MikesVikes Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Did LeBron show his true colors last night? He offered no handshake after the game and didn't speak with the reporters either. Is this the best the league has to offer? Cleveland Cavaliers' playoff exit leaves LeBron James silent Sunday, May 31, 2009 Jodie Valade Plain Dealer Reporter Orlando, Fla. -- LeBron James slipped on a baseball cap, shoved his golden earphones over his ears to block out any noise and walked out of the visitor's locker room at Amway Arena. He walked past the outstretched hands offering him the Game 6 box score that summarized the 103-90 loss to the Orlando Magic. Past the media that tried to ask him about his 25 points on 8-for-20 shooting, his lowest offensive output of this Eastern Conference finals. James walked straight off the court Saturday when the final buzzer sounded without offering a single handshake of congratulations to any Magic players as confetti fell. This loss, clearly, hurt more than the others. Nearly a year removed from leading Team USA to an Olympic gold medal and just weeks from being crowned the league's best player, James added another first to his résumé -- the first time he refused to talk to media after a game. "He'll be all right," Cavaliers guard Mo Williams said. "He'll be all right. That's just drive. This game is only going to make him better, that's all." Whether it hurt more than other losses for James, not even Cavaliers coach Mike Brown was sure. "Anytime you see an end to the season, it's going to be tough for anybody," he said. In the locker room after the loss, James told teammates they had a great season. No one spoke at length to him, Williams said. Williams compared James' frustration with a child who didn't get the present he longed for more than any other on Christmas morning. "We wanted to win, man," Williams said. "Everybody in this room wanted to win, and everybody in this room believed we could win. We didn't do it." Still, James' teammates believe the frustration is something that will only push James to be better. "I'm 110 percent sure he'll be all right," Williams said. link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 He'll get over it. I don't think I'd be inclined to hold this trivial incident against him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 He'll get over it. I don't think I'd be inclined to hold this trivial incident against him. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 The poor poor media traveled all that way to get a quote from Jesus and he wouldn't speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiefjay Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 it's his way of telling mgmt how he feels. :bronbron: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donutrun Jellies Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Yep, maturity and sportsmanship aren't his strong points -- he talks when he wins but hides when he loses. A good college coach might have taught thim those things in his first semester. Still, the man can play ball and to our knowledge, he hasn't raped anyone, killed anyone, financed illegal dog fighting, or done illegal performance enhancing drugs ... This will blow by with an "I was overcome with emotion" press conference and a text message to his olympic teammate, Dwight Howard. Won't stain him a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Yep, maturity and sportsmanship aren't his strong points -- he talks when he wins but hides when he loses. Why do you need him to talk? He feels so bad, he doesn't want to talk to anyone about it. That happens whether you're 2, 22, or 44 and has nothing to do with maturity and sportsmanship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Why do you need him to talk? He feels so bad, he doesn't want to talk to anyone about it. That happens whether you're 2, 22, or 44 and has nothing to do with maturity and sportsmanship. +1 I've never understood the need to have these guys tell you how bummed they are their season is over. As for leaving the court, I wasn't watching, but I'm guessing it was pretty much a party and it seems pretty typical for the losing team to vacate pretty quickly from the floor/field when the other team clinches the series/ wins the Conference Championship. If there was some crazy end to the game, maybe you want to hear both sides of the story. However, if one team simply out-played the other, what insight do we need from the losers. To claim this is some personal shortcoming seems a bit silly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budlitebrad Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 He doesn't have to talk to the press, but shaking the Orlando players' hands would have shown some class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 He doesn't have to talk to the press, but shaking the Orlando players' hands would have shown some class. Exactly. Isiah Thomas and his Bad Boy brethren were lambasted for a similar act when the Bulls were finally good enough to knock them off their Eastern conference throne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowboutthemCowboys Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 He doesn't have to talk to the press, but shaking the Orlando players' hands would have shown some class. +1. It always bothers me to see a player get beat