LeBron 2014

[stevew]

Where does he sign?

[tarcone]

1st. I think he goes to Chicago. New arena downtown in a large market with a ready made team in the East. This is the landing spot.

[heybrad]

I voted with my heart. Not with my head.

[BillJasper]

Miami

1st. I think he goes to Chicago. New arena downtown in a large market with a ready made team in the East. This is the landing spot.

I don't think he'd want to play in Jordan's shadow.

[mckerney]

Hoping it's Cleveland leading to a Love for Wiggins deal.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Voting for the laughs. There's an (extraordinarily ridiculously low percentage) outside shot the Warriors get crazy and deconstruct...which would be awesome.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Realistically? I think he talks Wade into opting out to give Miami more cap room and he goes back.

[korme]

He's going back to Miami, but I love the longshot idea of him on that Phoenix roster

[Desnudo]

His wife gave it away. Cleveland.

[Young Drachma]

I think he'll stay too. I don't see anything in Cleveland that makes him go back and I agree with Bomani Jones that as long as Daniel Gilbert is the owner you can't go back to that team.

[nol]

He'd look good in a Seattle Trout uni.

[Izulde]

Miami. Getting Napier pretty much sealed the deal I think.

[RainMaker]

1st. I think he goes to Chicago. New arena downtown in a large market with a ready made team in the East. This is the landing spot.

The arena is 20 years old. We also don't want him. :)

[Coffee Warlord]

The arena is 20 years old. We also don't want him. :)

Speak for yourself. I'd happily take him over the far more likely Melo.

[RainMaker]

He's a rival. That's like adding Isiah to the team in the 90's.

[LastWhiteSoxFanStanding]

Or Dennis Rodman

[Danny]

He's a rival. That's like adding Isiah to the team in the 90's.

Id bet 99% of Chicago fans would be happy to have him, if not right away, by the end of year one

[RainMaker]

Probably. He gets booed pretty heavily here. Would definitely be weird (Rodman was real weird too).

Remember when the Bulls signed John Starks?

[Danny]

Probably. He gets booed pretty heavily here. Would definitely be weird (Rodman was real weird too).

Remember when the Bulls signed John Starks?

Yeah it might be weird, but things stop being weird once you start winning.

Plus, the Bulls have never beat Lebron in the playoffs ever. If you can't beat em, join em

[stevew]

Hoping it's Cleveland leading to a Love for Wiggins deal.

I don't think you'll get that. I don't want to come across like a dick but I think you guys will probably eat a shit sandwich in return for him. Best case IMO is Waiters/Bennett and/or Thompson/some picks that won't be good.

LeBron/Love won't happen anyways.

[B & B]

looks like the majority of ppl think the opt out is just a ruse for moar ceeesh.

[Eaglesfan27]

looks like the majority of ppl think the opt out is just a ruse for moar ceeesh.

I don't think it is for more cash. I think it is for felexibility if Miami doesn't make moves to improve the team, but I think Miami will come through.

[CU Tiger]

looks like the majority of ppl think the opt out is just a ruse for moar ceeesh.

No its quite the opposite.
He is (IMHO) opting out to resign at a much cheaper rate so the Heat can bring in help. The only way he doesnt return is if Bosh and Wade dont follow suit. Each of tehm should drop down to $10MM contracts and that would free up $25MM for additional pieces

[nol]

No its quite the opposite.
He is (IMHO) opting out to resign at a much cheaper rate so the Heat can bring in help. The only way he doesnt return is if Bosh and Wade dont follow suit. Each of tehm should drop down to $10MM contracts and that would free up $25MM for additional pieces

Yeah, I was reminded of this from the Spurs' beat write on the day he opted out: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>There was a time when a player opting out to possibly allow a team to add pieces was seen as an altruistic move. Miss you, three days ago.</p>&mdash; Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) <a href="https://twitter.com/JMcDonald_SAEN/statuses/481832159888416769">June 25, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[TroyF]

No its quite the opposite.
He is (IMHO) opting out to resign at a much cheaper rate so the Heat can bring in help. The only way he doesnt return is if Bosh and Wade dont follow suit. Each of tehm should drop down to $10MM contracts and that would free up $25MM for additional pieces

I keep hearing this thought process and it doesn't add up to me. Wade has a contract that will pay him 41 million over the next two years. Bosh will get close to 43 million.

