"Almost certain that Lebron will NOT return to Cleveland"

RudyTBag · Jun 23, 2010

http://twitter.com/jalenrose/status/16855852190

"(Bulls, Heat, Clippers)"

Clippers would be awesome!!! :grin:

J.R. · Jun 23, 2010

I cant see him going to the LAC. No way. Well he could but...
Bulls I could see.
Heat I could see with Wade. Bosh would def. try to get involved in this.

HTown_TMac · Jun 23, 2010

smh @ those being the teams he want to be apart, if true. No legacy for him (maybe for the clips) even though he'll be in LA where Kobe runs things

J.R. · Jun 23, 2010

hsf09 said:

I cant see him going to the LAC. No way. Well he could but...
Bulls I could see.
Heat I could see with Wade. Bosh would def. try to get involved in this.
Click to expand...

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insi...ns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=Heat-100621

In recent weeks, I've detailed how the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets will make their respective pitches to LeBron when July 1 arrives, provided LBJ chooses to opt out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers and look around at his options.

Today, we're heading south to one of the most intriguing potential destinations for King James: the Miami Heat.

While the Knicks and Nets have cleaned house for LeBron, no team has quite done it the way Miami has. On July 1, Miami will have just three guaranteed contracts on its books and a whopping $41 million to spend. The fact that one of the players whose contracts is expiring is Dwyane Wade makes the Heat's scenario all the more interesting.

When Heat president Pat Riley makes his pitch to LeBron this summer, what will he say?

1. "We can create a Dream Team in Miami."

In November, I spoke to a Heat source who put forth an idea that sounded compelling though farfetched: Miami could team Wade with LeBron and Chris Bosh this summer. I detailed the possible scenarios here, but let's review with updated salary-cap numbers given the league's new projections of a $56.1 million cap.

Assuming the Heat re-sign Wade for the max, the team would have $23 million in cap room left this summer. That certainly would not be enough to sign both Bosh and LeBron without each player taking a significant pay cut (each player should be able to earn a max starting salary of $16.5 million). But there are at least three ways to make it happen.

Plan A: The Heat could engage in a sign-and-trade for LeBron or Bosh, most likely Bosh. Sign-and-trades are notoriously difficult to pull off. But they aren't impossible.

If Bosh and the Raptors would cooperate, for instance, the Heat could send Michael Beasley and Daequan Cook and return Toronto's No. 1 pick (owned by Miami) to the Raptors and slide Bosh in under the cap at a starting salary of around $13.5 million.

Of course, we know Bosh is unlikely to agree to a deal that starts at $13.5 million, especially if Wade and James are getting $16.5 million. But what if all three players -- close friends from Team USA -- decide to take a small pay cut to play together? If James and Wade both were to agree to a starting salary of $15.5 million, the Heat could offer Bosh $15.5 million as well.

Plan B: Another way for the Heat to make the acquisition of James and Bosh more plausible -- without the help of the Raptors -- would be to clear more cap space. For instance, they could trade Beasley and Cook to teams that have enough cap space to take on their contracts.

A number of teams will be under the salary cap, and most of them do not have a realistic shot at LeBron, Wade or Bosh. Would they be willing to use some of their money to acquire a player with Beasley's upside? What about a shooter like Cook? Even James Jones could hold some appeal for veteran teams.

Plan C: The last scenario might be the most farfetched because it would require three superstars to take a sizable pay cut. In this scenario, each player would take considerably less than market value in an attempt to leave the Heat enough wiggle room to retain Beasley and/or sign or trade for other supporting free agents in the summer.

How much of a pay cut would it take? If LeBron, Wade and Bosh all agreed to a starting salary of $14 million, the team would be able to keep Beasley and could just waive James Jones. Keeping Beasley on the roster would bolster the supporting cast, but the Heat would still be looking at filling out the roster with a number of players at the league minimum.

If the threesome agreed to a starting salary of $12 million per year, the Heat would have around $6 million in cap room to sign additional free agents. In that case, if they also moved Beasley, they could have around $11 million in cap room to sign role players.

