[Amick] LeBron James' free agency: Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul or Paul George could sway decision

https://www.tmz.com/2018/06/25/willie-cauley-stein-lebron-james-lakers/

 

Interesting after they initially reported a list of teams he'd meet with.

 

How much is Ryan Anderson getting paid again???

 

Really praying this dude opts in.

 

I will thoroughly enjoy watching Chris and James defeat their second round opponent while Lebron has to play GSW in the second round.

 

Hopefully.

Look- Lebron to the Lakers, on some level is good for us (not as good as Lebron to us of course) if we blow it out and get the 1 seed again. Anything to beat the Warriors up (or give them a chance at an L) is positive.

I don't know, maybe after 4 finals runs in a row and all the lethargy associated with this season, the dubs decide they are going to go balls to the wall, on some creaky legs, to garner the 1 seed but I'd sort of bet against it. Curry's ankles are made out of play-doh, they likely want to manage his minutes, and they aren't a particularly deep team and I don't see much of an avenue, with where they are at in the luxury tax situation, and getting ready to pay KD the max, finally, for them to improve that.

Harden, D'antoni and the rest of the Rockets are a regular season machine (not Chris Paul, obviously). There's enough fresh legs and hunger there, that adding another piece, I'd expect to see Houston win 65 or so and have a relatively easy 2nd round series against Utah or New Orleans or something like that while the Dubs and Lakers with Lebron and George have a heavy weight fight. If that happens it could be the edge that would tilt a razor thin series.

Then, if you can't get past the Warriors next year with all that in place I guess you get to blow it up at that point in time.

Obviously rather have Lebron come here, but him creating another legit squad out west that goes hunting for the Warriors isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world for the local team (provided they can stay out of the Warriors way until the WCF).

 

Or they get the 4th/5th seed and have to play us in the second round if we get the first. Way too early to worried about standings.. with health, the Rockets should battle for the first seed again. Houston has to get the first seed again to have another legitimate chance.

 

i anticipate a lot more focus on health instead of the #1 seed next year so unfortunately meaning alot more *rest* games for hou's older team that adds another year under their belt. By now they realize they can win on the road to win a championship which is actually what you need to do anyways, so it should no longer be their first priority.

 

Nah, you need home court against the dubs to have any chance. You can say that the Rockets can win on the road- which is true as they did it last year- but you just aren't going to be perfect at home against them- so home court gives you the ability to drop one and only have to steal one. Playing them to 2-2 at Oracle just isn't going to happen. No way.

Also, Paul rested plenty last regular season. Harden missed 7 games. Gorden and Anderson missed games. This is not a team of a bunch of old guys on their last legs that need to rest a lot- really that's only CP3 and Ariza in the rotation that you have to worry too terribly much about there.

When the FO picks up another piece to go with the run it back group that will help reduce some minutes as well.

As for Lebron Lakers I just don't see anyone good enough to get into the top 3 ahead of them.

Attrition is our friend is the point I'm trying to make. It will be nice this year to have some other team out west that doesn't roll over and expose their belly for Golden State. This year we were the only team that played that role and it maxed them out- I welcome someone else coming for them next year to see if we can end up with a crack in their armor that can be exploited.

Not saying it guarantees us anything, just that it doesn't hurt.

 

I agree that the Rockets do not need to swing for the fences, but the reality of the finances is that if the Rockets bring back the same team they are going to be very very limited in the moves they can make going forward and the finances are such that the owner may not be agreeable to paying the luxury tax long term and possibly the repeater tax. As a result I do believe there is pressure on the Rockets to make improvements prior to resigning all their own free agents or seeing who they can and cannot afford to lose. Obviously Ryan Anderson is the largest domino from the Rockets perspective, but other than the Howard deal, I have seen nothing that leads me to believe that Anderson is movable without a severe cost. The Mavericks gave up their own #1 next year rather than deal one bad year of salary for two. The Suns are trying to move salary now, same with the Thunder, Lakers and a number of other teams.

I am not saying nothing will happen, but it takes two to dance and this is going to require all the creativity and persistence of Morey that he has. Sometimes it just doesn't happen..... we saw that after we lost Parsons, and Bosh. If nothing happens the Rockets have to decide if they are good enough to be locked into this group the next 3-4 years. Paul, Capela and Ariza all are going to want to be paid what they are worth on the open market.

 

no you dont. the rockets lost hca from the beginning and they still came back to take a 3-2 series lead. sure its nice to have it but setting a priority to get the #1 seed for a team up in age isn't logical

 

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23901665/lebron-james-want-hear-big-pitches-make-decision

ESPN citing that LeBron doesn’t want to have a free agency tour.

I think he’s going to sit down with Dan Gilbert out of respect and either sign a 1+1 with them or go to the Lakers.

It feels like his mind is already make up and unfortunately, I really don’t think we’re in play.

 

Two wrongs don’t make a right... the thing that scares me is if we sign CP3 to a 4-5 year max we re essentially stuck with the team we have for the next 3-5 years and I’m worried if CP3 can’t stay healthy we will have wasted Hardems prime.

 

I don't care what kind of pitch these teams come up with, these players want to win championships and they're tired of Golden State. Houston is the best option.

 

That’s Houston Rockets basketball though.

We went through that with Yao and Tracy.

The window will be open and TBH you need injury luck to win a title. The Warriors have won every title because of injuries to other teams players

 

If LeBron is more interested in having his family become the next version of the Kardashians than actually putting himself in the best situation to winn championships, he deserves what he gets. Plus, it’s not like he can’t have such entertainment ventures after he retires.

Sure, a team led by himself and PG13 will be competitive and win 50 plus games in the West, but as currently constructed, they aren’t anywhere close to beating Golden State. They only way that changes is if the Spurs relent on trading Kawhi to the Lakers.

 

The Rockets have no way to replace CP3 this year or next. Even if they let all of their free agents walk, they only create about 18 million in cap space, losing CP3, Capela, Ariza, Luc, etc in the process. That isn’t enough to get max salary caliber player. As for trade assets, the best one they have is Clint Capela and he’s a restricted free agent this offseason. Anderson and Gordon’s deals don’t come off the books until the 2020 offseason.

The best option for the Rockets is to bring CP3 back, unless you want a team of James Harden and little around him.

 

Whys that lol worthy?

He owest gilbert that respect imo.