IF U WERE LEBRON WHAT WOULD U DO

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=381195

They're often mentioned as James' best chance to win right away, since he could step into a lineup with Rose, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng

In what world is luol deng even a top-20 player at his position?

not a bad third option to have tho

i don't think deng is a bad player but he and lbj play the same position

yeah i feel like mostly everything regarding the bulls says that they would do a sign & trade for lebron w/ deng as the centerpiece going back to the cavs

wd also free up dollars to sign another guy max $$ str8 up iirc

interestingly re: sign and trade, chris broussard said today that if lebron leaves the team will lose $100 million in value and rather than take on a bunch of mediocre or even above-average salary they'd rather clear out space for summer 2011.

I imagine they'd still take on a good player, though.

yeah i was just thinking the same thing -- i don't get why the cavs would take on his luol deng and his $60m contract because he really does you no good (esp if you already have jamison)

xp yeah i agree, the bar is just set well above lol deng

if you were the cavs, wouldn't your rather have john salmons (2010 free agent) at 1/3 of the price of luol deng?

they could sign rudy gay for the money they'd be paying deng, assuming memphis doesn't match

Yeah I don't think Deng's bad at all fwiw! I have seen him play loads (lol GB) and he's a 100% solid NBA starter & an A+ guy - just not someone who'll impact much on LBJ's plans imo.

The whole going-to-Chicago is a weird sidestep on the whole legacy thing - if the kid from Akron goes to Florida or NY it is a flaw in his destiny, even if he wins 4 championships or whatever, but if he wins those same titles under Jordan's roof suddenly it's been a embrace of the pressure rather than a shirk of it? That's the crappy sportswriter narrative anyway - possibly lebron isn't the kind of sociopath who cares about any of that.

(Presumably Salmons will be getting paid this offseason?)

Deng is 100% solid NBA starter on a team that perpetually loses in the 1st round

he's not bad but he's not someone that $13m or $14m to for the next 3 years

Also: does anyone else find it kind of weird that Calipari is seen as this huge draw? He has coached one full NBA season and then gotten fired after starting the next one 3-15?

i think calipari is only a huge draw for lebron because they have a personal relationship

i think it would almost be more beneficial for the cavs to semi-tank 2010 & get a high pick & try and sign a 2011 FA

i love how shameless (and otm) espn is being re this whole thing

The conference finals are under way, but let's be honest: The biggest story in the NBA is LeBron James' upcoming free-agency tour. Nothing less than the future of the league is at stake. OK, that might be a bit extreme, but you can argue that a player of his stature has never been available at such a young age. With that in mind, Insider brings you LeBron Week, a five-part look at every aspect of James' decision.

At least one of the conf finals series is gonna have to be fantastic for the focus to shift back to, y'know, dudes playing basketball.

i mean if you're a casual nba fan not in bos/orl/la/phx you probably find the lebron story more interesting

hollinger's algorithm says that the players most suited for lebron are good shooting 4s i.e. bosh & nowitzki & to a lesser extent david lee, amare & boozer

i find the lebron story way more interesting

I'm surprised how relatively unfucked the cavs are if Lebron walks - I mean paying 46m for a 30-win team is painful and all but I had the idea it was a lot worse, especially with the jamison deal?

http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/cavaliers.jsp

the vast majority of teams have their books p clean past 2011 (lakers kind of an exception)

well, tbh they would be pretty fucked -- aside what lebron leaving would do to them in terms of economics and morale, they would have a bottom 5 pick in the draft this year, and probably a low lottery pick next year, and they'd have a bunch of cap room but they'd have to convince a free agent to come there and they have no pitch aside from "lebron used to play here!" which isn't really an equation imo for ascending anywhere near the heights of where they have been in the past 3-4 years -- not to mention that if lebron stays in the eastern conference, & bosh and wade team up then they're really gonna be behind the 8 ball

Jordan if u were Lebron what would you do?

Oh wait you have already said bulls! M bison what would u do? Go to SA for min money?

i would join the relief effort in haiti full time

tbrr tho go to chi with bosh and try to pry philjax out of LA

Does anyone have any links that shed light on what Bosh actually is looking for? Like, is he a chip-at-all-costs guy? Would he like being a #2 or #3 option? I feel I have no idea what he wants besides attention.

he just wants 2 b loved

and well-paid, but i don't think he's a gotta be #1 guy tbh

i think he wants to escape canada

i think everyone assumes he's a miami lock? altho i guess a lebron sign & trade with chi would open the door for him going to the bulls? but more realistically the heat

iirc the Cavs don't have any picks in this years draft

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I wasn't buying it but did Delonte West really Smash LeBron's mom? Factual info only Please and Thanx.

yeah, i heard he did. twice.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/05/white-sox-beat-indians-ozzie-guillen-writes-bye-bye-lebron-on-autograph.html.php

http://silebronwatch.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/ozzie-lebron-duo22.jpg?w=590&h=214

obama's on it: http://www.theonion.com/articles/president-obama-mentions-hed-like-to-see-lebron-ja,17512/

heh, that's pretty much exactly what I thought when I heard about O recommending chicago

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i would insist on a sign-and-trade with the minnesota timberwolves.

I just wish he would confide in Dan Gilbert and say, "Look, don't tell anyone, but I'm signing with Chicago (or whoever) next year." That way, at least the Cavs could prepare for a LeBron-less future. As it is now, they're completely stuck in the dark and have no way to rebuild the team. Plus, there's the whole thing about how he's selfishly doing this all for his ego, and to be honest he's really pissing me off.

Yeah, I don't think LeBron is coming off very well this summer.

i think he will get over it by taking a bath in ben franklins

Yeah, I don't think LeBron is coming off very well this summer.

better now than if he did a "tour" of the cities with teams wooing him.

see i don't see what's wrong with doing a tour of such cities -- it would be pretty pointless since he's been to all these places, but if anything i think it's more self-centered to be like "NO YOU COME TO ME"

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