Of the three scenarios, the first is the most likely. As I've reported, the Raptors are open to a sign-and-trade and the Cavs may be too if they know LeBron is going to walk.

So the question really is: Do Wade, LeBron and Bosh want to play together, and, if so, how much?

On the surface the answer seems obvious. They are all friends, have been teammates on Team USA and in the All-Star Game and, together, would headline the most formidable team in the league.

But there are other considerations. Going this route would force the Heat to sign a lot of role players to minimum contracts, weakening the team's bench. It also would eliminate something that LeBron and Wade both seem to enjoy -- playing against each other at the highest level. And finally, while Bosh's game would mesh with both LeBron's and Wade's, less clear is how Bron and Wade would play together. Each excels with the ball in his hands, so with both of them on the floor, there might be a shortage of touches.
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2. "There's more than one way to create a Dream Team."

Riley's pitch to LeBron won't just be about the above scenario, because there's a good chance Bosh prefers the Lakers or has other options in mind.

Even so, the Heat would love to start with a foundation of Wade and James -- and could build on it in a lot of different ways, starting with Michael Beasley.

While the No. 2 pick in the 2008 draft hasn't quite lived up to expectations, he's still developing as a player. Beasley, who turned 21 in January, averaged 14.8 ppg and 6.4 rpg in his sophomore NBA season. He has tremendous gifts, especially on the offensive end, and if he ever gets his act together, he could be a star.

Also, Daequan Cook is a proven 3-point sniper, though he struggled with injuries and seemed to lose his shooting touch last season. As someone who can spread the floor with Wade and LeBron in the game, he could be valuable. And Mario Chalmers, while far from being an ideal starting point guard, is solid coming off the bench.

If the Heat signed Wade and LeBron to max contracts, they'd also still have between $5 million and $6 million in cap room to add another piece to the puzzle.

Or they could explore sign-and-trade scenarios that could land Amare Stoudemire or Carlos Boozer in Miami.

The team also has the 18th pick in this year's draft, where we currently have the Heat selecting Kentucky point guard Eric Bledsoe.

No matter what happens, the Heat will have to be smart and add a number of veterans at the minimum. But with Wade and LeBron on their roster, they should have a pretty easy time recruiting them.
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3. "The South Beach Special"

Riley can also sell LeBron on location. Miami's South Beach is widely regarded by NBA players as a premier destination. The city, beach, nightlife and all-around lifestyle have made Miami an NBA favorite for years, and LeBron is one of its admirers.

Florida is also popular among NBA players because there is no state tax. In 2009, NBA reporter Sam Smith had a tax expert calculate that a player making max money would save around $500,000 per year by playing in Florida. Over the course of a six-year deal, a player would save $3 million in taxes. In other words, just playing in Florida would offset some of the lost income if LeBron and/or others decided to take less than the max to play for the Heat.
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4. "We are a five-star organization."

Expect the Heat to sell LeBron on the organization itself. Micky Arison is one of the most respected owners in the league and has never been afraid to spend or make a big move.

Riley also will be a big factor. Having won multiple championship rings in Los Angeles and Miami, he has as much credibility as any executive in the league. And he's had his greatest success coaching superstars, including Magic Johnson and Kareem in L.A., Patrick Ewing in New York, and Shaquille O'Neal and Wade in Miami, giving him a unique reputation both as a coach and a team president.

Although Riley has been running the Heat from upstairs since 2007, part of his pitch to LeBron & Co. could be a return to the sidelines -- Riley himself has opened the door to that possibility in recent weeks. As we all recall, in 2005 he moved down to coach Wade and Shaq and delivered a championship that season.

If that's what it takes to bring LeBron to Miami, then Riley the executive might just hire Riley the coach one more time.
Click to expand...

Ziggy · Jun 23, 2010

hsf09 said:

I cant see him going to the LAC. No way. Well he could but...
Bulls I could see.
Heat I could see with Wade. Bosh would def. try to get involved in this.
Click to expand...

