The Time has Come: Where is Lebron Going?

Ten thoughts as the highly anticipated free-agency frenzy opens up.
si.com
1. Will LeBron James and Dwyane Wade play together? If finding the best basketball situation is James' priority, then this is the first question he must answer: Should he move to Miami to join with Wade and play for Heat president Pat Riley, whose return as coach would be mandatory to navigate the on-court relationship between James and Wade.
Most people in the league question whether James and Wade can coexist as scorers who have grown used to controlling the ball on the perimeter. If Shaquille O'Neal playing inside and Kobe Bryant playing outside couldn't get along, then what makes anyone think that James and Wade could share the same role on the perimeter? But it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. All that matters is what James and Wade believe, and if they're convinced they can pull it off then they should give it a try -- because if they play constructively together then they'll be a frightening combo, especially while playing for Riley.

2. James' options. Let's say James has doubts about teaming with Wade. It is going to be very difficult for him to leave Cleveland on the outskirts of his hometown of Akron, regardless of the Cavaliers' mismanagement over recent weeks. He could join with Bulls' point guard Derrick Rose, knowing they'll still have another $13 million to go after Carlos Boozer as the low-post scorer they've long coveted. He could to the Knicks, who have room for two or three stars but little else on their roster, or the Nets, who will spend the next two seasons in Newark during the construction of their new Brooklyn arena. Unless the Mavericks or another over-the-cap contender can lure James while convincing the Cavs to participate in a sign-and-trade -- highly unlikely -- James' feasible options appear to be limited to Cleveland, Miami, New York and New Jersey. (The Clippers have just enough cap space to offer James a max deal, but with one playoff series victory in 29 years of Donald Sterling's ownership they would represent a gamble not worth taking.)

3. Team issues. Many of the teams recruiting James have unsettled concerns of their own that he should find alarming.
The Cavaliers: Their season ended 47 days ago and yet they entered the final dozen hours before free agency without a head coach. Didn't they think it might be an important selling point to let James know they were well organized and ready for the new season? They already tried -- and failed, fortunately for them -- to hire Michigan State's Tom Izzo, whose lack of NBA experience would have repelled James. All the while Danny Ferry has been replaced by GM Chris Grant, who is respected but is nonetheless a rookie. All season I've been predicting James will return to Cleveland, but after watching the Cavs' performance over the last several weeks I can see why he would have second thoughts.
The Knicks: Donnie Walsh has been team president for two years and has yet to hire his own right-hand-man or heir apparent. He is 69 with a history of cancer, he has been limping on a painfully bad hip, and now comes a New York Post report that he recently underwent neck surgery for bone spurs and will attend the meeting with James in a wheelchair. ("I'm using the chair for precautionary reasons ... just to make sure I don't fall,'' Walsh told the Post's Marc Berman.) Walsh has successfully executed his two-year plan to clear cap space has successfully executed his two-year plan to clear cap space and the main recruiting pitch will be made by coach Mike D'Antoni, but James will have to wonder who will help Walsh run the Knicks over the next five years -- and why hasn't Walsh already hired that lieutenant?
The Nets: They will go into the meeting not being able to offer James a detailed basketball plan because they don't yet know who will be running their franchise now that Rod Thorn has announced he won't be back as team president. Owner Mikhail Prokhorov offers an inspiring presence, but he has been in the NBA for a few weeks and Avery Johnson has been coach for a few days. The Nets will recruit James without being able to tell him who he's going to be working for.

4. Pat Riley stands out. The Heat president will enter the recruiting week as the most credible and best-networked boss in the field. He has won championships as a coach and executive, and he has invested two behind-the-scenes years in developing contacts and selling his vision. If anyone is going to inspire confidence and stand out among his rival suitors, it is going to be Riley. He may not land James, but Riley will bring in one or two stars.

5. The Bulls. They've had few highs and a lot of lows since Michael Jordan's 1998 departure. They have a terrific point guard in Rose and enough space to sign James or Joe Johnson plus another player starting at $13 million (Boozer or David Lee?). But they're going to need time to mature as a contender, not only by filling out their roster but also as rookie coach Tom Thibodeau acquires experience.

6. The Big-Three play. Both the Heat and Knicks will be offering James an opportunity to surround himself with two stars -- with Wade and Bosh-or-Amar'e Stoudemire in Miami; with Johnson and Bosh-or-Stoudemire in New York. The New York scenario hinges on the players accepting less money in order to form a potential dynasty together; Miami can deliver three max deals if they get Bosh in a sign-and-trade. There are a lot of moving parts involved and it will be difficult for either franchise to pull this trifecta in this highly fluid market.

