[ClutchFans] Potential Rocket Profile: LeBron James

https://twitter.com/thedocrocket/status/479822614286712832

 

@Thedocrocket: In 1 corner...In the other corner...& in the other corner.... DING DING! I think @dmorey might be Ricky Bobby's daddy! Ah, the good life!

 

Miller did that cause he's a FA next season. He was milking his time in Miami.

 

Sam Amick:

This summer, can they land another big free agent?

Not easy. All out of a race with the Bulls for 'Melo and both teams have to swing deals to make it happen. They have to get rid of Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin. Easier than last year. Get enough under the cap, it's a matter of convincing 'Melo or some other guy. They're going big and not scratching anyone off the list. If not in Miami, they feel Houston is the spot. They'll pitch him. If LeBron leaves, they feel Bosh will be there.

http://www.sportstalkflorida.com/miami-heat-end-big-three/

Why not LeBron James (for Houston)?

Only LeBron knows what's on his mind and what he's thinking. The Houston Rockets, they may not be optimistic but they do feel if he leaves Miami and focus is on championships, they feel they are the best spot for him. We shall see. Pat went hard today. I had a rival GM kinda tell me, you gotta wonder, does that scare LeBron away or have the opposite of the desired effect? I'm curious to see how LeBron reacts to that. ... He'll open himself up again, especially if he goes to Houston. You have a guy like Dwight, who has plenty of critics in his own right and James Harden, who has never won a title like Dwight. It would be a challenge there as well. He has a lot to chew on right now.

Carmelo Anthony?

He'll take some hits because he forced his way to NY. The Knicks did well to get Phil Jackson. They're trying to convince him to stay but looking at the roster, hard to blame Carmelo for looking around. He'll have to wait at least a year in New York. It seems like 'Melo's patience is running thin. Houston and Chicago are on his short list. Chicago, how worried is he about Rose? Rockets would love to have him as well. We'll see what happens there.

 

Jones? Daniels? MLE? Bi annual exception? Ring chasers? Morey's deep finds? I'm not worried about the bench at all. Morey's great at finding that kind of talent, and he'll have options with that roster.

 

And what's all this about?

 

3 corners? That's what's known in mathematics as a "triangle."

Clearly Morey's going to get Phil Jackson.

 

Clearly we are battling for 3 guys this offseason.

 

Another HUGE plus in getting LeBron James is that he covers up a lot of our coaching staff's deficiencies as he can create a lot of opportunities for the other 4 guys. Though I wished Beverly is a better 3 point shooter than he is right now, seeing a line up of:

Howard
LeBron
Parsons
Daniels
Harden

On the offensive end is drool inducing.

 

I don't think there's any way Beverly doesn't start, he exactly the type of PG that should play alongside Harden and LeBron/Melo.

 

Dammit, now I'm spelling it wrong.

 

Oh no question. I was just forecasting that lineup during a game.

 

Haha, oh okay. My bad. That lineup would definitely light it up from 3.

 

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/06/20/report-rockets-planning-all-out-push-for-lebron-james/

 

The writers on Bleacher have gotten better...but they used the Howard Beck article for their scoop...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2104113-rockets-poised-to-make-texas-sized-offers-in-nba-free-agency-to-lebron-melo?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=programming-national

Spoiler

There is a chance, however small, that LeBron James will take his talents away from South Beach next month, reversing his infamous decision in 2010 and torpedoing the Miami Heat's self-esteem—along with their title hopes.

If it happens, executives around the league will rejoice and raise a boisterous toast to the end of the Heat and the superstar model they represent.

Rival execs might even write a few Jimmy Fallon-style thank-you notes:

Thank you, San Antonio Spurs, for making the Heat look ordinary and unworthy of the Chosen One's presence.

Thank you, Dwyane Wade's knees, for eroding prematurely.

Thank you, Father Time, for making the Heat's aging reserves appear better suited for a shuffleboard tournament than an NBA-title chase.

And thank you, 2011 NBA lockout, for producing a labor deal that made the Big Three model nearly impossible to sustain.

If James flees, presumably in search of younger, livelier teammates, it could signal the end of the NBA's Big Three era.

The Spurs have three stars, but two are nearing retirement. The Boston Celtics' Big Three broke up two years ago. No other team currently has three certified stars who are all in their prime.

Given the extreme constraints imposed by the 2011 labor deal, it will be nearly impossible for any franchise to replicate the Heat's roster-building feat of four years ago.

