A serious look into LeBron James' prospects (including Houston)

I think a Bosh trade has a more realistic chance, but I still think the odds are against it happening. You can, however, make a reasonable argument as to why a Bosh trade isn't wishful thinking, as opposed to other, more fanciful, off season moves.

 

Trade Yao for him stat.



DD

 

then why did you bother posting here if it already existed somewhere else. next time just click that < button ( back ) on your screen go back and keep reading other posts. don't be so critical and allow your fellow clutchfans members to have an opinion even if you don't agree with it.

 

Why did you create this thread?

 

Just one question, how many years did it take Boston to rebuild after they managed to be the bottom #1 in the league?

 

according to the clutchfans.net homepage it's a Hot Topic
so what exactly is wrong with the possibility? IF implies possibility

 

You'd rather have this same team with no Lebron than with him? Or are you suggesting we get someone else? Who would we get?

 

Repetitive thread is repetitive.

 

Hey guys, I just noticed there's another thread here talking about LBJ and Houston. Why are there 2 of them now?

 

Why would he want to go to OKC when Durant is already the #1 option, and OKC is an even smaller market than Cleveland. He would just stay in Cleveland rather than go to OKC.

 

Yeah... but:

A) They only were bottom #1 in the league because they were ravaged with injuries the year before and they were tanking to get Greg Oden. The Celtics had made the playoffs before with a similar roster.

B) They already had Paul Pierce, who was putting up HOF numbers already. Then you add Ray Allen and KG while giving up some scrub role players and Al Jefferson (not even the good ones, they kept Rondo).

C) In any case, you basically picked the exception that proves the rule. How many other times does a star go to a new city and they win a title that year? Didn't happen when Shaq went to LA... took them a few years to build a team around him. Didn't happen when Shard went to Orlando.

 

I personally think going to New York would be a terrible idea. If you guys thought Cleveland had a horrible supporting cast, if you don't resign David Lee or Al Harrington... you best role player is Gallinari? Then who? I couldn't name 5 other players on that team that would play 20 minutes a game on another team.

You sign Lebron James and then you better use that other 20 million to field 3-4 decent role players because they won't have a good pick for another two years.

 

NJ is the better place than NY for James if he decides he wants to leave. I do not think that James King can lead NY to a NBA title soon if he joins NY, he is just overrated by NBA. Kobe and Wade are more completely players.

 

I have been convinced for awhile that LeBron was looking for a way to gracefully exit Cleveland without alienating his home state.
I think the result of the Celtics series has given him the perfect exit strategy.

Cleveland is not going anywhere, with or without LeBron...they have maxed out as a 60-win regular season team that does not have much opportunity to improve.

Their biggest on-court problem...lack of a legit sidekick (Pippen) to LeBron's MJ...is one that is typically solved by one of 3 ways:

High Lotto Pick - Never going to be an option, as any team with LeBron will never bottom out, and the Knicks have no more picks to trade for the next 3 years at least.

Free Agency - By stocking the roster with overpaid role players (see below) to appease LeBron and win now, they have severely limited their financial flexibility...Daryl Morey would not approve.

Jamison
$13.4M 10/11
$15M 11/12

Mo Williams
$9.3M 10/11
$8.5M 11/12
$8.5M 12/13

Varejao
$7M 10/11
$7.7M 11/12
$8.4M 12/13
$9.1M 13/14

Gibson
$4M 10/11
$4.4M 11/12
$4.8M 12/13

Sign & Trade - To make a Bosh-type deal, you have to compete with other teams in the package you offer to the other team, and the Cavs have zero young, cheap players to offer (other than possibly Hickson), and no promising future picks to offer either.



So if you are LeBron, what does your future look like on a team that has already maxed out, is stocked with overpaid role players and rapidly-aging big-money veterans, and has no real prospects to make a difference-making change?

If you are looking for a change, what are your options?
Barring a S&T, which I feel Cleveland would never agree to do, only Chicago, Miami, NJ, NY, Minnesota and the Clippers have enough cap space to even make an offer.
I would immediately discount MINN and LAC as they are notorious losers with bad ownership situations.
Although both have very enticing young talent, I refuse to believe LBJ is willing to leave his home team to waste away in anonymity in the great NW or as second fiddle to the Lakers.
NY offers a ton of off-court incentives, but their ownership has been a mess, their roster is pathetic, and they play a style of basketball that bypasses defense entirely and has never won anything, so that would be a huge gamble.

That leaves 3 teams, CHI, MIA, and NJ, that have the money, market and roster to entice LBJ.

