[Mannix] If Rox get Melo, Lebron could go to Houston

And they will. One year sacrifice by Paul and Melo gets it done.

The only factors that will stop it is

1. If Cleveland makes a magical move and pulls it together and tops the Warriors this coming season. I don't see this happening. I think the Cavs have screwed themselves over. But they could go radical and move Kyrie for a kings random or pull off the melo/love swap and make magic happen.

If the Cavs win the championship next season it is going to be difficult for LeBron to walk on them.

2. If we win a championship without LeBron it presents LeBron with a difficult decision as well. Durant walked to a team that lost the Finals. Would LeBron walk to a team that won the Finals? What would that say about future championships he wins and his legacy if he joined a team that had just won the championship without him? It would be quite a conundrum for him to choose to come here under those circumstances.

Personally speaking..........just my preference here........I still prefer the Spurs model. Drafting the right players. Developing the right players. Developing them to superstar status. Mixing effective trades and efficient signings of role players along with positioning ourselves to acquire a secondary superstar. And keeping the roster mixed with good, hard-working, developing youngsters behind the franchise cornerstones with the younger developed guys replacing the older guys in status and role while the older guys fade into the background and become outstanding complimentary pieces to the team. Which helps the team to remain championship competitive for decades. I like how the Spurs do things. I really don't like so much all these superstars ganging up together. But this is the LeBron rules. He started it in Miami. This is how the NBA operates today to a large degree. And we obviously do not have the ability to develop our young talent the way the Spurs do. We don't make decisions on our youngsters as quickly as they do. And we don't develop their skill sets the way the Spurs do. The truth is the Spurs organization is simply unique on the NBA landscape.

The Warriors are unique as well. They have been fantastic in the draft. Perhaps the best in the draft over the last ten years. And they blended their stellar drafting with stellar cap management and produced the juggernaut they are.

Morey has been outstanding too considering the mitigating factors here, an owner that has meddled in player transactions and forced things such as the Jeremy Lin signing, the insistence on fighting for the last playoff spot in 2016 instead of letting us go to the lottery, and his insistence on always competing for a playoff birth even when we should have broken it down and rebuilt on the fly with a lottery pick, and meddling in coaching hirings and firings. No other GM in the league has had to work with those interferences and limitations. Morey deserves all his props. (I criticize him on our draft choices sometimes but that's about it.)

And this is probably the best we can do under all those circumstances. I'll take it. Get Melo and Lebron in here and let's watch some great basketball.

 

Fake news.

 

I wish Mannix hadn't put this article out there. It implies that LeBron would play here in 2018-19 for a token amount of money (compared to what he could earn elsewhere) in order to win another title. Fine, wonderful, we can dream (I won't hold my breath on this one); but we would have to get Carmelo first, which hasn't happened, obviously. Just another reason for other teams to put the squeeze on us in acquiring Melo, just to get a click bait article out there.

 

True. Many people forget the Lakers super team that added Payton and Malone that ultimately couldn't close seal the deal. Of course, they were much more advanced in age, but still good players.

 

DWade will most definitely not remain a Bull. He's saying all the right things. A player of his caliber/age isn't going to waste the last of his legs on a reboot in Chicago. This is known.

But he jumped back in to that 20+ milli, so now it's a bit more complicated. No worries.

 

nba lost money this past playoffs because cavs and warriors cakewalked into finals and not that many playoff games were played. thats why the cap for this season is lower than what they predicted because of low quantity of playoffs games by warriors and cavs. not just against each other but in general both team combined only lost like 1 game to get to finals and the finals was decided in 5 games.

 

I'm pretty sure he makes bank on investments and ad money - more than double his yrly salary.

He is worth 400-500 million

Pretty sure his legacy (# of titles/ opportunity to chase titles in ur twilight yrs) takes priority over owning a team, which would still be possible if he takes a pay cut. I hope his car is not repossessed- yikes.

 

thanks @Codman for saying all the right things. Not surprised Wade took the money, I think he was never the highest paid player on his team ever throughout his career which was a big thing for him when he was trying to re-sign with Miami and Riles said no.

