Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Lebron James Latest News and Cavs Updates


Top 20 NBA Free Agents
si.com
Before the 2009-10 season even began, teams were salivating over the thought of acquiring LeBron James, the 25-year-old with unearthly athleticism and skill who managed to turn the ever-struggling Cavaliers into contenders.
His impending free agency was the story of the year, and now, his future could reside with any team with an open wallet.
But James isn't the only star who could find a new home this summer. This year holds one of deepest free-agent classes in history, with the likes of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson and Amar'e Stoudemire all eligible to test the market. Here's a look at the top 40 prospective free agents, some of whom could ultimately decline free agency and remain with their current teams by exercising player options or rejecting early termination options.

Note: Free-agent negotiations begin July 1 and players can begin signing contracts July 8. Check back for updates to this best available list throughout free agency.

1 LeBron James
Age: 25 | 2009-10 Team: Cavaliers | Position: SF
'09-10 Stats: 29.7 ppg, 50.3% FG, 7.3 rpg, 8.6 apg, 1.6 spg
Status: Unrestricted -- player option for $17.1 million
The two-time MVP is at the top of every team's wish list, with the unique ability to turn middling franchises (such as the Knicks and Clippers) into instant contenders. Few players have ever possessed the blend of size, skill and speed of James, who still could be a few years away from reaching his prime. Wooing James will be complicated -- a hefty contract and perhaps signing some of his free-agent buddies to fill out the roster are among the requisites -- but if a team has the money, it will make the sacrifices.


2 Dwyane Wade
Age: 28 | 2009-10 Team: Heat | Position: SG
'09-10 Stats: 26.6 ppg, 47.6% FG, 4.8 rpg, 6.5 apg, 1.8 spg
Status: Unrestricted -- player option for $17.1 million
Wade's place on this list may be only nominal, with few GMs believing he's eager to leave Miami. Indeed, Wade has said he prefers to remain on South Beach -- so long as the Heat use their near-$24 million in estimated cap space to sign or deal for another high-level star. Signing Wade does come with risks: Wade's injury history and relentless attacking style make it likely he will miss significant time at some point while under his next contract. Still, Wade is a legitimate franchise player and the top shooting guard on the market.

3 Chris Bosh
Age: 26 | 2009-10 Team: Raptors | Position: PF
'09-10 Stats: 24.0 ppg, 51.8% FG, 10.8 rpg
Status: Unrestricted -- player option for $17.1 million
There are some questions as to whether Bosh is capable of carrying a team. Fortunately, only one team that's after the five-time All-Star wants him to do so. Houston would love to pair Bosh next to Yao Ming, Chicago envisions a Bosh/Joakim Noah frontcourt (with Derrick Rose running the show) and Miami will recruit Bosh to be Wade's sidekick. Only the Raptors want Bosh to be the face of the franchise. But in a secondary role, Bosh, who averaged career highs in scoring, rebounding and shooting percentage last season, should thrive.

4 Amar'e Stoudemire
Age: 27 | 2009-10 Team: Suns | Position: PF
'09-10 Stats: 23.1 ppg, 55.7% FG, 8.9 rpg
Status: Unrestricted -- early termination option ('10-11 salary is $17.7 million)
Stoudemire's stock went up after a superb postseason stretch in which he keyed Phoenix's surprising run to the conference finals. Questions about Stoudemire's surgically repaired knees and eye injury have been answered; he is poised to command a max-level, five- or six-year contract. His ability to play two positions will also increase his value with teams with a hole at either power forward or center.

5 Dirk Nowitzki
Age: 32 | 2009-10 Team: Mavericks | Position: PF
'09-10 Stats: 25.0 ppg, 48.1% FG, 42.1% 3PT, 7.7 rpg
Status: Unrestricted -- early termination option ('10-11 salary is $21.5 million)
Don't blame Dirk for the Mavs' first-round flameout: He averaged 26.7 points on 54.7 percent shooting against San Antonio. Nowitzki is the Mavericks, and if he looks elsewhere, he will likely take a pay cut. Dallas can offer Nowitzki a four-year maximum contract worth $96.2 million and a no-trade clause. Like Wade with Miami, Nowitzki may want to see what moves the Mavericks make (particularly with Erick Dampier's non-guaranteed $13 million contract) before re-signing.

