NBA Off-Season News Thread: Roy extends 80/5, AI to Grizz, Chandler/Okafor swap, Marquis to C's.

[osh kosh bosh]

Hedo Turkoglu to Portland?

Probably. Just not yet.

A team source Friday afternoon said that there is not yet a deal between the Blazers and Orlando's free agent forward on a five-year contract, despite published reports claiming a verbal agreement was in place.
???

"Contrary to the news, Toronto Raptors are still interested in me" Hedo stated to NTVSport.

Hedo - who wanted by Portland Trailblazers persistently - spoken to NTVSport.

Hedo - in Portland currently - told that Blazers front office is trying their best to sign him and confirmed Portland Trailblazers made him an offer worth up to $53m. While stating he is really pleased with the interest he saw in Portland ; he said that contrary to the news come up in canadian press, Toronto Raptors are still in talks with his agent.

Yesterday Toronto Star newspaper wrote that Raptors wouldn't be interested in Hedo anymore but David Lee. But the truth is they are still in talks with Hedo's agent to assure Turkey's national player.

Hedo - who lead Orlando Magic to reach NBA finals- previously turned down Orlando Magic's 4-year offer worth up to $36M after becoming free agent.

 

[guerrilla warfare]

If wallace sign wit tha celtics

Will have a lakers v.s celtics in tha nba finals next year


Heats make sumthing happen...

 

[po2345]

That man Hedo straight chunked the deuce on Portland.....

PO

 

[i nasmatic i]

[h1]Source: Turkoglu changes mind on Blazers[/h1]Free agent Hedo Turkoglu has backed out of his commitment to the Portland Trail Blazers and could be signing with the Toronto Raptors, a source close to the talks told Yahoo! Sports on Friday night.

Turkoglu had agreed on a five-year, $50 million deal with the Blazers, but changed his mind and could be headed for a five-year, $56 million deal with the Raptors. Toronto would have to renounce three free agents - Shawn Marion, Carlos Delfino and Anthony Parker - to create the cap space for Turkoglu.

Apparently, the Blazers are already busy exploring other free-agent options for the $9 million in salary-cap space.

Five years ago, Turkoglu was close to signing with the Phoenix Suns that now-Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo was running, but changed his mind and went to the Orlando Magic.

 

[jdotgdot]

[h4]Breaking News[/h4]

[h3]Source: Turkoglu not joining Blazers[/h3]
Hedo Turkoglu has changed his mind about signing with Portland and plans to join Toronto. Wojnarowski story

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/nba/news...M6?slug=aw-turkoglu070309&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
From Yahoo! sports

 

[kingjames23]

Originally Posted by SenorRoboto2k5

I'm not being naive because the media shouldn't have a chance to ask Lebron the 2010 questions whether they want to or not, because the one and only thing that Lebron should've done in this situation is say that he won't answer any questions about the topic - rather than leave the door open and entertain the questions before a Cavs game.

This might be a lot to ask since I'm just some NT idiot "finding a reason to hate on Lebron," but this is the ONLY way to show the franchise, the fans, the viewers, the reporters, and prospective teammates that he's completely committed to the Cavaliers. Anything short of that - i.e. consistently entertaining the topic with reporters - would naturally leave some doubt in the franchise, the viewers, the reporters, and prospective teammates, because obviously it's on his mind to some extent.

It doesn't mean that Lebron won't stay in Cleveland and that he doesn't love it there. It just means that he didn't handle it the right way, and players might be wary of the impression they're getting from his actions when weighing whether or not to sign with Cleveland by choice (this being completely different than the GM trading for someone to appease his star, who doesn't have much of a say).

I don't really feel like digging up the interviews and postgame conferences to illustrate my point here, I'm just going off my memory and impression. If he had deflected the topic professionally, my impression of Lebron would've been more favorable - I'm not looking for ways to hate on him. P.S. KingJames23 is getting defensive after someone criticized Lebron James - I don't want to jump to any conclusions here... I admire that you did back up your argument, but just because I criticized your favorite player doesn't mean I wasn't being objective. Please point out where I wasn't being objective and was just "hating"

He doesn't entertain the topic. He says he'll deal with 2010 in 2010. It's the media constantly taking a %$%+ on Cleveland every chance they get.OMG OMG LeBron wore a Yankee hat to a Cleveland game, he's gone. He makes a special NY sneaker when he comes to NYC, he's gone. He says he likes NYC,he's gone. He's friends with Spike, he's gone. The media is going to talk no matter what. Nobody can control the media from asking thosequestions, espically the NYC media. The Knicks blow, what else are they going to talk about? When his FA comes up he'll deal with it and make a decision,what else is he supposed to say?