then laugh and almost celebrate with the team that beat him. You still have to show a litte class and shake though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 +1.It always bothers me to see a player get beat then laugh and almost celebrate with the team that beat him. You still have to show a litte class and shake though. Not when there's a celebration going on. Leave the floor, plenty of time on the flight home to get the word out to the other squad. He doesn't deserve any criticism for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 His actions after the game have more to do with being a competitor than it does a lack of maturity. Very frustrating to put that much effort into something and come up short. He doesn't owe the media, the Magic, or anybody else anything. It's not like high school, where the two teams line up and shake hands... the Magic players were all over the place afterward. To expect Lebron to hunt Howard down to congratulate him is a bit ridiculous. Personally, I actually thought James' actions after the game were somewhat refreshing... In an age when we all too often see the winners and losers not seem to care that much about who won (because that's not as important as how much money they make), it's kind of nice to see a pro athlete who was obviously very disappointed to lose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polksalet Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 he's a girl dog, Howard and Chauncey were the real mvp's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiefjay Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 he's a girl dog, Howard and Chauncey were the real mvp's yeah, he is kind of a biitch some times. I'm all for competition, just got my asz kicked in softball and was pissed but still shook hands after the game. Pretty lame comparison but true none the less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Not when there's a celebration going on. Leave the floor, plenty of time on the flight home to get the word out to the other squad. He doesn't deserve any criticism for this. That's what I was wondering because I didn't see the end of the game. However, if it was mayhem, maybe it's best to just get off the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I've never understood the need to have these guys tell you how bummed they are their season is over. As for leaving the court, I wasn't watching, but I'm guessing it was pretty much a party and it seems pretty typical for the losing team to vacate pretty quickly from the floor/field when the other team clinches the series/ wins the Conference Championship. If there was some crazy end to the game, maybe you want to hear both sides of the story. However, if one team simply out-played the other, what insight do we need from the losers. To claim this is some personal shortcoming seems a bit silly. agreed. if guys are lining up to shake hands (the way they SHOULD, like in the NHL), either formally or informally, then yeah it would lame to bail. but if the other team is basically huddled together jumping up and down, what's he supposed to do, sit there and watch them for 5 minutes until they get done huggin each other to see if they want to shake hands? as far as not talking to the press, who gives a crap? he's bummed out, I think he deserves to be given a break, and the winners deserve to have the media spotlight on them. all this talk about "class" from the media, I think the classy thing to do would be to focus a little less attention on the vanquished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budlitebrad Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 NBA commissioner David Stern says he has reached out to LeBron James about James' refusal to speak with the media after the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the Eastern Conference finals. But Stern is withholding judgment and not ready to makes his views on the incident public until he talks to James about what happened, he said Tuesday on ESPN Radio. The Herd with Colin Cowherd David Stern tells us why the league didn't fine LeBron James for not speaking to the media after Game 6. David also covers conspiracy theories, the economy and gambling. More Podcasts » In an appearance on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," Stern acknowledged he was not pleased that James, the league's reigning MVP, didn't meet with the media, or shake hands with the Orlando Magic, following the Game 6 loss Saturday night. Noting that in the recent past, other players and teams have been fined for failing to meet the league's media guidelines, Cowherd asked why James had not been fined. "I'm in the process of making a phone call or two now to talk to LeBron ... so I don't want to speak to that at this moment," Stern said. "So you're not happy?" Cowherd asked. "I think that's fair to say," Stern replied. When further asked about James' storming off the court without postgame handshakes with the Magic -- and whether one action was more troubling than the other -- Stern said both were important. "One goes to rules, another goes to values," he said. "I think both of them should be followed." Not shaking hands because of the celebration and craziness on the court is a cop out. It takes 2 seconds and I saw Delonte West and several other Cavs do it at the end of the game while Lebron