2009-2010 NBA Season, Lebron to Miami!

[Correction]

I really hope LeBron reveals he has HIV and is retiring from basketball.

[Deejay]

Jesus, I never thought I'd see the day where Tyche was the single voice of reason in an entire thread.

All great players have gigantic ego's, so I don't know what the huge deal is here. Lebron's never done anything negative with his though. He's given Cleveland 7 years of great basketball, no drama, has been the best player, teammate, and role model that they could ask for. And now you want to sue him because he's taking his time exploring other options? Seriously?

Has he ever tore a part a dynasty simply because he was tired of playing second fiddle? Has he ever requested to be traded because his teammates weren't worth his time and effort? Has he ever forced himself on a female because he couldn't imagine a world where a set of titties didn't want to be rubbed against his dick? Has Lebron wagered hundreds and thousands of dollars every day in practice because he thought no one on earth could beat him?


If the only knock against your showmanship is a series two years ago where you didn't kiss the opposing teams ass after they sent you home for the summer, I'd consider you a pretty tame dude.

[Moss]

I think he's asking why "huge ego" lebron would go to a place that's nicknamed "wade county" where another superstar is already established. Wouldn't it feel a little cheap for such a large ego? I think that's a fair question.

No, it is definitely a fair question, and I don't quite understand it. I just don't think that speaks on his ego. LeBron is reported to have said he was reluctant to sign a 6 year deal with the Cavs because he doesn't want to be 31 years old with creaky knees and no championships. I'm just saying the reasoning for him going to Miami would be if he feels they give him the best chance for a championship, which in the end is vital to his brand.

Also, wouldn't they also have Beasley?

Beasley isn't very highly regarded, the Heat will probably need his cap space, especially if they sign LeBron. Apparently they are looking at Brendan Haywood as a good fit at the 5 to play alongside Bosh, and they won't have room to sign him with Beasley on the books. I read an interesting story on ESPN Insider that talks about the Heat's options with 3 max or near-max contracts on the roster.

Spoiler: show

LeBron, Wade and Bosh.

The dream of every team in the free-agent chase is to unite those three All-Stars on one roster, creating a powerhouse trio unlike any the league has ever seen and seemingly ensuring a steady stream of championship parades in the coming years.

There's just one little catch for Team Trinity, regardless of the city the esteemed trio plays in: assembling the rest of the squad.

Putting three superstars together via free agency requires a full-on roster evisceration that would make even the 1998-99 Bulls shudder. Miami, for instance, is pursuing the trio by working a sign-and-trade of its last three contracted players to Toronto for Chris Bosh. If successful, the Heat could have a roster of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Bosh and 10 empty slots that could be filled only with second-round draft choices and minimum-wage contracts.

New Jersey, New York and Chicago could put together the triumvirate only by similarly denuding their rosters. As a result, a fair question on the eve of free agency is whether the cure is worse than the disease. Is it possible to become a contender with 10 players, including two starters, pulled off the scrap heap?

MINIMUM-CONTRACT PLAYERS

An example of 10 veteran players who signed for the minimum last year. (Team Trinity would need to sign 10 to meet the league's roster minimum.)
Pos. Player 2009-10 PER
G Anthony Carter 10.34
G C.J. Watson 13.88
G Devin Brown 10.06
G Quinton Ross 3.04
F Rodney Carney 12.72
F Joey Graham 10.62
F Josh Powell 6.77
F Joe Smith 11.29
C D.J. Mbenga 11.63
C Theo Ratliff 10.28

And I do mean scrap heap. It's easy to say, "Anyone would flock to play with those three!" but that isn't quite accurate. Hamstrung by an inability to pay the usual low-level salaries required to lure veterans (the midlevel or biannual exception amount), Team Trinity would be left to pick up the scraps -- replacement-level talents available for the veteran's minimum, second-round draft picks and D-Leaguers. The only respite might come from a veteran waived or bought out at midseason -- a la P.J. Brown in 2008 or Joe Smith in 2009 -- but even so, we're talking about eighth-man types.