I'll give an example, Nick Saban while with the Dolphins. Rumors swirl that he'll take the HC job at Alabama. He says he's done talking about itand he is not going to Alabama. People still talked about it, some believed him and some didn't. He makes that difinitve statement and then leaves. Didhe know the whole time he was going to Alabama I don't know.

So lets say LeBron says I'm going to re-sign with Cleveland in 2010. Cavs don't win a title, LeBron doesn't like the situation and bolts. He's called a liar when at the time he probably thought he'd be there. I know dealing in hypatheticals isn't the best way to make an argument butthe Saban example does prove my point.

I do think LeBron really wants to stay in Cleveland but I'm not stupid and don't think NY isn't an attractive destination. LeBron has to do whatis best for him and that is keeping his options open. As much as I want him to say "I'm re-singing with Cleveland today" it's not in hisbest interest to do so. He's got the Cavs building possibly the best training facility in the NBA, Dan is near the top in NBA salaries paying the luxurytax on a hell of a lot of salaries. As I said before fear is the greatest mtivating factor of all, why do you think they brought Shaq in? LeBron wanted it tohappen. Dan gave one of LeBron's friends a job with the Cavs. Athletes have very little leverage in sports, when they get it they should se it to theiradvantage.

Loyalty is a very rare thing in sports today. One of the most important things to LeBron is loyalty. He's got it tat of it, that's why he put hisfriends in charge of his empire, it's why he still goes back to SVSM to accept the MVP, it's why he loves Cleveland. We'll see what matters mostto LeBron. If he bolts for NY it tells me that money matters most to him. If he does that I can no longer root for him, not because he would have leftCleveland but because he sold out.

 

[Retroballer]

Originally Posted by Nowitness41Dirk

Originally Posted by Bigmike23

knicks
Heat
houston
bulls
NJ(this is a big MAYBE)

are the only teams i can see getting the huge names and the 2nd star players that want to join them. everyone else will get the left overs which ant that bad next year

You're talkin 2010 market? Yeah, that's probably pretty close...

Knicks probably get two huge signings... Heat I could see Wade re-upping plus someone like Bosh... Houston has the opportunity for two...

Everyone else hoping to strike it big after those three, I think, is playing with fire...

i have a feeling Bosh is going to end up in Houston. Hes a texas boy, and i have a feeling Houston makes the most sense. But thats only a gut feeling and meansnothing

 

[dontsteponmyshoes]

watch portland try to throw some major cash at LO

 

[bangdak]

Originally Posted by KingJames23


Loyalty is a very rare thing in sports today. One of the most important things to LeBron is loyalty. He's got it tat of it, that's why he put his friends in charge of his empire, it's why he still goes back to SVSM to accept the MVP, it's why he loves Cleveland. We'll see what matters most to LeBron. If he bolts for NY it tells me that money matters most to him. If he does that I can no longer root for him, not because he would have left Cleveland but because he sold out.

i agree with everything you said, up until here.
lebron has made it clear that he wanted to be the first multi-millionaire athlete. easiest way to achieve that goal? new york.
i mean, hes been with cleveland for about 6 years now, getting no where. hes been carrying that team himself for about 6 years, i mean, how much more do youexpect of him?
maybe im just misunderstanding what you mean by "he sold out"

 

[goldmember]

Hedo changing minds.. dude is out there for the $$$

 

[i nasmatic i]

[h3]Hedo Turkoglu rejects Blazers, ends negotiations[/h3] [h4]Posted by Jason Quick, The Oregonian July 03, 2009 17:57PM[/h4]
Categories: Breaking News

After a hectic 24 hours of face-to-face negotiations, The Oregonian has learned that free agent forward Hedo Turkoglu rejected the Trail Blazers' $50 million offer and announced he will look for another team.

"He's not coming,'' a source familiar with the negotiations said Friday evening.

In the end, it wasn't the money, it wasn't the team, and it wasn't the length of the contract.

"It just wasn't the right fit,'' the source said. "When you are talking about that much money, everybody involved has to feel great. If you don't on either side, it doesn't work.''
http://
ESPN's Ric Bucher reported that Turkoglu's wife played a major factor in the decision, as she preferred living in Toronto more than she did Portland. The Raptors were the Blazers' staunchest opponent in the race to sign the 6-foot-10 forward, and appear to be the likely destination for the 30-year-old.