was long gone. He was a poor sport. For anyone else, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but this kid is the face of the league and on his way to being a legend. In the grand scheme of things, it's no big deal, but a sign that he is still young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Not shaking hands because of the celebration and craziness on the court is a cop out. It takes 2 seconds and I saw Delonte West and several other Cavs do it at the end of the game while Lebron was long gone. He was a poor sport. For anyone else, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but this kid is the face of the league and on his way to being a legend. In the grand scheme of things, it's no big deal, but a sign that he is still young. Maybe if the Cleveland Cavaliers had players more interested in playing basketball than shaking hands, Lebron wouldn't have had to carry their stinking team so much all season. The media is manipulating this story. You people realize this right? LeBron James is the ONLY player in the NBA anyone outside of Southern California gives two shiznits about. He doesn't want to talk to them after a game, and now they want to whine about it and turn on him and make him out to be some kind of spoiled, rotten, baby poorsport. Had he come out and talked, what would he have said that would have been louder or more definite than saying nothing at all? Why don't the media get the sadsack reactions from West, or Moe Williams, or the rest of the crappy teammates, or the coaching staff or the organization who failed to get anyone besides the one man show out there to help him and piece their story together with that information? The didn't do this because they are lazy, entitled, and spoiled rotten little brats in this story, not Lebron James. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcat2334 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Maybe if the Cleveland Cavaliers had players more interested in playing basketball than shaking hands, Lebron wouldn't have had to carry their stinking team so much all season. The media is manipulating this story. You people realize this right? LeBron James is the ONLY player in the NBA anyone outside of Southern California gives two shiznits about. He doesn't want to talk to them after a game, and now they want to whine about it and turn on him and make him out to be some kind of spoiled, rotten, baby poorsport. Had he come out and talked, what would he have said that would have been louder or more definite than saying nothing at all? Why don't the media get the sadsack reactions from West, or Moe Williams, or the rest of the crappy teammates, or the coaching staff or the organization who failed to get anyone besides the one man show out there to help him and piece their story together with that information? The didn't do this because they are lazy, entitled, and spoiled rotten little brats in this story, not Lebron James. werd - who cares, and in this day and age of kissy-kissy pregame hugs and everyone being buddy buddy I like when a superstar like Lebron cares enough and is pissed off enough to just remove himself from the floor rather than shaking hands and making plans vacation plans to bang hoes in the offseason. it is such a non-story, I guarantee Lebron will congratulate ALL of the Magic personally on his own- and that is all that matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 What a joke. The fact that Stern is planning a sit-down meeting with Lebron to discuss this is laughable... like he doesn't have more important things to focus on. As I said before, Lebron's actions were somewhat refreshing... it's nice to see that there's at least one young NBA player who cares about winning/losing, and not just the money. Of course, that's easy to say when the guy's well on his way to becoming the highest paid player ever, but still... I would rather see him do what he did than go up and hug Dwight Howard with a big smile on his (Lebron's) face. Why isn't there any criticism from the media on why none of the Magic players/coaches made an immediate effort to track down Lebron and shake his hand (which is actually a far more likely scenario, given that it's usually the winner that seeks out the loser in this type of situation)? I actually know the answer to that question... it's because it's NOT A BIG DEAL whether they choose to do so or not. This is a typical "build him up, then knock him back down" ploy by the media, just so they have something to write about. If I were Lebron, I'd make a point to go out of my way NOT to engage the media any chance I could get, and gladly take any fine given for doing so (he can obviously afford it). He'll be the face of the NBA (and more than likely all of pro sports worldwide) for many years to come, regardless of whether or not he has a good relationship with the media... F them. This notion that professional athletes somehow owe something to the media is the exact reason that 90% of all post-game interviews are lame/predictable... they either say something that you or I could predict, almost word for word, ahead of time, or ramble incoherently. Interview the athletes who have something to say, rather than enforcing that certain athletes say SOMETHING. Ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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