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Arian Foster Preaching The Truth On Twitter

By Yoni Pollak

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Arian Foster once took a hiatus on Twitter. He decided to leave the Twittersphere after all the ridiculousness he saw from his followers. However, he decided to come back earlier this year and he’s been just like his old self. Trolling cat lovers? Yep. Good times. However, this time he’s dropping some interesting insights into an athlete’s thoughts.

The official SportsCenter account tweeted a question out to its followers and Arian Foster responded appropriately:

Seems truthful. However, some of his followers didn’t appreciate the answer, one saying, “you’re not a true champion then”.

Foster (responding to the negative comments he received) continued:

Foster is 100% right, and we could look into the current NBA as an example.

Carmelo Anthony has made over a $100 million in his NBA career, yet he sits at home without a championship ring on his fingers. The New York Knicks SF/PF has a decision to make this summer; leave NY and give up some money doing so, but have a much better chance at a ring, or stay in NY, keep the extra money, but have a much tougher time trying to win the ring he desires.

Feb 16, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Western Conference forward Kevin Love (42) of the Minnesota Timberwolves handles the ball against Eastern Conference forward Carmelo Anthony (7) of the New York Knicks during the 2014 NBA All-Star Game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

I guess we’ll find out what the 30-year old Anthony thinks of Foster’s thoughts, but in this stage of his NBA career, his time for chance at a NBA ring may be dwindling. Leaving New York is his best option.

Reports say Anthony’s #1 desire is a NBA ring, not money. If it means he has to sacrifice a few million dollars a year, for a much better chance at the ring, he most certainly will do it. At least that’s what most believe.

Kevin Love is a similar example. He’s just 25 though and has another solid 10 years ahead of him for a ring. He can (when he becomes a free agent) choose to take the most money somewhere on a not-so-great team. Why would he do that? Because this won’t be his last large contract. He hasn’t made nearly the amount Anthony has made through his career, and it would be hard to argue with Love if he chases the money for the next few seasons. Once he is 29 or 30 and still hasn’t won a championship, he then may decide that winning is his number one priority, not money.

What about LeBron James? James can retire now and be financially secure for the rest of his life, and his kids and grandkids would be perfectly fine as well. However, we all know he won’t retire.

James’ choice won’t come down to the money. He will get a max deal or near max deal regardless (could take less money if his new team needs him to take less to make other moves). His choice will be between winning a championship and loyalty. James was obviously grateful to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but decide to head to South Beach to pursue his dream of winning an NBA championship. After reaching the Finals in all four years, winning two of the four, James can opt out of his deal and jump ship to another team.

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How loyal was James to Cleveland? Nadda. How about Miami? We will see. Arian Foster says it really doesn’t matter. If James believes Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh can continue their run, he will stay. If he thinks Pat Riley can reconstruct the roster in a way to make their fifth straight Finals appearance, he will stay. However, if James thinks there are better teams out there with a better constructed  team, he will certainly leave. He may be somewhat loyal to Miami, but he is way more focused on winning.

Foster is right. The argument between winning and money really depends on where an athlete stands. A younger player (Kevin Love) is more likely to chase the money, whereas an older veteran is likely focused on winning a ring (Carmelo Anthony).

For LeBron, it’s a business decision. What team gives him the best chance to win? He may stay in Miami, but Houston has a legitimate shot at landing the former MVP if he chooses to go elsewhere.

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