Agent Lon Babby was unavailable for comment.

It capped a wild day of erroneous reports that Turkoglu had reached an agreement with the Blazers. The first reports sprouted around noon on Friday, which was about the time a source inside the Blazers expressed concern that Toronto was making a late push. Toronto had the ability to offer Turkoglu more money than the Blazers, but would have to renounce several key players to do so.

The Blazers tabled an offer of $50 million for five years, but by 5:30 p.m., they were rejected and informed the negotiations were done.

Where the Blazers turn now is unclear.

Because the team is set with franchise players at shooting guard (Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez), power forward (LaMarcus Aldridge) and center (Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla) it is likely the team goes for a point guard, small forward or backup power forward.

The team had interest in signing Trevor Ariza, but the former Lakers forward agreed in principle Thursday night with Houston. Andre Miller is a free agent point guard and Paul Millsap, Brandon Bass and Antonio McDyess are quality power forwards who are free agents.

However, since the Blazers expect to be anywhere from $8 million to $10 million under the league's salary cap when it is announced July 7, they can execute an uneven trade with a team. That means they can take on a player with a higher contract than the player they give away.

That the Blazers were even addressing Plan B was a blow. They had targeted Turkoglu from the minute the free agent market opened, calling agent Lon Babby the first minute league rules allowed.

Turkoglu had recently opted out of the last year of his contract with Orlando, which would have paid him $7.3 million. In the same week, the Magic executed a draft-night trade for Vince Carter, who plays the same position as Turkoglu.

The Blazers figured Turkoglu would have given them one of the tallest starting lineups in the league, with a frontline consisting of 7-foot-1 Joel Przybilla or 7-foot Greg Oden at center, the 6-foot-11 LaMarcus Aldridge at power forward and Turkoglu at 6-10.

Team personnel raved about Turkoglu's basketball intelligence, and his ability to run the pick-and-roll. They also felt Turkoglu's nine-years in the NBA would have provided the young Blazers the experience and "know how" McMillan has been pining for the past three seasons. Turkogly had played in 82 playoff games, including 24 this season, when he averaged a well-rounded 15.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists. In the regular season, he averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

His best season was 2007-2008, when he was voted the NBA's Most Improved Player after averaging a career-high 19.5 points to go along with 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

But in the end, it just didn't fit.

Thirty minutes after Turkoglu rejected the offer, the Blazers were believed to be back on the phone lines.

 

[xblker47]

at people not wanting to sign with the cavs cause of the possibilityof Lebron leaving in 2010

 

[bangdak]

blazers should go after mcdyess, and give the pistons an offer on prince.
blake+travis would be nice to them, since they went to turn young and save money.

 

[dlo13]

ESPN's Ric Bucher reported that Turkoglu's wife played a major factor in the decision, as she preferred living in Toronto more than she did Portland.

 

[xblker47]

Originally Posted by BangDak

Originally Posted by KingJames23


Loyalty is a very rare thing in sports today. One of the most important things to LeBron is loyalty. He's got it tat of it, that's why he put his friends in charge of his empire, it's why he still goes back to SVSM to accept the MVP, it's why he loves Cleveland. We'll see what matters most to LeBron. If he bolts for NY it tells me that money matters most to him. If he does that I can no longer root for him, not because he would have left Cleveland but because he sold out.

i agree with everything you said, up until here.
lebron has made it clear that he wanted to be the first multi-millionaire athlete. easiest way to achieve that goal? new york.
i mean, hes been with cleveland for about 6 years now, getting no where. hes been carrying that team himself for about 6 years, i mean, how much more do you expect of him?
maybe im just misunderstanding what you mean by "he sold out"

QFT, I feel Bron has done the best he can do for Cleveland and when 2010 comes if he decides to stay in cleveland ill be dissapointed but he will still be myfav player. If he comes to NY thats just a bonus

If Bron comes to NY Iwouldnt see him as a sellout though, I would look at him as starting over again in NY and starting a new legacy all over again

 

[bigmike23]

u got to keep the wifey happy tho right?

