What?! What an asshole.
MIAMI, Fla. – When LeBron James was seen fraternizing, laughing it up with "his brother" Dwyane Wade at the half with the Cleveland Cavaliers down 21 to the Miami Heat, you had to wonder if it had a negative psychological effect on his teammates.
The two superstars were all smiles on the sideline...
Let's say Cavs coach Tyronn Lue had a spirited halftime speech in which he challenged his guys to pick up the intensity, demanded they play with aggression and urged them to stick together, no matter what.
And then immediately after, James drifts off and entertains Wade while the rest of his Cavaliers teammates are shooting jumpers, getting warmed up for what they're hoping to be a forceful second-half comeback attempt.
How are his teammates supposed to digest that playful interaction? It wasn't the best look.
...James continuing to hang out with the opposition's best player -- a player who happens to be one of his best friends, a player he won two titles with -- isn't conducive to building locker-room camaraderie.
The brotherly love those two players share is genuine, but James might need to consider suspending that relationship until the Cavs can at least win a game in Miami.
MIAMI, Fla. – When LeBron James was seen fraternizing, laughing it up with "his brother" Dwyane Wade at the half with the Cleveland Cavaliers down 21 to the Miami Heat, you had to wonder if it had a negative psychological effect on his teammates.
At half-time? Oh.
Let's say Cavs coach Tyronn Lue had a spirited halftime speech in which he challenged his guys to pick up the intensity, demanded they play with aggression and urged them to stick together, no matter what.
And then immediately after, James drifts off and entertains Wade while the rest of his Cavaliers teammates are shooting jumpers, getting warmed up for what they're hoping to be a forceful second-half comeback attempt.
Ok wait a minute, what's with the "Let's say" construct? Is that a hypothetical or did that really happen? "Let's say" we read it as if that really occurred:
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue had a spirited halftime speech in which he challenged his guys to pick up the intensity, demanded they play with aggression and urged them to stick together, no matter what.
And then immediately after, James drift[ed] off and entertain[ed] Wade while the rest of his Cavaliers teammates [were] shooting jumpers, getting warmed up for what [they hoped would] be a forceful second-half comeback attempt.
And then immediately after, James drift[ed] off and entertain[ed] Wade while the rest of his Cavaliers teammates [were] shooting jumpers, getting warmed up for what [they hoped would] be a forceful second-half comeback attempt.
That's bad. That looks awful.
How are his teammates supposed to digest that playful interaction? It wasn't the best look.
"Wasn't," means it did happen. Why did this knucklehead use "Let's say"?
No. No it is not.
Imo, James should not socialize with an opposing player immediately before any game against the opposing player's team. IN THE MIDDLE OF IT?! AT HALF-TIME WITH HIS TEAM DOWN 20 POINTS?! Absolutely not. At best, that "isn't conducive to building locker-room camaraderie."After the game, no issue with socializing. This applies to Dwayne Wade and others as well, of course, but it is of less moment in Dwayne Wade's case ince, in Mr. Haynes' retelling, it was James who engaged Wade, and not briefly, and it was James' team that was getting killed.
In the Cavaliers' locker room after the game, there was so much dead air that you could hear a pin drop. It was a somber atmosphere. Kyrie Irving left without speaking to media. Typically, players aren't in a rush to depart South Beach, but that's just how badly they were outplayed.
Chris Haynes is not an asshole for asking that question.
