You can’t win when it comes to how fans and the media perceive you. This might be a skeptical view of things around the professional sports world, but it’s something that we should definitely take into account.
A new meme created by a pretty awesome Twitter account depicts fans’ views of two different players under two extremely different situations for the Cleveland Cavaliers…years apart.
Haters gonna hate! pic.twitter.com/MzsENMV093
— NBA Meme Team (@NBAMemeTeam) July 2, 2014
We all know what the perception of James was after he bolted for the Miami Heat back in 2010. “He couldn’t win it in on his own, so he had to join a super team to nab a title,” some said.
Even after Miami won two consecutive NBA championships, James drew the ire of fans and some in the media. “He took the easy road out,” was a common theme around the basketball world.
Now that Kyrie Irving has decided to remain a member of a downtrodden Cavaliers franchise, some have taken that decision to mean that he is going for the money.
https://twitter.com/walkoffhbp/status/483854090435170305
Money talks RT @WojYahooNBA: Kyrie Irving intends to sign 5-year, $90 million extension with the Cavaliers, league source tells Yahoo Sports
— Sean Pendergast (@SeanTPendergast) July 1, 2014
https://twitter.com/TSSCrew/status/484059319072464897
See a theme here?
It’s highly likely that Irving decided that he wanted to be part of a good thing in Cleveland, especially with the hiring of David Blatt as its new head coach. Why be a skeptic and conclude it was all about the Benjamin’s? After all, it isn’t like Irving was going to miss out on many paydays for the remainder of what promises to be a stellar career.
As for James, he has two NBA titles and four consecutive Eastern Conference titles backing him up.