Heat's Big 3: A Threat or Not to Lakers?

[kobesabi]

Now that we know LeBron, Wade, and Bosh is the new Big 3, is it a threat to the Lakers? Lakers can and has finally beat the Celtics's Big 3, how about this young Big 3?

Overall, I'm guessing no.

Fisher/Blake > Chalmers
Bryant ~ Wade
Gasol > Bosh
Artest < Le Diva
Bynum > Anthony

existing established chemistry > new building chemistry

new bench ? their new bench

[bladefd]

It will be very difficult for the Laker without a single doubt, but people forget that Miami doesn't have enough money to get other top veteran players. They can't afford a starting caliber Center. Bosh will be playing center for quite a bit whether he likes it or not.

Man, this team reminds me quite a bit of Jordan/Pippen/Grant.

[SoCalMike]

Anytime you assemble a group of that caliber players, yes they are a threat... however, I would still like to see how Miami rounds out their team. I don't know how much cap space they have after signing those 3, and that will be a huge matter in determining what their roster looks like.

Makes me wonder if Buss might be willing to spend a bit more... lol

p.s. the whole thing does make me sick. now players can collaborate and create their own mega teams... i dont think that was ever in the spirit of the nba when they created it.



:pimp:

[kobesabi]

I think this would be the Big Bang if Phil also beat this new Media Diva's Big 3 (back to back). :D

[SoCalMike]

I think this would be the Big Bang if Phil also beat this new Media Diva's Big 3 (back to back). :D

dont forget to add Pjax > Riley (although thats a close one)



:pimp:

[SoCalMike]

The other thing to remember is that the Western Conference got a little weaker so far and that benefits the Lakers and their quest to get the the finals. It will be harder for Eastern Conference teams...

Miami will definitely have their work cut out for them.



:pimp:

[kobesabi]

Makes me wonder if Buss might be willing to spend a bit more... lol

p.s. the whole thing does make me sick. now players can collaborate and create their own mega teams... i dont think that was ever in the spirit of the nba when they created it.
:pimp:
I doubt it. We're already $81M committed for next year with only 7 guys on the team so far...plus probably another $12 for PJax?

Yea NBA probably didn't intend this way, but it looks like they only few way to win in the last decade. They probably going to change the rule later on to make it less mega union. Little city feels left out. On the bright side, we'll get to see more episodes of mega team vs mega team - and Lakers is one of them. :)

[D-Rose]

It depends on who else Miami adds (I can see AI, TMac, Shaq jumping on) and how well they do in the regular season. But damn that's sooo much talent on one team, arguably more than the Lakers have. But then again they won't have role players of the caliber of LO, Ron, Drew, Fish, etc.

Going to be very interesting. I was hoping he went to CHI or NY so there would be another elite team.

[SoCalMike]

It depends on who else Miami adds (I can see AI, TMac, Shaq jumping on) and how well they do in the regular season. But damn that's sooo much talent on one team, arguably more than the Lakers have. But then again they won't have role players of the caliber of LO, Ron, Drew, Fish, etc.

Going to be very interesting. I was hoping he went to CHI or NY so there would be another elite team.

Or it might encourage some of them to sign with the Lakers... it could be interesting.... but you will never see Shaq in a Heat uniform again... he burned that bridge long ago.



:pimp:

[SoCalMike]

I'm not scared! 'Nuff said! :lol

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/8559/gothamheat.jpg




:pimp:

[SoCalMike]

Heat depth chart.. interesting... not much there.. haha

http://www.insidehoops.com/depth-southeast.shtml



:pimp:

[kobesabi]

The other thing to remember is that the Western Conference got a little weaker so far and that benefits the Lakers and their quest to get the the finals. It will be harder for Eastern Conference teams...

Miami will definitely have their work cut out for them.



:pimp:
Agree. They create work for us too I think. Maybe not since LeBron is 6'8" 250 lbs. Artest is 6'7" 260 lbs. Hopefully Artest can do his magic again shutting down James. I hope Artest's foot fasica fasciaitis is getting better by Fall.

