NBA free agency starts Midnight July 1st and the 5 teams trying to court Lebron James are his current team the Cavs, as well as the Bulls, Knicks, Nets, and the Heat. So who has the best chance to land him. Where he goes will probably decide where all the other big names land.
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Lebron watch or NBA free agency
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I really see him going to Miami, and Pat Riley coming out of retirement. Altho the new Russian owner of the Nets might have a few tricks up his sleeve.
He should stay in Cleveland. But I think Miami has the biggest chance. He will be the most hated man in Ohio if he leaves. No way he goes to the Nets.
I believe that Cleveland and Chicago are the front-runners for Lebron.
However, the only teams where Lebron would be a better fit than Bosh are the Knicks and Nets, and neither team is better than Cleveland. Lebron is good, but in order to win, he needs to go to a team with a pass-first point guard AND a couple of big men with decent talent. Any of those teams around with massive budgets? No.
Chicago could use either Bosh or Lebron, but I still think they'd be better off with Bosh. Same with Miami. Can you imagine Lebron and Wade playing off each other? It would certainly be an adjustment for both of them.
Stoudamire doesn't count because he sucks and chokes in the playoffs. No team wants to give Amare a max contract if they could get Bosh or Lebron instead.
However, the only teams where Lebron would be a better fit than Bosh are the Knicks and Nets, and neither team is better than Cleveland. Lebron is good, but in order to win, he needs to go to a team with a pass-first point guard AND a couple of big men with decent talent. Any of those teams around with massive budgets? No.
Chicago could use either Bosh or Lebron, but I still think they'd be better off with Bosh. Same with Miami. Can you imagine Lebron and Wade playing off each other? It would certainly be an adjustment for both of them.
Stoudamire doesn't count because he sucks and chokes in the playoffs. No team wants to give Amare a max contract if they could get Bosh or Lebron instead.
I now think LeBron will end up in Chicago. It's the only team that has a core of players that he can start working with immediately. And it's a big enough market that he will have no problems building up his 'brand' there like he seems to want. I don't see any other top free agents joining him there, although I think they should really consider Ray Allen.
Wade is staying put in Miami and I think he will attract one of the power forwards, either Stoudemire or Bosh. I think Miami's situation is interesting because they have almost no one under contract right now. Even if they sign Wade and Bosh, their only other players will be Chalmers and Beasley. Then Riles has to assemble a bunch of cheap players to play with them. That, to me, is the biggest reason LeBron won't go there. He has already tried leading a bunch of mediocre teammates and it didn't work.
I think Bosh either joins Wade in Miami or goes to Houston in a sign-and-trade. Unlike Cleveland with LeBron, Toronto seems willing to do a sign-and-trade to get something for Bosh because they know he isn't coming back. All the rumors indicate that Houston really likes Bosh, and with continuing uncertainty over Yao's future, they need to shore up their frontcourt.
I see only two real possibilities for Amar'e: go to Miami with Wade, or join D'Antoni in NY. I think it will be the latter because he seems to want to be The Man on a team instead of part of an ensemble cast like in Phoenix. (Even though that's the last thing he should try. He's not a leader, a crunch-time player, or someone who can handle the media attention.) There's a list of guys who left D'Antoni's Suns thinking they could be big stars leading another team, and Stoudemire is just the latest one.
The Knicks have backed themselves into a weird corner now. At first it seemed amazing that they were able to shed so many of Isiah Thomas' contracts and get under the cap. But by doing so, they've created huge expectations in NY, so much so that now anything less than LeBron will be disappointing. (Personally, I find this very amusing. Unlike the Yankee fans who can back up their big spending and arrogance with championships, the Knick fans still cling to memories of the 40 years ago and act like they're still relevant, even though they aren't.) The Knicks also have nothing to offer any team in a sign-and-trade. I think their best hope is to sign both Joe Johnson and Amar'e, ramp up D'Antoni's run-and-gun offense and at least make the basketball exciting, even if they won't win anything.
It's amazing how fast the Nets have become players in this thing with the new Russian owner. But they have two big factors working against them. (1) It's unclear if or when they will be able to move to a new arena in Brooklyn. The billionaire owner can obviously get more things done, but it's not a done deal. In the meantime they're playing in Newark in front of fans that know they're leaving. Not exactly ideal. (2) The Nets suck. It's going to take a lot more than LeBron to make the Nets a winning team.