I feel NJ has several clear advantages over the other 2 major competitors, so let's look closer at the Nets and the factors that would be very enticing to me if I were the best player on the planet and looking to secure my NBA legacy:

New York factor - LBJ has the chance to play the rest of his career in the mecca of basketball and commerce in America, as well as become the savior of basketball in New York. I do not think this will be the deciding factor in his decision, but it certainly can't hurt. He has already tried for 7 years to be the hometown hero, with mixed, and ultimately disappointing, results. It looks to me like it's time for a change, and what destination offers a better combination of marketing opportunities, celebrity lifestyle and it factor than NY? While Miami and Chicago are no slouches in lifestyle, and I'm sure the temptation to literally step into Michael's shoes in CHI would be at least mildly appealing, nowhere offers a spotlight quite as bright as New York, as his buddy Jay-Z has assuredly been reminding him.

Ownership factor - It has been well-documented that LBJ has a friend/mentor in place already with Jay-Z, which no other potential team (including Cleveland) can offer. But the approval of the new Russian billionaire could bring a Mark Cuban-like influx of extra perks and benefits that go far beyond the equal salary NJ and any other team can offer. In addition, he will be moving into a brand-new, shiny arena with a built-in rabid fan base starved of professional sports for over 50 years in Brooklyn. Even if immediate success does not come, the fans will worship LBJ and he will be as close to pressure-free, at least for a few years, as he could possibly hope. With the Russian's billions and a top-5 revenue stream, LBJ will never have to worry about attracting future teammates or his owner going 'cheap' by refusing to cross the luxury-tax threshold. As a superstar, what more could you ask from your owner? At a time when only a few teams (LAL, HOU, DAL, NY) are not having financial troubles, NJ could become one of the big spenders with all of these factors providing near-unlimited resources.

Lottery factor - I think this is the most important factor in his decision. LBJ cannot do anything until after June 30, so he will know how the lottery plays out before deciding anything. As the worst team, NJ has the best chance to land the draft's only sure thing...John Wall. If that is the case, I don't see how LBJ doesn't move NJ to the front of the line. Cleveland will never have a chance to land this type of player in the draft the rest of LBJ's career. Chicago has Derrick Rose, who is already as good as Wall could be, but none of the other factors mentioned so far compare favorably with NJ. Miami has Dwayne Wade, but they have almost nothing else and I am skeptical as to whether Wade or LBJ would be comfortable sharing the 'lead dog' role, a la Shaq and Kobe. Plus, unlike even Shaq and Kobe, both Wade and LBJ dominate the ball from the perimeter, so there is legit question as to whether they would even compliment eachother very well. Even if NJ does not win the lotto, they will be no worse than third, so a PF like Favors or Cousins would be the worst-case scenario. Either would provide a better post presence than currently exist in CHI or MIA. Noah is a nice defender and rebounder, but is essentially just super-Varejao. Miami has absolutely nothing up front, and by adding LBJ and keeping Wade, they would have no more money or lotto picks to add a difference-maker down the line. A front line of Lopez - Favors/Cousins - LBJ would probably become the best in the league very shortly. Throw in a backcourt of Harris and a Battier/Bowen-like stopper, and you have a fantastic starting 5. If you do get lucky and add Wall, LBJ could very well have his Pippen.

Existing Talent factor - Another huge positive for NJ is the 2 main pieces already in place there...Lopez and Harris. They play the 2 most important and hard-to-find positions (C and PG), and while neither is the superstar, Pippen-like player LBJ needs, each is a unique talent I feel would blend very well with LBJ's game. Plus, in my scenario, his Pippen is going to come from the lottery anyway, so these are really only the third and fourth options, and each is more than capable of filling that role.

Devin Harris - As a PG, Harris brings many things to the table. He has excellent size as a PG, is a good on-the-ball defender with his size and quickness, has blinding speed in the open court, a great first step which leads to penetration and easy looks, and he is flexible enough to slide seamlessly over to SG if a PG like Wall were to come aboard. He has also shown in Dallas that, unlike Rose or Wade (who need the ball to be effective), he can fit in around a star player. Although Avery Johnson blamed him for Dallas' problems at the time, it is clear now that their short-comings were not solely Harris' fault. He is not perfect...he typically hovers around 6 APG, is not a natural playmaker, and is a horrid 3pt shooter. But as a young (27), big (6-3), fast PG who is comfortable without the ball in his hands, LBJ could do a lot worse. Besides, on any team LBJ is the main play-maker, so having a Nash or Paul or Deron Willimas is a luxury, not a necessity. He is certainly better than Mo Williams, Mario Chalmers, Kobe's Fisher/Harper or Jordan's Armstrong/Harper duos, and they were good enough to win.

