100%. I dislike durant almost as much as I dislike for the decision to leave his original team. As we have seen with Lebron apparently all will be forgiven though if Durant returns to OKC in a couple years and wins a title.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 3, 2016 -> 03:14 PM) Any team going to the playoffs can find something to be nervous about if they want to. Why are the Cubs struggling right now? Dexter Fowler would be an all star starter and he's been out for a month. Their pitching staff couldn't keep that pace up, even if they're still a strong unit. What will the organization do about this? Well they already have brought up a couple guys including Contreras, but that's not going to replace Fowler. The plan therefore is, of course, wait until close to the deadline and see what is available that makes you darn near unbeatable. If Andrew Miller or David Robertson become available, that's a move going for the jugular of the league. Maybe they could consider a starting pitcher, but at the same time Lester isn't going to keep having "worst outing of his career" every time out (although I hope he has one next Friday because i"ll be there to cheer every run he gives up). Basically, they're a very good team that should make a deadline move or two. And is there any guarantee that they'll win the world series just because they're the best team? Of course not, but do that for a few years in a row and you darn well better win one. Let me put it another way. If the White Sox were going through what the Cubs are experiencing right now, 99% of Sox fans would be freaking out. I don't think it's time to freak out if you are a Cubs fan but there certainly is cause for concern especially if Arrieta regresses back to non-ace form.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 3, 2016 -> 01:50 PM) "You're never as good as you look when you're playing your best and you're never as bad as you look when you're playing your worst". No doubt but at least we can definitively put the best team ever and regular season wins record to rest. If I were a Cubs fan I would be very concerned about their performance against good teams. It's great to beat up on bad teams because that's what good teams do but they are going to need to beat very good teams to win the World Series.

http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/face-it...-been-mediocre/

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jul 3, 2016 -> 01:28 PM) It was my first thought, but I've thought he's been juicing for sometime. Same here

Cubs are about to become 14-17 vs. teams over .500 this year. Better learn how to beat good teams or it's one and done in the postseason.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 3, 2016 -> 12:07 PM) Lester rocked. If the Cubs lose today they will be 5-12 their last 17 vs winning teams. How does that happen under Joe Maddon? They better hope the Mets don't earn that Wild Card slot especially if they finish with the best record in the NL. Regardless, going to be a tough road for them to the World Series with teams like the Giants, Nationals, LA, and now the Mets playing good ball.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Jul 3, 2016 -> 11:46 AM) See, I was not going to go there but you did. It's a fair question no?

Just a coincidence that his regression started shortly after widespread speculation of PED use?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jun 20, 2016 -> 07:45 PM) I wasn't comparing him to the rest of the NBA, I was referring to Curry and Klay. While they may have been unheralded, they also had quite the advantages given their parents. Now as the defending NBA champions coming off the greatest regular season ever, it's hard to see them as underdogs just because Curry went to small school Davidson. And Jordan was never cut from his high school team. He didn't make the varsity as a sophomore and had to play JV that year. He then dominated and was recruited by Dean Smith, hardly the underdog story coming up. Ok, MJ was a sophomore that didn't make varsity. Lebron was already a full grown man by age 15 and household name by 16/17. MJ was nowhere near hyped coming out of high school in the way Lebron was. Lebron was on a completely different stratosphere. Also, I'm not sure being the kid of a pro athlete is that big of an advantage. Yes they have access to facilities, coaches, players that other kids don't but most of those kids lose motivation to succeed at a higher level because of these comforts while kids growing up with no money and no way out other than basketball do. Look at MJ's kids. Heck I went to high school with bo Jackson's kid and he wasn't even a good player at the high school level. As I said in my initial post, hard for me to consider the cavs underdogs when their two top players went first overall, were heavily hyped while still in high school, perennial all stars and Love was a big time player as a freshman at UCLA and the fifth overall pick as well as a perrenial all star pre-Cleveland.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jun 20, 2016 -> 06:49 PM) If you are gonna get all philosophical on us, I would argue that the kid who grew up inner city poor to a single teenage mother is way more of an underdog than the two guys whose Dads had long NBA careers. Lebron was a celebrity by high school and a multi millionaire by 18 years old. Despite a tough start and it was definitely tough, I'd say he's done alright financially. The single mother thing I feel for but is it really that unusual for majority of the AA community currently playing in the NBA? Most of these guys grew up in broken homes with basketball being their only way out.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Jun 20, 2016 -> 06:15 PM) None of that has anything to do with it. The Warriors were favored to win the series. The only thing this post was missing was "and the warriors were forced to play without former first overall pick Andrew Bogut" To me it does. I pull for guys that were under appreciated through the early parts of their careers. Who doesn't? It's what makes MJ's story that much more appealing (cut from high school team).