I think the Mavericks are a big wild card here. I don't see them getting LeBron because they don't have the cap space and I doubt Cleveland will do a sign-and-trade with them. But they will trade with somebody. Bosh and Johnson could potentially go there that way. Boozer and Rudy Gay may be available too. And players will be willing to go there because the Mavs are already in the playoff picture.
I think Cleveland is just an awful crossroads now. Even if they manage to keep LeBron, it's not clear where they go from here. None of the pieces they've assembled around him have created playoff success so far and they don't seem to have a plan. (Tom Izzo? Really?) And if they lose LeBron, then they might not make the playoffs next year. Pretty depressing for a city that's had a long sports depression already.
Wade is staying put in Miami and I think he will attract one of the power forwards, either Stoudemire or Bosh. I think Miami's situation is interesting because they have almost no one under contract right now. Even if they sign Wade and Bosh, their only other players will be Chalmers and Beasley. Then Riles has to assemble a bunch of cheap players to play with them. That, to me, is the biggest reason LeBron won't go there. He has already tried leading a bunch of mediocre teammates and it didn't work.
I think Bosh either joins Wade in Miami or goes to Houston in a sign-and-trade. Unlike Cleveland with LeBron, Toronto seems willing to do a sign-and-trade to get something for Bosh because they know he isn't coming back. All the rumors indicate that Houston really likes Bosh, and with continuing uncertainty over Yao's future, they need to shore up their frontcourt.
I see only two real possibilities for Amar'e: go to Miami with Wade, or join D'Antoni in NY. I think it will be the latter because he seems to want to be The Man on a team instead of part of an ensemble cast like in Phoenix. (Even though that's the last thing he should try. He's not a leader, a crunch-time player, or someone who can handle the media attention.) There's a list of guys who left D'Antoni's Suns thinking they could be big stars leading another team, and Stoudemire is just the latest one.
The Knicks have backed themselves into a weird corner now. At first it seemed amazing that they were able to shed so many of Isiah Thomas' contracts and get under the cap. But by doing so, they've created huge expectations in NY, so much so that now anything less than LeBron will be disappointing. (Personally, I find this very amusing. Unlike the Yankee fans who can back up their big spending and arrogance with championships, the Knick fans still cling to memories of the 40 years ago and act like they're still relevant, even though they aren't.) The Knicks also have nothing to offer any team in a sign-and-trade. I think their best hope is to sign both Joe Johnson and Amar'e, ramp up D'Antoni's run-and-gun offense and at least make the basketball exciting, even if they won't win anything.
It's amazing how fast the Nets have become players in this thing with the new Russian owner. But they have two big factors working against them. (1) It's unclear if or when they will be able to move to a new arena in Brooklyn. The billionaire owner can obviously get more things done, but it's not a done deal. In the meantime they're playing in Newark in front of fans that know they're leaving. Not exactly ideal. (2) The Nets suck. It's going to take a lot more than LeBron to make the Nets a winning team.
I think the Mavericks are a big wild card here. I don't see them getting LeBron because they don't have the cap space and I doubt Cleveland will do a sign-and-trade with them. But they will trade with somebody. Bosh and Johnson could potentially go there that way. Boozer and Rudy Gay may be available too. And players will be willing to go there because the Mavs are already in the playoff picture.
I think Cleveland is just an awful crossroads now. Even if they manage to keep LeBron, it's not clear where they go from here. None of the pieces they've assembled around him have created playoff success so far and they don't seem to have a plan. (Tom Izzo? Really?) And if they lose LeBron, then they might not make the playoffs next year. Pretty depressing for a city that's had a long sports depression already.
Same thing if he goes to the Heat it wont be his team if Wade stays there and I think he wants to have a team that say i help made this team better .
I think it will come to Knicks/Nets/cavs
By the way looks like Lebron has took down ESPN.Com
If LeBron breaks our hearts and leaves Cleveland, it won't be any different from the previous 46 years of pain since we won something in this town. But if he does leave, it will really hurt the Cavs. I'll stop watching, for one thing - I'm not afraid to be labeled a fairweather fan.
LeBron was seen as our ticket to a championship. But no player is bigger than a team, much less a city.
LeBron was seen as our ticket to a championship. But no player is bigger than a team, much less a city.