[kobesabi]

It depends on who else Miami adds (I can see AI, TMac, Shaq jumping on) and how well they do in the regular season. But damn that's sooo much talent on one team, arguably more than the Lakers have. But then again they won't have role players of the caliber of LO, Ron, Drew, Fish, etc.

Going to be very interesting. I was hoping he went to CHI or NY so there would be another elite team.
If Miami also get AI, TMAC, Shaq....that would be one hell of scary team even more than Lakers 2004 mega team.

[bleedinpurpleTwo]

c'mon. surround those 3 with just mediocre players and they should win the championship.

our best hope is that they do NOT land any real length.

Bynum is our man when we play them.

[Mgamer20o0]

i dont think we will know for sure until the play offs really. we can guess a little once they fill out the spots. one thing to watch is how they work together. with big egos they might clash. in game if the lead isnt there they will also log big mins. i have some questions like will bron be able to handle not being in charge. this is wades team and pat is in charge. maybe this will force him to become a better player and work on his weak areas.

[Blue_Dog45]

I have a few thoughts/questions.

The Heat have some great wing players now, but what about inside? It all depends on who else they get to go alongside Bosh at C, but can they match up to Gasol/Bynum/Odom? What about containing Dwight Howard?

Do the Heat even have any more money left to sign some other good players? Because if all they're going to be is LeBron/Wade/Bosh + scrubs I'm not sure they can win a title....

[SoCalMike]

c'mon. surround those 3 with just mediocre players and they should win the championship.

our best hope is that they do NOT land any real length.

Bynum is our man when we play them.

i dont agree with this necessarily... there will be chemistry issues and both lebron and wade need to have their hands on the ball... it could cause "stress" with this experiment and they may never find harmony. its definitely going to take them some work and luck to figure it out.



:pimp:

[kobesabi]

c'mon. surround those 3 with just mediocre players and they should win the championship.

our best hope is that they do NOT land any real length.

Bynum is our man when we play them.
I think the big question will be can they realistically play together? Who will be the MVP? Who is the captain? Wade or LeBron? The Celtics big 3 were aging and desperate for the ring more in 2008, so you can see them willing to compromise to click together. These young guys...I think they will eventually get into that ego and jealousy of "I'm the man/hero of this team" issue like Shaq & Kobe years.

[SoCalMike]

I think the big question will be can they realistically play together? Who will be the MVP? Who is the captain? Wade or LeBron? The Celtics big 3 were aging and desperate for the ring more in 2008, so you can see them willing to compromise to click together. These young guys...I think they will eventually get into that ego and jealousy of "I'm the man/hero of this team" issue like Shaq & Kobe years.

yep, you said essentially the same thing as me but you said it better! lol

its definitely not a slam dunk (no pun intended).



:pimp:

[kobesabi]

yep, you said essentially the same thing as me but you said it better! lol

its definitely not a slam dunk (no pun intended).



:pimp:
You know, I think their chemistry will be affected by how the media spin it. on days where they win...they would herald one guy...on days they lose, one would get credit for doing most of the work while some others not showing up...

If they (media) focus more on one guy, it will eventually make the other mega star jealous. LeDiva is already doing that now...he would definitely be jealous if Wade gets the spot light all the time. Or people continually keep on refering to as "Wade's team" in the press. Heh maybe we should seed it that way. lol

[kobesabi]

I have a few thoughts/questions.

The Heat have some great wing players now, but what about inside? It all depends on who else they get to go alongside Bosh at C, but can they match up to Gasol/Bynum/Odom? What about containing Dwight Howard?

Do the Heat even have any more money left to sign some other good players? Because if all they're going to be is LeBron/Wade/Bosh + scrubs I'm not sure they can win a title....
They picked up alot of Fs and Cs on draft, they probably going to test use it around their big 3. Maybe their Magaloire to fill in that role?

