The NBA 2010 offseason/draft thread

[Anthony]

things can go either way, but from trying to read between the lines here's my take on where teams stand (in no order):

Teams that have lost steam and are officially out
Chicago and Nets. no buzz (we've heard that word a LOT regarding this summer's free agency bonanza) the last week. momentary increase on the Richter scale when CHI picked up Boozer, but i'm sure Lebron said "oh wow, that's nice, you got Boozer. um, yeah, MIA picked up Bosh." Nets always had an uphill climb in this race, they play in the swamps of Jersey currently and while they'll eventually move to NY, its Brooklyn, which is like saying "the Memphis Grizzlies are gonna move to Oakland, CA." for a guy whose ego is huge enough to hold an infomercial about which team he's selecting, does anyone really think he'd wanna play in the shadow of Manhattan's bright lights? Knicks will always be the only basketball team that matters in NYC just like the Lakers will always be the only team that matters in CA, regardless of how many other teams they share the state with.

Teams that are in it

1. CLE -
Pros: i don't think holding an hour long special just to insult your hometown team is good for business. i think all along they've had the upper hand. he can make the most money and be the big fish in the small pond and literally own the whole state.
Cons: of course, why be the big fish in the small pond when you can be the big fish in a river? it can be argued that if Lebron were to shun Cleveland and sign elsewhere, becoming an enemy of the state, its only cuz Cleveland is too insignificant of a city to really matter. also, i really think Bosh not wanting to come to CLE while Lebron supposedly recruited him was the nail in the coffin. Cleveland is not a place people in their prime willingly choose. i think LBJ figured out they'd always have a problem surrounding him with prime talent. they'll never win the #1 overall pick in the draft while he's there, and they don't have the cap nor commodities to add other players via trade.

2. NY -
Pros: its NYC. nuff said. this is the team that up until free agency started everyone picked LBJ would be going to. the fact that they made moves to have the cap to sign LBJ and have added an elite player in Stoudemire - someone LBJ tried to get CLE to aquire, helped our chances. whatever business ventures LBJ has aspirations to, they're all helped by him moving his base of operations to the city where everything happens. holding his press conference in the Tri-State area adds a lot of intrigue. he could easily announce he's coming to the NYK, then while some prerecorded puff piece about his involvement with the Boys and Girls Club of America airs he whisks away to the Knicks practice facilities and meets up with his new employers.
Cons: this would be unnecessarily malicious to Knicks fans to hold his press conference in the Tri-State area and pick another team. its not exactly a neutral site if he was concerned about tipping his hand. the fact that he'd go so far to insinuate the Knicks were his choice only to pick a different team would make him an enemy. if he held his press conference in CLE we wouldn't have cared. all along Knicks fans have known we were a long shot compared to CLE, but to give empty hope to us is a slap in the face and i hope he'd be booed every time he went to the Garden.

3. MIA -
Pros: they already have 2/3 of the top 3 elite FAs. potential HOF coach in Riley. location, great weather (when it isn't raining) and cuban ass on the beach.
Cons: it'll always be Wade's team. i don't believe this hooey that Wade would accept less than the max - if that's the case pretty much every team was open to him to go to. Wade will be the only one making max dollars and that means its his team. LBJ is 2nd fiddle, then Bosh. that's the pecking order. how can LBJ be "the greatest" if he's basically Pau Gasol joining Kobe's team? they also have only Beasely and Chalmers under contract - that's it. no team without a bench has ever won a ring. MIA is gonna be literally scraping the bottom of the barrel to fill out that roster. like, its gonna be really bad, they may even have a reality show called "So You Wanna Play For The Heat?" hosted by Mario Lopez, with celebtrity judges Rony Seikly, Glenn Rice and Zo Mourning. MIA will never be able to aquire that last important piece via trade, and will never have more than MLE to throw around. Knicks have $11million in trade bait (Curry's deal) this season.

i think its between CLE and NYK and if i had to choose i'd say its the NYK. long ago Isaiah Thomas drafted two scrubs that he was roundly mocked for taking. their names were Renaldo Blackman and Mardy Collins. their agent? Leon Rose, who has a certain high profile client that is giving a press conference tonight at 9 to announce his team. looks like the process of a handshake deal was put in place long ago.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Logan

In Cleveland, maybe RainMaker's right. But nationally/globally? Give me a GD break. There are fans of all NBA teams SLOBBERING over this decision.

edit: Or...what Jon said.