The Knicks are still relevant and they always will be because they play in the BIGGEST MARKET IN THE WORLD. Not to sound arrogant, but, win or lose, we get a lot of press everywhere.
A lot of Knick fans like myself do not cling to their last championship in 1973, since many of us weren't around then. Sadly a lot of us cling to the Ewing/Oakley/Starks/Houston days when we were simply championship contenders. That's all we ask for: to be shoe-ins for the playoffs and seriously mentioned when it comes down to championship talk. If Lebron comes here and can deliver that, it would be unreal. I mean, if you've ever gone to a Knicks game and the score is even close, it's electric. Even last year, it was exciting when we were trying to reach .500. Imagine if we were perennially good? If we won a championship? Lebron's nickname would go from King James to Saint James.
-Hopeless Knick fan
Oh, we can offer David Lee in a sign-and-trade swap, as well as Danilo Galinari and Wilson Chandler, though I think the latter two are untouchable.
Me neither. The ****ign Dolans would probably raise cable and Internet rates to pay for him.
They will over pay for somebody. The Dolans have no clue how to run a sports franchise.Me neither. The ****ign Dolans would probably raise cable and Internet rates to pay for him.
Unfortunately, that turned out to be true. The front office didn't surround him with anyone dependable in a crunch-time game. He got what he wanted, to be wooed by many suitors. But he needs to be prepared for what will happen next if he leaves Cleveland. Instead of being the hometown hero, he will be the latest greedy athlete who left his old team hanging. Until he actually wins a title somewhere, his reputation will be poorer than now.
I don't think they get that much press outside the New York area. Here on the west coast, the Knicks don't get mentioned more often than other teams, except as the butt of a joke. And playing in the biggest sports market hasn't necessarily been a good thing for the product they've been putting on the court. Every year the local press demands that they contend instead of actually building a team.
Sarcasm, right?
so, what are the current odds?
i still say NY. it seems like a natural matchup.
he would own the city, no if and buts.
and if he wins here the Knicks will always be LeBron's team, like the Bulls will always be Jordan's. It's all about the legacy.
i still say NY. it seems like a natural matchup.
he would own the city, no if and buts.
and if he wins here the Knicks will always be LeBron's team, like the Bulls will always be Jordan's. It's all about the legacy.
Just watch a interview on ESPN News with the Knicks Staff I'm not getting my hope up but it looked like they may have gotten something out of the meeting.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5347053
anyway will find out Monday.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5347053
anyway will find out Monday.
I think that the biggest basketball reason that he would go there is to finally play for a coach who can exploit his fast-break skills. He's played in a pondering, half-court offense his entire career, so the idea of playing an up-tempo game for D'Antoni has to appeal to him. He might average a triple-double for the season playing that way. And obviously there are the media advantages and the glory that would come from winning a title in NY.
But in every other way, I don't think it will appeal to him. Even if they bring in another max free agent, they would be a team with two stars that need the ball and no bench to speak of. It's also very rare for a team to get a complete makeover and become title contenders right away. LeBron should be skeptical of the Knicks' title chances over the next five years, even with him on the team.
To put it another way, would a 2010-11 Knick team that has added LeBron and Bosh/Amar'e/whomever be a significant upgrade on the 2009-10 Cavs team? I say no. I think he's actively looking for a situation where his new team is an immediate title contender, and the only teams that qualify are the Bulls or maybe the Heat.
I think it's getting more and more likely that LeBron will stay in Cleveland.
I'll cite the following reasons:
1) LeBron will be a hero to Cleveland residents if he stays.
2) He'll get a lot more money staying in Cleveland.
3) The Cavaliers signed a good coach in Byron Scott--one that has actually taken a team to the NBA Finals.
4) There are stories about LeBron's family that LeBron wants to keep quiet--and the best way to do it is to stay in Cleveland.
5) The Cavaliers could pull off a deal to get in a really good player to complement LeBron through a trade.
I'll cite the following reasons:
1) LeBron will be a hero to Cleveland residents if he stays.
2) He'll get a lot more money staying in Cleveland.
3) The Cavaliers signed a good coach in Byron Scott--one that has actually taken a team to the NBA Finals.
4) There are stories about LeBron's family that LeBron wants to keep quiet--and the best way to do it is to stay in Cleveland.
5) The Cavaliers could pull off a deal to get in a really good player to complement LeBron through a trade.