[SoCalMike]

They picked up alot of Fs and Cs on draft, they probably going to test use it around their big 3. Maybe their Magaloire to fill in that role?

i thought that their first pick in this year's draft was like #40 or #41 in the second round... definitely not impact players or role players.



:pimp:

[kobesabi]

i thought that their first pick in this year's draft was like #40 or #41 in the second round... definitely not impact players or role players.



:pimp:
1 close to first round #32. But ya never know since Big 3 don't need role players to do most of the works anyway.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/draft/team?team=nba.t.14&round=

#32, 40, 41, 48

Their #32 is Dexter Pitman, he's 293 lbs. He will probably like the Celtics's Big Baby Drool.

[gts]

Anytime you assemble a group of that caliber players, yes they are a threat... however, I would still like to see how Miami rounds out their team. I don't know how much cap space they have after signing those 3, and that will be a huge matter in determining what their roster looks like.

Makes me wonder if Buss might be willing to spend a bit more... lol

p.s. the whole thing does make me sick. now players can collaborate and create their own mega teams... i dont think that was ever in the spirit of the nba when they created it.



:pimp:

miami only can sign players with the vets min. because they entered the off season under the cap they have no mle, bae or any other exemption deal... they will have to move beasley just to sign wade bosh and lebron to max contracts...

so the heat roster will be very thin in the depth department once you get past the big 3... seriously this team is probably still 2 years away from being a serious threat... to me boston at this time is still a better team just because they have much greater depth, and as we saw in this years finals it was depth that both the lakers and celtics relied upon, when the playoffs turn into defensive battles it's the other guys after the stars that become the difference makers...

here's the other thing... in the east now you have the knicks, chicago, nets with cap space... the race is now on to sign quality players for those teams... this will effect the east in two ways.... miami is going to have a hard time selling say a mike miller level player on taking a vets min contract when you have teams out there willing to pay and maybe even over pay...

miami's only sales pitch is come play with the new big 3 for peanuts...

teams like the knicks bulls and nets don't have to match salaries.. they can trade a million dollar player for a 10 million dollar player because they are under the cap so they'll be in the chase for quality..

[gts]

and no sooner do i speak that i just read on twitter beasley has been moved to minnesota for a second round draft pick next year

lebron wade chalmers and bosh... well actually just chalmers since bosh wade and lebron have not signed anything yet...lol

chalmer's can talk about the day he was the only guy on the roster...lol

[SoCalMike]

great analysis gts... i was waiting for you to chime in... the Heat are really putting it all on the line with these three.

now, how many vets chasing rings might consider joining that team, versus the lakers? anyone going to come to the heat or lakers just to chase a ring? i am sure rumors will be flying.



:pimp:

[tamaraw08]

miami only can sign players with the vets min. because they entered the off season under the cap they have no mle, bae or any other exemption deal... they will have to move beasley just to sign wade bosh and lebron to max contracts...

so the heat roster will be very thin in the depth department once you get past the big 3... seriously this team is probably still 2 years away from being a serious threat... to me boston at this time is still a better team just because they have much greater depth, and as we saw in this years finals it was depth that both the lakers and celtics relied upon, when the playoffs turn into defensive battles it's the other guys after the stars that become the difference makers...

here's the other thing... in the east now you have the knicks, chicago, nets with cap space... the race is now on to sign quality players for those teams... this will effect the east in two ways.... miami is going to have a hard time selling say a mike miller level player on taking a vets min contract when you have teams out there willing to pay and maybe even over pay...

miami's only sales pitch is come play with the new big 3 for peanuts...

teams like the knicks bulls and nets don't have to match salaries.. they can trade a million dollar player for a 10 million dollar player because they are under the cap so they'll be in the chase for quality..
My biggest question to you is don't they have larry birds rights to Haslem, Arroyo and Cook.
If you're answer is yes, then they would have a formidable supporting cast...unless ofcourse other teams tries to sign these players to a hefty deal enough for them not to match it etc. Miami then gets 7 scrubs and that would be difficult.