Right now I feel that if Wade is bought out (IMO he should be) it would be closer to the deadline or into the season I think the Bulls will have him there at the start of the season to see how it works with LaVine and Dunn. The biggest question is how much will Wade 'mail it in' He generally has always been on a team that competed for playoffs or had direction (even that one horrid season in Miami was needed for the LBJ/Bosh signings) Right now the Bulls IMO will not contend for a playoff spot next year and certainly there is no direction right now for them. Or if the direction is to rebuild I dont believe Wade wants to be on a rebuilding team at this juncture of his career especially when his friends/peers are all competing for a title (assuming Melo comes to the Rockets)

With a Wade buyout though I dont know where he would fit in the Rockets rotation though - Backup PG? He can play PG but that would be the issue, of course with a guy with his skill and experience he will get enough minutes to where he can be useful and not harmful, but he would have to accept coming off the bench

 

There is also the chance that CP3, melo (if he comes), both leave to meet up with Lebron on some other team.

 

Capela is NOT another Anderson. He is a tall, athletic big who plays above the rim and can run the floor. He WILL get paid at least $20 million. That's the going rate these days. Big men are always paid a premium.

As others and I have pointed out in Banana Boat threads, the Rockets DO NOT have any cap space in 2018 under any scenario.

Here's quick breakdown:

2018 Guaranteed Salary:
Harden: $30,421,854
Gordon: $13,500,375
Tucker: $7,742,193
Nene: $3,651,480
Onuaku: $1,544,951
Total Salary: $56,860,853

Cap Holds:
Anthony: $39,365,640
Paul: $39,133,697
Ariza: $12,868,634
Capela: $5,836,320
Total Cap Holds: $97,204,291

Total Cap Figure: $154,065,144
Projected Salary Cap: $103,000,000
Cap Room: -$51,065,144

There is no way to get under the cap to make enough room to sign LeBron outright.

Even if Paul and Anthony were to agree to take a pay cut at steep discount rate of say 50% of most recent salary:

Anthony: $13,121,880
Paul: $12,299,730
+
Harden: $30,421,854
Gordon: $13,500,375
Tucker: $7,742,193
Nene: $3,651,480
Onuaku: $1,544,951
Total Salary: $82,282,463.

Then, you have the cap holds. Say Ariza agrees to a veteran discount of $8 million, which is the same as what he currently makes, then Capela still needs to get paid around $12 million at the lowest possible qualifying offer.

That would only put the Rockets right at the salary of cap of $103 million.

Again, as I have demonstrated, the Rockets DO NOT have cap space in 2018 under any scenario even with Paul and Carmelo taking huge pay cuts.

The only feasible way to add LeBron is how I described in my earlier post, via trade. Now, you can work out the particulars of that trade in different ways. Mine involves Gordon + Capela, but as you have correctly pointed the base year clause would be a factor, but I'm sure Morey could work out more salary fillers to make it match.

Hope this help clarify the cap situation for Banana Boat Party 2018.

 

Golden State made everybody lose there f***ing mind and consider Durant was the only b**** piece, management must be pretty proud of themselves.

 

If we end up having a real chance of getting LBJ, we will definitely be dumping Ego and Ariza/Tucker. With LBJ joining, we can move Melo to the bench as the 6th man and taking Ego's role. LBJ's D will also make one of Ariza or Tucker completely redundant and at their caps, one of them will have to to go.

 

Haha... Melo is not dying to join the Rockets just so he could be a bench player.

The starting lineup is still going to be like... Paul, Harden, LeBron, Melo, Nene.

Also, Ariza and Tucker are an absolute must have against the Warriors' small lineup.

Paul vs. Curry
Harden vs. Thompson
Ariza-Tucker vs. Iguodala
Lebron vs. Durant
Melo vs. Green

Now, you can switch on defense every time and not break a sweat.

 

too old, doesn't fit in our offense, can't shoot 3s

 

why not bring back the whole crew?

Paul
Harden
Lebron
Melo
Bosh

 

lebron james doesn't fit an offense. wow

 

Plus there's only one ball.

 

#6 is available right? I know #23 was Calvins and retired, but i think 6 is open. Funny thing is Calvin would probably tell them to unretire 23 and give it to Lebron.

Anyway, yeah. I'm convinced. It's happening. I don't see DWade coming to Houston if he is bought out this season though.

Cavs aren't winning it, so Bron has no reason to stay after delivering his promise to them. Were not winning it all this year so that won't stop Lebron either b/c he would be vilified for joining the champs.
I don't think it matters even if we end up losing to SA or OKC before even getting to play GS. I think the point is that LeBron just wants to play with his 2 great friends and close out his career with them. Bron, CP3, Wade, Melo were the original "lets play together one day" dream. It'll happen. Something insanely unlucky has to happen for us to lose the chance to bring them all together here in Houston though.