C.C Sabathia thinks LeBron more likey to leave if he wins (audio)

C.C talked NBA with these guys for a good 10 minutes, namely James and where he'll end up.

He says he really has no idea where James is going to go 'a lot probably depends on where they go in the playoffs' he mentions.. As a friend to James, and a big time player himself, interesting to note that at the end of the interview when asked which scenario would be more likely to lead to James leaving, he says "If he won. I think it'd be easier for him to leave." .. As he says, he has no more of an idea than the next but still interesting nonetheless

really is sorta an odd feeling not knowing if I want the Cavs to lose quick and early or not... I'm still thinking that if James loses early / to Magic he'd be more likely to leave as opposed to when the champagne is poppin' after they won... i'm just not sure he'd do that...

at the same time, even if they do win the championship this yr, i think he knows that this Cavs team isn't going to any dynasty-status team..whereas a team like the Knicks [potentially] may be, as CC said, it'l be easier to 'move on' having won one for his state..

the more i think about it the more it makes sense now that he would actually be okay with leaving after winning it.. he isn't going to be disillusion about how good there team is even if they do win it... i think he'll still be somewhat unsatisfied [with the future] on the Cavs regardless.... Between LeBron walking away w his tail between his legs from his own state, a failure of sorts, and winning one for his team and now being able to move on to the big city of dreams having given Cleveland something to remember - i'm actually leaning towards the latter and him winning..

thoughts?


interview w C.C :

http://www.wfan.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=4564705


C.C :

" I think it depends on what happens this year in the playoffs and how they play, to see how close they get and if they win, how that weighs in his decision. I know he wants to go where he can win. I know he likes the idea of New York. "

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nothing new, but yes he does

I see where CC is coming from. If LeBron brings the city of Cleveland its first sports championship in over sixty years, he's already a hero who saved the city from crippling depression, and he can leave knowing that he re-established Cleveland as a respectable sports city.

If LeBron plays for six years in Cleveland, never wins, and ditches Cleveland for New York and wins a title in New York, he'll be reviled in Cleveland much like Wade Boggs is reviled in Boston for ditching the Red Sox to go and win a title with the Yankees.

What if he were to save Cleveland and the Nets?

I'm hoping neither.

If Lebron wins a title with Cleveland this season and leaves because he doesn't believe that the Cavs will win another one afterward, why would he like the Cavs' chances if they don't win a title this season? Why would he want to stay 3 more seasons playing for an underachiever? He would just look stupid if he remains a Cavalier for the next few years,doesn't win a title in that time period while the Knicks evolve into an elite team.

I thinks the Cavs have more of a chance than being a dynasty than the Kinicks, if LBJ where to come to NY, NY really has no depth to speak of, What would likely end up happening is overpaying for lower teir players to go along with LBJ, ala rudy gay for example. LBJ, Gay, Lee would make a potent 3 but would would their contracts amt to?, no way they're beating Orlando or ATL, in the East let alone the stronger teams in the West. Wade in all likelyhood is going to stay in MIA, Bosh will prob end up there as well, (Bosh likes the warm weather) and MIA has more attractive players to offer in a sign and trade ala Beasley , Haslem, Chalmers... NY has one commodity D.Lee, who is a great player but not at 14-15M, no way at that price...he's making what 7M now? mostly everyone else one the team are reserve players at best(except for Gallo really like this kid, T-mac not likely coming back)... and the league is full pf those, no real attractive players that any other team would be gunning for to take off the Knicks hands. If LBJ decides to stay in CLE, which there's a good chance of happening. He'll sign a three year deal...then take it from there, should the Knicks be a better team by then.. I have no reason to believe that they wont be a better team, then your chances of landing him are greater.

Now I don't want to start a war Knicks vs. Raptors, I know the raptors are a pretty sh@tty team right now and have been for the last few years, and signing Turk was a huge bust handcuffing us from making moves in the future, team can score but cant play a lick worth of D, but at least we have a huge commodity in Bosh, and we can turn this around should he decide to leave in a sign and trade.

knicksin60 said:

If Lebron wins a title with Cleveland this season and leaves because he doesn't believe that the Cavs will win another one afterward, why would he like the Cavs' chances if they don't win a title this season? Why would he want to stay 3 more seasons playing for an underachiever? He would just look stupid if he remains a Cavalier for the next few years,doesn't win a title in that time period while the Knicks evolve into an elite team.

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Simple. Because he isn't going to leave Cleveland with his tail between his legs and without having given them a title.

If he loses, it's not a matter of dynasty - it's a matter of winning one for the team he's been on for his entire career thus far... winning one before he leaves..maintaining the reputation which would perhaps be seen differently by some having ran from the challenge

If he wins, he'll have that first championship behind him, and he'll have given Ohio their first championship in 66 seasons or w/e... If he leaves, the people would still love him for giving them something to remember and he'd be leaving with a good memory and knowing he accomplished something big..

If he loses, say to the Magic, I can see him storming off again, but i'm just not sure i see him storming off to another team..

tbh the chances are probably slim either way.. most likely and agreed upon idea of late is that he'll sign a 3 yr contract after this and then be gone after that.. but between winning and leaving and losing and leaving, idk it's a close call...

