I personally believe that July 1st will Change the NBA for years to come. 1st Scenario Chicago Bulls Sign Either Chris Bosh or Lebron outright and S&T for the other. I think Chris Bosh Free Agency is simple...... He will sign where ever lebron signs......Which will be Chicago 2nd Scenario, Dwayne Wade resigns with the Heat and Amare Stoudemire also signs with the Heat. (Even though I find it disturbing that heat officials have been quoted as saying the heat arent sold on the fact that amare is better than boozer, geez amare needs to work on his rebounding) 3rd Scenario, Knicks end up signing Joe Johnson and Carlos Boozer guaranting that they enter the playoffs with the 4 or 5 seed every year and lose in the second round every year. Of all these situations I think the Bulls will have a championship team however it just depends on if derrick rose can become a great closer. Even though Lebron is hands down the greatest individual talent in the nba I think in order for him to win championships he needs to play with a great closer and Chris Bosh is certainly not that. But Derrick Rose can be and that will ultimately decide how far the bulls go. What are your predictions?
top 10 free agents: 1. James - cavs are a mess. he signs with the bulls via S&T for deng creating enough cap space for a second max contract offer to be used later. 2. Wade - stays in miami. 3. Bosh - joins james in chicago insuring exposer and success, the two factors driving him to leave toronto. 4. Nowitzki - opts out only to resign long term in dallas. 5. Boozer - joins wade in miami. 6. Stoudamire - resigns in phoenix since other teams went with different players. could go to the knicks, but will win more in phoenix. 7. Johnson - at 29 he wants to win now. forget about starting over with the knicks or wasting time in atl. he forces a sign and trade to either the suns (if stoudamire resigns) or the mavs. 8. Lee - bolts for OKC while the knicks spend time wooing other players. 9. Gay - the grizz will probably match any offer other than max. i don't think anyone gives him the max, so it's back to memphis. 10. Scola - teams with cap space (ny, nj, was, sac, etc...) are not going to be interested starting the rebuilding process with a 30 year old. teams ready to win will offer full MLE and the rockets match... and get a steal of a price.
LeBron James: Staying in Cleveland or gone to Chicago Chris Bosh: To Miami or Chicago Amar'e Stoudemire: To Miami(if CB4 doesn't end up there), stay in Phoenix or ??? Dwyane Wade: Staying in Miami David Lee: Knicks or Nets Carlos Boozer: To Miami(if CB4 and STAT dont end up there), Chicago, or ??? Joe Johnson: To Miami or ??? Dirk Nowtizki: Staying in Dallas Ray Allen: Staying in Boston or maybe Miami or ??? Only 2 guys where I can comfortably say they are staying: Wade and Dirk. The rest, I have no idea.
I know I'm not smoothie, but I wanted to answer this question anyway. Well, not exactly answer - more like 'ponder aloud'... They've both proven to be excellent PNR/PNP players. On the other hand, neither has shown to be much of a isolation post-up threat. Both of these observations could very well be attributed to the systems and point guards they're playing with. The thing with that is: where do they sign? Their value is much lower if they're going to a team without the other half of a dynamic-picking duo. Take NY for example - why would the Knicks want either of these players if they're not also getting a perimeter player who thrives in the two-man game? If we're just specifically talking about who would be a better fit with Wade in Miami, then the comparison gets a lot closer. Stoudemire is 361 days younger and has played 6 more games in his NBA career than Boozer - so age and experience/wear are essentially a wash. Boozer is the better rebounder and on-ball defender, but Amare is the better scorer and shot-blocker of the two. Carlos is about an inch shorter, but has Stoudemire beat in overall mass. Standing reach is close, 'BBIQ' (hate to use the term) has to favor Krzyzewski's Boozer, but Amare wins in athleticism. So, for Miami's sake, let's compare Wade to these PFs' heretofore PG partners: Nash is an excellent ball handler, passer, and shooter - this went well with Amare's ability to slash to the basket. Williams is an excellent ball handler, passer, and penetrator/finisher - this went well with Boozer's ability to pop off the pick. Wade is a lot more like Williams than Nash, but has them both in the ability to draw a double team and open up lanes and shots for his teammates. Does this help more for Amare's ability to be the bailout man with a slash to the basket or alley-oop? Or does it pair better with a swing pass to Boozer at the other elbow? One could go on like this forever...or you could just sign Chris Bosh :grin:
yeah, and i think that's how the nba teams will rank them this summer. i hate boozer so it hurts for me to say anything nice about him but not only is be a 20ppg post player, but with 11rpg and over 3apg he really helps in other areas. amare on the other hand, may score a little more, but doesn't rebound or pass (8.9rpg, 1apg). and these are inflated stats from playing for a fast paced team. boozer is also a back to the basket scorer which fits better with perimeter scorers like wade. and even though neither are good defensively, at least boozer is willing to be physical.
I agree. Even if Boozer doesn't put up 20 a night, he can still rebound whereas Amare goes into MIA mode if he doesn't score. If I were the Heat, I'd try to convince Boozer to sign for less-than-max (about $10 mil a year) and fill out the rest of the roster with more flexibility.
Why would Lebron go to Chicago and follow in Michael Jordan's footsteps? The comparisons and media hoopla will never end, why would he go through that? If he wants to win, he stays in Cleveland or go to Miami. If it's about money and global exposure, it's NY Knicks or NJ-Brooklyn Nets.
How about Chicago being the 3rd largest city in the United States, one with a rich professional basketball history, and a huge media market? As for "following Jordan," he gets those comparisons all the time. Not much will change there. Personally, I don't buy the comparison, but that's another thread. If James is going to leave Cleveland, Chicago makes the most sense, at least from where I sit.
The world will end. Here is how it will happen. God: LeBron James come forward LeBron: *shaking* walks forward God: I'm going to destroy the world. Do you want me to destroy the world? LeBron: *Frightened and not knowing what else to say*.......Absolutely.... *Boom and we're all dead*