Brook Lopez - Lopez is, at worse, already the 2nd or 3rd best Center in the East, after Dwight and (possibly) Bogut. By the end of next season, we could be talking about the 2nd-best center in the entire league. After posting 13 & 8 as a rookie, Lopez took the next step this year to finish at 19 & 9 in his second season. While he will probably never become Defensive POY, MVP, or go to the Hall of Fame, he is a 22-year-old, 7-foot true center who can consistently deliver 20 & 10 in the low block. He is young, athletic, healthy and plays the most valuable position on the court. He is also potentially an equalizer in the post for Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum, the 2 centers most likely to keep LBJ from winning his rings in the near future. He is already a better offensive player than either one, with excellent hands, decent post moves, and a good jump shot...and he is light-years better than almost any other C in the league. He is essentially already a young Yao Ming, except without the lack of quickness and injury problems. A center entering his third season and blossoming into a 20 & 10 post player with star potential, to me, is the most enticing factor in the entire league, as those players are the most valuable and rare commodities in today's game. If I am NJ, I begin my sales-pitch here. He is certainly better than Shaq/Big Z, Udonis Haslem, Joakim Noah, or the Cartwright/Wennington/Longley trifecta of crap with which Jordan managed to win 6 rings.

Salary Cap factor - After Lopez, Harris, and whatever impact player arrives from the draft, LBJ would already be surrounded with plenty of talent, but another advantage about NJ is that, unlike CHI or MIA or CLE, even after adding LBJ they would still have enough cap room to possibly lure another $10M+ per year player to NJ. I'm not sure if they would, or wait and see how the other parts mesh before committing all that room in one offseason, but either way LBJ would certainly be able to help in the recruitment of said players. NJ is currently committed to only $22M in salary next year. That leaves them approximately $34M under the cap of $56M that was just announced. They could max out LeBron at $18-20M per year, then still have another $16-18M of real cap space to play with, again either this year or down the road. Plus, looking even further ahead, the highest-paid current player (Harris at $8.5M) is set to expire in 2012/13, which happens to be the same time 2010's lotto pick and Lopez should be looking for their first mega-extensions. So if Harris turns out to be a bad fit, or something bad happens to Lopez, or this year's rookie is a bust, you would have another chance to rebuild on the fly in 3 years when LBJ would be the ripe old age of 29. San Antonio brilliantly maneuvered to do the same thing around Tim Duncan a decade ago, and it produced 3 more rings with no significant dropoff. In the short term, that kind of cap flexibility could allow them to add expensive, but short-term, veterans to expedite the maturation of a young team into a winner. Again, San Antonio made a living at this by attracting former stars like McDyess, Michael Finley, Robert Horry and Kurt Thomas and turning them into vital role players around the young core of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili. The combination of a very young/cheap core and no bad long-term albatrosses on the current roster again puts NJ above it's peers when competing for LBJ. Miami, while also free of bad contracts, has no real core other than Wade. Chicago, with a comparable stable of young core players, is hindered by the ridiculous contract of Luol Deng (due $51.4M over 4 more years) and impending raises for Noah and Rose. Cleveland has no cap space, several bad contracts and does not have another player even remotely comparable to Wade, Rose or Lopez. NJ is the only destination that offers the best of both worlds, and so again they stand out from the other suitors.


For all these reasons, plus rumors that starting appearing over 2 years ago linking LeBron to NJ, plus the way Cleveland has regressed from the NBA Finals to the 2nd round over the last 3 years....I believe LBJ's has a once-in-a-career opportunity to have his cake and eat it too.
It is a chance very few of the all-time best have ever had.
Shaq joining the Lakers a year before Kobe comes to mind, as does A-Rod duping Tom Hicks into $250M, then negotiating his way onto the Yankees anyway.
But even those situations don't truly compare...LBJ has the chance to create his own legacy in a way no transcendent player ever has.
The Lakers will always be the Lakers and the Yankees will always be the Yankees, but the Brooklyn LeBrons have no history, and as such, I feel they are the most attractive destination for the world's best current player as he seeks to become the greatest to ever play.

 

What if Yao Ming wasn't injured last year? What if Jordan only retired once?

Didn't need a new thread.

 

Martin, Budinger, and Ariza for LeBron.

 

New Jersey is supposed to move into the new venue in Brooklyn in 2012. Can James wait that long? Just for fun, let's say the Nets win the lottery and get Wall. You would think James would have to consider playing with Wall and the "new" Brooklyn Nets, with an owner that has deep pockets.