6 Joe Johnson
Age: 29 | 2009-10 Team: Hawks | Position: SG
'09-10 Stats: 21.3 ppg, 45.8% FG, 36.9% 3PT, 4.6 rpg, 4.9 apg
Status: Unrestricted
Johnson and Bosh are co-leaders in the most-likely-to-move category. Johnson blossomed into a bona fide superstar in Atlanta, but the Hawks' uncertain future -- can Larry Drew coach? Will ownership open its wallet for free-agent help? -- will have the four-time All-Star's eye wandering. Wade is the marquee shooting guard on the market, but Johnson's exceptional inside-out game and durability -- he played 82 games for five of his nine seasons in the league and appeared in no fewer than 76 games in each of his last three seasons -- make him a solid second choice.

7 Yao Ming
Age: 29 | 2009-10 Team: Rockets | Position: C
'09-10 Stats: Did not play because of injury
Status: Unrestricted -- early termination option ('10-11 salary is $17.7 million)
Yao is unlikely to opt out after missing the season while recovering from foot surgery, but he will at least consider it to try to take advantage of the salary guidelines of the current collective bargaining agreement. (The CBA expires after next season and owners are expected to attempt to reduce player salaries in the new agreement.) A healthy Yao would be a sought-after commodity in a league devoid of many true pivots. An unhealthy Yao? Not so much.

8 Carlos Boozer
Age: 28 | 2009-10 Team: Jazz | Position: PF
'09-10 Stats: 19.5 ppg, 56.2% FG, 11.2 rpg, 3.2 apg
Status: Unrestricted
A year ago, Boozer was coming off an injury-plagued and inconsistent season and staring at an uncertain future. But after proving himself to be both durable (78 games last season) and productive, Boozer is suddenly a hot name again. Utah's big financial commitment to fellow power forward Paul Millsap (three years left on his four-year, $32 million deal) might preclude a substantial offer, but Boozer will be a solid fallback for teams (New York, Chicago, Miami) that lose out on the LeBron/Wade/Bosh/Johnson sweepstakes. The Knicks, who run a heavy pick-and-roll offense, look like a natural fit.

9 Rudy Gay
Age: 23 | 2009-10 Team: Grizzlies | Position: SF
'09-10 Stats: 19.6 ppg, 46.6% FG, 5.9 rpg
Status: Restricted -- $4.4 million qualifying offer
Like Boozer, Gay's current team may not be willing to break the bank to keep him. Gay is a prolific scorer who has only scratched the surface of his potential. The question is, How much will a team be willing to pay a player who has proved he can score but not much else? Gay will be looking for max-level money and there may be teams willing to give it to him: the Clippers and Nets. The Clippers have a gaping hole at small forward while New Jersey will be looking to make a big splash under new owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

10 Paul Pierce
Age: 32 | 2009-10 Team: Celtics | Position: SF
'09-10 Stats: 18.3 ppg, 47.2% FG, 41.4% 3PT, 4.4 rpg, 3.1 apg
Status: Unrestricted -- early termination option ('10-11 salary is $21.5 million)
Pierce is another player who may be looking to cash in before the collective bargaining agreement expires. His status with the Celtics -- expect his number to be the next one raised to the rafters -- will put pressure on them to keep him. Pierce isn't as explosive offensively as he once was, but he is still a capable scorer who gets to the line frequently.

