The battle for LeBron James gets going
Roar Rookie By Rhys.Knight, 1 Jul 2010 Rhys.Knight is a Roar Rookie
- Tagged:
- Amar’e Stoudemire, Basketball, Chicago Bulls, Chris Bosh, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, NBA, new york knicks
The minute Kobe Bryant held his fist up in triumph after winning a fifth NBA ring, focus switched to the leagues other mercurial superstar – LeBron James.
The entire basketball world is in a spin over the mouth watering list of ‘free agent’ athletes available to be snapped up: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amar’e Stoudemire, Chris Bosh and Dirk Nowitzki just to name a few.
People who don’t follow the game will be thinking, “So what, players change teams all the time,” but the fact is, the decision on where these amazing talents choose to play from now on could shape the league for the next decade!
None more so than the great LeBron James. Teams from all different divisions are working overtime (overtime, get it?) to try to free up salary cap space, and come up with special offers to entice the reigning league MVP to their roster.
So, of the 30 teams in the NBA, who has a realistic chance of landing ‘The King’? Personally I believe there are only four:
The Safe Option: Stay in Cleveland. This would be a decision based on much more than just basketball. James grew up in Akron, a town of Ohio put on the map by the great man himself. He is a Cleveland man at heart, he loves the area and the fans. Although two seasons of agony may be enough to force him away…
The $$$ Option: New York Knicks. LeBron is by no means secretive about his desire to become a sporting billionaire. He wants to dominate the market and take a fair chunk of the pie. Where better to do that than the Big Apple? His ability to accumulate cash in the big smoke would be astronomical! The issue here would be whether he has the supporting cast around him to be successful. I’m certainly not convinced.
The Lifestyle Option: Miami Heat. Anyone who has any knowledge of the U.S.A, or has heard Will Smith’s song “Miami”, knows that the city is a beautiful place. Long sandy beaches, hot weather and crazy parties. What else could an NBA superstar want? Hmm, perhaps a teammate like Dwyane Wade! These two guys could form the most potent duo the league has seen in a long, long time. Not to mention that they are already good friends; this is extremely important for their on court chemistry.
The Smart Option: Chicago Bulls. Ex UCLA football coach Henry “Red” Sanders once said to his troops, “men, winning isn’t everything… it’s the only thing.” This quote has become iconic in the sporting world and applies to no man more than LeBron James. ‘The King’ wants to win, he wants championships and glory, and he wants to be remembered in the same breath as the legendary Michael Jordan.
Chicago offers him the best opportunity to do so. With enough salary cap space to feed the whole of Africa for a decade, the Bulls have both the money to sign him (as well as another top flight free agent) and the talent surrounding him to be an instant winner. Chicago have every base covered, with an amazingly talented play-maker in Derrick Rose, one of the leagues premier rebounders in Joakim Noah, and a more than capable bench, the Bulls are destined for the playoffs! Of all the possible suitors, this is the one I personally recommend to LeBron. It’s a perfect fit for you King, try it on.
I apologise to any other team who may be considering making a play for the great man, but I just can’t see it happening.
And while you’re browsing the net, check out this humorous website, designed by Dallas Mavericks fans attempting to entice LeBron to their club (you get points for trying Mavs).
July 1st 2010 @ 8:25am
Mushi said | July 1st 2010 @ 8:25am | Report comment
I don’t know if the bulls are the smart option. They don’t really have “salary cap space to feed the whole of Africa” as they still need another move to get two max free agents.
Then you’ve got the issue yes they are a good young team with quality pieces team but – LeBron effectively neuters their best player. I just can’t see a system where you can utilise any of Rose’s strengths without effectively turning the best player in the league into a spot up secondary offensive option. Almost all of Rose’s value is the ability to penetrate and create his own shot he isn’t a reliable deep or mid range threat or a true game managing PG. Not knocking that as a skill set – just saying it does not mesh with LeBron.
Now if they were an up tempo team I could see how they could co-exist a bit better but under TT you’ll have defensively focused coach with limited offensive pedigree – so at the moment he sounds like a younger/better version of Mike Brown.
Also where are the shooters at other positions that you are going to need – perhaps Ray Allen with the MLE but that is it really? Le Bron is going to be at his best where teams get crushed for over playing him and leaving guys with reliable deep balls open (memo to Cleveland Antwan Jamison is not a reliable deep threat)
But the killer, if I’m Lebron, is the spectre of Michael Jordan. LeBron has no chance of being the all time franchise player in Chicago, no chance at all. And yet his every move will be graded against Michael Jordan. Equal his feats and you get a pass mark. Become only the second best player of all time and you are a failure. Players in Boston and LA don’t have that same pressure because there have been multiple “stars” sure failure is harshly graded but Michael Jordan is held out as the benchmark.