 

[kingjames23]

Originally Posted by BangDak

Originally Posted by KingJames23


Loyalty is a very rare thing in sports today. One of the most important things to LeBron is loyalty. He's got it tat of it, that's why he put his friends in charge of his empire, it's why he still goes back to SVSM to accept the MVP, it's why he loves Cleveland. We'll see what matters most to LeBron. If he bolts for NY it tells me that money matters most to him. If he does that I can no longer root for him, not because he would have left Cleveland but because he sold out.

i agree with everything you said, up until here.
lebron has made it clear that he wanted to be the first multi-millionaire athlete. easiest way to achieve that goal? new york.
i mean, hes been with cleveland for about 6 years now, getting no where. hes been carrying that team himself for about 6 years, i mean, how much more do you expect of him?
maybe im just misunderstanding what you mean by "he sold out"

In his early years LeBron had nothing around him, I agree he carried that team on his back to the Finals. The Cavs had no business being there. The last few years Ferry has been working to add pieces. Delonte, then Mo, then Shaq. To say the Cavs haven't gone anywhere is simply false.

LeBron has said that he wants to be a billionaire athlete but he also said he wants to win and be the GOAT. You can't do that without winning. The onlyadvantage NY has over Cleveland is that it is NY (and that is a huge advantage). NY's roster is garbage and have as much on the books as Cleveland in 2010but have less talent (for the love of God Curry and Jefferies make 18 Mil alone), it isn't facilities, it isn't the system (D'Antoni will NEVER wina ring).

Now I'm the one being naive but I'd like to believe that great players care about winning more than money. Name me 1 basketball advantage that NY hasover Cleveland. The Spurs built a dynsasty in San Antonio and that isn't paradise. You can win anywhere.

The Cavs now have a Chinese investor who can help market LeBron to the biggest market in the world. Don't underestimate the global scope of the game.

 

[franchise3]

Yeah like 2 days ago Bucher Tweeted that. How his wife loves Toronto and how it's important to keep your wife happy as any married knows. Now this

SI.com did an article recently ranking all the cities and whatnot and how attractive/least attractive they are for anybody who wants to read it. Somewhere onthere

 

[bangdak]

Originally Posted by Bigmike23

u got to keep the wifey happy tho right?

whipped?
he can go marry a new one. hes rich

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Updated: July 3, 2009, 3:54 PM ET
Why Turkoglu is worth the money

By John Hollinger
ESPN.com


The Blazers might be overpaying, but Hedo Turkoglu is the best fit available for Portland.
At first, it makes no sense. Why would the Portland Trail Blazers pay Hedo Turkoglu $50 million?

Thanks to his position as a key ballhandler on a conference champion, Turkoglu has become one of the league's most overrated players: a 30-year-old forward who has had league-average PER numbers the past three seasons. Clearly, he isn't worth $50 million, which is the rumored price, and in a couple of years he might not be worth half of $50 million.

Yet in a roundabout way, it makes a lot of sense for Portland to offer him $50 million.

Let me try to explain.

First, here's the most crucial thing to understand about salary-cap space: It doesn't mean you're getting a superstar, or even a star. Teams are limited to the players that are available on the market, and those players are often available for a reason -- and in fact, this year there isn't one bona fide All-Star in the bunch.

Additionally, teams have a limited window of opportunity -- often cap space is only a one-year phenomenon. As extensions kick in for younger players, it can be gone a year later, especially in the current environment in which the cap is expected to drop a year from now. In Portland's case, the likely extensions for Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge mean this year's expected $9 million in cap space will be gone next year.

The time horizon can shrink in another sense, as there's a league-wide blitz in the opening days of free agency to get players to commit to deals. Options for teams quickly become limited, which is why the strategy that has worked best in recent years is to pick one guy and go overboard after him.

Finally, signing a player who doesn't fit the team's needs makes no sense. In this year's market, on July 1, some of the best players happened to be power forwards (David Lee, Paul Millsap, Charlie Villanueva) who would play behind Aldridge, or a shooting guard (Ben Gordon) who would play behind Roy. Clearly, that wouldn't be a great use of the cap space asset.

What Portland needs instead is another player who can create off the dribble and take some of the burden off Roy offensively, and that player needs to be able to defend either the 3 or the 1 to fill in the Blazers' softest lineup spots.

Make a list of free agents available on July 1 who meet that criteria and you get:

• Hedo Turkoglu
• Ramon Sessions
• Nate Robinson
• Allen Iverson
• Flip Murray
• Andre Miller
• Lamar Odom
• Ron Artest

Here's one thing you'll quickly notice about those eight players: In a vacuum, not one of those players is worth $10 million a year, or anywhere close to it. But we're not in a vacuum, we're in a bidding situation, and sometimes in those situations it pays to overpay -- as we saw last year with Turkoglu and the Magic riding the $122 million Rashard Lewis acquisition to the NBA Finals.

In particular, it pays to overpay for a player who is the right fit. Artest is the best on paper but committing to him for any time period longer than a week is folly unless you have immediate title aspirations.