There will always be jersey chasers. Guys who aren't fans of teams but of players. They are a small percent of the NBA fan base though.

I don't know if you've followed the reaction online, but it's been bad. I don't think the anger is necessarily over the Heat decision, but the whole process. He's been shredded for this everywhere but on ESPN (big surprise).

It doesn't kill him, but it's a huge hit. It assures him that he never comes close to the image that MJ, Magic, or probably even Kobe has. He's now forever cast as a ringchaser who had to run for help because he wasn't good enough to make his teammates better and win on his own.

[RainMaker]

From what I've read, and what makes most sense, is Chicago is out because Reinsdorf basically said he won't let Lebron run around with an entourage everywhere. His pals weren't going on team flights and he would have to abide by team rules. Lebron and company don't like that and thus why Chicago is not an option despite giving him the best chance to win and cement a strong legacy.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

It assures him that he never comes close to the image that MJ, Magic, or probably even Kobe has.

I would certainly hope not.

A guy kicked out of the league for gambling, an HIV posterboy for why you shouldn't whorehop, and a rapist.

If I needed to pick one to have over for dinner, Lebron is the only one I'd let in my house.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I would certainly hope not.

A guy kicked out of the league for gambling, an HIV posterboy for why you shouldn't whorehop, and a rapist.

If I needed to pick one to have over for dinner, Lebron is the only one I'd let in my house.

Kicked out of the league for gambling? Do you know who the commissioner is? The day MJ retired he probably had a nervous breakdown.

[RainMaker]

The one thing I agree with you on is that I don't think they win it. At first I thought having that team guaranteed championships, and it might get them one or two. But they have huge holes that minimum contracts won't fill.

- They have no one who can play defense or rebound inside. Every top team needs a guy who can grind, block a few shots, and grab some boards. Bosh doesn't play that way.

- No one who can shoot. Not a lot of 3-point shooters available at that price. Need someone to hit a big 3 every now and again.

- Minutes. They are going to have to play a ton to keep this team in games. Does it shorten their careers? Burn them out by the playoffs? They all have to play 40 minutes a night.

Not to mention chemistry and ego issues. I think they'll win 60 games next year on sheer talent, but I wouldn't be surprised if Boston or L.A. sent them home in the playoffs. The best part will be that losing with the so-called "Dream Team" shatters any potential legacy for Lebron.

[molson]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Kicked out of the league for gambling? Do you know who the commissioner is? The day MJ retired he probably had a nervous breakdown.

I'm pretty sure that if Jordan committed a murder during his career, Stern would help him cover it up.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Kicked out of the league for gambling? Do you know who the commissioner is? The day MJ retired he probably had a nervous breakdown.

You honestly believe he left the NBA to go play baseball?

Damn Rain, I didn't think that there was anyone that naive.

[Anthony]

although, the more i think about it, MIA did make some questionable moves over the past few years. they have gutted their team so that they'd only have Beasely and Chamlers under contract and got themselves enough cap room to sign 3 max FAs. why would they do that if they didn't have any assurance from Wade that not only would he stay - but bring his 2 friends with him? everyone in this Lebron race made sure they had enough cap room to aquire 2 FAs at max dollar. that's normal. but for the Heat to risk everything for the pipe dream of 3 max FAs - no logical person in control of a team would take such a risk. i'm sure many of you have been in online leagues - who would really gut their team for the outside chance of being able to sign 3 of the top 3 FAs? and that's just text sim online leagues we're talking about. this is real life, no one does does moves without guarantees they'd work. they went to the playoffs last year with Wade and the group of crap, why gut an entire team at the expense of adding 2 elite players so that you have 3 alpha dogs sharing the rock while about 8 other guys fight for the rights to be the top towel waiving player on the side?

[Poli]

I'm sure this Bosh kid is a good player...and you NBA enthusiasts likely know him by face, number, and name. I can't help but shake my head, though.