7. A sign-and-trade for Bosh? Unlike James, whose Cavaliers are not expected to help him leave, the Raptors are interested in participating in a sign-and-trade that would bring them talent in return while providing Bosh with a max salary worth as much as $125 million -- a $30 million advantage over the max five-year deal he could sign otherwise. Teams that already have a star power forward (the Lakers with Pau Gasol and the Mavericks, who are expected to re-sign Dirk Nowitzki) need not apply, as Bosh has no interest in becoming a center.

8. The power forwards ... Free agents, Bosh, Stoudemire and Boozer are among the best at their position. Nowitzki doesn't appear to be leaving the Mavericks and Stoudemire has been discussing a four-year extension with the Suns that could keep him in Phoenix; if Stoudemire is off the market then demand for Boozer could turn him into a max player.

9. Joe Johnson. The Hawks are expected to offer him the max, but Johnson could yet earn a six-year, $125 million elsewhere in a sign-and-trade with the Knicks or another team, which could send a second-round pick to Atlanta and leave the Hawks with a highly-valuable $16 million trade exception to be used over the next year. Every team with cap space covets Johnson in addition to teams like the Mavericks, who hope to acquire him in a more traditional sign-and-trade using the expiring contract of Erick Dampier.

10. Who gets left out? Depending on how many of the biggest names stay home -- with James, Johnson and Stoudemire among those who could -- then some teams with cap space will approach the second tier of free agents with big money to spend. In the meantime expect James, Wade and Bosh to make their decisions in the opening days of July, in part so they can begin to recruit stars to come play with them.



Sources: Cavs in negotiations with Scott
espn.com
I don't agree with this at all. I don't think this is the coach that will take them to the top. He was obviously fired from 2 teams for a reason.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have entered into negotiations to make Byron Scott the club's next head coach, according to league sources. The Cavaliers and Scott are finalizing the details of a contract that could possibly make him the next coach of LeBron James.
Cleveland settled on Scott after strongly considering Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw, who impressed the Cavaliers during interviews earlier this week. This would be the third head coaching job for the 49-year-old Scott, who led the New Jersey Nets to consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003.
Scott, who coached the Nets from 2001-2004, won the league's Coach of the Year Award in 2008 after leading the New Orleans Hornets to a surprising 56-win season. He coached the Hornets from 2004-2010 and has a 352-355 career record.
Of course, Scott does not know what kind of team he could be leading. If James re-signs with the Cavaliers, he could have an Eastern Conference contender on his hands. If James goes elsewhere, Cleveland will be in a rebuilding effort similar to the ones he took over in New Jersey and New Orleans.
It is the experiences Scott had in rebuilding those franchises that led him to maintain interest in the Cavaliers' job without assurances that James would return to the club.
In terms of re-signing James, the hiring of Scott would work in Cleveland's favor. James reportedly wants to play for a former player, and Scott was that and then some.
Scott played 14 years in the NBA, winning three championships in his 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. Scott teamed with some of the greatest players of all-time, including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and, in his final season, Kobe Bryant.
Scott has maintained a great relationship with Bryant, which is emblematic of another reason he won over the Cavs: his ability to build strong relationships with superstars. In New Jersey, Scott had a good relationship with Jason Kidd, though Kidd soured on Scott's coaching toward the end of his tenure with the team. And in New Orleans, Scott was close with Chris Paul, one of James' best friends.
Once the deal is finalized, it will close a dramatic search to replace Mike Brown, who was fired in May after five seasons in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers initially offered the job to Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert was willing to pay Izzo nearly $6 million a year, but after a long and ballyhooed period of consideration, the NCAA coaching legend decided against accepting the job without knowing whether James would return.
Scott and Shaw were both neck-and-neck for the job Tuesday night, and several reports had Shaw as the frontrunner. Shaw's agent, Jerome Stanley, told The Associated Press via email late Tuesday night that his client was Cleveland's favored choice, and there were reports that Shaw was assembling a staff to help him in his first head coaching gig.
Scott's agent, Brian McInerney, even sent out an e-mail congratulating Shaw on getting Cleveland's job.
"Coach Scott welcomes Coach Shaw into the ranks of head coaching, and as a Laker family brother, wishes him the best, until the final two minutes of any game where they are competing against each other," the e-mail read.
The Cavs, however, never offered Shaw the position. Instead, Cavaliers sources said they decided on Scott late Tuesday night and began negotiating with him Wednesday morning. Stanley then called the club Wednesday afternoon, telling them his client was pulling himself out of the running.
According to Stanley, Shaw notified Cleveland brass on Wednesday afternoon that he was withdrawing his name from consideration, citing "timing issues."
Shaw's withdrawal opens the door to speculation that he may want to remain available should Lakers head coach Phil Jackson retire. Jackson informed Lakers spokesman John Black via e-mail late Tuesday night that he intended to stick to his plan to inform the team of his decision to return to the team by Friday.






