He said at his press conference today that they have met with Oden and are "monitoring" the situation, but priority is Birdman. Doesn't expect to be active in FA until august/September when they can pounce on somebody who got left behind. Will not amnesty Miller or anybody else unless mandated to by ownership which hasn't happened yet.
Even that was mostly on ESPN and the agent. If you read any of the book about the decision show, Lebron is barely in it. The idea was formed between ESPN and the agent. Lebron didn't even find out about it until the end. IIRC the conversation was like two sentences. The agent told him that he and ESPN had set up show to announce the decision and that the money would go to whatever charity he wanted. The agent then said that both he and ESPN thought it was a good idea. Lebron responded with something like "okay, if everybody thinks it's a good idea. The charity will be the boy's club" or words to that effect. It's hard for me to imagine anybody in the same situation not having done the exact same thing Lebron did.
Not only that but the inside info in the media was all over the place. The idea that there was no drama is a complete rewrite of history. If there was no drama then nobody would have watched that decision show.
Riley to local media: Don't screw this up! I encourage any with interest to listen to the LeBatard show podcast of his Riley interview today. I could listen to Riley speak all day. He is fantastic. But the greatest part if the interview was Riley's challenge to the local media to leave LeBron alone until July 1 next year. He talked about how Orlando media was partly to blame for Shaq leaving. It was sort of tongue in cheek but funny
Riley is a ****ing genius. Check out this quote: "Worry to me is Fear and depth. You can have no worries, but you better have Fear, because they are always coming for you."
Riley on the City of Miami: "It is an eclectic city, with great culture, wonderful people, Vibrant, exciting, and it has one helluva basketball team." I want this guy appointed emperor.
So Section do you see any major moves or changes this offseason or just another year of growth in this unit with maybe a few small moves?
Then ESPN turned around and savaged him, it was one of the most unfair things I've seen the media do. IIRC the Boys Club got what..3 million dollars?
Well I don't remember anyone I talked to or knew that had any doubts and the fact that ESPN created drama for its own benefit isn't a big shocker. It was always a given that Lebron was leaving. He would have signed an extension if he was staying, wouldn't it be easier to attract FA's if he was already committed? Hmm. There isn't a lot of drama in the NBA either you sign your extension or you want to leave. Or you want to power play, get your coach fired or force your team to make moves like Paul and Howard. Either way its not a lot of drama. Its kind of silly to even read this stuff to be honest.
Everyone outside of Miami savaged him lol, I mean really what did he or anyone else expect? And just because they work for the network doesn't mean that the talking heads have to like everything the network does. You have to remember that Lebron and the Heat choked the 1st season too or the critics would have had a lot less to talk about. Its getting less and less each year and he's getting his due. IF he wins 3 or even 4 in a row, which is entirely possible and likely IMO, he'll get his respect and only Cleveland fans will remember the Decision.
ESPN never mentioned their role in the whole production, they just let him twist in the wind when the whole thing was their and his agent's idea.
The Heat werent but we later learned that Lebron Wade and Bosh knew where they were going since the 2008 olympics when they sat down and decided they all wanted to play together. The only team that was possible on was Miami because they had Wade's bord rights and under the old CBA that meant everything.
FYI, Kings are prepared to lose Tyreke Evans as a RFA. I smell a sign and trade with him and JR Smith.
I'm quite sure Lebron had birds right in Cleveland too. The difference was the Heat was willing to methodically clear cap space in prior seasons leading up to the 2010 off season. The Heat let contracts expire and sucked for a couple of seasons. Cleveland wasn't prepared to do it. It doesn't necessarily mean the Heat knew the big 3 was planning to join them but it means they were the only ones prepared for the inevitable influx of talent during that offseason. If Cavs management were brave enough to clear the space leading up to the 2010 offseason it could have been a much different story. That's how I saw it anyway.
Well there is one other factor. The cavs were in a weak eastern conference and had a pretty clear path to the finals a few years. All they had to do was make the team better and maybe Lebron stays. So they kept adding salary to try and win a ring. The Heat slowly cleared cap to be able to add two max guys. Maybe the Heat didnt know but the players did. And if you remember the Cavs DID try and add Amare Stoudemire at the trade deadline in Lebrons Free Agency year. They were trying to win a chip and the Heat werent.
Would like to point out that the FA/sign and trade stuff is one of the huge differences between talent acquisition in the NBA and the NFL, the NFL draft is more efficient, the NBA's FA process leads to more player movement. Adding a Wallace in the NFL is rare, in the NBA it's common.
Then your memory is failing you. Up until Section saying that Lebron was most likely coming here the night before the decision show, I heard most talking heads saying he was going elsewhere.
People were buzzing (or hoping) about New York being the destination from what I remember. Then they settled for Amare... which I think they regret.
In Lebrons last 3 years the Cavs made it to the NBA finals....had a ridiculous home winning %... Was the best defensive team in the league 2 of those years...and posted back to back 60+ win seasons. And that's when his mind was fragile. Lebron didn't need 2 All Stars to win a title?? IMO the first scrutiny he ever received from the public was hard to swallow, add in his STUPID mother sleeping with a teammate and the kid was ready for a change of scenery. People are quick to blame an organization for Lebron leaving because they are defending him as a person. I say WHO CARES why he left?? It's a free f----g country!!
