Hopefully this will help some people...

[houheffna]

One of the reasons that I find ridiculous concerning Lebron James coming to Chicago is that he would be intimidated by the fact that Jordan once played here. Here is Carlos Boozer's answer to that argument...

Carlos Boozer doesn't believe his fellow free agents will view playing in Chicago -- under the shadow of Michael Jordan's legacy -- as a negative. In fact, the Utah Jazz forward sees it as one of Chicago's selling points when free agency opens on July 1.

"A lot of people in my era, in my age group, we watched MJ do what he did: win championships, be the face of the NBA and continue to dominate the game," Boozer said Wednesday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "I think most of the free agents this summer [think it's] probably an attractive thing to have that history, where MJ played, where [Scottie] Pippen played for those six championships.

"I can remember being a kid and watching that. I think everybody, whoever it is this summer, can remember watching MJ do his thing in Chicago, so I think that will be more of a positive thing than a negative thing."

Although LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have gotten most of the attention among this summer's vaunted free-agent class, Boozer is an established inside scoring threat, averaging 19.5 points and 11.2 rebounds with the Jazz this season.

While Bosh released a top-five teams list, Boozer was coy about his preferred destinations, but stressed that Utah is still very much in the running. He also said the Bulls would have to be in the mix as well, and they likely will be for every free agent this summer.

"Really good, really young," Boozer said when asked for his impression of the Bulls. "They're young but with a lot of experience. They've gone to the playoffs for a couple years and had some great battles with the Celtics. This year was tough with the Cavs who went through them fast. They have a lot of talent, a lot of guys who can play. It's going to be interesting to see what happens with that franchise this summer."

Hopefully this sheds some light on how players really feel about being in Chicago...

 

[Kush77]

What Boozer says also shoots down the NY argument of "if you win here you're a king, big star blah blah blah."

Well we have the best example (MJ) of what can happen when you win titles in Chicago. Basically Jordan became the biggest sports star in the world - and it didn't have to be in NY.

And honesty, James could still be the biggest star if he remains in Cleveland. That why I always laugh at this big market/small market popularity stuff.

 

[TheStig]

Kush, being in Chicago, NY, or LA will help get James more exposure. The dynasty bulls were shown all over the world. I don't think the Cavs have the same syndication. Ultimately big markets don't make the star but they certainly help.

 

[Kush77]

TheStig wrote:

Kush, being in Chicago, NY, or LA will help get James more exposure. The dynasty bulls were shown all over the world. I don't think the Cavs have the same syndication. Ultimately big markets don't make the star but they certainly help.

In the 80s and 90s, yes. Not in 2010. It doesn't matter now in this age of internet, satellite TV, NBA League Pass, 24 hour ESPNews, etc..

We all knew who LeBron James was when he was a junior at Mt. Saint Mary's. It's a different world now. That's why I think the big market/small market doesn't matter anymore.

In the 1970? Hell yeah. Back when there was only 1 game of the week, it probably was better to play for NY. Just a bigger city in general to have a bigger fan base. But that's no longer the case.

Look at Shakes here on the boards. I never knew he was Australian until he mentioned it in his post. Yet he can go back and forth with us on Bulls topics like he lives in the city.
Shakes wouldn't have been able to do that in 1995, 1985.

 

[TheStig]

I know technology helps a lot but I bet more people know the name Kobe Bryant and have seen him play more than Duncan or James or Wade. Exposure is exposure. It helps, not to the extent it did earlier but it still helps a lot. Who do you think is more popular overall Durant or Rose?

 

[Kush77]

TheStig wrote:

I know technology helps a lot but I bet more people know the name Kobe Bryant and have seen him play more than Duncan or James or Wade. Exposure is exposure. It helps, not to the extent it did earlier but it still helps a lot. Who do you think is more popular overall Durant or Rose?

I don't know actually? I would say Durant. Leading the league in scoring helps. I think Rose has the better jersey sales, but that's an example of where playing in the big market helps.

I guess we need to just talk about James himself. I don't think James going to NY makes him a bigger star. In terms of guys still trying to establish themselves as stars, like Rose, playing in a big market helps.

But if you're good enough, like James is, the city ain't gonna hold you back. Cleveland hasn't held James back, everyone knows who he is.

But you need to have the personality as well. And that is what Duncan doesn't have.