I don't watch much NBA, but at least I know the stars. Lebron? Sure, I know him. Wade? Got it, know him. Stoudemire or however that's spelled? Got it. Dirk? Ray Allen? Pierce? I know all of them, too. Shoot, I even know who Boozer is(though might be because I giggle at his name).

I just can't think of who this Bosh guy is or if I've ever seen him on TV, ever. How great can this kid be?

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

He played in Toronto for bad teams.

[DaddyTorgo]

I'd rather Jermaine O'Neil than Shaq, so I guess that's good.

[Racer]

Originally Posted by Anthony

3. MIA -
Pros: they already have 2/3 of the top 3 elite FAs. potential HOF coach in Riley. location, great weather (when it isn't raining) and cuban ass on the beach.
Cons: it'll always be Wade's team. i don't believe this hooey that Wade would accept less than the max - if that's the case pretty much every team was open to him to go to. Wade will be the only one making max dollars and that means its his team. LBJ is 2nd fiddle, then Bosh. that's the pecking order. how can LBJ be "the greatest" if he's basically Pau Gasol joining Kobe's team? they also have only Beasely and Chalmers under contract - that's it. no team without a bench has ever won a ring. MIA is gonna be literally scraping the bottom of the barrel to fill out that roster. like, its gonna be really bad, they may even have a reality show called "So You Wanna Play For The Heat?" hosted by Mario Lopez, with celebtrity judges Rony Seikly, Glenn Rice and Zo Mourning. MIA will never be able to aquire that last important piece via trade, and will never have more than MLE to throw around. Knicks have $11million in trade bait (Curry's deal) this season.

i think its between CLE and NYK and if i had to choose i'd say its the NYK. long ago Isaiah Thomas drafted two scrubs that he was roundly mocked for taking. their names were Renaldo Blackman and Mardy Collins. their agent? Leon Rose, who has a certain high profile client that is giving a press conference tonight at 9 to announce his team. looks like the process of a handshake deal was put in place long ago.

One other really good comparison I've heard is that LeBron wouls be to Dwayne Wade in Miami like Alex Rodriguez is to Derek Jeter in New York. I think he signs with the Cavs or Knicks tonight.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

You honestly believe he left the NBA to go play baseball?

Damn Rain, I didn't think that there was anyone that naive.

I don't believe David Stern would secretly suspend the NBA's most bankable player. Jordan made the NBA so much god-damned money and helped it expand in so many places.

Stern is a smart guy. If he started suspending guys for gambling, half the league would be playing minor league baseball.

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I don't believe David Stern would secretly suspend the NBA's most bankable player. Jordan made the NBA so much god-damned money and helped it expand in so many places.

Stern is a smart guy. If he started suspending guys for gambling, half the league would be playing minor league baseball.

and the league would have been making jackshit if all the gambling stuff about Jordan came out

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Anthony

things can go either way, but from trying to read between the lines here's my take on where teams stand (in no order):

Teams that have lost steam and are officially out
Chicago and Nets. no buzz (we've heard that word a LOT regarding this summer's free agency bonanza) the last week. momentary increase on the Richter scale when CHI picked up Boozer, but i'm sure Lebron said "oh wow, that's nice, you got Boozer. um, yeah, MIA picked up Bosh." Nets always had an uphill climb in this race, they play in the swamps of Jersey currently and while they'll eventually move to NY, its Brooklyn, which is like saying "the Memphis Grizzlies are gonna move to Oakland, CA." for a guy whose ego is huge enough to hold an infomercial about which team he's selecting, does anyone really think he'd wanna play in the shadow of Manhattan's bright lights? Knicks will always be the only basketball team that matters in NYC just like the Lakers will always be the only team that matters in CA, regardless of how many other teams they share the state with.

Teams that are in it

1. CLE -
Pros: i don't think holding an hour long special just to insult your hometown team is good for business. i think all along they've had the upper hand. he can make the most money and be the big fish in the small pond and literally own the whole state.
Cons: of course, why be the big fish in the small pond when you can be the big fish in a river? it can be argued that if Lebron were to shun Cleveland and sign elsewhere, becoming an enemy of the state, its only cuz Cleveland is too insignificant of a city to really matter. also, i really think Bosh not wanting to come to CLE while Lebron supposedly recruited him was the nail in the coffin. Cleveland is not a place people in their prime willingly choose. i think LBJ figured out they'd always have a problem surrounding him with prime talent. they'll never win the #1 overall pick in the draft while he's there, and they don't have the cap nor commodities to add other players via trade.