[LA_Showtime]

I have no idea how good they'll be or if the Lakers stand a chance. I really hope the Lakers get to the Finals and play Miami though... can you imagine Phil Jackson's comments to the media? :oldlol:

[EllEffEll]

I can only hope the Heat sign Cook :oldlol:

If Minn got Beasley for a 2nd round pick, I think they did well. Beasley is a bit flakely at times, but he is talented.

I imagine the Heat may entice someone to pay real cheap, but I would think the Lakers might get some of that action too.

As for Riley vs. Phil in a playoff matchup, you can never dismiss Riley (if he is even the coach). I'm sure ES will at least get a shot at managing the three egos.

I'm a little surprised LBJ didn't go for a team that would unquestionably be his own. You know, like a true "King" would do. But whatever, it's a done deal and we'll all watch to see if it's a trainwreck or they become world beaters.

Any guesses which teams will play on Xmas day?

[gts]

i think spol will remain head coach.. he was wades guy, he was an assistant coach and video guy who worked with wade and when the position came up wade pushed riles into hiring him

[gts]

My biggest question to you is don't they have larry birds rights to Haslem, Arroyo and Cook.
If you're answer is yes, then they would have a formidable supporting cast...unless ofcourse other teams tries to sign these players to a hefty deal enough for them not to match it etc. Miami then gets 7 scrubs and that would be difficult.no they will have to or already have waived those rights to create cap space..

if they keep the "bird" rights then there are cap holds equal to the players last season placed against the team's cap space until he resigns or signs with another team... so they have to waive those rights, no way around it.. nba's cba is pretty loophole proof now days

[kobesabi]

I'm a little surprised LBJ didn't go for a team that would unquestionably be his own. You know, like a true "King" would do. But whatever, it's a done deal and we'll all watch to see if it's a trainwreck or they become world beaters.

Any guesses which teams will play on Xmas day?
Yea, he surprised me too. I'm not sure he still has heart of a king. King don't lower himself to another King or abandon his castle.

It's not done deal yet until he sign right? Flip flop can still happen right?

I'm thinking ABC will set a match for Lakers vs Miami on Xmas this year.

[kobesabi]

i think spol will remain head coach.. he was wades guy, he was an assistant coach and video guy who worked with wade and when the position came up wade pushed riles into hiring him
ESPN said yesterday on the radio that Wade said he still wants Erik Spoelstra to be coach.

[gts]

great analysis gts... i was waiting for you to chime in... the Heat are really putting it all on the line with these three.

now, how many vets chasing rings might consider joining that team, versus the lakers? anyone going to come to the heat or lakers just to chase a ring? i am sure rumors will be flying.



:pimp:
ha, yeah i waitied until about 5 minutes to six and dragged the family out to dinner, didn't want to watch the decision...lol

riles is a smart man good basketball mind and savvy gm, he'll take his time and get the right guys..i expect alot of one year contracts this season for miami.. but he'll talk a few solid vets into playing for peanuts..i could see raja bell there no problem unless he gets a solid offer from someone else that he just can't turn down

to me the interesting part will be to see what those teams that still have that massive cap space do, they could really play spoiler here

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

Not Yet...I guess the Lakers still have the size advantage.

Lakers have Bynum/Pau and Odom who all 3 are really good....Then lakers 2 best defensive wings in the game...kobe/artest....they both candle leDiva/Dediva

Also I am not sold out that much on Bosh....Pau has the length and experience over him

Like gts said they dont have any cap space..only veterans who are hungrier would want to join them...not young players who want to make money

I honestly dont know how this team turns out to be....PP/Ray/KG came toghter when they went through playoffs hell and wanted to win it now...

