Well now he needs to start winning Championship rings
Nba 2009-2010
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Anyone in the UK who is interested in watching this unfold can grab some popcorn and tune into ESPN America from 2am to watch the 'LeBron James Special'.
I agree with MrMarcello with James wanting to be the main man, that is why I think if he moves to the Heat, eventually his and Wade's egos will clash. On paper it looks great, but in reality it will be a hard job keeping all 3 happy.
I agree with MrMarcello with James wanting to be the main man, that is why I think if he moves to the Heat, eventually his and Wade's egos will clash. On paper it looks great, but in reality it will be a hard job keeping all 3 happy.
Will he announce his decision at 9 pm? Then what is the point of the show?
ESPN's hilarious. Now they're interviewing everyone they can think of to fill the time. Drew Brees, etc.
At this stage of his career I'm not even sure how much Lebron James is in there, in the 'Lerbron James image'. With all the agents and the P.R. The talk is actually the people around him are not too keen on him going to Miami. It's quite possible that all those things that surround basketball and I agree are annoying - the interviews, this show tonight - are coming from his P.R team. But the decision where to play will still be his. So it's a case of Dr. Lebron and Mr. James.
It's not quite like Shaq-Kobe, when O'Neal was brought to the Lakers as team leader when Bryant was a young player. Both Wade and James are seasoned pros and talk frequently. I suppose they know if they can mix it up together in a situation that will keep both happy.
Bill Simmons: Countdown to the LeBron James decision - ESPN
They can be friends but ultimately one of them has to take the backseat. I can't see LBJ doing that. Not after witnessing this dog-and-pony act over the last two months.
Oh and this...
They can be friends but ultimately one of them has to take the backseat. I can't see LBJ doing that. Not after witnessing this dog-and-pony act over the last two months.
Oh and this...
He is wearing red. Must be the Heat, or the Bulls, or the Cavs....
What's going on? Somebody fill me in. But in easy words. I am a football guy, obviously.
Well, nothing so far. Just a bunch of ESPN people repeating what they've been saying for the last 5 hours or so...
And to think I stayed up for this
They actually assured the decision will be made known in the first 10 minutes of the show. Not quite happning now...
Just ask the question FFS
I hate that Jim Gray's the new sideline reporter for the Kings.
I have no idea why I'm watching this...
...And LeBron goes to Miami
I don't see this ending well actually
I don't see this ending well actually
Wow, he's a pussy. Doesn't want to lead a team to the NBA championship, just ride along with DWade.
30 minutes for that BS
Hopefully the Lakers steamroll the Heat en route to a three peat
Hopefully the Lakers steamroll the Heat en route to a three peat
I think the Lakers will be even better next year, and they are deep, something the Heat are not.
One injury at the wrong time could seriously cripple the Heat.
Heat will definitely win it all next year.
I could see Shaq going back to Miami for the minimum he is a free agent.
Haha they are burning his jersey in Cleveland you have to love it, the cnut deserves it
At least LeBron doesnt have to take the last shot now, he's got the Flash to do it for him
Yeah, I don't think he ever considered the reaction from Cleveland. He talks about all the players(Magic, Jordan, etc) just happening to forget that they didn't abandon their teams.
Also, this talk about his players uniting and lifting up is pretty homo sounding.
Miami needs nine players aside from Bosh, James, and Wade to meet the 12 player minimum roster size. The NBA salary cap this year is $58,044,000. If all three get max deals, then there's $9,070,500 left to spend on other players.
For anyone interested, here's the minimum NBA salaries.
Years Salary ($)
0 473,604
1 762,195
2 854,389
3 885,120
4 915,852
5 992,680
6 1,069,509
7 1,146,337
8 1,223,166
9 1,229,255
10+ 1,352,181
So unless there's a sizeable paycut for the top three, the Heat are going to have to scrounge up 3-5 garbage rookies and fill in the rest with title-chasing veterans.
Edit: Can anyone enlighten me on the status of Chalmers and Beasley?
Beasley is under contract for 5 mil for 1 year, Chalmers is a restricted free agent and can resign whatever the circumstances, but he'd better be willing to give up the No. 6 jersey
Haha just got a new Kobe jersey today at Sports Authority because I had a $100 gift certificate
Haha just got a new Kobe jersey today at Sports Authority because I had a $100 gift certificate
I don't get the big deal?
Don't Real, City, Chelsea more or less do this? Get all the best players? So why are people saying there's no competition left etc..those sides don't win every trophy..so why the assumption Heat are going to win everything?
p.s I know nothing about Basketball or any North American sports..
Don't Real, City, Chelsea more or less do this? Get all the best players? So why are people saying there's no competition left etc..those sides don't win every trophy..so why the assumption Heat are going to win everything?
p.s I know nothing about Basketball or any North American sports..