How good could such a team be? Believe it or not, it still could be quite good -- even if the three never got a decent teammate. Using my preseason prediction model, I plugged in a team with those three players and used fairly conservative estimates for what they might produce in the coming season -- a player efficiency rating of 29 for James, 26 for Wade and 23 for Bosh. I gave James 3,100 minutes, Wade 2,850 and Bosh 2,600.

For every other minute played by Team Trinity, I inserted my replacement-level figure of a 10 PER -- this is what I input when a team has an empty rotation spot or has it filled by a player projected to produce less than 10. I never go any lower than this and have never felt a need to, as virtually anyone who produces at a lesser rate (once we include defensive value) is quickly replaced.

OK, that's my methodology; now for the result. This team, believe it or not, is projected to win 61 games.

And, of course, that is in a worst-case scenario -- it might not be filled entirely by replacement-level players. At least one decent veteran might decide it's worth taking the plunge, especially if the exposure can get him a contract next year after he's on national TV twice a week playing with Team Trinity.

Mike Miller, for instance, reportedly has meetings with both the Knicks and Heat scheduled for Thursday. While adding him to a deeper roster might not change the outlook much, having him replace 35 minutes a night of replacement-level stinkiosity would add several wins over the course of a season.

Even if Team Trinity didn't get somebody as good as Miller, a lesser player could help. In fact, pretty much any half-decent player -- C.J. Watson, let's say, or Rodney Carney -- would add a couple of wins to this projection.

On the other hand, the biggest liability for Team Trinity would be the potential of one of its three stars missing time with an injury. A prolonged absence by any one of them would turn the club into a .500 outfit; if two of them went out, it would be awful.

I should stress that all this depends on a single team amassing three superstar talents. It really works only with a James-Wade-Bosh combo; once you start replacing one of those three with a David Lee or a Joe Johnson, the rest of the roster becomes a much greater liability.

But nobody has ever put together three stars in their prime of the magnitude of James, Wade and Bosh -- in fact, if not for Kevin Durant, they would have been the top three players in PER this past season. Of course, nobody has ever surrounded three stars with an expansion team, either. Nonetheless, it says here they'll have a heck of a team -- even in Year 1, before they can start filling out the rest of the roster. About the worst I can say is that they might not be champion-caliber right away, but if not, they'll be darned close.

As far as you saying that why makes the decisions isn't relevant, as the end result is "lebrontourage" publicity. Contrarily, I don't see the ego, the presentation, or the publicity relevant. I think the endgame, the benefactor in all this is what really matters.

I think we ware going to have to agree to disagree on this. Giving to charity is great, I just can't really recognize it when I see it as a thinly-veiled PR move to improve people's feelings toward this "show."

All I was trying to say about "The Decision" is that it isn't relevant if it was just LeBron's decision or if the LeBrontourage told him it was a good idea. They are all dedicated to improving his brand.

[Moss]

Jesus, I never thought I'd see the day where Tyche was the single voice of reason in an entire thread.

All great players have gigantic ego's, so I don't know what the huge deal is here. Lebron's never done anything negative with his though. He's given Cleveland 7 years of great basketball, no drama, has been the best player, teammate, and role model that they could ask for. And now you want to sue him because he's taking his time exploring other options? Seriously?

Has he ever tore a part a dynasty simply because he was tired of playing second fiddle? Has he ever requested to be traded because his teammates weren't worth his time and effort? Has he ever forced himself on a female because he couldn't imagine a world where a set of titties didn't want to be rubbed against his dick? Has Lebron wagered hundreds and thousands of dollars every day in practice because he thought no one on earth could beat him?


If the only knock against your showmanship is a series two years ago where you didn't kiss the opposing teams ass after they sent you home for the summer, I'd consider you a pretty tame dude.

He is dragging this shit on and milking it for all it is worth; that is my problem with it.

[Gadritan]

Don't forget he wore a Yankees hat to an Indians home game against NY. And a Cowboys jersey at a Browns home game against DAL.

He was born in Ohio and all that great stuff, but he's never had any great affection for their sports teams aside from the one that signed his check.

[Melena]

Yea, and if I recall people were wanting his head on a pike for having the audacity for rooting for a team outside his local area. It's like all of Ohio was infected with TommyGunz syndrome.

[Deejay]

He is dragging this shit on and milking it for all it is worth; that is my problem with it.