One thing to remember for the Knicks when looking at can they put something together. Ed Curry. That gives them ability to either wait for free agency next year, where fewer teams will be chasing some quality players in arguably the last year of big ticket free agency, or take on money and assets from teams looking to shed salary.
July 1st 2010 @ 11:41am
Rhys.Knight said | July 1st 2010 @ 11:41am | Report comment
Mushi, thanks for your opinion.
After the Bulls traded away Kirk Hinrich (and his grotesquely overpaid contract) along with cash, for virtually nothing, they freed up over $17 million. This takes their total free space to over $30 million, this puts them 2nd on the list of suitors (behind only New York, who has approximately $34 million). So how does that put Chicago in any worse position than anyone else?
I don’t agree with you about Derrick Rose. Can you imagine Rose penetrating the top of the key, attracting attention from defenders. Then Bang! LeBron slashes baseline for a sweet pass up high. And whose there to grab the rebound should something go wrong? Joakim Noah of course. I think Rose NEEDS someone like LeBron James. Point guards are facilitators, not the main scorers on an NBA team. Steve Nash is the best at it in the game, he doesn’t need to score over 20ppg because he makes his teammates better. That is what makes a great PG. Don’t be surprised if Rose’s assists column takes a huge jump if the Bulls do land the King.
As far as “up tempo” goes, do you really believe that LeBron won’t make this team fast paced? Noah is definitely one of the most mobile centres in the league, they wouldn’t have their big man lagging behind on each play. D-Rose and James would find themselves on fast breaks quite often, good luck stopping that duo.
A pure shooter like Ray Allen would be great, of course. But every team would be saying that. Maybe he’s the guy that LeBron should be trying to take along for the ride, wherever he ends up. But if you look at any of the teams vying for LeBron, do any of them have a great shooter that can spread the floor? No. So why should we only mention Chicago when talking about 3-ball specialists?
As far as the whole legacy thing goes, this is part of my point. LeBron has to forget about trying to eclipse Jordan, it won’t happen, no matter where he goes. Going by your formula, that means no great player can ever play for Chicago again.
What the King has to have on his mind is victories, championships and glory. Michael Jordan is finished as a player, James is not even half way through. So why be so concerned with what someone did 10-20 years ago? Especially when achieving what he did is almost impossible.
If the Knicks wait until next year, they will have missed the train. Never again will there be a free agent class like this. They have dumped their roster and put all of their eggs in one basket. If they don’t get LeBron, or 2 other marquee free agents it would be a disaster!
Thankyou for your thoughts though, a good debate is always great in sport
July 1st 2010 @ 1:04pm
Mushi said | July 1st 2010 @ 1:04pm | Report comment
All for some vigorous debate..
On cap space ESPN have an article posted today on the positions, they are third following the Yi trade and only have enough for 1.76 max players, only the Knicks have presently room for two without one of them sacrificing multi-millions (which for all the talk of winning being important no player has in their prime).
The next year plan for the Knicks was more to the point that they can add two max players this year AND (not or) then either switch hamburger Ed for talent whilst facilitating a salary dump or be a major player next as well. So Lebron and one other can join the Knicks and then either recruit another major player next year or make moves for one or two talented players at the deadline.
On the Bulls fit. Just because James is there doesn’t mean he makes it up tempo. The coach’s system decides the tempo. James was just playing on a team that seemed to allow him to make personnel decisions and still couldn’t get an up-tempo offensively oriented team. Why would this change at another team with a defensive coach and a front office which has a reputation for not exactly heeding players thoughts (and rightly so)?
With the rose scenario you talked about you are still turning James, arguably the best player in the league, into a secondary option on offense and taking away his superior play making. If the defence has you running the play through rose, rather than James, then they’ll take that every day of the week.
And that is assuming James coming over transforms Rose from a scorer first and second to a distributor despite rose having an assist rate that was 56th amongst point guards in the league – 56th! There were 4 centres, 4 small forwards, 3 power forwards and 5 genuine shooting guards and 5 combo guards that had higher assist rates than Rose.
On the shooting front, sure every team could do with a few more 3pt gunners but with Chicago languishing at 28th in the league last year with a paltry 33% from deep, their need is probably greater than many other teams.
July 1st 2010 @ 10:17am
thesportsguy said | July 1st 2010 @ 10:17am | Report comment
agreed mushi. lebron is a bit like kobe in he needs a lot of ball in hand & possessions to dominate. he effectively plays like a point forward. His play will take rose out of the equation, and leave rose as a jump shooter, much like mo williams became with cleveland. this is not his strength though, his strength is a slasher and driver goin to the lane.
if lebron goes to bulls, and i think he will, he will be most effective for the team if he lets rose play his natural game, and bron plays off him. except the problem is, lebron is not a natural wing player. he cannot catch and shoot, run of pick and rolls, or even post up deep in the paint. Lebron has always been a isolate, slasher & driver himself. Working with rose, noah (terrible post game) will be interesting, cause their games dont naturally gell. Sure they will still win 60 games, but playoff basketball cohesion & chemistry is so important. Look at how deep the suns got based on their style of play.