LAC is the perfect spot. You are a hero to those fans, you are a hero to the world as you transform a franchise, you are a hero for jumping into a 5yr (minimum) cage match with the Lakers, and you are a villain in that city as well - for trying to dethrone their beloved team. Its an epic role. Hopefully he takes it and doesn't wind up doing Wild Wild West.

HeWhoIsLunchbox · Jun 23, 2010

Is Jalen Rose really a reliable source of information?

MrButtocks · Jun 23, 2010

HTown_TMac said:

smh @ those being the teams he want to be apart, if true. No legacy for him (maybe for the clips) even though he'll be in LA where Kobe runs things
Click to expand...

Why not? Kobe built his legacy in LA despite living in Magic's shadow all these years.

RoxSqaud · Jun 23, 2010

Go to the bulls.

Then everybody can compare Lebron to Mike.

sbyang · Jun 23, 2010

It is ALMOST CERTAIN that JALEN ROSE is FULL OF CRAP.

Dave_78 · Jun 23, 2010

It would be interesting which power would prevail if Lebron went to the Clips. Would Lebron's greatness win out or would the curse of the Clipper franchise overpower? My money is on the Clipper curse. Lebron will blow out his achilles within 30 games if he goes to LA.

tiger0330 · Jun 23, 2010

We'll see when he goes on his Lebron tour starting July 1. If he visits LA, I guess it means they're in the running. If he's going to a losing franchise why aren't the Knicks mentioned, granted they don't have the players that LA has but that would be a mammoth plus on his resume if he turned around that franchise.

DCHAMP · Jun 23, 2010

i think that he will return to cleveland

The_Yoyo · Jun 23, 2010

its a lock now he will return

how jalen rose as a job as an analyst/expert is just beyond me he cant even look into the right camera when talking

RV6 · Jun 23, 2010

The only problem with the clips is their reputation....but they are in a great city/market and have a good deal of talent. when you add Lebron to the mix it makes them interesting, but i dont see championship contender...

Davis
lebron
Aminou?
Griffin
Kaman

Personally i'd have them take Babbitt instead, they need a shooter next to lebron...but of course they won't know ahead of time what Lebron will do...

I think he'll end up in chicago if Rose is correct, makes the most sense when it comes to winning a ring

hokage5 · Jun 23, 2010

It's Jalen Rose, he's never really been a breaking news type of guy. I still think Cleveland is the frontrunner.

tinman · Jun 23, 2010

Dave_78 said:

It would be interesting which power would prevail if Lebron went to the Clips. Would Lebron's greatness win out or would the curse of the Clipper franchise overpower? My money is on the Clipper curse. Lebron will blow out his achilles within 30 games if he goes to LA.
Click to expand...

Cassell and Cuttino broke that curse, they won more playoff series than the Yao-Tmac Rockets

conundrum · Jun 23, 2010

tinman said:

Cassell and Cuttino broke that curse, they won more playoff series than the Yao-Tmac Rockets
Click to expand...

Ouch, you didnt have to go their!

alverwi · Jun 23, 2010

I heard Stephen A Smith report this morning on ESPN radio that the NY had emerged as the frontrunner. He estimated 65% that he leaves for NY.

brian_chapman · Jun 23, 2010

Obama is psychic

Since he has been in office: ask who will win ncaa tourny before it started he said North Carolina- bingo

asked super bowl winner he says Steelers-bingo, asked world series -yankees bingo-

asked nba champion during first round, he says lakers- bingo

asked between colts and saints, everyone picks colts,obama picks saints-bingo

asked where lebron should play -says chicago with big smile on his face-he knows it thats why

RoxSqaud · Jun 23, 2010

brian_chapman said:

Obama is psychic

Since he has been in office: ask who will win ncaa tourny before it started he said North Carolina- bingo

asked super bowl winner he says Steelers-bingo, asked world series -yankees bingo-

asked nba champion during first round, he says lakers- bingo

asked between colts and saints, everyone picks colts,obama picks saints-bingo

asked where lebron should play -says chicago with big smile on his face-he knows it thats why
Click to expand...

He should play bingo.

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"Almost certain that Lebron will NOT return to Cleveland"

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