[The Basketball Jones] Does Lebron James want to trade Chris Bosh for Chris Paul?

[Carl Herrera]

http://blogs.thescore.com/tbj/2010/0...or-chris-paul/

By now, you may have already heard that ESPNLosAngeles.com pulled an article by Arash Markazi they posted this morning about what it’s like to party with LeBron James. Most of the story — which has been screencapped on Deadspin — seems pretty innocuous. It reveals LeBron to be your standard A-List celeb with all the hangers-on and the sense of entitlement we’ve come to expect. Why did the story get pulled? My guess is that it was because of these two paragraphs, which make the unattributed claim that LeBron really wants to team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul. Seated to the right of James is Chris Paul, whose brother, C.J., is seated across from him. The New Orleans Hornets point guard has seen how James has positioned himself to win a championship by signing with the Miami Heat and joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and has reportedly considered a similar move himself. The truth is, in James’ dream world, the duo he would love to play with for the next decade would be Wade and Paul, his two closest friends in the NBA. Paul has been like a brother to James since the two were in Las Vegas four years ago for USA Basketball training camp, when as a rookie he carried James’ and Wade’s bags to and from the team bus. This is an interesting and potentially explosive claim by Markazi, since it implies that Bosh isn’t part of LeBron’s closest circle of friends and may not factor into his long-term plans. Say what you want about whether or not a LeBron-Wade-Bosh trio is a more potent combo than LeBron-Wade-Paul, but it’s become evident that LeBron wants things done his way all the time — regardless of whether or not it’s the best way. Considering that Paul isn’t happy in New Orleans, Markazi’s claim suggests a potential scenario where the Heat could offer Bosh in a trade for Paul at some point in the future. The Hornets may not be crazy about that offer since their second-best player, David West, plays the same position as Bosh. On the other hand, they’re probably not going to get offered a better player in return for Paul, and West could certainly be traded elsewhere. This is all speculation piled upon speculation – but if you think it sounds too crazy, wouldn’t you have thought the idea of LeBron, Wade and Bosh all playing together in Miami was crazy a few months ago? That ESPN story got killed for a reason, and you can be pretty sure that somebody in LeBron’s camp had something to do with it. If I’m Chris Bosh, I’m not feeling too secure with my place next to the throne right now. A couple of related facts in closing: The NBA issued a memo to all the teams yesterday stating that “no team should be having communications with Chris Paul or his agent or representative about a potential trade for Paul that have not been authorized in advance by the New Orleans Hornets” and threatens penalties for any such communications that could potentially include “suspension of the offending person, prohibition of the offending team from hiring the person being tampered with, forfeiture of draft picks and individual and/or team fines of up to $5 million.” As for the Heat’s ability to trade Bosh, the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement states that a player can’t be traded until three months after signing a contract or December 15th of that season, whichever is later.

Hmmm... I speculated the same. Would be delicious.

[ASidd_1990]

I think a Wade-LeBron-Bosh trio is better than a Paul-Wade-LeBron trio do to the simple fact that all three of them need the ball to be effect. Paul, Wade and LeBron are not good catch and shoot guys, while Bosh is and he has the size advantage.

[tofu--]

Originally Posted by ASidd_1990 I think a Wade-LeBron-Bosh trio is better than a Paul-Wade-LeBron trio do to the simple fact that all three of them need the ball to be effect. Paul, Wade and LeBron are not good catch and shoot guys, while Bosh is and he has the size advantage.

Lebron built the Cavs roster and we saw how bad that was. You think he knows what's an effective team and what's not?

He's like MJ as a GM/scout in terms of power and effectiveness-- except he's still playing.

[thetatomatis]

Bosh looks already unwanted and already somewhat forgotten. Everyones talking about Wade and Lebron now. Bosh fades into his Steve Kerr role. Wade and Lebron are already Pippen and Jordan.

[t_mac1]

Originally Posted by tofu-- Lebron built the Cavs roster and we saw how bad that was. You think he knows what's an effective team and what's not? He's like MJ as a GM/scout in terms of power and effectiveness-- except he's still playing.

ANOTHER speculation in regards to lebron that had been debunked.

there were articles and quotes by GMs who claim lebron wasn't involved at all in cavs' players movements

love how all these speculations are coming out. lebron is like gossip galore for the tabloids.

[ASidd_1990]

Originally Posted by t_mac1 ANOTHER speculation in regards to lebron that had been debunked. there were articles and quotes by GMs who claim lebron wasn't involved at all in cavs' players movements love how all these speculations are coming out. lebron is like gossip galore for the tabloids.

He was the one who pushed management to get Ben Wallace, Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, Damon James, and a few other past their prime players.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by t_mac1 ANOTHER speculation in regards to lebron that had been debunked. there were articles and quotes by GMs who claim lebron wasn't involved at all in cavs' players movements love how all these speculations are coming out. lebron is like gossip galore for the tabloids.