Dwight Howard is an absolute clown. And Jimmy Buss is even worse. How Jim buss could manage to screw up one of the most valuable brands in all of sports in less than a year is simply astounding to me. Lakers may be just as well off if Howard bolts. Trade Gasol, keep Kobe out as long as possible and go into full on tank mode, then try and sell the fact that you're the Lakers, a top 5 pick, etc., to the 2014 Free agents
No major changes. I would however be interested in watching the Summer League team to see if they dig anybody up. Remember, int he last 2 years, they found Patrick Beverly and Terrell Harris, both good young players that they had to cut due to numbers games, and both latched on right away, and Beverly is a real contributor in Houston.
And how many times, let's just say on an average yearly basis, do you suppose players and friends on different teams talk to one another about playing on the same team one day? A hundred? Two hundred?
I feel as if Billy King should write a book on how NOT TO run a Pro Sports franchise. That proposed trade to adsorb Pierce and Garnett into the Nets for expiring's and three first rd. picks will cost them somewhere around 40 million in Luxury Tax..and the team won't improve much if any.
Not only that but the Nets pay that money just to dump everything into a two year window where even they can't possibly think they could beat the Heat. Everything they do just screams of desperation to make a splash in that market. People have heard of Jason Kidd so hire him as coach. KG and Pierce were great 5 years ago and people know their names so let's trade for them. speaking of which, can you imagine Jason Kidd coaching those guys, with those kinds of expectations? His wife better be careful since hubby is going to be angry (rimshot!)
I don't remember anyone talking about anything other than Miami or Cleveland, it was a given he was bolting everyone knew it. He played the game, so did ESPN, sorry if anyone fell for it. Not much sense going back and forth, you are right to feel how you feel but history played out exactly how i thought it would and we'll never know for sure who did what when. On some level a lot of fans and media out there will always look down on the way this team came together and Heat fans just have to ignore that and enjoy their title runs.
This wasnt talked about at the Olympics, it was finished then. The only thing needed was for the opportunity to arise. The only team with the cap space and the brains and the capability to do so was miami. Cleveland was in cap hell. Toronto. ..no one wants to play there. You needed bird rights on one or literally no one under contract. So it doesnt matter how often its talked about, it matters who has the capability to actually make it work.
Actually Chicago also had the cap room for at least two, and could have made the room for all 3 while keeping Rose had they needed to. I don't know why anybody cares about the particulars at this point except to hold on to some self righteous claim that the Heat are cheaters and that your team is better than that, but go back to the Summer of 2010 thread on this very board. Nobody was convinced of LeBron coming here until the day before the Decision, after Bosh and Wade had committed. In fact, there was much panic about Wade leaving (myself included) after he took that second meeting with Chicago, then ditched his basketball camp, leaving a hundred kids in the lurch. These guys aren't that good of actors. Chicago certainly believed they had a shot at Wade and were begging him to commit prior to their meeting with LBJ so that they could get them both.
NBA draft is tonight, heard the Cavs are trying to move out of the #1 overall in exchange for a likely lottery pick next year..pretty much nothing but 1 yr wonders at the top of the draft this year..thanks NBA. FWIW, really like Shane Larkin.
Per Woj, C's-Nets deal swelling to include Reggie evans going to Boston and JET to Nets, plus other fillers like Keith Bogans. Deal is at ownership level but C's will not seek to obtain garnett approval until everything else is agreed upon. I give the Nets credit for spedning a ton of dough, but they are spending it about as unwisely as possible
It's astonishing to me the tone with which people continue to bring up old issues with the Heat. As to your point about players having conversations, there was video footage of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Amare Stoudamire making a toast at Carmelos wedding about the three of them teaming up in NY. As of a few days before his resigning Wade was in Chicago for a second visit. There is evidence after the fact that Mark Cuban himself tampered with Shaquille O'Neal the year he was suddenly out of favor in Miami. These things occur. Ultimately organizations make things happen or not happen. The Heat played everything by the rules. Put themselves in position to be able to make those signings. Time to move on. What's most frustrating is the shrapnel Lebron takes for any move he makes. Lebron played his contract to the last minute. People say he quit on the team in Boston yet they conveniently forget that in Game 7 he came back with a triple double performance. Melo took a flamethrower to his final season in Denver. Howard bailed on the Orlando Magic. Chris Paul has been a coach killer and malcontent on two franchises now. Derrick rose was cleared for months and didn't take the floor in the playoffs. Yet Lebron is the symbol for all that is broken with the NBA? Such a strange place to become entrenched because you didn't like the Decision or you were annoyed at a 25 year old at a Pep Rally being excited about the possibilities of his new team. Hubris is unlikable, but in 2011 the price for that Hubris was paid. Why don't people just let it go?
Is the projected Brooklyn Nets lineup going to be D. Williams, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Robin Lopez? With the Jet and Gerald Wallace as the two first guys off the bench? That's not a bad spacing lineup.. Garnett high post Lopez on the low block. Very limited offensively off the dribble. Are they going to be able to Defend anyone? I don't understand what the point is of spending all that money to be the fourth best team in the Eastern Conference and then have to break the whole thing up in a season and a half when Pierce and Garnett have to be creamated? Ray Allen must really regret leaving Boston for Miami.