Their reputations are at an all time low after the last series. I'm to believe they are going to opt out and sign for cheaper deals yet again? I'm also supposed to believe Napier, the 24th pick in the draft is going to sway Lebron? I know he's written great tweets about the guy, but does he really feel that Napier is the missing piece? News flash for Lebron and everyone else: Napier is an older senior who torched a bunch of kids, he's a poor defensive player with poor athleticism. Before anyone rants on me, yes, I did watch the NCAA tourney. Yes, I like the kid. Yes, I would want him as a Nugget. Yeah, I think he'll be a better offensive player than Mario Chalmers. No, I don't think he'll be better defensively at all.

Then there are other guys coming, right? Melo? Love?

So I have to go under these assumptions that he goes back to the Heat:

1) Wade and Bosh are willing to sacrifice another 10+ million dollars to make this happen.

2) Lebron really believes that the Heat can come up with a strong #2 to support him (because, guys, the depth isn't going to get a ton better, no matter how they work it)

3) The Heat will build up a team James believes can win the title even if he assumes Wade would be out with injury.


I don't really believe Bron thinks #3 is correct. I have a real tough time buying he believes #2 can happen. As for #1? They've done it before. They have millions in the bank. The PR if they didn't opt out would be devastating for them. Maybe. . .

Last question though: What would it take for Wade and Bosh to opt out? 15 million for 5 more years? 17 for 4? How good will Wade be in 2 more years? Is Lebron going to commit to 5 years knowing that in year 4 he'll be playing with a 34 year old Chris Bosh and a 6th man at best Dwayne Wade?

I could see Bron going back for one year. I cannot see how this works out long term unless something stupid happens. (like, say, Love being traded for Bosh straight up)

I'd guess Cleveland right now, but I think the most likely destination is the Clippers

[CU Tiger]

I read earlier this week a conspiracy theory that Nike is about to start an ad campaign even more centered around Lebron and pay the difference these guys give up. Would be interesting.

Also at dinner last night discussing the whole NCAA O'Bannon suit, a friend who is a NCAA AD employee brought up a real interesting thought.

What would happen if a bunch of NBA superstars got fed up with the salary cap and instead of striking all decided to sign with a small market (he used Milwaukee as an example) for league minimum. Essentially creating a Lebron, Durant, Mello, Howard, Paul, Rose et al. super team. It could pretty easily destroy the league much worse than anything Sterling said....but would the NBA demand players take more money to play somewhere else. If so at what point is it ok (lebron, wade, bosh in theory) and at what point is it bad.

[whomario]

Haslem opts out of a guaranteed 4.6 mio next season. No way he does this unless he has assurance of a longer deal by the Heat (although that is clearly illegal at this point, but who´s looking), as he sure as heck won´t get that on the open market.

This is definitely a hint as to the fact that there is assurance from LeBron that he "will be back, unless you don´t care about improving".

[BillJasper]

Feels like there's some shady shit going on down in Miami! Wish my Dolphins were capable of being that sneaky and underhanded! :lol:

[murrayyyyy]

What would happen if a bunch of NBA superstars got fed up with the salary cap and instead of striking all decided to sign with a small market (he used Milwaukee as an example) for league minimum. Essentially creating a Lebron, Durant, Mello, Howard, Paul, Rose et al. super team. It could pretty easily destroy the league much worse than anything Sterling said....but would the NBA demand players take more money to play somewhere else. If so at what point is it ok (lebron, wade, bosh in theory) and at what point is it bad.