However, one franchise is quietly plotting to at least try and revive the Big Three model. And before you dismiss their chances of doing so, consider the fact that it's the same team that stunned the NBA in each of the last two summers.

In 2012, the Houston Rockets snared James Harden in a blockbuster trade.

In 2013, the Rockets lured Dwight Howard in free agency.

Now, Rockets officials are aiming for the trifecta, with their sights set on the biggest prize of all: LeBron Raymone James.

A long shot? Perhaps. But the Rockets have defied expectations before.

League sources say that Houston is preparing to make an all-out push to land James when free agency opens on July 1, assuming James opts out, as expected. If the Rockets miss out on James, they will turn their full attention to Carmelo Anthony. Chris Bosh is also on the radar.

There are rumblings that James will start weighing his options this weekend. One rival executive pegged his chances of leaving Miami at 40 percent.

The competition for James' affection will be fierce, but Houston's pitch may be tough to beat.

The Rockets already have the league's best guard-center tandem (Harden-Howard), solid young role players (Chandler Parsons (who is set to become a restricted free agent), Patrick Beverley, Terrence Jones) and an owner (Les Alexander) who is willing to spend. Houston also has all of its first-round picks for the next couple of years as well as a knack for finding talent late in the draft.

Like Florida, Texas has no state income tax, negating Miami's advantage on that front and giving the Rockets a big selling point in their pursuit of Anthony. (A player pays about 10 percent more in taxes in New York than in Texas.)

What the Rockets don't have is salary-cap room. But they could clear about $19 million by unloading a few players, starting with Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin, who are taking up a combined $16.7 million in cap space.

However, their contracts are unique and potentially difficult to move: Asik and Lin are each due a massive $15 million balloon payment next season, although they count as $8.37 million each for cap purposes. Then again, their contracts expire in 2015, so the commitment is minimal.

Sources say the Rockets are confident they can trade both players to teams with cap room and thus take back no salary in return.

There is ample interest in Asik, an elite defensive center who could start for most teams. Lin will be tougher to move, although the Rockets could include a draft pick to pair with him as a deal sweetener.

Houston would then need to trade two minor pieces—Donatas Motiejunas and Isaiah Canaan—and waive a few players with non-guaranteed deals to create the $19 million slot. Once they sign a star, the Rockets would re-sign Parsons by using his Bird rights.

The new starting five would be James, Harden, Howard, Parsons and Beverley. That's worthy of title-contender status, even in the ultra-competitive West. Indeed, that lineup is arguably superior to the one James joined in Miami four years ago.

Harden and Howard are a younger, better version of Wade and Bosh. Parsons and Beverley are more talented than any of the Heat's current supporting cast.

Sub in Anthony instead of James, and the Rockets would still have an incredibly dynamic team that would be capable of challenging the Spurs and the Thunder.

That $19 million starting salary would mark a slight pay cut for James or Anthony, but both are inevitably heading for pay cuts this summer anyway, wherever they end up.

The crowd chasing James will be thick, of course.

Cleveland can offer promising young players—including the No. 1 pick in this year's draft—and the allure of coming home. It's the storybook ending everyone would love (except for those in Miami).

The Los Angeles Clippers can offer their own Big Three vision, with Chris Paul (a close friend of James) and Blake Griffin. But their path to cap-room relief is much more complicated than the Rockets', and it would cost them DeAndre Jordan.

The Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers will likely come calling, too. But the Lakers roster is barren, the Bulls' best player is coming off two knee surgeries and the Mavericks' franchise star—Dirk Nowitzki—is 36.

The Brooklyn Nets are hopelessly capped out. The New York Knicks are cap-clogged and talent deficient.

If the Heat were just another suitor, they would have a tough time selling James based on their roster alone. Miami has no depth, no young talent in the pipeline and little payroll flexibility thanks to the massive salaries of its three stars. But they could all take a pay cut and extend the era.

Or James could flee for greener pastures once again.

The Rockets, as much as ever, will be waiting.

 

LeBron taking his talents to Stewart Beach.

 

Howard Beck is their writer now.

 

I think LeBron simply opted out (and probably Bosh and Wade do the same) so they can restructure their deals enabling the Heat to retool the roster. Very high probability James is a Heat next season under a restructured deal. His income is largely in endorsements and product branding deals anyway so he can take a hit on the salary side. The very small chance that Wade or Bosh are unwilling (or unable) to restructure would represent our opportunity for getting James.

 

Gotta hope Wade sees the end of his career in sight and goes for the money.