Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Where oh Where will LeBron Be?


The terrifying possibility of a LeBron-Wade-Bosh triumvirate in Miami inches closer to becoming a reality
msnbc.com
UPDATE 11:12 am: The Miami Herald and other sources are reporting that this summit did not happen in Miami. Turns out Wade spent last weekend in his hometown of Chicago. Although ESPN's sources say they were all together in Miami.

Whatever. See, there is this fancy new technology called the telephone where the three of them could have had a conversation from wherever they were in the world. Amazing, I know. So to recap, a summit may have happened, but maybe not face-to-face one in Miami. And it may all not matter because they could talk any time they want.

10:24 am: Call it a summit, a book club, or whatever you'd like, but LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh have met to determine the league's future over a nice game of Parcheesi. What an ominous yet delightful development!

The particular endgame the three are discussing is a future in which James, Wade, and Bosh all play for the Heat. Miami doesn't have the cap space for such an unprecedented move as of yet, but they'll continue trying to clear as much cap as possible to keep this dream alive. They just have to move Michael Beasley's deal, and Pat Riley has been on the phones begging other GMs to do just that. Our own Ira Winderman reported he may have found a landing place, but nothing has been made official yet.

Reports have LeBron James as being the non-committed one to this idea. The man wants to be courted, he wants the teams to come to him and tell him how much they love him. Then he will decide, and Miami may now be a front runner. But first, he wants to be wooed.

The thought of the three biggest prizes of the 2010 free agent class all ending up in Miami is...frightening, to say the least. Supposing the Heat do end up moving Beasley, then Mario Chalmers and second round selections Dexter Pittman and Justin Varnado would be the only locks for the roster. The rest would need to be picked up using cap exceptions and minimum contracts. However, given the drawing power of the triumvirate, I'm sure a few capable veterans could be persuaded to sign for a discount.

If the three are to ever team up, it would require sacrifice. The price of converting three incredible, distinct talents into a supergroup would be substantial, particularly for their individual résumés. Initially, someone would have to sacrifice money; even if the Heat shed Beasley's contract in order to have a realistic chance of signing all three free agents, they won't have enough cap space for three max contracts.

Then, all three would likely have to sacrifice in usage. James, Wade, and Bosh are all high-usage superstars, and while their combined presence would open up easier scoring opportunities for all, it would also decrease their general frequency. It seems unlikely that any of the three players would be able to maintain their current statistical excellence if they were sharing a ball. Stats don't mean everything, but they do factor into current evaluations of their game, All-NBA selections, Hall of Fame chances, and eventually help to determine their place among the all-time greats. After all, how often are numbers used for historical comparison, regardless of context?

If the thought of neo-Miami's core is remarkable, it's made even more so by the level of subjugation required to obtain it. This would be more than three superstars in their prime wanting to play together; James, Wade, and Bosh would all have to surrender their egos, their touches, their production, and their excuses at the door. If they fell short of an NBA title, there would be no wiggle room, as each would finally have at least two teammates worthy of their own impressive skills. That may not be an issue, though. The sheer force of James, Wade, and Bosh alone would incite an all-out panic across the league, and there's a distinct possibility that they could rule the NBA with an iron fist.

But only if they decide that it's really worth it. Only if they conclude that recognition of their work as a collective is enough to sustain them for the next few seasons. Only if three guys who have played up this summer's market, promoted themselves, and been showered with attention suddenly determine that they don't need all eyes on them and them alone. Only if they sacrifice the money, their places in the record books, and surely some individual awards along the way. Only then can we start reserving trophies for the new-and-improved hypothetical Miami Heat, the team that would somehow act as a caricature of the superstar system while defying it.