2. NY -
Pros: its NYC. nuff said. this is the team that up until free agency started everyone picked LBJ would be going to. the fact that they made moves to have the cap to sign LBJ and have added an elite player in Stoudemire - someone LBJ tried to get CLE to aquire, helped our chances. whatever business ventures LBJ has aspirations to, they're all helped by him moving his base of operations to the city where everything happens. holding his press conference in the Tri-State area adds a lot of intrigue. he could easily announce he's coming to the NYK, then while some prerecorded puff piece about his involvement with the Boys and Girls Club of America airs he whisks away to the Knicks practice facilities and meets up with his new employers.
Cons: this would be unnecessarily malicious to Knicks fans to hold his press conference in the Tri-State area and pick another team. its not exactly a neutral site if he was concerned about tipping his hand. the fact that he'd go so far to insinuate the Knicks were his choice only to pick a different team would make him an enemy. if he held his press conference in CLE we wouldn't have cared. all along Knicks fans have known we were a long shot compared to CLE, but to give empty hope to us is a slap in the face and i hope he'd be booed every time he went to the Garden.

3. MIA -
Pros: they already have 2/3 of the top 3 elite FAs. potential HOF coach in Riley. location, great weather (when it isn't raining) and cuban ass on the beach.
Cons: it'll always be Wade's team. i don't believe this hooey that Wade would accept less than the max - if that's the case pretty much every team was open to him to go to. Wade will be the only one making max dollars and that means its his team. LBJ is 2nd fiddle, then Bosh. that's the pecking order. how can LBJ be "the greatest" if he's basically Pau Gasol joining Kobe's team? they also have only Beasely and Chalmers under contract - that's it. no team without a bench has ever won a ring. MIA is gonna be literally scraping the bottom of the barrel to fill out that roster. like, its gonna be really bad, they may even have a reality show called "So You Wanna Play For The Heat?" hosted by Mario Lopez, with celebtrity judges Rony Seikly, Glenn Rice and Zo Mourning. MIA will never be able to aquire that last important piece via trade, and will never have more than MLE to throw around. Knicks have $11million in trade bait (Curry's deal) this season.

i think its between CLE and NYK and if i had to choose i'd say its the NYK. long ago Isaiah Thomas drafted two scrubs that he was roundly mocked for taking. their names were Renaldo Blackman and Mardy Collins. their agent? Leon Rose, who has a certain high profile client that is giving a press conference tonight at 9 to announce his team. looks like the process of a handshake deal was put in place long ago.

Dude! The Clippers!

How quickly we forget.

[Calis]

I guess I'm not seeing how the TV special is a slap in the face to Cleveland if he goes elsewhere? Sure I think it is lame in general, but even moreso if he is just staying in Cleveland. I think that'd probably annoy more people than anything else.

Personally I don't care much where he goes. Obviously a big deal, but I also don't see how it a knock on him for leaving, as if going for a ring is a negative. Taking a paycut to win a title makes him a bad person? I guess there is always something.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Calis

I guess I'm not seeing how the TV special is a slap in the face to Cleveland if he goes elsewhere? Sure I think it is lame in general, but even moreso if he is just staying in Cleveland. I think that'd probably annoy more people than anything else.

Personally I don't care much where he goes. Obviously a big deal, but I also don't see how it a knock on him for leaving, as if going for a ring is a negative. Taking a paycut to win a title makes him a bad person? I guess there is always something.

LeBron's big enough that no matter whehter it's a slap in the face, tonight changes the rules. It's not a slap anymore. It's accepted, and I think we'll see more of it.

The college recruiting "three hats on the table" gimmick was probably considered a slap in the face to the other two schools at one point too. We got used to it.

[larrymcg421]

The thing is, if he leaves he better win a ring. He's already got that pressure, but if he stayed in Cleveland then at least he could argue he never had a good enough team. He won't have that argument if he leaves.

