$$$$$$$$$$$ word around town is that the Lakers do not want to give him a raise and in fact are hoping he'll take a slight paycut from his current contract since their payroll is so high as it is.
You would have to ask LeBron that. Rumors says it's between the Cavs and Bulls. If he cares about winning, going to a situation with one budding superstar + himself + perhaps another "A" free agent like Bosh + Phil Jackson is the best situation he could possibly step into. If he leaves Cleveland, LeBron will be under tremendous pressure wherever he goes. Basically, he will be judged as a failure by a large segment of fans until he wins a championship. Playing in MJ's shadow may not bother him at all because he loves MJ to death and wouldn't mind being considered a protege playing in his shadow. If LeBron didn't respect MJ so much, your point would definitely be on the money.
i dont get why people think the bulls will get both lebron and bosh. they only have enough space for one of the two. they'd have to sign and trade for the other (most likely Bosh) I am not sure if chicago has enough to give back to Toronto for Bosh. Noah and 1st round pick(s) are a start, but not sure if they'll want to give up Noah
Oh I'm sure he respects Jordan a lot, but he's also realizing he has to establish his own legacy, which is why i think he is changing his jersey #. Lebron is NEVER going to the Bulls, even if they somehow manage to get Phil Jackson. I'm sure that while Phil is one of the best coaches ever, Lebron knows that coaching alone doesn't win games. No way a player like Lebron who has the opportunity to be the greatest of all time will go and play under the shadow of another GOAT no matter how much he respects him.
Of course they don't want to give up Noah, but if it means getting Bosh, it may be worth it. Even without Bosh, the Bulls (if they get a good coach) are the best option for LeBron in my opinion. He isn't going to Miami. Hypothetically, if the Bulls got both players, the SnT would most likely be for LeBron, not Bosh. IMO.
I don't know how you are able to get in LeBron's head and know something like that for a fact. Be open to the possibility that LeBron is actually considering the Bulls, even if he doesn't sign there. I'm not sure he actually spoke with Rose about going there or not, but maybe he did. Never say never unless you are talking about yourself.
Lol, its not about being in Lebron's head, but all the evidence clearly points to the fact that Lebron is not going to Chicago. Yeah, Chicago has Rose and Noah, so what, New Jersey has Harris and Lopez. There are at least 3 cities you can safely assume Lebron is not going to- LA, Boston and Chicago. Every other NBA team has a shot of getting him except those 3
either way both the cavs and the raptors will want rose which Chicago wont give up. Noah is expendable if they get Bosh in return, not as much if a deal was made just for Lebron. who else would either of those teams want? An overpaid Luol Deng? I doubt it. Taj Gibson is a nice player that will most likely be wanted for sure. Hinrich? Once again overpaid. If i'm another GM any SnT with the bulls the only players on their roster i'd want is Rose, Noah and Gibson. Rose is not even in the question of course that leaves Noah and Gibson both of whom play PF and Noah can play C. The bulls would have about 4 million in space assuming that one of the two max players are signed before an SnT, but even then they would have to send back an additional 5 million or so to Toronto/Cleveland. I dont see either of those teams wanted to add on non-expiring deals in a trade just to make salaries work.
We can all agree about LA and Boston for a lot of reasons. Lumping the Bulls in with them is your opinion only. Personally, I think it's nonsense to do so. The Bulls situation is not similar at all to LA and Boston. Comparing Devin Harris and Brooke Lopez to Derrick Rose and Noah is silly. By himself, Rose is worth more than the entire Nets roster. One team is complete trash; the other has a lot of promise.
There are a lot of hypotheticals, but the Bulls have players to make a SnT as much as most teams. If LeBron signs with the Bulls, Bosh will want to go there. Where there's a will, there's a way. Bye bye Noah AND Gibson (if necessary) and cash and whatever it takes to get a deal done. We'll see. I can't wait until July. One thing I believe strongly: LeBron will not sign with a team without knowing who the coach will be and what other major players will be joining him. Rumors of discussions will be out there like crazy. If the Bulls don't hire a coach any time soon, I'd say that is a good sign they are in the LeBron sweepstakes. Otherwise, they will make a move shortly after the Finals are over, at the latest. Even then, LeBron could signal to them he approves of their hire and they remain in the game.
Is Jerry Reinsdorf really going to pay Phil Jackson 12 million dollars a year or more? That's what I find unlikely about this whole scenario, not the player situation.
if you were lebron, would you leave your hometown to go play under jordan's shadow at the peak of your career? And no, its not a trick question
If it's the best chance to win a championship, hell yes. Winning a championship in Jordan's shadow > not winning a championship anywhere else.
I'll answer for him: Neither he nor you are LeBron. Not all people are the same. It doesn't matter what you or he would do. If every NBA player had the same thought process, it would be a valid question that could shed light on something. But the mentality of NBA players ranges from A to Z. If you are implying LeBron might stay at Cleveland, I agree with you. I never bought into the talk after they lost to the Celts that he was a goner. But people are prone to knee-jerk reactions after major events, which is the worst time to form an opinion or make a decision. IMO, LeBron wants to win championships, in a hurry. The pressure of winning it all surpasses anything else and blows away the MJ shadow talk. LeBron has been in the NBA 7 years and has very little to show for it besides MVPs, scoring titles and great stats. The last 2 years it has killed him to go down without the ultimate prize. Discussions of LeBron and GOAT are just silly blabbering unless he wins multiple championships and he knows it.
If it gets you LeBron, you sign Jackson. I can see World Wide Wes becoming Jackson's agent. Then Jackson follows LeBron and gets a big contract.