We all saw in last couple of days how all these 3 like attention....who knows if this will even work out...with these ego maniacs

I feel sorry for Erik spoltra/whatever....cause its only days when Pat Riley will say he will coach this team

Bynum would be huge for the lakers

[bladefd]

Wow, the Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert is really really pissed.
http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/gilbert_letter_100708.html

Sucks to be a Cavs fan. They had so much hope and happiness with LeBron there. He takes all of that away by ripping the hearts out of Cavs fans on national tv. I don't like LeBron..... This is absolutely outrageous how he approached it.

Burning LeBron jerseys on streets around Cleveland.. crazy to say the least :ohwell:

[tamaraw08]

no they will have to or already have waived those rights to create cap space..

if they keep the "bird" rights then there are cap holds equal to the players last season placed against the team's cap space until he resigns or signs with another team... so they have to waive those rights, no way around it.. nba's cba is pretty loophole proof now days

Thanks so much for the info, I think this is huge bec this basically hampers Miami to acquire adequate support. There's about )4 orphaned teams here, Cavs, Toronto, Phoenix(Amare) and Utah(Boozer) That should be able to use atleast their MLE then you add the teams that cleared all the cap space like the Clips, Nets etc to gobble up the top 20 decent FAs and voila, the Heat will wind up with Scrubs. Then again some teams just don't care and wont even use some of their cap space or MLE to sign the likes of Haslem, Q Richardson etc.
Teams like OKC or Utah would need a big guy like Haslem or the Clips would need a back up pg like Arroyo or the Bulls would need a legit shooter like Q...

[kobesabi]

riles is a smart man good basketball mind and savvy gm, he'll take his time and get the right guys..i expect alot of one year contracts this season for miami.. but he'll talk a few solid vets into playing for peanuts..i could see raja bell there no problem unless he gets a solid offer from someone else that he just can't turn down

Riley will probably use the SAME persuasion tactic to all the vets with FL "low-tax" against LA.


to me the interesting part will be to see what those teams that still have that massive cap space do, they could really play spoiler here
yea, it'll likely be Cavs and Knicks...to retaliate dissapointment. Lakers can help them get their revenge if they give us quality players for cheap :)

Maybe in 2011, we'll see more part-time Lakers fan (from Anti-LeBron camp). lol

[kobesabi]

no they will have to or already have waived those rights to create cap space..

if they keep the "bird" rights then there are cap holds equal to the players last season placed against the team's cap space until he resigns or signs with another team... so they have to waive those rights, no way around it.. nba's cba is pretty loophole proof now days
Thanx. That's beautiful music to the ear. :D If they can't make it the first year, I don't see how it will be easier in the years after as their big 3 salaries increase - due to even smaller room to work...unless Riley pull some magic trick. Any other possible idea/trick that they can still use?

[dd24]

The Heat are definitely a threat. Like some others have posted, we just need to wait and see who they can sign for a center. If they can lure someone like Brad Miller for the vets minimum and get a couple of decent players off the bench like an outside shooter they could actually turn things around quicker than I originally even thought. Chalmers is decent, he's not as good as Blake but he's decent. Right now the Lakers have a better bench (because of Odom and possibly Fisher), and the Lakers have a better coach. The size in the middle with Bynum is the biggest difference but if the Heat get a guy who can provide some defense it would make that a somewhat slimmer difference.

I don't think them not being able to play together is an issue. We saw them play together on the Redeem team already. There were no issues with guys getting touches or one person needing the ball in their hands. They came back with a gold medal too.

I think one of the things that disturbs me the most (and maybe this means I'm getting old or something) is these guys were good enough friends they wanted to play together. Back in the day Jordan wouldn't have told Bird or Magic that he wanted to play with them. These guys wanted to play against the best and beat the best in order to be the best. Jordan wouldn't have joined the Pistons. He waited until he could beat them. It seems almost like taking an easy way out I guess, for a lack of better words. Of course I take into consideration the talent the Lakers, Celtics, or even the Spurs have put on the court. Those teams typically have 2 top 20 talents and 3 or 4 top 50 or 60 talents. That seemed like the recipe to win. Now there's 3 top 20 talents on a team. Over the next year or two they'll get those other top vets too, right at the tail end of their careers but with just enough gas left in the tank. I guess I'm very disappointed in the NBA in general now. It's so much less interesting all the sudden..... and I'm a hard core basketball guy. I really just don't like the way this all went down.