11 Ray Allen
Age: 34 | 2009-10 Team: Celtics | Position: SG
'09-10 Stats: 16.3 ppg, 47.7% FG, 36.3% 3PT
Status: Unrestricted
One GM believes Allen will be looking for a five-year, $75 million deal. The 34-year-old likely won't find that type of offer, but his super conditioning, professionalism and shooting ability will have teams lining up. A return to Boston is the best fit, but don't count out New York or Miami should either team have cap space left over after making a run at one of the big-name free agents.

12 David Lee
Age: 27 | 2009-10 Team: Knicks | Position: PF
'09-10 Stats: 20.2 ppg, 54.5% FG, 11.7 rpg, 3.6 apg
Status: Unrestricted
Last summer, Lee struggled to create a market, with most teams thinking the Knicks would match any offer for the restricted free agent. The Knicks no longer have that leverage. Lee's jump shot has improved over the last two seasons and he is one of the most active rebounders in the league. Teams will be a little wary, though, about committing top dollar to anyone who played in Mike D'Antoni's offense-happy system, and Lee's preference to play in a big market limits his options.

13 Luis Scola
Age: 30 | 2009-10 Team: Rockets | Position: F-C
'09-10 Stats: 16.2 ppg, 51.4% FG, 8.6 rpg
Status: Restricted -- $4.1 million qualifying offer
With Yao out, Scola was featured more in the Rockets' offense. And he delivered. A polished post game and soft touch from the perimeter make Scola a valuable commodity for the right price. Expect Houston -- which will try to work its way into the mix for Bosh -- to dangle Scola in sign-and-trade scenarios.

14 John Salmons
Age: 30 | 2009-10 Team: Bulls/Bucks | Position: SG
'09-10 Stats: 15.4 ppg, 44.1% FG, 38.2% 3PT
Status: Unrestricted -- early termination option ('10-11 salary is $5.8 million)
Salmons is the ultimate mercenary. Two seasons ago, he averaged 18.3 points for Chicago and helped it make the playoffs after being acquired from Sacramento at the trade deadline. In 2010, he was dealt again, this time to Milwaukee, where his scoring average spiked more than seven points (12.7 to 19.9) during the Bucks' playoff push. Salmons is a pure scorer but one better served playing for a team with an established No. 1 option.

15 Brendan Haywood
Age: 30 | 2009-10 Team: Wizards/Mavericks | Position: C
'09-10 Stats: 9.1 ppg, 56.2% FG, 9.3 rpg, 2.0 bpg
Status: Unrestricted
Haywood is a rare in-his-prime pure center who is a consistent double-double threat. His mediocre postseason (6.0 points, 6.2 rebounds) won't help his résumé, but if the Mavericks unload Dampier, they might be inclined to spend on a pivot they know fits well into their system.

16 Josh Childress
Age: 27 | 2009-10 Team: Olympiakos (Greece) | Position: SF
'09-10 Euroleage Stats: 15.2 ppg, 52.3% FG, 4.8 rpg
Status: Restricted (Hawks) -- $4.8 million qualifying offer
Olympiakos' financial issues, likely changes in Greek tax laws and one-too-many unruly fans have Childress primed for a return to the U.S. (his deadline to opt out is July 15). Lots of teams will be in the market for a versatile swingman who can defend and provide instant energy off the bench. The Hawks, who have retained Childress' rights, are one of them. Atlanta could bring back Childress in a reserve role or sign him to potentially replace Joe Johnson.

17 Tyrus Thomas
Age: 23 | 2009-10 Team: Bulls/Bobcats | Position: PF
'09-10 Stats: 9.4 ppg, 46.2% FG, 6.2 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Status: Restricted -- $6.2 million qualifying offer
Thomas was solid for Charlotte after coming over from Chicago in a deadline deal, and his superior athleticism makes him a prototypical power forward in Larry Brown's system. A full season away from the Bulls -- where the atmosphere had become poisonous for both sides -- should help Thomas to continue to develop, likely for the 'Cats.