Yes, because this has never happened with teams like the Yankees, the Lakers (Malone and Payton), etc in the past... the difference is that those teams didn't have all the social media things to deal with that we do now (and it will be worse in the future for teams).

I doubt owners would care to be honest. If they cared then teams like the 76ers wouldn't go below the league minimum. Their owner is happy because he is making money and instead of signing free agents he is signing younger/cheaper draft picks to fill out a roster. The league/teams survived a decade where the Celtics were winning the title every year followed by Lakers making the finals in what seemed to be every season for another decade.

Every other sports league gets a free pass when this happens.

[CU Tiger]

Ok, I did a poor job of fleshing out his argument.
It wasn't a Yankees level super team, it was an All NBA super team. A team that would go undefeated. An organized collaboration by the players to make a point.

The Lakers added Payton and Malone well past their prime the idea here is every NBA star in their prime joining forces in a Curt Flood type move to destroy the salary cap (instead of exclusive rights)

[stevew]

The league should level the Minnesota sized ban hammer for tampering but they won't cause the league makes money on the heat. Haslam can't really opt out and have a prearranged deal in place to make up the money.

[stevew]

I read earlier this week a conspiracy theory that Nike is about to start an ad campaign even more centered around Lebron and pay the difference these guys give up. Would be interesting.

Also at dinner last night discussing the whole NCAA O'Bannon suit, a friend who is a NCAA AD employee brought up a real interesting thought.

What would happen if a bunch of NBA superstars got fed up with the salary cap and instead of striking all decided to sign with a small market (he used Milwaukee as an example) for league minimum. Essentially creating a Lebron, Durant, Mello, Howard, Paul, Rose et al. super team. It could pretty easily destroy the league much worse than anything Sterling said....but would the NBA demand players take more money to play somewhere else. If so at what point is it ok (lebron, wade, bosh in theory) and at what point is it bad.

If they go to that trouble they should just form their own league. Like "Nike Presents:The LeBron League" could probably get the players an 80/20 split and more money than the NBA offers.

Like 8 teams of mostly marquee talent at reasonable ticket projections and streaming and marketing stuff probably leaves a billion to split up for 120 guys . That's more than 8M per guy

[BillJasper]

If they go to that trouble they should just form their own league. Like "Nike Presents:The LeBron League" could probably get the players an 80/20 split and more money than the NBA offers.

Like 8 teams of mostly marquee talent at reasonable ticket projections and streaming and marketing stuff probably leaves a billion to split up for 120 guys . That's more than 8M per guy

Isn't that what NFL players were thinking a million years ago when they were on strike and staged all-star games that no one showed up to see?

I know that the NBA is a different beast to a degree but I still think things like team history play into people's interest. Which this new "league" wouldn't have.

[stevew]

It's a lot easier to do in basketball

[BillJasper]

It's a lot easier to do in basketball

Why?

You'd still be starting from scratch, with no history beyond player vs. player. The NBA's top 120 players wouldn't all abandon ship to run to a new league (how many would be willing to leave the guaranteed contracts behind?), which would make for uneven play.

I think that it would be a very tricky thing to pull off successfully.

[stevew]

It's not a quantity thing. If you had, say, 30 of the top 50 guys you could easily plug in lots of filler guys. You could take the talent straight from HS. You could get a lot of the older euro pros. Due to the fact that basketball is largely only about the star players it is uniquely different than football or baseball. Basketball has about 6-8 teams that matter each season.

Yes it would need to be more than just LeBron but if there was a concentration of stars it would work. Regardless of the laundry people are accustomed to cheering for.

[BillJasper]

It's not a quantity thing. If you had, say, 30 of the top 50 guys you could easily plug in lots of filler guys. You could take the talent straight from HS. You could get a lot of the older euro pros. Due to the fact that basketball is largely only about the star players it is uniquely different than football or baseball. Basketball has about 6-8 teams that matter each season.