And from the rest of the list above, Odom is a nice option, but the odds of winning a bidding war against the world-champion, revenue-raking Lakers are slim; Sessions would tie up Portland's money for a week while the Bucks decide whether to match, after which the other desirable free agents might be gone. Ditto for Robinson.

Which basically takes the competition down to Turkoglu, Miller, Iverson and Murray. And when we talk about players you'd even remotely consider giving more than the midlevel, you can narrow it further to Turkoglu versus Miller.

In that competition, Turkoglu is clearly a better fit. Miller is an up-tempo point guard who would be joining one of the league's slowest-paced teams, and he's a poor floor-spacer on a team that thrives on spreading the floor around Roy. He's also 33, making a long-term deal risky.

Turkoglu is no spring chicken at 30, but he has a couple of advantages. Because he is big and can shoot, his game should age well; he's not overly dependent on his athleticism. Additionally, he allows the Blazers to line up in a way no other free agent does. Because he handles the ball so well, he and Roy can do the ballhandling and allow the Blazers to play large chunks of the game without a true point guard. It's not like they'd be missing out on transition buckets -- they already play at a snail's pace.

That takes us to the other story, Rudy Fernandez's reported unhappiness with his role and the pursuit of Turkoglu. But actually, a Turkoglu acquisition should be a godsend for Rudy. In a traditional lineup, it was going to be hard for him to see much daylight behind Roy, but in this set-up he could play extended minutes alongside those two provided he can defend quick point guards.

If there's an odd man out, it would appear to be Travis Outlaw. The Blazers would lead the league in oversized wing players with 6-10 Turkoglu, 6-9 Nicolas Batum, 6-9 draftee Victor Claver, 6-7 Martell Webster and Outlaw.

Outlaw, with a cap-friendly contract that has one year and $4 million left, is easily the most portable of the bunch, especially since his shot-creating skills with the second unit wouldn't be in as much demand with Turkoglu in the fold. In fact, Portland can seek to turn him into an upgrade at its other position of concern, point guard -- possibly by combining him with Blake or Jerryd Bayless in a sign-and-trade deal.

Regardless, Portland's approach makes sense even if the dollars seem excessive at first glance. Yes, they're overpaying Hedo Turkoglu, and given his age it's possible they'll end up eating the last two years of the contract. But the way cap space works is that a team might get only one shot at using it, and must take advantage by making the best, strongest move it can for the best fit available.

Turkoglu for $50 million is an imperfect solution, certainly, but it's a far better one than squandering the space by waiting, or by paying similar money to jam a square peg into a round hole. And as Turkoglu's soon-to-be-former teammates in Orlando showed last month, even in the current economic situation overpaying for a part that fits can work out awfully well.

 

[true 3 blue]

Originally Posted by JDB1523

On a side note, I've just read two articles saying players have been skeptical to join the Cavs because they're unsure if LeBron will stay next summer. What a %@$*@*$ idiot.

 

[heat23]

Originally Posted by I NaSmatic I

[h3]Hedo Turkoglu rejects Blazers, ends negotiations[/h3] [h4]Posted by Jason Quick, The Oregonian July 03, 2009 17:57PM[/h4]
Categories: Breaking News

After a hectic 24 hours of face-to-face negotiations, The Oregonian has learned that free agent forward Hedo Turkoglu rejected the Trail Blazers' $50 million offer and announced he will look for another team.

"He's not coming,'' a source familiar with the negotiations said Friday evening.

In the end, it wasn't the money, it wasn't the team, and it wasn't the length of the contract.

"It just wasn't the right fit,'' the source said. "When you are talking about that much money, everybody involved has to feel great. If you don't on either side, it doesn't work.''
http://
ESPN's Ric Bucher reported that Turkoglu's wife played a major factor in the decision, as she preferred living in Toronto more than she did Portland. The Raptors were the Blazers' staunchest opponent in the race to sign the 6-foot-10 forward, and appear to be the likely destination for the 30-year-old.

Agent Lon Babby was unavailable for comment.

It capped a wild day of erroneous reports that Turkoglu had reached an agreement with the Blazers. The first reports sprouted around noon on Friday, which was about the time a source inside the Blazers expressed concern that Toronto was making a late push. Toronto had the ability to offer Turkoglu more money than the Blazers, but would have to renounce several key players to do so.

The Blazers tabled an offer of $50 million for five years, but by 5:30 p.m., they were rejected and informed the negotiations were done.