I'll use the Manning bros. as an example of that.
Both of them have 1 Super Bowl title. 1 brother plays in NY and one plays in Indy. Yet the one who plays in Indy gets all the endorsements. There's several reasons for that, but one of the main factors is Peyton had the personality. You can see it in his commercials, he's a funny guy. Eli just doesn't have that personality. I couldn't see Eli hosting Saturday Night Live, but Peyton did. To me Duncan is like Eli Manning. Very quite type of personality.

 

[TheStig]

Thats the point though. You have a guy on a better team, leading the league in scoring and been in the league longer and rose, a guy on a team barely .500, scoring almost 10ppg less and in the league less is more popular. I don't think being with the cavs hurts james popularity wise but it certainly hurts internationally and commercially. MJ was a global icon, I don't think he could have done that from Clevland or another podunk place. Mj was a name almost ever person in the world knew 10 years ago, I don't think you could say the same about James and he has the advantage of better technology to show him on tv, internet and mobile. I don't know much about footbball but isn't peyton supposed to be much better overall?

 

[Bullsman24]

Yeah i've always found this ridiculous. Why do people wanna play in boston and la then? Wouldn't players be afraid of bird and magic and 17 titles??? Obviously players don't think like that.

Heck the only positive really in NYC is MSG because it has history. A storied franchise is a positive not a negative.

 

[Kush77]

bullsman24 wrote:

Yeah i've always found this ridiculous. Why do people wanna play in boston and la then? Wouldn't players be afraid of bird and magic and 17 titles??? Obviously players don't think like that.

Heck the only positive really in NYC is MSG because it has history. A storied franchise is a positive not a negative.

Right. That "shadow of Michael Jordan" is stuff people just say when they have nothing else better to say.

Shaq didn't care about the shadow of Magic Johnson or Kareem when he signed with the Lakers as a FA in 1996. I agree with ya Bullsman.

 

[Kush77]

TheStig wrote:

Thats the point though. You have a guy on a better team, leading the league in scoring and been in the league longer and rose, a guy on a team barely .500, scoring almost 10ppg less and in the league less is more popular. I don't think being with the cavs hurts james popularity wise but it certainly hurts internationally and commercially. MJ was a global icon, I don't think he could have done that from Clevland or another podunk place. Mj was a name almost ever person in the world knew 10 years ago, I don't think you could say the same about James and he has the advantage of better technology to show him on tv, internet and mobile. I don't know much about footbball but isn't peyton supposed to be much better overall?

I don't think it's definitive that Rose is more popular. I was just going by jersey sales. Rose plays in a city with 5 million people in the Chicagoland area, where Durant plays in Oklahoma City. Do they even have 1 million people? so who has more local support? rose obviously because he's in the big market. But on a national level, I would say Durant is more popular.

Jordan didn't really blow up until he started wining titles and the Olympics, that's when Jordan blew up worldwide. Will that happen with James? We don't know yet, he hasn't won a title. But jordan is Jordan. It unfair to compare James to him in terms of marketing. James could go onto NY and win 4 titles and still not be as popular as Jordan was.

And Peyton Manning is much better overall. But in terms of "being in NY helps" argument people make, it really hasn't done much for Eli Manning even though he won a Super Bowl with the Giants.

Who has it helped really? We always hear how playing in NY makes you a marketing star. For who? CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Texieria all helped the Yanks win the World Series last year? Where's all the commercials for those guys? To me A-Rod is no more popular than he was in Seattle or Texas - nationally. I think the whole "playing in NY makes you a star" thing is overrated.

 

[TheStig]

I disagree on Durant. He should be much more popular than Rose and he might just slightly edge him out. I don't see Durant on TV but I do see Rose occasionally.

Well he was also younger. But the air jordan thing started and he built up a lot of exposure. I think James could be every bit as popular winning titles in a big market. I don't think has to be NY, could be LA or Chicago and it won't make the star but it will help.

Again, I don't know football so I don't really get the example.

It made Jeter a huge star. He wouldn't have done it elsewhere imo. But again, I don't know baseball that much either. Being in a big market won't make the star but it helps. You just pointed the huge market support for Rose.

 

[Bullsman24]

Jeter wins. That's why he's popular. That's all that matters.

 

[Bullsman24]

Rose is a More dynamic and excitig player than durant IMO. Rose has also shown more of an ability to take over a game than durant and is a more exciting player than durant. That could contribute to rose's increased popularity.