[larrymcg421]

And I think this offseason has gone about as well as could be expected for the C's. Doc, Pierce, Ray all back. Signing Jermaine O' Neal. What appears to be a pretty solid draft.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Pros: they already have 2/3 of the top 3 elite FAs. potential HOF coach in Riley.

Potential HOF coach in Pat Riley? First, he's already in the HOF. Second, even if he hadn't been inducted yet, what part of his resume of work gives him the "potential", instead of mortal lock HOF coach?

[Pumpy Tudors]

I always get Jermaine O'Neal mixed up with Jonathan Bender, which I find hilarious.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

The thing is, if he leaves he better win a ring. He's already got that pressure, but if he stayed in Cleveland then at least he could argue he never had a good enough team. He won't have that argument if he leaves.

He does not have that argument now. There are those that believe that the Cavs have been good enough to win a championship both of the last two years.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by stevew

The Mavericks have agreed to terms on a six-year, $55 year million deal to re-sign center Brendan Haywood, a source told Yahoo! Sports.


What the motherfuck?

why not ? Cuban doesn´t spend as much as back in the day, but i´m sure he won´t loose sleep over signing him for 10/11 per as oposed to 8 per (which i´d think he can be worth). Since they are over the cap anyway i´d say resigning possibly the best Center available is a good move regardles if you overpay him by a few mio. I also suppose the last year might not be guaranteed similar to Dampiers and will supposedly also include a ton of incentives to make up that amount.
Heck, they can still get rid of Dampier´s 13 mio this offseason (most of it unguaranteed).

What´s the alternative, sign Brad Miller for 5 mio ?

Overpayed ? Sure. Doesn´t mean i doesn´t make sense though.

[Neuqua]

The more I think about it, the more I think that he just isn't signing with Miami. The way he has built himself up, all the hype, the self-appointment of "King" nickname, it all washes away if he signs with the Heat.

A few weeks ago, a fan asked Kevin Durant if he'd welcome Lebron James on his team. Kevin's response? "Nah, I think we're ok. This is my team and I like where we're going."

THAT is the kind of mentality all the legends have.

If he signs with Wade and the Heat, he all but admits that he doesn't have the same killer instinct the greats have (which Wade also has.)

This is all just publicity generating, he's re-signing with the Cavaliers in a 3 year deal.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by stevew

I love how the NBA doesn't have a compensation system for FA loss.

....your compensation for losing one of the most valuable players in the history of team sports is a $500 dollar gift card to Bed Bath And Beyond.

plus a 25% chance at the #1 pick if you're the worst team the following year.

What compensation should a team other than the cap space to sign other players? They already have an advantage because they can go over the salary cap to keep their player. Would gaining a compensatory pick at the end of the first round really matter if a team lost a top free agent?

[bhlloy]

Put it this way, he's VERY heavily hinting towards the Heat right now (the shoes at the basketball camp, the booking in South Beach, the "leaks" from his sources that are saying the Heat)

Do you think he's just trying to create ratings for his show or do you think he's just naive/doesn't care that everyone knows where he's going before his big announcement? I'm going to stick with my prediction of the Knicks.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Neuqua

The more I think about it, the more I think that he just isn't signing with Miami. The way he has built himself up, all the hype, the self-appointment of "King" nickname, it all washes away if he signs with the Heat.

A few weeks ago, a fan asked Kevin Durant if he'd welcome Lebron James on his team. Kevin's response? "Nah, I think we're ok. This is my team and I like where we're going."

THAT is the kind of mentality all the legends have.

If he signs with Wade and the Heat, he all but admits that he doesn't have the same killer instinct the greats have (which Wade also has.)

This is all just publicity generating, he's re-signing with the Cavaliers in a 3 year deal.

People read too much into shit. You could just as easily commend him for deciding that playing with friends is more important than public perception. The problem is it doesn't jive with the current Lebron hate that everyone is enjoying.

[Neuqua]

That's my line of thinking too. Having it 15 minutes from the Knicks facility, then all these leaks from his "sources" (which up until the last day or two had been so tight-lipped,) I think him and his "team" are all doing this on purpose to make tonight's special a true "event."