You act as if this decision won't shape his image, his brand, and his legacy for the rest of his life. If I were him, I'd take my sweet ass time too.

And to top things off, there are multiple scenarios where he could win rings, make a lot of money, and do a lot of great things. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he woke up every day with a different team in mind.

[Kyo]

Yea, and if I recall people were wanting his head on a pike for having the audacity for rooting for a team outside his local area. It's like all of Ohio was infected with TommyGunz syndrome.

He's not the only one that goes off on that tangent, alot of people around here seem to share that same view.

I really have a hard time keeping up with the forums here latley, but Deejay couldn't have said it better, like always, he is 100% on with his sentiments.

Spoiler: show

Except when he thinks Eli is better than Peyton

[Eticket]

Don't forget he wore a Yankees hat to an Indians home game against NY. And a Cowboys jersey at a Browns home game against DAL.

He was born in Ohio and all that great stuff, but he's never had any great affection for their sports teams aside from the one that signed his check.

He's also reiterated many times that he's a Bulls fan. I'm sure that sits well in Cleveland.

Per Jeff Goodman @ Fox Sports
'Source told FOXSports.com Miami Heat have offered Mike Miller 5-year deal worth 27-30 million with deadline tonight.'

'Miller has been told by Miami that the team is "confident" LeBron is coming. Miller could likely earn more money with New York Knicks.'

[Moss]

You act as if this decision won't shape his image, his brand, and his legacy for the rest of his life. If I were him, I'd take my sweet ass time too.

And to top things off, there are multiple scenarios where he could win rings, make a lot of money, and do a lot of great things. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he woke up every day with a different team in mind.

I agree with those sentiments, but him stretching a simple statement of where he is going to sign into a one hour show is a microcosm of what I feel is an unnecessarily drawn out process. It is a defensible position to think he has really needed all of this time to make his decision, but I personally don't feel that way. It wasn't until the recent delays(went from announcing Monday, to Wednesday so he wouldn't take attention away from his camp, now to a show on Thursday) that it really started to annoy me.

[Kibble]

You guys are forgetting probably the largest influence to actually have "The Decision."

The media.

[Deejay]

Spoiler: show

Except when he thinks Eli is better than Peyton

Spoiler: show

:3

[Cleverness]

When I went to pick up a copy of the New York Daily News today, whose on the cover? Lebron. Back page? Lebron. Front page story? Lebron. First thing in the sports section? Lebron.

Seriously if he doesn't choose NY there's a guaranteed...2 months of negative shitting-on-Lebron articles these journalists are gonna start spitting. But at least he's getting the media attention he wants.

[Kibble]

2 months is nothing compared to the lifetime Ohio will shit on him when he leaves.

[Cleverness]

Remembering this video, I don't think Cleveland is gonna survive if Lebron leaves
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

[wagon]

Seriously, if lebron joins the Heat then Miami can easily have a dynasty for the next few years.

[Deejay]

Remembering this video, I don't think Cleveland is gonna survive if Lebron leaves
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

LOL

CLEVELAND: WE'RE NOT DETROIT!

[promethius]

the way ESPN has been throwing out these stories and have been flat out wrong 99% of the time i don't think he is going to miami. i wouldn't think they would say what team he was going to if they knew anyway so they can keep the suspense going until his announcement.

Chris broussard has been the worst of them all first saying chicago, then cleavland, then new york(after saying they had no shot) now he is saying miami in which reliable sources have told him. Anything with a source is bullshit because if lebron wanted people to know now he would have never made the hour special. the only two epople who probably know where lebron is going is him and his wife not even carter knows in my opinion.

[Melena]

Seriously, if lebron joins the Heat then Miami can easily have a dynasty for the next few years.

Dynasty might be a stretch. Need more then just 3 people to win. Even the lakers when it was Kobe/Shaq or the Bulls when it was Pippen/Jordan had the secondary cast like fisher and rodman to fill in the holes. Even the Celtics with the current big 3 when they beat the lakers 3 years ago had some steals for role players to pull it off.

[promethius]

new one is out, lebron, wade, bosh and two years from now chris paul in miami. has been planned since olympics. shits funny as hell.