RKNIGHT: the safe & money option is actually still with cleveland. they can offer him the most in terms of salary, and his endorsements & sponshership money is not likely to increase anywhere else. i read an interesting article which said the reason kobe dominates shoe & jersey sales worldwide is because winning is more important then where u play. if james wins championships, the ascendency into true global icon will happen naturally. who cares if he goes to NY, if his team wins only 50 games and is a low seed in the playoffs, u think he will get more money? No. Kobe has 5 rings, has been consistently great for 10 years, and is a winner. This is what drives the global market, and this is why he is #1 (in jerseys, shoes, recognition) China is the fastest growing market for the NBA, and they care firstly for kobe, then lebron.
NY has a terrible roster, terrible management, a offensively minded and non-championship pedigree coach, and probably no chance of cementing a dynasty in the next 10 years.
I dont think for one second lebron is thinking of not joining the bulls because of jordans legacy. if anything, it will help him.
Do you think kobe didnt want to play for the lakers because of magic & jerry? No. He idolizes them more the jordan and wanted to be part of it. Do you think shaq didnt want to play lakers because of kareems legacy? or kevin garnett to play for boston because of bird & mchale? no. Players love to be part of the legacy. And i pick lebron to be the same.
in saying all that, i still think he will go to the bulls
bosh will tag along, and it will be interesting to see how it works. What is more interesting is what the rest of the league does. cannot wait.
Just my 2 cents.
July 1st 2010 @ 10:58am
Mushi said | July 1st 2010 @ 10:58am | Report comment
Mate who wrote that article because I’d like to read it.
It would be real interesting to see what they use to dismiss the affect playing in the second largest TV market, one of the world’s most visible cities and arguablly the most storied franchise in the league has on profile and sales when anyone can just bring up Tim Duncan’s career and juxtapose Tracey McGrady’s jersey sales to see that is utter bollocks.
As to did Magic and West stop Kobe playing for the lakers well first off Kobe didn’t have much choice in becoming a Laker he was a draft day trade not a free agent signing from another club that went 13th in the draft I don’t think he was pulling a Lindros/elway/ferry and demanding he be traded to another situation regardless of his feelings.
Also as I said the Lakers and the Celtics have multiple storied players and teams leads to less direct comparison. Chicago don’t have a legacy they have a single era defined by one guy who ahs bronze statue that sits outside and will forever be stand over lebron both figuratively and literally
July 1st 2010 @ 11:49am
Rhys.Knight said | July 1st 2010 @ 11:49am | Report comment
This is great! Generating discussion is the aim. But the bottom line is, it is just opinions. Nobody knows how Chicago will work with Rose and LeBron. Nobody knows if LeBron will gell with D-Wade if he goes to Miami. Nobody knows these things because they are untried. All i’m saying is that if Rose can be a great point guard, not a shoot-first scorer, I believe he and LeBron can make something great. Noah is also still maturing and getting stronger, each year he’s improved out of sight! No matter where these superstars end up I know I’ll be watching very intently. It should be a great season!
July 1st 2010 @ 12:20pm
Redb said | July 1st 2010 @ 12:20pm | Report comment
Apparently Cleveland will riot if Lebron leaves town, nothing to live for.
July 1st 2010 @ 1:05pm
Mushi said | July 1st 2010 @ 1:05pm | Report comment
If there is a riot in Cleveland, and no one cares, did it really happen…
July 1st 2010 @ 11:30pm
Corey said | July 1st 2010 @ 11:30pm | Report comment
I think for the fans sake he should stay in Cleveland, but i recommend Miami. With Wade there you have a player that can get points when LeBron is off the court. What Cleveland and LeBron showed me the last couple of years is that LeBron isn’t as good as Kobe and probably never will be. Kobe can make his team win where the pressure is on (perfect clutch player) LeBron uses physical presence and if that doesn’t work then he will hope someone else will do it.
July 2nd 2010 @ 8:16am
Mushi said | July 2nd 2010 @ 8:16am | Report comment
Switch pau for jamison, bynum for the corpse of shaq, parker for artest and mo Williams for fisher and the lakers don’t even get past OKC and everyone is talking about what a winner paul perice is, who of course couldn’t win without KG, rondo, allen…
Everyone seems to think only the best player on the floor matters, kobe went 6-24 in a game 7 and got bailed out by Gasol that’s why it is considered a team sport.