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Potential HOF coach in Pat Riley? First, he's already in the HOF. Second, even if he hadn't been inducted yet, what part of his resume of work gives him the "potential", instead of mortal lock HOF coach?

Pretty sure the "potential" adjective is amending "coach", not "HOF". As in, Riley is not currently coaching Miami. But he certainly a "potential coach" for Miami.

[molson]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

What compensation should a team other than the cap space to sign other players? They already have an advantage because they can go over the salary cap to keep their player. Would gaining a compensatory pick at the end of the first round really matter if a team lost a top free agent?

I always though compensation defeated the purpose of free agency. The absurd extreme of that was the early days of NFL and NHL free agency, when some kind of arbiter decided compensation on a case-by-case basis, often forcing the signing team to give up more value than the free agent they just signed.

We don't have those extremes, anymore, but ya. If you don't sign a player, why do you deserve a prize for that? It's just a gimmick to limit a player's value.

[Atocep]

Compensation wouldn't work in the NBA unless they changed their cap structure. As it stands right now the cap relief is the best compensation a team can get in most cases. Draft picks aren't as valuable as they are in other sports and at times are only slightly better than worthless.

[Dr. Sak]

I hope he resigns with Cleveland...that city deserves a break.

[Groundhog]

I hope he signs with Real Madrid.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Neuqua

This is all just publicity generating, he's re-signing with the Cavaliers in a 3 year deal.

After this offseason, would anyone ever sign a big time free agent to a three year deal again?

[Atocep]

In other news, Daniel Orton put in a monster game (by his standards) with 4 points and 4 rebounds on 2-6 shooting.

[jbergey22]

I am not sure what is going on but the NBA is completely fucked up right now.

If Cleveland cant keep Lebron James does anyone really think the fans of the Bucks, Timberwolves, Pacers, etc... are going to feel like dishing their money out to watch their own players when they probably realize they are going to be gone in a few years? This is just horrible for the NBA if this happens.

Just cut the league to 16 all star teams and quit pretending that the teams are on equal ground would be the best solution to this problem.

Atleast the Twolves have signed Darko and are looking at signing Luke Ridnour. I again cant wait to go watch them play again this year.

I feel just horribly for the fans that have been loyal to the Cavs and what they about to soon find out.

[CleBrownsfan]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

I am not sure what is going on but the NBA is completely fucked up right now.

If Cleveland cant keep Lebron James does anyone really think the fans of the Bucks, Timberwolves, Pacers, etc... are going to feel like dishing their money out to watch their own players when they probably realize they are going to be gone in a few years? This is just horrible for the NBA if this happens.

Just cut the league to 16 all star teams and quit pretending that the teams are on equal ground would be the best solution to this problem.

Atleast the Twolves have signed Darko and are looking at signing Luke
Ridnour. I again cant wait to go watch them play again this year.

Ummm, welcome to the world of free agency.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by CleBrownsfan

Ummm, welcome to the world of free agency.

The NFL system seems to work fine. The Raiders are proof that money and location doesnt win in that sport.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

The NFL system seems to work fine. The Raiders are proof that money and location doesnt win in that sport.

Works so good were going to see a lockout.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Works so good were going to see a lockout.

first one since 87 if it does happen. MLB, NHL, and NBA have lost seasons to lockouts. The NFL hasnt lost a game since 87.

Id like you to try and argue that any of the other sports are in the same shape financially as the NFL.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

first one since 87 if it does happen. MLB, NHL, and NBA have lost seasons to lockouts. The NFL hasnt lost a game since 87.

That doesn't mean the system isn't fundamentally broken. It's not like they're sitting around thinking it's ok to have a lockout since they haven't had one in so long.

If there weren't serious issues they wouldn't be considering a lockout.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

I am not sure what is going on but the NBA is completely fucked up right now.

If Cleveland cant keep Lebron James does anyone really think the fans of the Bucks, Timberwolves, Pacers, etc... are going to feel like dishing their money out to watch their own players when they probably realize they are going to be gone in a few years? This is just horrible for the NBA if this happens.