18 Shaquille O'Neal
Age: 38 | 2009-10 Team: Cavaliers | Position: C
'09-10 Stats: 12.0 ppg, 56.6% FG, 6.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Status: Unrestricted
The Big Mercenary has a big decision: Does he latch on to another contender and hope to pick up one more ring, or does he go for the biggest paycheck out there, even if it means toiling with a struggling team at the end of his career? O'Neal has said he would like to play for three more years, but no team is likely to offer him that kind of guarantee. Would Boston take a flier on him? Would Chicago? Maybe Dallas, where O'Neal would finally be united with Mark Cuban?

19 Raymond Felton
Age: 26 | 2009-10 Team: Bobcats | Position: PG
'09-10 Stats: 12.1 ppg, 45.9% FG, 38.5% 3PG, 5.6 apg
Status: Unrestricted
Felton, who averaged career highs in field-goal and three-point percentages, has leverage with the Bobcats, who are reluctant to hand the team over to D.J. Augustin. Felton is one of a handful of established starting playmakers on the market, but with a likely salary demand of more than $6 million per year, he may price himself out of Charlotte.

20 J.J. Redick
Age: 26 | 2009-10 Team: Magic | Position: SG
'09-'10 Stats: 9.6 ppg, 43.9% FG, 40.5% 3PT, 86.0% FT
Status: Restricted -- $3.9 million qualifying offer
Redick is fresh off the most productive season of his four-year career, having firmly established himself in Orlando's rotation. As Vince Carter and Matt Barnes struggled during the postseason, Redick was frequently on the floor for the Magic in the fourth quarter. Redick could be in line for a deal that starts at more than his qualifying offer.






The 'Big O' key in courting the King
marc stein espn.com
It's the reason the New Jersey Nets, fresh off a 12-win season, are getting the first opportunity to sit down with the most coveted free agent in the history of American sport.
It's the reason the Miami Heat, for all the questions about LeBron James and Dwyane Wade successfully sharing one ball if they ever end up on the same team, have been mentioned all season as a top contender in the LeBron Sweepstakes.
It's the reason the Dallas Mavericks, without even a hint of salary-cap space, seem certain to make the short list of teams that get an invite to James' northeast Ohio base to make their recruiting pitch.
It's also a big reason you've gradually heard less and less about the New York Knicks stealing James away from his hometown team … and it's why the Los Angeles Clippers' pitch is ultimately doomed no matter how many surprisingly good things they can say about the setup in Clipperland … and why the Chicago Bulls can't yet allow themselves to believe all the chatter circulating leaguewide about a LeBron-and-Chris Bosh "done deal."
It's the "O" variable in James' decision of a lifetime.
Ownership.
Or in the broader sense: Organizations.

