chris_in_pdx
OLD MAN
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2008
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Seriously, that's how I see it. The Miami Heat are everything that's wrong with professional sports today: egotistical athletes, bandwaggoning fans, a team built on predatory and anti-competitive free agency, and a marketing machine (aka THE DECISION) behind them that shoves them down the American sports fan's throats as a team YOU WILL LIKE OR ELSE!!!
The Dallas Mavs, for all their faults, were built the correct way, with long time stars staying with the team through the trevails of success and defeat, not jumping ship to larger, more glamerous markets in return for a cheap ring. Nowitzki had several changes to jump ship and go somewhere where he could win, and he refused. Cuban, for all his bluster and arrogance, never gave up on listening to his basketball people and choosing non-star free agents who could help them win within their system.
This is definately a potential repeat of 2006, where Shaq made the Heat instant darlings of the NBA and ESPN, and they rode that all the way to the title, via the refs. Cuban has learned in that he's keeping his mouth shut and not giving Stern any additional reason to pick up the phone and tip the scales on the reffing.... a very smart move by him.
I'm very afraid this will be another affirmation of marketing over everything else... that LeBron *HAS* to have his title, ESPN, Nike, and the jersey manufacturers demand it. This Miami team is no better than the Hessians who fought for the British in the American Revolutionary War. Hired Guns with no loyalty or history, and they certainly don't give one fuck for Miami or their "fans".
Go Dallas.
The Dallas Mavs, for all their faults, were built the correct way, with long time stars staying with the team through the trevails of success and defeat, not jumping ship to larger, more glamerous markets in return for a cheap ring. Nowitzki had several changes to jump ship and go somewhere where he could win, and he refused. Cuban, for all his bluster and arrogance, never gave up on listening to his basketball people and choosing non-star free agents who could help them win within their system.
This is definately a potential repeat of 2006, where Shaq made the Heat instant darlings of the NBA and ESPN, and they rode that all the way to the title, via the refs. Cuban has learned in that he's keeping his mouth shut and not giving Stern any additional reason to pick up the phone and tip the scales on the reffing.... a very smart move by him.
I'm very afraid this will be another affirmation of marketing over everything else... that LeBron *HAS* to have his title, ESPN, Nike, and the jersey manufacturers demand it. This Miami team is no better than the Hessians who fought for the British in the American Revolutionary War. Hired Guns with no loyalty or history, and they certainly don't give one fuck for Miami or their "fans".
Go Dallas.
