Official LEBRON 2010 Thread (The Decision: MIAMI HEAT)

[ezflash26]

ESPN is completely whoring this *%++ out, jesus...

I now hope LeBron ho everybody and goes back to Cleveland, just cuz I want ESPN and everybody else to look in the mirror with shame at how they've treated this $*!+....

 

[seymore cake]

If I was Bron I would do every last interview dressed as WISE LeBron from here on out... I'd dress up as Business LeBron every once in a while to throw them off. Would be LEGENDARDY

 

[uncalled4boy]

Originally Posted by YEEUPP

Originally Posted by Cfranchise26

[h1]How the San Antonio Spurs Can Get LeBron James[/h1]
Then you bring in the Mexico factor for LeBron James. San Antonio is very close to Mexico.
LeBron could globalize himself in Mexico. That could make LeBron James a bigger sports figure in Central America than most NBA players.

..........

 

[basketballsavant]

Cake- you a fool for that suggestion, although that would be hilarious and make this circus even more entertaining.

 

[scott frost]

Is it over yet?

 

[shaunhillftw49]

Not to be Buzz Killington but Mexico is North America

 

[thekillerj23]

Originally Posted by h3at23

Since we're getting close to the start of Free Agency, I think we should post in detail in this thread the LeBron staying or leaving Bet that was made early in the NBA season.

I believe it was between my boy AT and the spelling bee champion, Big Mike, but I'm not 100% sure .

The bet between me and chester is still on, 50 bucks for me if Lebron stays, and 50 bucks for him if he leaves

 

[CJMcfly26]

Originally Posted by America Bambaataa

Originally Posted by YEEUPP

Originally Posted by Cfranchise26

[h1]How the San Antonio Spurs Can Get LeBron James[/h1]
Then you bring in the Mexico factor for LeBron James. San Antonio is very close to Mexico.
LeBron could globalize himself in Mexico. That could make LeBron James a bigger sports figure in Central America than most NBA players.

http://eldadbaptistchurch...009/02/hand_reaching.jpg src="http://eldadbaptistchurch.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/hand_reaching.jpg">

Hey a man can dream.

 

[T0INE]

Originally Posted by Scott Frost

Is it over yet?

   Unfortunately it hasn't really started yet.

 

[Majorbread]

Originally Posted by thekillerj23

Originally Posted by h3at23

Since we're getting close to the start of Free Agency, I think we should post in detail in this thread the LeBron staying or leaving Bet that was made early in the NBA season.

I believe it was between my boy AT and the spelling bee champion, Big Mike, but I'm not 100% sure .

The bet between me and chester is still on, 50 bucks for me if Lebron stays, and 50 bucks for him if he leaves

better get that 50 on deck tomorrow...

 

[venom lyrix]

LeBron should shock everyone and retire...

 

[papaprem]

Just imagine after he signs a massive contract somewhere , he blows his knee in the first game and never is the same player again. SMH. Being a Knicks fan, you can't help but think about things like this.

 

[remi23]

^ I repeat the Knicks aren't getting Lebron

 

[miamib30514]

15 hours away from "wade/bosh/lebron decide to sign with the Miami Heat"

 

[do be doo]

Originally Posted by Remi23

^ I repeat the bulls Knicks aren't getting Lebron

LBJ to NYC

  

 

[seymore cake]

Originally Posted by Basketballsavant

Cake- you a fool for that suggestion, although that would be hilarious and make this circus even more entertaining.

On Everything. That would be funny as hell.... STOP LOOKIN AT MY LEMONADE *Insert Owners Name* !!!!

 

[duba169]

Originally Posted by Remi23

^ I repeat the Knicks aren't getting Lebron

you got the lotto numbers too?

 

[law3001]

This forum is going to supernova come midnight

I foresee alot of suspensions/bans and a overall sound of shots being fired, up until the moment Lebron signs and the days following.

 

[shogun]

espn needs to @!##.  it just seems like they're making stuff up now.  they say a new team is the frontrunner to get lebron every 12 hours.  they don't know anything.