I dont necessarily think they will win, it was a coup by Miami, but they still have to build the rest of their team, it is just difficult to sign 'all' the best players because of the salary cap. And I wouldnt call Bosh one of the best players in the league either
There are 5 guys on the floor at one time. Dwayne Wade and Lebron are 2 of the top 5 players in the NBA. Bosh is probably top 10. All three of them were important players last year in the Olympics and are better than any other three player group in the NBA. If one has an off night, they should still score a ridiculous amount. To make them really good, they'll have to bring in some good defenders and other supporting players. Otherwise, they won't be able to win when it counts. They don't have much money to spend since there's a salary cap, and they need to spend money on 6/7 players. They'll have to get some rookies and veterans who won't expect much.
I would actually say that what Real, City, and Chelsea do is actually a little worse. In the NBA you cannot acquire a player unless he's out of contract or unless you trade for him. Not only that, with salary cap rules, the salaries of the players must match so that there's decent monetary value going both ways (Usually. There's exceptions.) You cannot "tap up" a player with two years left on his contract and just sign him for a hefty transfer fee. There isn't really such a thing as a "transfer fee".
Also the NBA pretty much encompasses most of the basketball talent in the world. There's good, competitive leagues in other places but the good players usually leave within a few years to go play in the NBA. Basketball isn't as popular as football so there isn't talent brewing everywhere. And it's somewhat spread over 30 teams with no pyramid system in place.
There's a limit to the salary a player can make, and a limit to the salary a team can spend as well, but a minimum squad size. Most teams can only afford to have one max contract. Two is a bit of a stretch. Miami could potentially have three max contracts if all three players demand the max. Either way they're three players that would certainly warrant a max contract if they were on separate teams. So something like this happening is extremely unlikely. Not only did all these contracts have to expire the same summer (They were drafted the same year so it does make sense. The fact that so many superstar players came from the same draft class is actually what makes this unlikely.) but they all had to choose to go to the same place and that place had to make enough cap room to fit them all in. Also it doesn't give Miami much flexibility with other signings (they gutted most of their team to get the cap room for these big signings).
So we're going to see three players making somewhere between $15-18 million each while everyone else on the team is going to be making $5 million or less.
So no it's not a guaranteed championship. And anything can happen in the playoffs. And there's many other possible points of failure in this setup as well so it'll be interesting.
The thing you've got to look at is who would take a minimum salary to play with these guys?
Sure, a minimum salary isn't chump change, but there's a lot of teams out there with money to spend, and some can be expected to compete even with this trio. If you're a guy who could expect to make about $5-6M/year in a typical FA market, are you really going to play in Miami for about $1M, especially when there are teams out there who might pay even more than normal?
Sure, a minimum salary isn't chump change, but there's a lot of teams out there with money to spend, and some can be expected to compete even with this trio. If you're a guy who could expect to make about $5-6M/year in a typical FA market, are you really going to play in Miami for about $1M, especially when there are teams out there who might pay even more than normal?
As I said earlier I think Shaq will end up in Miami, can't think of many players that will, but I am sure another pretty good player who hasnt won yet, and is at the tail of their career will. Miami still needs size and shooters no doubt about it
I was thinking the same thing. I'd love to see him back in FL. I don't agree that their egos will clash. LBJ has shown consistently that he has no issues passing the ball when needed and getting the rest of the team into the game. I think his game will be particularly devastating when he has Wade and Bosh crashing the paint behind him. I am pretty fecking stoked.
That's why I keep bringing up title-chasers. Guys who are old but haven't won a championship yet and have made all the money they could possibly need but really want that ring. All the younger guys are going to sign someplace else for multi-year deals. The old ones (like Shaq, although he's not missing rings) will flock towards a team like Miami with really talented players so they can ride their back to get that elusive championship.
I forgot about the mid-level exception. I think with that, the Heat have enough room to fill the team with minimum contracts.
Yeah I brought up the mid level exception yesterday they could get a pretty good player for 5 million imo, especially considering it is only a one year deal. I think Kenyon Martin is out of his contract this summer as he has the option to opt out, so he could add size and grit that they would need, and he isnt hurting for money after raping the Nuggets for 16 million a year the past 6 years
Time for linkfest:
Open thread from SB Nation's Cavs blog. It's not that dramatic since they pretty much knew what to expect, but still you could tell there was some degree of hope before it was all shattered. The Decision - A LeBron James Open Discussion - Fear The Sword
Dan Gilbert wins over Cleveland: An Open Letter To Cavaliers Fans From Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert - Fear The Sword
Open thread from SB Nation's Cavs blog. It's not that dramatic since they pretty much knew what to expect, but still you could tell there was some degree of hope before it was all shattered. The Decision - A LeBron James Open Discussion - Fear The Sword
Dan Gilbert wins over Cleveland: An Open Letter To Cavaliers Fans From Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert - Fear The Sword
Fair play to Gilbert, I dont think the Cavs will win a title before LeBron, but I really think another team or two will
Basically a club signing Xavi, Rooney, Ronaldo, Messi, Villa, A. Cole, and Ozil. All at once. And all on free transfers.
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