Where the Blazers turn now is unclear.

Because the team is set with franchise players at shooting guard (Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez), power forward (LaMarcus Aldridge) and center (Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla) it is likely the team goes for a point guard, small forward or backup power forward.

The team had interest in signing Trevor Ariza, but the former Lakers forward agreed in principle Thursday night with Houston. Andre Miller is a free agent point guard and Paul Millsap, Brandon Bass and Antonio McDyess are quality power forwards who are free agents.

However, since the Blazers expect to be anywhere from $8 million to $10 million under the league's salary cap when it is announced July 7, they can execute an uneven trade with a team. That means they can take on a player with a higher contract than the player they give away.

That the Blazers were even addressing Plan B was a blow. They had targeted Turkoglu from the minute the free agent market opened, calling agent Lon Babby the first minute league rules allowed.

Turkoglu had recently opted out of the last year of his contract with Orlando, which would have paid him $7.3 million. In the same week, the Magic executed a draft-night trade for Vince Carter, who plays the same position as Turkoglu.

The Blazers figured Turkoglu would have given them one of the tallest starting lineups in the league, with a frontline consisting of 7-foot-1 Joel Przybilla or 7-foot Greg Oden at center, the 6-foot-11 LaMarcus Aldridge at power forward and Turkoglu at 6-10.

Team personnel raved about Turkoglu's basketball intelligence, and his ability to run the pick-and-roll. They also felt Turkoglu's nine-years in the NBA would have provided the young Blazers the experience and "know how" McMillan has been pining for the past three seasons. Turkogly had played in 82 playoff games, including 24 this season, when he averaged a well-rounded 15.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists. In the regular season, he averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

His best season was 2007-2008, when he was voted the NBA's Most Improved Player after averaging a career-high 19.5 points to go along with 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

But in the end, it just didn't fit.

Thirty minutes after Turkoglu rejected the offer, the Blazers were believed to be back on the phone lines.

Someone post bart's grandfather go in and out gif

 

[i nasmatic i]

All this #%@! begs the question, who has pics of Turk's wife?

 

[xblker47]

KingJames I might give into the 2010 hype to much but I think Lebron would have a better chance winning with Dantoni then his coach Brown in Cleveland. Dantoniwas a good enough coach to be part of the olympic staff. Also Bron would have Bosh in NY. Although he has a lot of nice peices around him in Cleveland he hassaid he wants to play with Bosh. I know it may seem crazy for Bron to leave for NY but I have a feeling when it comes 2010 the peices will be there, nike willpresure him, and he will have to make a tough decision. Hopefully its NY

 

[bangdak]

Originally Posted by KingJames23

In his early years LeBron had nothing around him, I agree he carried that team on his back to the Finals. The Cavs had no business being there. The last few years Ferry has been working to add pieces. Delonte, then Mo, then Shaq. To say the Cavs haven't gone anywhere is simply false.

LeBron has said that he wants to be a billionaire athlete but he also said he wants to win and be the GOAT. You can't do that without winning. The only advantage NY has over Cleveland is that it is NY (and that is a huge advantage). NY's roster is garbage and have as much on the books as Cleveland in 2010 but have less talent (for the love of God Curry and Jefferies make 18 Mil alone), it isn't facilities, it isn't the system (D'Antoni will NEVER win a ring).

Now I'm the one being naive but I'd like to believe that great players care about winning more than money. Name me 1 basketball advantage that NY has over Cleveland. The Spurs built a dynsasty in San Antonio and that isn't paradise. You can win anywhere.

The Cavs now have a Chinese investor who can help market LeBron to the biggest market in the world. Don't underestimate the global scope of the game.

those pieces solve only one of cavs MANY problems. they built the team completely around lebron, but they didn't do a good job at it.
that is an completely false statement. chandler and gallo are great developing prospects, and they can actually make an 3, unlike boobie, wally, sasha whosenow gone, or any other scrub no pun intended.
now if you want to talk about coaching, hell cleveland doesnt even have an coach. you should just take mike browns salary and give it to bron cuz hes the onewho runs the team.
NY has a lot of basketball advantages. we are in position to sign 2 players to 2 MAX deals, (lebron/bosh hopefully), that alone is an huge upgrade over thecavs roster.
have you seen NY fans? not being conceited, but we are some of the most loyal basketball fans out there. we're knowegable on the 2010 situation, and wehave faith in donnie walsh.
you can say those chinese investors can help make him an global icon, although hes already one, but the ny marketing is huge and you can't underestimatethat.