 

[h3at23]

[h1]New York Knicks out to dissuade LeBron James from 'Dream Team' in Miami with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh[/h1]

BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Wednesday, June 30th

LeBron James is calling the possible union of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and of course, the King himself, "Dream Team."

Those were the words James used when he reached out to another free agent in the past 10 days and pitched the idea of joining them.

"He said, 'Would you be willing to take less to join Dream Team?'" the player, who did not want to be identified, told the Daily News. "He said his people were putting it together."

That conversation lends credence to reports that James will join Bosh and Wade in Miami. In that scenario, Pat Rileywill likely return to the sidelines and coach the Heat.

However, there is a twist because with LeBron there always is. There was a report out of Cleveland Tuesday quoting a person close to the Cavs' free agent as saying that the club still has an edge in re-signing him. There were other reports that James is leaning toward joining the Chicago Bulls.

Few, if any, reports give the Knicks much of a chance, and yet the club's brain trust remains confident that it can convince James to make the jump to the NBA's biggest market.

The Knicks will have their much-anticipated meeting with James Thursday afternoon in Ohio, hours after he finally becomes a free agent at midnight. There is a possibility that the sit-down could take place at James' mansion in Akron.

The Nets are batting leadoff and will be followed by the Knicks, whose traveling party includes team president Donnie Walsh, head coach Mike D'Antoni, Garden chairman James Dolan and former playerAllan Houston. The Bulls, Clippers, Heat and Cavs have also scheduled meetings with James in Ohio.

The Knicks are fighting long odds in their bid to land James but feel they have several strong selling points - New York City, the flexibility to sign another "max" free agent and enough salary-cap space to add another elite free agent the following summer. The team will also impress upon James that he has a chance to build his brand and establish his legacy by winning in New York.

The tough sell for the Knicks, though, is convincing James that he can win titles in New York. The franchise hasn't raised a championship banner since 1973, and under Dolan's ownership, the club has suffered through nine straight losing seasons. Expect several teams, particularly Riley and the Heat, to stress to James that joining the Knicks could be a career killer.

In fact, the Knicks' old administration is coming back to haunt the Garden. Riley is the most accomplished winner who will sit across from James, and his mere presence is a powerful influence. The fact that Riley is expected to re-sign Wade and will likely sign Bosh makes Miami even more appealing.

 

[big j 33]

I'm posting this is all of the FA threads, just to help people who are confused or choose to ignore the cap info.
http://espn.go.com/nba/da...-100629/cap-room-summary

We're in the midst of an arms race. Teams have spent as much as two years preparing for this week -- for example, Knicks president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh's first order of business upon taking the reins in 2008 was to circle Thursday, July 1, 2010 on his calendar. Every move he's made since then has been with an eye on this week.

With this year's banner crop of free agents about to hit the open market, teams are racing to get as lean as possible -- trying to shed any extra salary in order to wave a maximum offer at LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh. Perhaps two of them. Dare they hope for all three?

The race picked up at the February trade deadline. The Knicks sacrificed Jordan Hill and future draft considerations for the chance to remove Jared Jeffries' expensive contract from their books. With a deal that extended through the 2010-11 season, Jeffries was a liability. The Clippers moved Al Thornton for Drew Gooden's ending contract. The Bulls did the same with John Salmons, acquiring the ending contracts of Hakim Warrick and Joe Alexander.

This month's draft saw a final flurry of activity before the free-agent gates open. The Heat gave away the 18th pick -- point guard Eric Bledsoe -- and Daequan Cook to the Thunder. The Bulls dumped Kirk Hinrich and first-round pick Kevin Seraphin for a future second-round pick from the Wizards.

These teams are now lean and mean, and ready to go shopping.

No fewer than eight teams are within striking distance of having the ability to offer a maximum free-agent contract. Four of them are imagining life with two new superstars in their fold. But some of these teams still have work to do if they want to see their plans come to fruition.