While it's hard to picture him poppin champagne in the locker-room, all high from having just one his first ring and announcing he's leaving... it seems even harder to picture him fleeing from the undertaking and telling clevland 'sorry, bye.' .... given he has said 'it's a business' etc so you never know

Knicker23 said:

Simple. Because he isn't going to leave Cleveland with his tail between his legs and without having given them a title.

If he loses, it's not a matter of dynasty - it's a matter of winning one for the team he's been on for his entire career thus far... winning one before he leaves..maintaining the reputation which would perhaps be seen differently by some having ran from the challenge

If he wins, he'll have that first championship behind him, and he'll have given Ohio their first championship in 66 seasons or w/e... If he leaves, the people would still love him for giving them something to remember and he'd be leaving with a good memory and knowing he accomplished something big..

If he loses, say to the Magic, I can see him storming off again, but i'm just not sure i see him storming off to another team..

tbh the chances are probably slim either way.. most likely and agreed upon idea of late is that he'll sign a 3 yr contract after this and then be gone after that.. but between winning and leaving and losing and leaving, idk it's a close call...

While it's hard to picture him poppin champagne in the locker-room, all high from having just one his first ring... it seems even harder to picture him fleeing from the undertaking and telling clevland 'sorry, bye.' .... given he has said 'it's a business' etc so you never know

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But let's say he doesn't win a title this season and has the option of choosing any NBA free agent to be his teammate in 2010-11, do you think that he would feel more confident playing the next few seasons with Jamison and Williams or playing the next few seasons with the superstar of his choosing and a much more developed Gallinari?

I feel that Lebron is too big of an icon to care about anyone's opinion.He could easily ditch Cleveland, go to the Knicks, win a championship with them and feel zero regret at all for leaving his original team.If being an athlete was all about being loyal to the city,team and fan base that you began your career with then 85 percent of athletes would do everything possible to retire with the team that drafted them.

Do you think that if the the Cavs get knocked out of the playoffs by the Magic again that Lebron is going to want to go through the same thing he did last season at least 3 more times? How many chances do you think Lebron will want to give his supporting cast?

And if Lebron comes to NY, not only will he make the Knicks a relevant team but he will put the entire NBA back on the map.Think about the people that will be tuning in to watch a Knicks vs Lakers finals and the money that the NBA would be making off of Lebron and NY.I'm sure that this is something that Lebron knows about in the back of his mind and has probably envisioned it.

knicksin60 said:

But let's say he doesn't win a title this season and has the option of choosing any NBA free agent to be his teammate in 2010-11, do you think that he would feel more confident playing the next few seasons with Jamison and Williams or playing the next few seasons with the superstar of his choosing and a much more developed Gallinari?

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I agree 100%. If James wants the shot at a dynasty, his best chance is coming here w another free agent and running the city for a while.. not staying in Cleveland

I feel that Lebron is too big of an icon to care about anyone's opinion.He could easily ditch Cleveland, go to the Knicks, win a championship with them and feel zero regret at all for leaving his original team.If being an athlete was all about being loyal to the city,team and fan base that you began your career with then 85 percent of athletes would do everything possible to retire with the team that drafted them.

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I agree - it'd be ridiculous for him to pass up on the opportunity because he wants to stay in Cleveland given his stature and where he wants to be... but i'm just not sure, he loves his city and he knows 'Clevelands been hurting lately' and that anything less than a championship would leave just another bitter taste.. It's stupid to expect players to stay in their city their entire career, but w James it just seems a little different.. more so than it being where he's from, he'd be walking away from the team having not won a championship in 7 years, and never knowing what it would have been like to win one for them..which i'm not sure he'd be willing to do right now.

Do you think that if the the Cavs get knocked out of the playoffs by the Magic again that Lebron is going to want to go through the same thing he did last season at least 3 more times? How many chances do you think Lebron will want to give his supporting cast?

And if Lebron comes to NY, not only will he make the Knicks a relevant team but he will put the entire NBA back on the map.Think about the people that will be tuning in to watch a Knicks vs Lakers finals and the money that the NBA would be making off of Lebron and NY.I'm sure that this is something that Lebron knows about in the back of his mind and has probably envisioned it.

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I agree. It isn't so much what he'd be able to do with/in NY.. it's what'd he be leaving behind w the Cavs.. and i don't mean players etc.. just the fact that he's walking away after 7 seasons with nothing.. his rep won't be affected obviously, he'll still be James, but he'll have that with him..not simply that he couldn't do it, but he couldn't do it in his home town. which probably makes it a little tougher..


The Knicks would be the most ideal place for him any way you look at it. market-wise, story-wise (bringing Knicks from nothing to something), players-wise ( having another max contract), lifestyle-wise (he loves NY).. the list goes on and on... there isn't a question that he'd be happiest here... it's getting him to leave there that remains the question.... as i said, it seems a bit redic given all the stuff i just listed that he could even think not to come, but the bond between his home state and wanting to give them something/his own rep may keep him there for another 3 trys...