DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Who's going to the game Thursday to boo LeBron?

Cleveland sure "witnessed" something last night: a funeral.

Maybe it's a good thing. Maybe in the end this was a proper burial for a Cavaliers era which, in its current state, is the rotting corpse of an era which we should simply refer to as the “Era of Nothing.” No rings, no parades, and as far as I'm concerned, no memories. Those memories became null and void the moment #6 took his “talents” (or is the term “greatness” now?) to South Beach.

I am a fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers. That will never change. I am NOT a fan of this current roster, however. The way the players were overly friendly and almost envious of their former teammate made my blood boil. We all know the NBA stands for the National Bro Association today, but do the Celtics welcome the Heat with open arms? Do the Magic? Will the Lakers? (the answer is “no”) When everyone was afraid that the Cleveland fans would embarrass the city in front of the world, no one expected the players would be the ones doing so. That's exactly what happened in a fashion that almost felt like an inside job by players who want out of here.

Mo Williams likened last night to your ex-girlfriend showing up to your wedding, instead last night seemed more like #6 was the one getting married and the Cavs players showing up on a donkey with a bouquet of dandelions trying to get #6 back. Every hug, every smile, every lackadaisical foul attempt was utterly sickening. Cavs fans took #6's betrayal personally, the Cavs players did not, even though #6 basically told them “you're not good enough, I'm gone.” Ultimately, the Cavs played the role of the clingy ex-girlfriend who wanted nothing more than to be back in an abusive relationship after the ex-boyfriend (in this case, #6) sweet talked her a little bit just to get her hopes up.

Is it safe to say that many of these current Cavaliers players want nothing more than to be back with #6 in Miami? That's the theory of many as to why there were no hard fouls: the false hope that they can someday replace the scrubs on the bottom end of the Heat roster and play with the Three Stooges in South Beach, that they can one day be led by their former teammate. They don't have the guts and testicular fortitude to grind on their own and be winners. Much of that has to do with the leadership of that former teammate, for he is mentally soft himself, and helped create that culture of impotence in the face of adversity.

When faced with fight or flight, the Cavs rolled over and died. It didn't matter if the Cavs lost as long as they showed up ready to rattle #6, to plant him on the floor multiple times in potentially flagrant fashion, to fight for each other. Instead, they showed their true colors: that they'd rather be buddies in the National Bro Association than stand up for themselves and their team. The Cavaliers sold out themselves, they sold out their owner, they sold out their coach, they sold out their team, and most of all: they sold out their fans.

They sold out Cleveland, after we sold out (by a much different definition) our arena.

Disgusting. Deplorable. Unforgivable.

The sooner the grass grows over the grave of the Era of Nothing and we move on to a new era of Cavaliers basketball, the better. Get these clowns out of a wine and gold uniform, every last one of them.

This team betrayed the fans last night.

Cavaliers didn't appreciate LeBron's words, actions during blowout


By TOM WITHERS
The Associated Press
Friday, December 3, 2010; 6:42 PM

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James may have ruined another friendship back in Ohio.

Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson didn't appreciate some of James' words and actions on Thursday during the Miami star's heated homecoming to Cleveland. James, who scored 38 points in the Heat's 118-90 win, was subjected to almost constant booing, taunts and profanity.

According to Gibson, James dished out a little of his own.

"Some things went on last night," Gibson said, "that I didn't like."

James engaged in some trash talk with Cleveland's bench, jawing at some coaches and former teammates. After making a tough, baseline jumper while scoring 24 points in the third quarter, James spun just in front of Cleveland's players and mouthed something in their direction. Later, he and a smiling Gibson exchanged words.

Gibson also took issue with comments that it appeared the Cavaliers were acting too outwardly friendly toward James, who played seven seasons in Cleveland. Center Anderson Varejao hugged James as the teams lined up for tip-off and a few players shook hands or bumped fists with the two-time defending league MVP.