As lifelong LeBron-watcher Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer expertly conveyed in the latest edition of the Free Agency Dime, James' choice to either re-sign with the Cavaliers or leave the Cavs after seven ringless seasons will essentially be made by a committee of one. History says James will weigh all the input from his various advisers, including William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley and best friend/business manager Maverick Carter, and then head in the direction he's picked out.
And then let all of us know that he was in total control.
But what is LeBron looking for?
That's where the O factor comes in.
History also says that LeBron, from his years studying uber-successful mentors Warren Buffett and Jay-Z, is big on the word "partnership." Sources with a pipeline to his inner circle say that James has been schooled to approach his long-awaited foray into free agency as a search for a business partner who can help cement the legacy of the LeBron brand as opposed to a strict hunt for the on-the-court sidekicks who can help him win the multiple championships he needs to get anywhere near Global Icon status.
Trite as this stuff might sound, those who know James best say that it's not just marketing blather he splashes on the company website. Not to him, anyway. LeBron truly believes in his business mantra. He's known for frequently saying that he wants to be partner, not a mere vendor.
Example: LeBron was offered more money from Reebok and lavish promises from adidas back when he was a sneaker free agent, which might be the closest applicable comparison to the situation he's in now. Yet he wound up signing with Nike largely because of Nike's proven closeness with star endorser Michael Jordan and the vibe he got from Nike basketball chief Lynn Merritt.
So …
Should he apply the same logic to his NBA future, as you'd expect, owners and/or organizations rank as an oft-overlooked but undeniably huge factor in James' thinking.
If history is a trusty guide, James won't be fixated on the Nets' glamourless image or the two looming seasons in Newark before the team finally moves to Brooklyn during Thursday's opening face-to-face. The appeal of New Jersey, beyond going to a team that has quality building blocks at point guard (Devin Harris) and center (Brook Lopez), is the allure of teaming up with mysterious, new billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who happens to count the aforementioned Jay-Z as a handy/legendary minority owner.
Miami's big hook to supplement the enticing prospect of making James' Team USA partnership with Wade full-time also starts in the ownership suite, but for different reasons. Heat majority owner Micky Arison's willingness to consistently provide the resources to contend while staying in the background gives title-tested (and famously persuasive) team president Pat Riley uncommon freedom to run the show.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, were always going to get on LeBron's radar -- with or without cap space -- because of Mark Cuban. Sources close to the situation say that the Mavs' player-friendly owner is well-respected by James' gang. It also doesn't hurt that Jerry Jones, owner of LeBron's favorite football team, is an unofficial Mavs partner.
James relishes interaction with the likes of Jones and is known to have made it a point to get to know several owners from around the NBA in recent years. Two more examples: LeBron has a long-standing friendship with the Maloof brothers in Sacramento and met a handful of owners in 2009 at a major media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.
The same principle, then, is likely to work in reverse with the owners who don't have good reputations.
Which is why the steady stream of LeBron-to-New York rumblings we've heard since the arrival of Donnie Walsh as team president and Mike D'Antoni as the Knicks' LeBron-endorsed coach have been drowned out by more persistent rumblings that James -- on top of concerns about the Knicks' thin roster and unwelcome smothering from the New York tabloid media -- does not want to attach himself to habitually unsmooth Knicks owner James Dolan. No matter how much cash Dolan has splashed around in his tenure.
The Clippers? Doesn't matter how good they might look on paper to James, with a foursome of quality teammates (Chris Kaman, Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon and Baron Davis) ready to surround him. Proximity to off-the-court business opportunities only Hollywood can provide, as sexy as that sounds, just isn't going to persuade James to put his legacy in the hands of bumbling Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who has presided over two winning seasons in a 26-season run in Los Angeles. Not unless Sterling, as detailed here a few weeks back, violates his own decades-old vow to never sell anything and cedes majority control of the franchise to entertainment mogul David Geffen.
The O factor is also what the Bulls presumably can blame if the impressive complementary core they've assembled (Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah) and all the cap space they've cleared (to go after Bosh or Joe Johnson in addition to James) ultimately fail -- amid all this "done deal" talk -- to lure James to the Cavs' most hated rival.
The Bulls were routinely bashed from an organizational standpoint even when they were winning championships, thanks to Jordan's openly dim view of then-GM Jerry Krause. This season, though, criticism of Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and his front-office tag team of John Paxson and Gar Forman reached new levels, prompted by Chicago's mistreatment of since-fired coach Vinny Del Negro and most recently disseminated in a well-publicized critique from Wade about how Chicago treats ex-Bulls.
Even if Wade's criticism was a thinly veiled attempt to enhance the Heat's case in free agency, Chicago knows it has some image issues. Reinsdorf's reputation as a reluctant spender? Another issue.
Maybe none of that will matter in the end, because the Bulls are otherwise set up so well. It's also true that Wesley has maintained a good working relationship with Reinsdorf for years and is believed to be lobbying hardest for the Bulls, which is where much of the LeBron-and-Bosh-to-Chicago chatter originates. Yet you still hear well-connected folks around the league asking -- louder than the many questions Jordan's longtime agent David Falk has raised about James going to the Bulls in recent interviews with Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports -- whether LeBron is indeed prepared to commit to Reinsdorf.
Ditto for Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and the increasingly nerve-shredding campaign to persuade James to stay right where he is. LeBron associates continue to say that for all the grandiose visions of what might be in Chicago and Miami, turning his back on his sports-tortured home state will be tougher for a proud Ohioan than outsiders will ever realize. The humbling manner of Cleveland's second-round exit only made it tougher, too, because leaving the Cavs now is the one outcome that will keep that surreal playoff unraveling on James' résumé forever.
But staying with the Cavs -- when they lack the cap flexibility or the trade assets to significantly remake a roster badly in need of upgrades -- would be the ultimate show of faith in Cavs ownership. Although it's true that Gilbert has shown an unmatched willingness to take on extra payroll in today's cost-conscious NBA and cater to LeBron's every whim from a nonroster standpoint, there's also no escaping what Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told The New York Times earlier this month: "I think you do have to have two players that have extraordinary abilities at this stage of the season -- I really do."
Does LeBron have faith that Gilbert can quickly manufacture an extraordinary No. 2 when so many LeBron suitors can do that so easily this summer? Or has he lost faith in Gilbert, as was routinely whispered during Cleveland's unsuccessful bid to pry Tom Izzo away from Michigan State?
The reality is that he's not going to win anything that gets him to the Global Icon zip code unless he's flanked by the right teammates, so all of the above is only one clue to help us forecast the outcome of this Summer of LeBron. But know this: It's a biggie.
The prediction here is that ownership will be cited as one of the major reasons James cites when he has that historic news conference to explain why he chose what he chose.
The O factor.
The Big O, if you will.