Yes it would need to be more than just LeBron but if there was a concentration of stars it would work. Regardless of the laundry people are accustomed to cheering for.

If this was as easy as you're trying to make it sound, Nike wouldn't be spending a few million dollars to pull a few strings. They'd bust out a billion and make it happen.

People generally would continue to follow the teams they've always followed.

A new league would have a hard road to travel and bleed a ton of cash along the way.

[RainMaker]

The league should level the Minnesota sized ban hammer for tampering but they won't cause the league makes money on the heat. Haslam can't really opt out and have a prearranged deal in place to make up the money.

Tampering only counts for small market teams no one cares about. Remember the Knicks cheated in the draft years ago and got a slap on the wrist.

[nol]

If this was as easy as you're trying to make it sound, Nike wouldn't be spending a few million dollars to pull a few strings. They'd bust out a billion and make it happen.

People generally would continue to follow the teams they've always followed.

A new league would have a hard road to travel and bleed a ton of cash along the way.

Number one problem is that more and more of the owners own the arenas in addition to the teams. That's a huge financial barrier to overcome even if the TV audience would remain the same.

[Eaglesfan27]

Wade just opted out too... Bosh expected to be next...

[TroyF]

I'm fairly stunned. I have to think this means Melo is joining the big 3. I also have to believe Wade has been promised 4 years or more. . . which is something that could cripple that team 3 years from now. (or sooner)

Or has Bron told them he's heading out (to destination x) and Bosh knows he can get paid long term and Wade knows he can strangle the Heat because thy wouldn't dare lose him and Bron in the same off season.

[Izulde]

Why?

You'd still be starting from scratch, with no history beyond player vs. player. The NBA's top 120 players wouldn't all abandon ship to run to a new league (how many would be willing to leave the guaranteed contracts behind?), which would make for uneven play.

I think that it would be a very tricky thing to pull off successfully.

Because the way the NBA is structured and marketed, the star players matter much more than anyone or anything else. Plus, 12 man active rosters vs 45 for football or 25 for baseball... big difference there. So player vs player history would work just fine and this is something that could potentially work.

[claphamsa]

Turkey

[korme]

Nets and Bucks working on an agreement that would free Jason Kidd from his remaining three years in Brooklyn. Kidd wants a presidential role similar to Phil Jackson's that could include coaching, but likely not.

What in the hell?

[Vince, Pt. II]

I'm fairly stunned. I have to think this means Melo is joining the big 3. I also have to believe Wade has been promised 4 years or more. . . which is something that could cripple that team 3 years from now. (or sooner)

Or has Bron told them he's heading out (to destination x) and Bosh knows he can get paid long term and Wade knows he can strangle the Heat because thy wouldn't dare lose him and Bron in the same off season.

No way in freaking hell the Heat pay Wade unless James is back. Who in their right mind would pay a guy who's clearly past his prime top dollar because they lost the best player in the world?

[stevew]

Turkey

I wonder if these foreign guys ever make absurd offers. Like you're a billionaire in Turkey. You can probably give LeBron 80M net for a year and make money long term. Wonder why this doesn't happen.

[tarcone]

Bosh to the Lakers, Wade to the Spurs.
Bosh decides to get paid in a huge market and try and help the Lakers rebuild.
Wade fades into a role player and wants to win another championship or 2. LeBron enjoys life as a Bull, not living in Jordans shadow, but creating his own shadow. And with the Heat dead in the water, the weak East is much weaker.

[whomario]

In a non-Lebron world, the Rockets would be a very logical landing spot for Bosh.

[Matthean]

Bosh to the Lakers, Wade to the Spurs.
Bosh decides to get paid in a huge market and try and help the Lakers rebuild.

None of them are going to a rebuilding project.

[Danny]

Bosh to the Lakers, Wade to the Spurs.
Bosh decides to get paid in a huge market and try and help the Lakers rebuild.
Wade fades into a role player and wants to win another championship or 2. LeBron enjoys life as a Bull, not living in Jordans shadow, but creating his own shadow. And with the Heat dead in the water, the weak East is much weaker.