"I've heard that, and that kind of rubs me the wrong way," Gibson said. "We all know LeBron and we all know that he enjoys being in front of the camera. To say we were fraternizing and being friendly ... nobody knows what was said and the things that were said probably could not be repeated right now. We wanted to win the game and those guys brought it to us."

The Cavaliers are now 7-11 without James.
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"I think people, from the outside looking in, might say we were laughing and joking with him, but if you could hear the things that were said, you would know that wasn't the case," Gibson said. "There was nothing friendly about the conversation we had."

Gibson said the evening soured his relationship with James, his teammate for four years. Gibson was also upset by the Cavaliers' awful play in front of their rowdy fans, who had waited five months to vent at James for the way he announced his decision to leave.

"I didn't like the way we performed," he said.

They have sold out every game this year so far. 20,562. They also sold out every game last year.

attendance is going to dip. it just is. ticket sales are still good because season ticket holders had to re up last year before the season even ended. not because the cavs were afraid of losing lebron, but because that is how all teams operate.

but the walk-up has surprised me. the fans have shown they are behind this. but last night was damaging. that team went from playing really hard and getting outdone to flat out quitting. and in front of the entire country. it was embarassing. i'm not going as far as ammo is going, but he's not alone with his opinions, that's for sure.

the nba ticket is an expensive one. it's gonna be hard to sell this team on cleveland fans, in this market.

i believe attendance is going to dip this year, next year, and maybe even one more after that, but all it takes is one player that you get in the lottery to turn it all around.

and while i am over lebron, even to the point where i don't hate him any more (don't root for him either) his comments last night really bothered me. the guy just doesn't get it.

everyone is all about the heat now, tnt was fawning over him last night, and bspn of course, but all they did is what they have been doing, beating up bad teams. they are still 1-7 versus anyone with a winning record and last night didn't change that.

as far as the cavs team goes, they better find a mirror, quickly.

Yes I really wasn't looking for tickets sold, but actual attendance. Just the very title of the thread seems more directed at booing LeBron, not cheering for the Cavs to beat the Heat.

Just found that a little odd is all.

jmho

If Thursday didn't do it for anyone, maybe getting blown out by the T-Wolves and Pistons on consecutive days will.

A playoff run? No. A playoff appearance? Yes. Less a function of the quality of the team and more due to the fact that its harder to miss the NBA playoffs than it is to make them. Still, the Cavs are currently playing well below even their meager talent level. They've got decent players at every position except the 5 (no, Andy is not a true 5 for any meaningful length of time), there's no reason they should be getting into 20+ point deficits against teams like Minnesota and Detroit. They should be playing those types of teams tough, winning some and losing some. Instead, they've become a self-fulfilling prophecy, believing that they're not good enough to win without their pal down in Florida. I think their issues are much more mental than they are physical. On the basketball side of things, I think they've have three glaring issues they need to overcome; I detailed those in another thread, but they are, in a nutshell, poor perimeter defense, the notion that they are somehow a jumpshooting team, and the bad play of JJ Hickson.

While it seems at present that my pre-season prediction of 46 wins is a pipe dream, I see no reason why they can't become a 7 or 8 seed if they can manage to right the ship by the end of the month.

They are officially back to being the Cadaverliers.

The thing is, our squad talent wise isn't that much better than minnesota or detroit. We have guys in parker, and Jamison that are passed their prime, and pretty marginal players in Mo, Gibson, Sessions. Varejo is known for his hustle, and grit more than anything. Hickson is way too inconsistent. Not sure if he has the mental part to be a good player each game.

If you look at it we're a game behind toronto for the 8th spot. Personally, I would tear it down, and build for the future starting at the trading deadline. Probably won't get much for guys like Parker, Gibson, Mo. But that's the way I would go. I don't see a future with the current roster assembled the way it is.

It's like the alpha-dog came back, and everyone else in the pack ran to hide in the corner with their tail between their legs.