Mogul making: Prokhorov sells LeBron
yahoosports.com
The presentation of New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has been designed to reach LeBron James(notes) on his deepest and most superficial of levels. The self-made mogul has carefully crafted a detailed and daring plan to make James a billionaire. The Nets will show him the map of the world, where the mogul has gone in China and India and Russia to make his billions and convince James that there’s a blueprint here for him too.
LeBron James wants the world, and the 6-foot-9 owner capable of staring him in the eye will walk into his first free-agent meeting on Thursday and offer it. The Nets will offer him the borough of Brooklyn and pledge to overtake the New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden. They’ll promise him a vision of turning the franchise into a global basketball destination. Two self-made global moguls, Prokhorov and minority owner Jay-Z, will come calling to convince James to join up and make it a threesome.
The top contenders for James are jockeying, and those on the inside issued a warning on the eve of the summer free agency: The Nets are serious contenders for James – far outdistancing the neighboring New York Knicks who awoke to a 225-by-95-foot mural of Prokhorov and Jay-Z outside Jim Dolan’s office window at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks have already called the league office, grumbling about its arrival.
The Chicago Bulls are still the team to beat, with Cleveland a close second and New Jersey the looming wild card. Several people in the process remain dubious about the idea of the Dwyane Wade(notes), Chris Bosh(notes) and James scenario with the Miami Heat. No one believes it fits James’ DNA, nor his agenda.
“LeBron is an independent contractor,” an executive in the chase said.
No one should minimize how difficult it is going to be to extract James out of Cleveland, no matter how shaky these past two months have been for the franchise. The Cavs are completely against a sign-and-trade and will dare James to walk away and leave $30 million on the table. This is why the Nets are so intriguing, because the ability of New Jersey to sell James rests largely on the believability of the plan hatched with Prokhorov and his people.
So much of the talk about how James can make up the difference in money through marketing endorsements elsewhere is a fairly flawed argument. Those are differences of millions, at best, and ultimately the chance James has to become the kind of mogul – and maybe even champion – that he wants comes with the ability of a Russian billionaire to sell what’s always been James’ wildest fantasy: a true international tycoon.
For that, James still needs to win championships and there’s no escaping that truth. The Nets cleared $3 million more in salary cap space on Tuesday with the unloading of Yi Jianlian(notes) to move $30 million under the salary cap. New Jersey is pursuing Chris Bosh, too, but multiple league sources insist James isn’t wedded to Bosh as his power forward partner as some have been made to believe. They insist he’s fine with Amar’e Stoudemire(notes) and Carlos Boozer(notes), too.
Who truly has James’ ear is a mystery unfolding by the day, and his business manager Maverick Carter made a clumsy stab on Tuesday to insist that it’s still him. Carter has become so flustered with the public perception – and perhaps the reality – that power broker William Wesley is driving this process that Carter called the New York Times and declared that Wesley won’t be in the room for the team presentations and will have nothing to do with selecting James’ new team. That’s pure folly. Regardless of whether Wesley is present, Leon Rose, James’ agent, will be in those meetings, and he’s merely an extension of Wes, who delivers him clients.
Wes doesn’t do formal presentations. He works the back rooms and back channels.
“Maverick is swimming in the deep water now,” one source in the process said.
The irony is thick, too. After all, Carter had been the driving force to push former agent Aaron Goodwin out of James’ life five years ago and give Wes a greater role in James’ inner circle. The best way for Carter and the rest of James’ buddies to keep their power base is for James to stay with the Cavaliers. World Wide Wes can’t get the credit, nor the cache, for a deal that has LeBron re-signing with Cleveland.
Wesley used to run in Chicago with Michael Jordan in the Bulls heydays, a 45-minute flight from his suburban Detroit home. That’s a good play for him. One Chicago source even remembers how close he was with the Miami Hurricanes football program in its run of championships and how he would end up with national championship rings. And never mind how intriguing the possibility of conquering the world with Prokhorov and his arsenal of private jets and exotic vacation locales.
Everyone has an agenda here, and yet ultimately LeBron James has to reach that moment of truth about leaving Cleveland, leaving his home and accepting what will always come with the decision: sheer derision and disdain in his backyard. He’s never leaving Akron as his home, never moving out and you wonder if James has the stomach to live out his days as a pariah there.
For all the sexy selling jobs of the Russian billionaire and South Beach and Michael Jordan’s backyard, the pull of home remains the toughest competitor in the battle for LeBron James’ heart and mind. Free agency starts at midnight ET, and the first order of business will be a billionaire’s presentation promising LeBron James nothing short of what he’s always wanted: the world.