We'll adopt a new unit of measure for this review -- the MC. Just as "grand" is common parlance for $1,000, an MC refers to a specific dollar amount. In fact, a very specific amount -- $16,568,908. This is the maximum salary to which LeBron James, Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade can be signed. One MC equals $16,568,908; two MCs equal $33,137,816. When we refer to a team having two MCs, it means it has enough cap room to sign two of the premier free agents to maximum salary contracts.

But this science is inexact -- for one, players have different maximum salaries. A player can sign for up to 105 percent of his previous salary, even if it's above the league-wide maximum. This is how the $16,568,908 value of the MC was derived -- James, Bosh and Wade each made $15,779,912 in 2009-10. But some players like Amare Stoudemire had higher salaries in 2009-10, so their 2010-11 maximum salary is also higher. Stoudemire's maximum salary is $18,770,405, so a franchise hoping to land the former Sun might need to clear extra cap room. Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce have a maximum of $20,785,500; Yao Ming's is $17,197,241.

Teams in the hunt for two maximum free agents are helped a little bit by the cap holds associated with empty roster spots. If a team has fewer than 12 roster spots accounted for by a player, an unsigned first-round draft pick or free-agent Bird rights, then it incurs a cap hold equivalent to the rookie minimum salary -- $473,604 -- for each spot fewer than 12. If a team has two MCs -- $33,137,816 -- then it actually has slightly more than enough to sign two maximum free agents. One cap hold is released when the team signs its first free agent, freeing $473,604 from its cap and giving it a little extra spending power.

With all that said, here are the players in this summer's free-agent hunt.

New York Knicks
Maximum cap room: 2.06 MCs

What needs to happen to get to this amount? Renounce all free agents. The Knicks also have the ability to hang on to David Lee's Bird rights, which would leave them with about 1.5 MCs -- they can't sign two maximum free agents and keep Lee.

What can they do to get more? As expected, Eddy Curry invoked his contract option and his $11.3 million salary remains on the Knicks' books. There isn't much hope of getting to three MCs.

New Jersey Nets
Maximum cap room: 2.00 MCs

What needs to happen to get to this amount? Kris Humphries must decline his contract option and become a free agent. The Nets also need to renounce all free agents.

What can they do to get more? The Nets were about $3.33 million short of two MCs, and needed to find a taker for Yi Jianlian. They did exactly that on Tuesday, sending Yi to the Wizards for Quinton Ross. Mikhail Prokhorov's team now has the wherewithal to land two maximum free agents -- potentially upstaging the neighboring Knicks.

Chicago Bulls
Maximum cap room: 1.76 MCs

What needs to happen to get to this amount? The Bulls did most of the hard work in February and June. All that's left is to renounce their own free agents, such as Brad Miller.

What can they do to get more? Contrary to recent reports, the Bulls do not have enough cap room to sign two maximum free agents. To get to the elusive two-MC threshold the Bulls would have to clear another $3.5 million from their books. Their best -- albeit unlikely -- bet would be to try to find a taker for Luol Deng's enormous contract, hoping to slide LeBron James into his vacated spot.

Dumping James Johnson, Taj Gibson, Chris Richard and Rob Kurz would not generate the needed cap room -- the cap holds associated with the four vacated roster spots would consume much of the cap room that would be freed by their departure.

Miami Heat
Maximum cap room: 1.67 MCs (with Wade re-signed); 2.64 MCs (if Wade leaves)

What needs to happen to get to this amount?: This may be counterintuitive, but the Heat gain more cap room if Wade becomes a free agent than if he invokes the option in his contract to stay with the team through 2010-11. Wade needs to become a free agent. The Heat already have declined the team option on Kenny Hasbrouck. They also released James Jones, whose $4.65 million salary was guaranteed for just $1.86 million -- clearing an additional $2.79 million from the team's books.

What can they do to get more? There's not much left to trim from their roster. To keep Wade and go after both James and Bosh, they'd need to convince at least one of the free agents to take less. Even moving Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers for nothing wouldn't create enough cap room to sign all three star free agents at the full maximum.