Lakers assistant Shaw meets with Cavs about coaching vacancy
CLEVELAND -- The Cavaliers could be getting close to a major signing.
No, not that one.
The team's 5-week-old coaching search took another turn on Tuesday as Los Angeles Lakers assistant Brian Shaw met in Cleveland with owner Dan Gilbert and front-office members about the Cavaliers' coaching vacancy.
The visit comes just a few days before free agency opens with the Cavs hoping they can convince superstar LeBron James to re-sign and come back for an eighth season - and more. Cleveland would like to have a coach in place by July 1 to settle what has so far been a tumultuous offseason.
It is not yet known if the club has offered its coaching position to Shaw, who is also expected to be in town on Tuesday.
The 43-year-old Shaw has spent five seasons on Phil Jackson's staff in Los Angeles. A 14-year NBA veteran, he has no head coaching experience but is considered a strong candidate to replace Jackson if the 11-time champion retires. Jackson, who has health concerns, is expected to announce his plans later this week.
The Cavaliers have been looking for a coach since firing Mike Brown on May 24 in the aftermath of their second-round playoff loss to Boston. The team was previously turned down by Tom Izzo, who rejected a reported $30 million offer to stay at Michigan State.
Former New Orleans coach Byron Scott is still believed to be the Cavs' preferred choice to replace Brown. Scott, though, is presumed to be an option for the Lakers if Jackson steps down and may want to wait until the situation is clarified in L.A. before making a move.
Scott has had several talks with the Cavs and met with Gilbert, general manager Chris Grant and other members of Cleveland's ownership group on Father's Day in Michigan. However, he was not offered the job as the meeting was mostly a get-to-know-you affair.
Gilbert has said it would be ideal to have a coach in place by the opening of free agency, but Grant, who took over when Danny Ferry resigned, said last week that the team would not speed up its process.
The team has also had talks with Milwaukee assistant Kelvin Sampson and former Atlanta coach Mike Woodson.
Drafted by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 1988 draft, Shaw retired as a player in 2003. He won three league titles as a guard with the Lakers (2000-02) before becoming the team's assistant scouting director.
The Cavs have said they would prefer a defensive-minded coach. However, the club is intrigued by Shaw's knowledge of Jackson's triangle offense, a system that could entice James to stay with Cleveland.

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