July 2nd 2010 @ 11:38am
Mushi said | July 2nd 2010 @ 11:38am | Report comment
Have a look at these stats across the two series versus Boston:
TS%: 52.8 v 55.2
Avg FTs: 8.6 v 11.7
Reb: 8.0 v 9.3
Ass: 3.9 v 7.2
Ppg 28.6 v 26.8
TO: 3.9 v 4.5
“Games score” 18.7 v 22.0
Player one finals MVP player 2 lambasted loser who couldn’t figure out a way to get it done.
July 1st 2010 @ 12:23pm
Gob Bluth said | July 1st 2010 @ 12:23pm | Report comment
I’d like him to stay in Cleveland, but the glamour of him playing for the Knicks would be pretty cool….from a humanatarian point of view I reckon he should go play for the Clippers.
July 1st 2010 @ 4:02pm
thesportsguy said | July 1st 2010 @ 4:02pm | Report comment
looking for that article now mushi. Are you an espn insider and subscriber? quite sure it was on there.
less then 24 hours to go and check out all the activity (and predictions)
Lebron & bosh to cha-town.
Amare & johnson to NY to reunite with d’anton and have a backcourt of johnson & crawford agani
David lee or boozer to miami with wade resigning.
Dirk getting stolen from the mavs to go to suns (like back in 04 when suns took nash away, i wish anyway!)
Pierce to remain in boston with ray allen getting moved out to maybe clippers
spurs to make a move with jefferson & parker. they will not be quiet during trades.
Lakers famar to go elsewhere, with lakers looking at other point guards, felton? duhon? nate robinson?
wizards: talk of hinrich arriving from bulls, howard, miller & foye all free agents.
Knicks : lee & mcgrady free agents.
and iverson to play again
lots and lots of activity, lebron & wade aside, this is the biggest free agency i can ever recall just because of the sheer amount of quality players available for selection.
Either way up to about ten teams will be effected by this class, some teams will change dramatically and the power of the main teams could change!
Cant wait.
July 1st 2010 @ 5:18pm
Mushi said | July 1st 2010 @ 5:18pm | Report comment
I’m an insider but have never seen the article, mind you there are a couple of writers I ignore because they don’t put anything up to support their statements. I just can’t see how they can reconcile that against the jersey sales/alls tar votes that clearly favour exposed players over the more successful ones.
Predictions on where someone is going is tough. A lot more plays into things than just winning you’ve egos (see Kobe, Shaq, Kidd, Carter, McGrady, Marbury etc) city and friends etc etc.
Morey just met with Bosh could offera sing and trade with brooks/hill/ballast/right to swap picks with the knicks Bosh gets more money and goes back home (plus texas state tax is lower I think)
Starting 5 of Ming/Bosh/Ariza/Martin/Lowry then battier/Scola/Hayes/Anderson/budinger off the bench
July 3rd 2010 @ 10:12pm
ThelmaWrites said | July 3rd 2010 @ 10:12pm | Report comment
TSG
What was Dwayne Wade doing in Boston for Game 3?, with his kids?
July 2nd 2010 @ 12:58am
ohtani's jacket said | July 2nd 2010 @ 12:58am | Report comment
Who cares. Just stop the Lakers from three peating. Please.
July 2nd 2010 @ 11:27am
romey said | July 2nd 2010 @ 11:27am | Report comment
oh great, here come the laker haters.
being a laker fan i obviously want them to repeat, but with all the big changes being made today, its hard to tell whats going to happen.
out west, potentially 3-4 of the contenders will change the makeup of their team. Dallas / Suns / Utah/ clippers?spurs?
its become even harder to predict a champion on either side of the conference now, way to difficult to tell.
Latest news on draft: Chatter on the airwaves now has miami as lead contender for bron & bosh.
July 2nd 2010 @ 3:18pm
samson said | July 2nd 2010 @ 3:18pm | Report comment
miami as a lead contender?
nobody knows anything, thats all media speculation and opinion… they know about as much as we do.
bron and bosh aren’t saying ‘miami’ to anyone right now… or any other team for that matter.
still, i love the speculation… even if everyone stays where they are, this has been a fun couple years
(oh, love that espn tells us LeBron got to his business manager’s office “8 minutes” before the Nets delegation)
July 2nd 2010 @ 4:51pm
Mushi said | July 2nd 2010 @ 4:51pm | Report comment
Miami will be tough also because they don’t have room for two max contracts and no assets to trade Toronto who’ve said they don’t want Beasley or Chalmers.
July 2nd 2010 @ 4:57pm
Mushi said | July 2nd 2010 @ 4:57pm | Report comment
Looks like Gay and Johnson are going to be off the shopping list. Don’t understand the huge sum for Rudy Gay when they had the right to match but hey this is Memphis they stopped making sense along time ago.
Leaves realistically Bron, Bosh, Boozer, Amare as the guys gunning for 10 max contract slots
Lots of guys are going to get over paid this summer