Los Angeles Clippers
Maximum cap room: 1.02 MCs

What needs to happen to get to this amount? The Clippers did most of their work at the February trade deadline, and have just enough cap room to sign one maximum free agent (but not a player with a higher maximum such as Amare Stoudemire). But will players come?

What can they do to get more? It's no secret that the Clippers aren't enamored with Baron Davis' contributions over the last two seasons, and would welcome a reasonable deal to unload his expensive contract. But even dumping Davis for nothing wouldn't be enough to get the Clippers to two MCs.

Sacramento Kings
Maximum cap room: 0.93 MCs

What needs to happen to get to this amount? Renounce all free agents.

What can they do to get more? The Kings lost their ability to sign a maximum free agent when they traded for Samuel Dalembert earlier this month. Another $1.21 million needs to come off the books to clear enough cap room. This could be accomplished by removing Omri Casspi's $1.25 million salary.

Milwaukee Bucks
Maximum cap room: 0.92 MCs

What needs to happen to get to this amount? Renounce all free agents.

What can they do to get more? To get to one MC the Bucks need to trim another $1.37 million from the payroll. Waiving Carlos Delfino -- signed for $3.5 million but guaranteed for just $500,000 -- would get the job done.

Washington Wizards
Maximum cap room: 0.45 MCs

What needs to happen to get to this amount? Decline Josh Howard's team option, renounce all free agents.

What can they do to get more? By acquiring Kirk Hinrich and the rights to first-round pick Kevin Seraphin from the Bulls, the Wizards took themselves off the market for a maximum free agent. Trading Quinton Ross for Yi Jianlian further cemented their role as a team that will not be swinging for the fences this summer.

 

[h3at23]

Source: Wade, James and Bosh have talked of splitting Heat cash

MIAMI —
A source close to Miami Heat free-agent guard Dwyane Wade has confirmed that in recent days Wade not only has addressed the possibility of playing alongside Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh, but has discussed the financial machinations.

The Sun Sentinel has learned that the three star free agents have gone as far as to acknowledge that it might not be possible for the Heat to clear the needed space to start each of the three at the $16.6 million maximum salary that they would be eligible for in the first year of new contracts.

According to the source, the three have agreed to consider to "split the money up," if need be.

However, an ESPN report of the three prime free agents meeting this past weekend in South Florida has been widely disputed, with agent Henry Thomas, who represents both Wade and Bosh, saying that Wade was not in South Florida this past weekend.

"Dwyane was not in Miami this weekend," Thomas said. "That is untrue."

As for a possible meeting last week at a players union meeting in Las Vegas, of the three, only Wade attended those sessions.

"I said when it first broke about that, that the guys would undoubtedly talk with each other, which they have. That's not a surprise to anyone," Thomas said. "But this meeting this weekend in Miami just did not take place. Dwyane was not in Miami this weekend."

By unloading the $4.96 million 2010-11 salary on the contract of forward Michael Beasley, as well as potentially minimizing the cap hit of the buyout of forward James Jones, the Heat would be on the cusp of being able to extend maximum offers to Wade, James and Bosh.

With Cleveland not appearing receptive to working with James on a sign-and-trade transaction, it would limit the forward to a five-year contract, should he sign outright with the Heat. Wade, by re-signing with his own team, could receive a six-year contract instead. Bosh, however, is seeking such a six-year package.

Bosh could be accommodated in such a scenario by the Heat either sending Beasley to the Raptors or including him in a multiple-team trade that involves Toronto. The Heat also could send draft picks to Toronto, including the Raptors' future first-round pick the Heat currently holds, as a means of Bosh receiving his maximum contract length.

According to the source, a strong sense that the three might play together next season in South Florida came together only in recent days, although it had been discussed previously by the three.

 

[paidndade]

Why are the Cavs so against a sign and trade?

 

[scott frost]

Originally Posted by paidndade

Why are the Cavs so against a sign and trade?

Why give Lebron max cash and still have him leave?

 

[sooperhooper]

Wait, so are they officially making the decision tomorrow?

If all three end up in Miami they might as well go ahead and have the patch of the trophy sewn onto their jerseys because they will meet the Lakers in the Finals. Quote me.