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Jun 20, 2016 -> 04:28 PM) I was in the camp of really disliking LeBron after the decision and tbh his flopping has always been pathetic to me (however after watching GS whine all series you realize even more how much apart of the game it is now) but I found myself really rooting for LeBron to win this year. You have to appreciate watching someone deliver on a promise to bring the first championship to their home city in 50+ years. Add on top of that they were underdogs and left for dead down 3-1 and had to win 3 consecutive games, including 2 in GS against a team who only lost 9 games all season. My one gripe about the finals were that every game besides game 7 was a blowout. I guess for this series they were but it's hard for me to think of the Cavs as underdogs when their top 2 players were drafted first overall and enormously hyped starting in middle/high school and their third best player was taken fifth overall. Meanwhile, GS top three were questioned and relative unknowns throughout much of their amateur careers. Even though Thompson and Curry were drafted in the first round most evaluators placed huge question marks on them leading up to the draft and doubted their ability to be difference makers at the next level. Few felt Green would even make an NBA roster. Maybe GS let some of their success get to their heads (hard not to with that much success the past 2 years) but those guys have been "underdogs" for most of their playing careers unlike Lebron/Irving/Love.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jun 20, 2016 -> 09:25 AM) I still will root against Lebron, but much respect to Cleveland and just an amazing job by Lebron, best player in the universe. Kind of underscores the point that nobody should be looking for the next steph curry, the next Lebron is way more powerful. BUT, it's hilarious how people are acting like he took some middle school team to the finals to win. Remember how he left then CLE inexplicably won every lottery opportunity and were able to trade excess talent for Love? How they were basically given shumpert and JR smith? Lebron has had a very good team this entire decade. Last years finals was the only time you saw him with absolute crap. Yup. This isn't the 2006-2007 cavs roster.

QUOTE (TRU @ Jun 20, 2016 -> 08:18 AM) I guarantee you no one in Cleveland cares about LeBron going to Miami now. He left as a free agent, get over it already. What other superstars are winning championships without a decent team around them? How is that a knock on LeBron? 6 straight trips to the finals (With two different teams), 3 championships, and probably another 4-5 years of dominance left in the tank.. As hard of a pill as it is to swallow, he will be the greatest of all time even if the Jordan crowd refuses to admit it. I would have much more respect for the guy if he stuck with Cleveland the entire time and then won a ring with them. I didn't say others could win titles without decent players around them but he went to Miami solely because they had two other superstars there and was basically guaranteed a ring (think MJ leaving to Phoenix or Houston in the early 90s). He took the easy way out to ensure he got a ring because he knows that staying in Cleveland meant years of very good teams but that it would be difficult to become a great team unless they struck gold with one or two late first round picks (I.e. Spurs). Do you really think he would have come back to Cleveland two years ago if they didn't have Irving and cap space to bring in a guy like Love? Because of this path he will never be on the same level as MJ. Also you forgot to mention MJ's college title which in many ways is more difficult to obtain than an NBA title because of the one and done nature of the college tourney.

Here's another thing. No way MJ gets completely outplayed by a player such as draymond green in a series deciding game of the finals. Draymond is a nice player and all but there were a couple plays last night that he literally blew by Lebron one on one. The Warriors lost because they went away from green in the second half and instead resorted to curry and thompson chucking up shots at a 33% clip.

QUOTE (SleepyWhiteSox @ Jun 19, 2016 -> 11:59 PM) Fitting that Kyrie had to make the clutch shot +1 Lebron was short arming everything in the fourth quarter. His lack of clutchness in the biggest moments of the biggest games will keep him firmly entrenched as #2 and MJ as GOAT. Still can't respect a guy that conpletely turned his back on Cleveland for an "easy" ring in Miami only to return to Cleveland after they had Irving, a decent team around him, and significant cap space.

QUOTE (LVSoxFan @ Jun 9, 2016 -> 12:40 PM) How does this myth keep going that Sox fans won't tolerate a rebuild? That seems to be the rationale for whatever-the-f*** this approach has been for years now--oh, no! We can't clean house and rebuild or Sox fans will stop coming forever! Huh? I would go. I would rather see some promising youngsters lose with some effort rather than the corpseball we've been fed for damn near a decade. Didn't the Cubs basically rebuild? Not just on the field but in the front office? How's that working out for them now? I'm tired of hearing that supposed reason as a rationale not to do it. Agreed. I don't know what this perception is based on. Even if attendance dips by a few thousand per game over the next 2-3 years, if they can successfully rebuild and put together a consistent winner for a 4-5 year stretch, it will more than offset the near term losses. I think the fear from ownership is that rebuilding doesn't necessarily guarantee success and they are right in some sense but it is also an indictment on the front office and scouting if they think this way. Still, there are may teams throughout MLB with below average fanbases/attendance that have been willing to undertake major roster overhauls in recent years (Braves, Reds, Brewers, etc.) - not sure what makes the White Sox any different.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Jun 3, 2016 -> 07:07 AM) Someone remind me how Rauner got elected? Good question, feels a lot like the Trump approach; however, it seems like both sides share at least part of the blame with this particular issue. How can elected officials be so incompetent and/or petty? It's doing no one favors.

http://wgntv.com/2016/06/02/illinois-budge...ame-each-other/ I can't even begin to imagine the impact of not opening CPS this fall.