How Knicks will lure LeBron
I think if Isiah Thomas is pleading for LeBron, then the knicks have lost all hope!!!!

si.com
When the Knicks meet with LeBron James on Thursday, they'll be offering the free agent a vision as bold as New York itself: Create your own dynasty.
A league source with understanding of New York's plans told SI.com that the Knicks will recruit the Cavaliers' two-time MVP with a grandiose vision of surrounding him with Hawks shooting guard Joe Johnson as well as an elite power forward -- Chris Bosh of the Raptors or Amar'e Stoudemire of the Suns -- to form a starring trio capable of contending for championships for years to come.
A similar plan has been discussed this week involving a proposed move by James and Bosh to Miami to join with Heat guard Dwyane Wade.
The Knicks have decided to target Johnson instead of Wade because of concerns that Wade and James are too similar in style and could clash over control of the ball, according to the source. Though 6-foot-7 Johnson is a four-time All-Star who has led Atlanta to 100 wins over the last two seasons, he is viewed as a complementary player who is capable of joining with James and other stars in a constructive way.
Johnson's importance to this three-headed plan is underlined by the Knicks' decision to visit him first on Thursday in Los Angeles before circling back to Akron, Ohio, for their scheduled meeting with James.
The proposal of bringing three stars to New York marks a breakthrough in strategy for the Knicks, who have been seen as outsiders in the race for James. With an estimated $34.5 million in cap space, it has been assumed they would offer max contracts to James and another player -- with the veiled understanding that two stars probably wouldn't be enough to drive the Knicks past contenders like the Celtics and Magic, who have knocked James' Cavs out of the playoffs over the last two years, or the Lakers, who have won the last two championships.
By dividing its cap space equally among three elite recruits -- another idea floated on behalf of Miami -- the Knicks would pay starting base salaries of $11.5 million each to James, Johnson and the power forward. That amounts to a salary cut of $5.3 million per year compared to the max salary each player could receive from another market.
Including bonuses, each can player can earn an average salary of $15.7 million over a five-year contract, the source said.
The Knicks will enhance the offer by pointing out the numerous off-court opportunities available to star athletes in the world's largest media market, enabling the players to ultimately make more money in New York than each could on a max contract in other NBA cities.
The source emphasized that the financial offer will be dwarfed by its prestige: If James and his two fellow stars bring success of the highest order to New York, which hasn't won an NBA championship since 1973, they will become the league's most lauded players since Michael Jordan left Chicago.
Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston have realized enormous success as large markets, James will be told, but nothing will compare to the opportunities that could be waiting for James and his teammates if they were to win championships in New York.
While Miami can put together a similar offer, the Knicks believe the three stars will be more comfortable in the larger setting of New York, where the Yankees have congregated large numbers of stars for decades.
The three new Knicks would be joined by an existing second unit of young shooting forwards, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, and second-year point guard Toney Douglas, leaving New York to round out the rotation by signing three or four contributing role players to veteran-minimum contracts for next season.
The Knicks' key recruiter Thursday will be coach Mike D'Antoni, who has been an assistant coach to James on the USA Basketball teams that have played in the Olympics and World Championships in recent years. Presentations will also be made by Knicks owner James Dolan and president Donnie Walsh.
Altogether, they plan to raise two additional points during their presentation: Next summer they will promise to use the cap space created by Eddy Curry's $11.3 million expiring salary to make a run at a fourth free agent, whether it's Carmelo Anthony or another star. This enhanced flexibility is something James won't find in another market, he will be told.
In addition, the Knicks can warn James that if he doesn't want to join them, then he should consider how he'll feel competing against Johnson, Bosh or Stoudemire and one or two more stars by 2011-12. As they'll tell James Thursday, they have no choice but to build a championship team -- with or without him. They will encourage him to decide quickly, in order to help them recruit a big winner.
It is very much a long-shot that the Knicks will be able to convince three stars to accept less money up front than they'll be able to negotiate elsewhere. It's also obvious they're targeting Johnson as the key element -- if they earn his blessing on the Big Three arrangement, then they can go to James in hope that he'll sign on too and help them bring in Bosh or Stoudemire.
Will this be enough to bring James to the Knicks? By appealing to his sense of destiny and the promise of commanding the world's largest stage as NBA champion, they believe they've come up with a dynastic plan as audacious as the city they hope he'll adopt when contracts can be signed July 8.

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