No way Wade would get a max deal from anyone. He has to rested significantly in the regular season to keep his knees alive. He's not nearly as effective as he used to be, though he is capable of having that moment in the sun still. His defensive ability has declined significantly. Another issue with Wade is that he is no longer the athlete to make up for the seconds he lets a fastbreak erupt while he whines to an official.
Did someone paid to write about sports really write this? Having the best center in the NBA and the best interior defender in the NBA may not be a good fit? The only thing the Rockets lack is that big market appeal and being in the western conference. Is there any doubt if the Houston Rockets was called the NY Knicks, that national reporters wouldn't immediately proclaim LeBron to NY unanimously?
Just like Melo if winning a ring is the priority Houston is the best fit for Lebron. Parsons can be that young guy mentioned in the article that can help reduce his minutes and it's not like James can't play some PF alongside Parsons as well. The Rockets provide the best core with Howard, Harden, Parsons, Jones, Bev, and Daniels and still be able to offer a near max deal. Bulls would have to dump Gibson and Rose is a question. Clippers or GSW maybe but seems they would have to somehow trade away 9/10 of their rosters for no salary. I think he stays in Miami and while it really sucks I could see him convincing the big 3 to take paycuts and bringing in Melo. They've already done something unorthodox to create this team why not take it to another level?
IIRC I read somewhere that they would all have to sign for around 10mill including Melo to make it work. I just don't see that happening, especially from Bosh who is still in high demand. ....... ....... .......
Bash would be a huge upgrade over Terrance Jones. He would make them better offensively, much, much better defensively, and even be capable of playing the 5 in a crunch. Obviously James is the absolute prize, but considering the Rockets could then keep all of their young players (like Parsons and 1 of DMo or Jones) and picks, he might make more sense than even a more talented Kevin Love.
I think Dwayne Wade retiring (he won't) would vastly improve (like it would become an absolute lock) the chances of LeBron staying in Miami. It would make it very, very easy for them to add another guy like Carmelo and perhaps even work it to add a guy like Kyle Lowry at PG. Now you could argue whether that team is much better, but it would be another iteration of a Big 3 with a very good #4.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Big problem for Heat: Big 3 earn $61 mil, under contract for two more seasons. If no one opts out, no cap room.</p>— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardBeck/statuses/478550764667691008">June 16, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Wade is due almost $42 mil over next two seasons. Can Riley persuade him to opt out, re-sign for less? Seems unlikely.</p>— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardBeck/statuses/478551021275197441">June 16, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Here y'all go with the WE NEED A DEFENSIVE WING but out parsons in the starting lineup. I could careless about a D wing being on the bench, we need a offense 1st SF on the bench.
If they convince Haslem to opt out, too, they can sign a "Big 4" for an average of about $14M a year.
To me, this is a really overplayed argument. The whole concept of "stay in the weaker East!" reeks of fan fear and desires for a consolation-prize safety blanket. Miami had the "weak East" advantage this year. Barely had to expend any energy the entire Eastern Conference playoffs. Never even pushed to an elimination game. What did that easy route mean for Miami when they ran up against San Antonio, even though the Spurs had just been pushed by an excellent OKC team? Absolutely nothing, because the Heat as a team just weren't good enough. For guys like LeBron and Carmelo, the goal is simple: either you win a ring, or you don't. In the West, is there a chance you could have some bad luck and go out in the 1st or 2nd round, rather than the NBA Finals? Sure. But at the end of the day, the exact timing of when you go out isn't a big deal. Either they win it all, or they don't. Now, IF the teams are comparably talented, then perhaps playing in the East can be a tiebreaker. But if the Rockets can free up the requisite cap space, I don't see it anywhere close to a tie. Miami has Wade's corpse and Chris Bosh. Going to the Bulls means tying your future to Derrick Rose's knee. Sorry, a team with Dwight Howard and James Harden (along with decent role players) is a step up. East vs. West is a secondary consideration, only relevant if several of the more important factors end up as a draw. First among those factors is whether the team talent around LeBron/Carmelo is enough to beat someone like San Antonio in a 7-game series, and free agents are going to look at that topic independent of conference affiliation. As they should.
If he comes here, OKC is the only team I can see have a shot to beat a Rockets team with Lebron. If you beat them, no team can beat the Rockets in a 7 game series.
I just posted this in Dish, and realized I should have posted it here. What a shocker this must be for James. I'm sure he could imagine losing to the Spurs. They're a great team, and they barely beat them last year, but to get smoked 4-1? No way Lebron could have seen that coming. It must be getting clear to him that Wade is sinking down from a superstar to a star who sometimes has throwback games where he looks like we remember. But the grind of the playoffs? He just doesn't have it any more. They cut his minutes, took care to have him ready for the post-season, and he couldn't last through the finals. Heck, next year he could be an elite role player, and that's all. I think James is going to seriously look at his options. Hell, he's already been vilified for leaving Cleveland the way he did. How could it be worse if he leaves Miami after 2 championships in 4 years and 4 finals appearences? It isn't like the dude has hung Miami out to dry. The reason he came there in the first place is disappearing. I gave James hell here for the whole "decision" crap, and he deserved it, but I won't blame him at all if he leaves for a better chance to build on his legacy. James wants to be seen as at least Jordan's equal. To do that, in my humble opinion, he's going to have to go to another team. One set up for a title run if they can only get that missing piece, some more experience (which they were busy getting this past season), an improved bench, and a key addition to the coaching staff. Someone like Thibs before he moved up. A team like the Houston Rockets. I never imagined that was even a remote possibility, but after watching these finals, and James walking off the court, pissed and disgusted, I no longer find that an impossibility. Unlikely, but not impossible.
The addition of Lebron to this roster makes us favorites to win it. Period. But regardless of any potential success Lebron may have here in Houston, he would always be scrutinized and despised throughout the league. IMHO, it would be wise to stay put and trust that Riley will assemble parts around him. The only other team that he should even consider would be the Cavs. Joining anyone else may really destroy his legacy.
I'm not saying we shouldn't try but lets be realistic here. We have a much better shot at Melo than we do LBJ. I don't see LeBron going anywhere unless its back to Ohio, but even that is a long shot.
I don't think so really, they said that when he left Cleveland but once the titles started coming, no one cared anymore. If he wants a shot at 5 or 6 championships, he needs to leave Miami because Bosh and Wade aren't getting it done anymore and there's no money to improve the team. He doesn't want to be 2 years older with nothing to show for it so I think it's a real possibility that he leaves. The real question becomes where would he go? There is a good argument for joining an up and coming Cavs squad to make a homecoming and work with the young talent there, but Houston has to be in the mix. The Rockets would be the instant favorite to win the next several championships if they added Lebron to Harden and Howard. In the end, idiots are going to judge him based on how many "ringz" he has, he might as well get in a position to win as many as possible.