Just cut the league to 16 all star teams and quit pretending that the teams are on equal ground would be the best solution to this problem.

Atleast the Twolves have signed Darko and are looking at signing Luke Ridnour. I again cant wait to go watch them play again this year.

But yet somehow the Cavs were able to keep him the first time his contract was up. Oh yeah that big market town of Oklahoma City managed to keep Kevin Durant in town for five more years. That seems like a good reason to believe that you can actually keep your star player is A) Pick the right player and B) Have a quality front office.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Atocep

That doesn't mean the system isn't fundamentally broken. It's not like they're sitting around thinking it's ok to have a lockout since they haven't had one in so long.

If there weren't serious issues they wouldn't be considering a lockout.

You do realize why the have lockouts dont you? Even if the system was pretty much flawless they would still do battle as their is so much money involved. A perfect system would still have issues at some point because either the owners or the players will eventually think they are more important than they are getting paid.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

I am not sure what is going on but the NBA is completely fucked up right now.

If Cleveland cant keep Lebron James does anyone really think the fans of the Bucks, Timberwolves, Pacers, etc... are going to feel like dishing their money out to watch their own players when they probably realize they are going to be gone in a few years? This is just horrible for the NBA if this happens.

Just cut the league to 16 all star teams and quit pretending that the teams are on equal ground would be the best solution to this problem.

You sound like you're talking about baseball, or are projecting the issues with one free agent... sure one who happens to be a 2 time MVP, but still just one... on the entire league.

If Cleveland were managed better wouldn't they have a better chance of keeping lebron? More than any other sport, the NBA offers massive incentives and encouragement to keep players with the same team. Kobe never played for anyone but LA. Miami kept their superstar. Of course Bosh is leaving a horribly run team in the lottery every year. Pierce stayed in Boston. Dirk stayed in Dallas. Joe Johnson stayed in Atlanta. Amare had a rocky time in Phoenix off and on, might not be the best move to go to new york but its understandable why he'd want a fresh start somewhere.

So you're left with lebron as the one guy who it would make tons of sense for him to stay but who likely isn't. He's forsaking his hometown and $30 million more over the life of his contract to leave.

Of course salary and shit is out of control in the NBA... but lebron choosing to go somewhere else isn't to me a sign of anything at all about the league as a whole. Its a sign that none of us understand his priorities at all heh. But it doesn't tell me shit about the NBA IMO.

Anyone here wanna put $50 on whether Durant ever plays for another NBA team? OKC has good young talent and is really well managed, and the league has incentives for a team like that to keep its stars. Durant never plays anywhere else. If this were baseball it'd be the opposite. There'd be no chance that he wouldn't end up in NY or Boston. Seems to me this is the one thing the NBA gets exactly right.

[SirFozzie]

Interestink: From the ESPN Decision chat

From the sports blogger for the Miami Herald:

#Heat LeBron-to-Miami may not be happening. Heat has canceled a full-page welcome ad in The Miami Herald.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

You do realize why the have lockouts dont you? Even if the system was pretty much flawless they would still do battle as their is so much money involved. A perfect system would still have issues at some point because either the owners or the players will eventually think they are more important than they are getting paid.

The perfect system for the fans and the perfect system for the owners and players are different things.

You may think the system the NFL has is perfect, but obviously the people who have a lot more at stake think there's some serious issues.

Personally, I find the level of parity the NFL has boring and the amount of attention I've given the NFL has dropped considerably the past 3-4 years because of it.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

But yet somehow the Cavs were able to keep him the first time his contract was up. Oh yeah that big market town of Oklahoma City managed to keep Kevin Durant in town for five more years. That seems like a good reason to believe that you can actually keep your star player is A) Pick the right player and B) Have a quality front office.

Durant and Lebron would have lost out on a lot of money if they decided to leave after their rookie contract. Im not sure on the details but its really not a good idea for them to not resign with the team that drafted them. I will find a link if I can find one on rookie contracts.

[SirFozzie]

A home town team gets an extra year and 30 million more to spend on players. How much more advantage do they need?

[Atocep]

Lebron didn't take the extra year either. He signed a 3 year deal so the difference between him signing in Cleveland and signing elsewhere was negligible.