As a Lakers fan I dont want Bosh

[Young Drachma]

I wonder if these foreign guys ever make absurd offers. Like you're a billionaire in Turkey. You can probably give LeBron 80M net for a year and make money long term. Wonder why this doesn't happen.

Probably not worth it to bring in USA sports diva even for a year, probably figures no way he ever takes it. Plus, those teams don't play in the palaces he's used to..it'd be a huge step down.

[Kodos]

Im a lot more confident this season. Almost on the brink of cocky. (Indiana 93, Iowa 86)

You know that the sig bet only lasts during the college basketball season, right? ;)

[stevew]

This is my Cavs pitch
-We promise to limit you to only play 60ish regular games. Basically all of the home games, but you're getting those dumb back2backs off.
-We will limit you to 30 minutes per game, no more than 2000 this season. We will get enough help out of our young legged guys that we just need you to make splash plays and blow stuff up.
-we will trade for Kevin Love or another player you like that we can land via trade.
-we will sign your guys you wanna hang out with. That means Mike Miller, Ray Allen, etc. Keep Andy around
-we will give you the 1+1 option, at your max salary level.

[CU Tiger]

This is my Cavs pitch
-We promise to limit you to only play 60ish regular games. Basically all of the home games, but you're getting those dumb back2backs off.
-We will limit you to 30 minutes per game, no more than 2000 this season. We will get enough help out of our young legged guys that we just need you to make splash plays and blow stuff up.
-we will trade for Kevin Love or another player you like that we can land via trade.
-we will sign your guys you wanna hang out with. That means Mike Miller, Ray Allen, etc. Keep Andy around
-we will give you the 1+1 option, at your max salary level.

Does that sleeze ball Gilbert stll own the team?
Oh he does...

Does he remember what all he said about me being a traitor and how'd he'd win a championship before me?

Thought so.

No Thanks.

[Subby]

Probably not worth it to bring in USA sports diva even for a year, probably figures no way he ever takes it. Plus, those teams don't play in the palaces he's used to..it'd be a huge step down.
Plus he won't get the endorsement $. It would be a wash.

[nol]

Probably not worth it to bring in USA sports diva even for a year, probably figures no way he ever takes it. Plus, those teams don't play in the palaces he's used to..it'd be a huge step down.

This is comically overestimating how much money European basketball teams have while comically underestimating the desire the best players have to play against the best competition.

[Young Drachma]

This is comically overestimating how much money European basketball teams have while comically underestimating the desire the best players have to play against the best competition.

Better stated. I think I do get the idea though. Russian oligarch buys a Turkish team or an Italian team or fuck, just goes to India and recreates the IPL for basketball and wants to recruit Kobe or someone.

I don't see how one year of dominating on dudes who aren't even as good as the Rucker is really an incentive, though for say $50-70 million...if he's willing to do it, then maybe other owners are willing to come in and do something similar and then all of a sudden, it's like "why are we playing in a capped league?"

For as dumb as Bill Simmons is, I agreed after the last lockout the players should've used all of their heft and started a renegade league.

We Need a Renegade Basketball League « (http://grantland.com/features/we-need-renegade-basketball-league/)

[tarcone]

You know that the sig bet only lasts during the college basketball season, right? ;)

I thought it was for the year. Until the next meeting. But I will take it down if you want me too. Trust me it wouldnt bother me a bit. :)

[Kodos]

For me, the bet only lasts during the season. ;)

[korme]

This is my Cavs pitch
-We promise to limit you to only play 60ish regular games. Basically all of the home games, but you're getting those dumb back2backs off.
-We will limit you to 30 minutes per game, no more than 2000 this season. We will get enough help out of our young legged guys that we just need you to make splash plays and blow stuff up.

Lebron is 29, not 37