Weekly Post-Ups

With a little more than two weeks to go before the Feb. 18 trade deadline, the chatter is starting to pick up. Here’s the latest trade buzz culled from conversations with team executives, agents, and others in the know: • It’s been well documented that the Cavaliers’ infatuation with Antawn Jamison has been rekindled. What’s been underplayed is the reason behind it: LeBron James is the one driving the team’s pursuit of Jamison, according to a source, and Cavs GM Danny Ferry – as usual – is trying to appease the King. A couple of problems: The Wizards want a young asset in return, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas – while a fit salary-wise – doesn’t fit that description. The sensible piece to include in the deal would be J.J. Hickson, whom the Cavs are reluctant to give up. But if the Cavs got Jamison, what value would Hickson be to them as their fifth big man? One scenario that is believed to be under discussion would have the Cavs hoping the Wizards bought out Ilgauskas after the trade, using some cash added to the deal by Cleveland. That way, the Cavs could sign Ilgauskas back on a minimum deal, giving them the player James covets (Jamison) and a 7-foot-4 insurance policy for Shaquille O’Neal. The Wizards would have to ask themselves if getting out from under Jamison’s contract and adding Hickson is enough to justify a deal that would get them under the tax next summer, but not under the cap.

[vinsensual]

But Paul's supposed to stay in the west to manufacture the league's newest rivalry?

[rezdawg]

Originally Posted by t_mac1 ANOTHER speculation in regards to lebron that had been debunked. there were articles and quotes by GMs who claim lebron wasn't involved at all in cavs' players movements

Its actually quite the opposite...i thought it was pretty common knowledge.

[Carl Herrera]

Originally Posted by t_mac1 ANOTHER speculation in regards to lebron that had been debunked. there were articles and quotes by GMs who claim lebron wasn't involved at all in cavs' players movements love how all these speculations are coming out. lebron is like gossip galore for the tabloids.

What articles with what quotes by what GMs? How would they have inside knowledget of how Cavs front office works?

[Octavianus]

Originally Posted by Carl Herrera What articles with what quotes by what GMs? How would they have inside knowledget of how Cavs front office works?

http://twitter.com/PDcavsinsider/status/18401155495

LeBron James has been very active in his attempts to recruit players to come play for the Heat.

"LeBron has done more recruiting in the last five days than he did in the last three years," said one Western Conference executive.

James acted like a bystander during most of his time with the Cavaliers, most notably declining to give a commitment to free agent Trevor Ariza during the summer of 2009.

[Octavianus]

Originally Posted by ASidd_1990 He was the one who pushed management to get Ben Wallace, Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, Damon James, and a few other past their prime players.

Have you any proof of this? Articles? Or you just making up stuff?

[roslolian]

Originally Posted by Octavianus http://twitter.com/PDcavsinsider/status/18401155495 LeBron James has been very active in his attempts to recruit players to come play for the Heat. "LeBron has done more recruiting in the last five days than he did in the last three years," said one Western Conference executive. James acted like a bystander during most of his time with the Cavaliers, most notably declining to give a commitment to free agent Trevor Ariza during the summer of 2009.

LOL considering "pdcavsinsider" is way more reliable than any article some beat writer not in the know can come up with, I'd say this is really what happened. As usual, haters will hate

Back on topic, I hope the Heat trades Bosh to NO and forces him to play center. That way we can play Bosh 4x a season, and remind him every year what he turned down

[saleem]

Originally Posted by roslolian LOL considering "pdcavsinsider" is way more reliable than any article some beat writer not in the know can come up with, I'd say this is really what happened. As usual, haters will hate Back on topic, I hope the Heat trades Bosh to NO and forces him to play center. That way we can play Bosh 4x a season, and remind him every year what he turned down

That would be funny. Beating Bosh and West 4 times a year would be really nice.

[jopatmc]

I think everybody is forgetting how close Wade and Bosh are. If anything, we should wait and see if any kind of riff comes up between Lebron and the other two. If it does, Lebron could be the one traded to the West to team up with Paul somewhere over here.

[DdotConrad503]

Originally Posted by roslolian LOL considering "pdcavsinsider" is way more reliable than any article some beat writer not in the know can come up with, I'd say this is really what happened. As usual, haters will hate Back on topic, I hope the Heat trades Bosh to NO and forces him to play center. That way we can play Bosh 4x a season, and remind him every year what he turned down

that would be epic

[QdoubleA]

Originally Posted by ASidd_1990 I think a Wade-LeBron-Bosh trio is better than a Paul-Wade-LeBron trio do to the simple fact that all three of them need the ball to be effect. Paul, Wade and LeBron are not good catch and shoot guys, while Bosh is and he has the size advantage.

I see "____ needs the ball in their hand to be effective" thrown around a lot. What exactly does that mean, and whats an example of a player who doesn't need the ball in their hand to be effective? Not being an ahole, I really don't know.

[roslolian]

Originally Posted by QdoubleA I see "____ needs the ball in their hand to be effective" thrown around a lot. What exactly does that mean, and whats an example of a player who doesn't need the ball in their hand to be effective? Not being an ahole, I really don't know.

I guess he's talking about guys like Ben Wallace? Maybe Jason Kapono,Bruce Bowen, Shane Battier...those type of guys.

My rebuttal to that is always team USA.

[Carl Herrera]

Originally Posted by Octavianus http://twitter.com/PDcavsinsider/status/18401155495 LeBron James has been very active in his attempts to recruit players to come play for the Heat. "LeBron has done more recruiting in the last five days than he did in the last three years," said one Western Conference executive. James acted like a bystander during most of his time with the Cavaliers, most notably declining to give a commitment to free agent Trevor Ariza during the summer of 2009.

Do you know the difference between "recruiting" and being "involved... in cavs' players movements"?

[nbalopez23]

just watch the miami heat fail and bosh only averagein 10 ppg cause wade and LBJ just takin it away from him than his ego fail them from championship than wishes he could of join the rockets but his dumb ass will figure it out 1 day