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

talents on a team. Over the next year or two they'll get those other top vets too, right at the tail end of their careers but with just enough gas left in the tank. I guess I'm very disappointed in the NBA in general now. It's so much less interesting all the sudden..... and I'm a hard core basketball guy. I really just don't like the way this all went down.

this is like a gay thing to me...best friends for ever....MJ....Kobe wanted to beat their best peers in order to be recognized as the sole best player

this is all crazy for me...say bye bye to ur legacy lebron and nobody is every comparing him to MJ again....and no nonsense like king james...and chosen 1 sh!t

[dd24]

The worst part is, the media is going to go crazy over this thing so it's going to be shoved down everybody's throats.

I feel like my favorite sport just became like baseball. There's a few teams who are decent, but it's really just about the Lakers and Heat now. This is going to hurt a lot of NBA teams. I was just reading today about how over 20 teams lost money. Like I mentioned before I'm a hard core basketball guy, now I really don't have much interest in watching those other teams. I liked the NBA because there was some parity. I like the NFL because of the competition. I don't follow baseball near as much as I used to because the competition just isn't what it should be.

[Frank Foley]

Ironically, I think signing Lebron hurts how good the Heat could be in the upcoming season. Now they HAVE to fill out the roster with minimum salary guys. But, assuming the new CBA doesn't implement a hard cap and keeps the MLE, Miami will be pretty scary in about a year or two. I'm praying that idiot Kahn has some sort of protection on that TWolves 1st rounder Miami might be able to swap its pick for in the Beasley trade. Imagine if they got a high lottery pick to play alongside WBJ.

[gts]

The worst part is, the media is going to go crazy over this thing so it's going to be shoved down everybody's throats.

I feel like my favorite sport just became like baseball. There's a few teams who are decent, but it's really just about the Lakers and Heat now. This is going to hurt a lot of NBA teams. I was just reading today about how over 20 teams lost money. Like I mentioned before I'm a hard core basketball guy, now I really don't have much interest in watching those other teams. I liked the NBA because there was some parity. I like the NFL because of the competition. I don't follow baseball near as much as I used to because the competition just isn't what it should be.it's not going to change the balance of power too much.. last year the cavs were a threat, this next year they won't.. last few years heat were never a threat now they will be.. basically you have one team getting worse one getting better.. toronto hasn't been in the mix for some time now..

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

Ironically, I think signing Lebron hurts how good the Heat could be in the upcoming season. Now they HAVE to fill out the roster with minimum salary guys. But, assuming the new CBA doesn't implement a hard cap and keeps the MLE, Miami will be pretty scary in about a year or two. I'm praying that idiot Kahn has some sort of protection on that TWolves 1st rounder Miami might be able to swap its pick for in the Beasley trade. Imagine if they got a high lottery pick to play alongside WBJ.

no its just a 2nd rounder......

[Mgamer20o0]

I don't think them not being able to play together is an issue. We saw them play together on the Redeem team already. There were no issues with guys getting touches or one person needing the ball in their hands. They came back with a gold medal too.

Olympics is a little different though. plus they had the vets there too. like i said i wont pass judgment until they start playing.

[Frank Foley]

no its just a 2nd rounder......

You sure? I read on ESPN they got a 2nd rounder and the right to swap 1st rounders.

Edit:http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5365794


To complete the trade, Minnesota must only part with a 2011 second-round pick to acquire Beasley. The teams have also agreed to a swap of unspecified future first-round picks.

[gts]

You sure? I read on ESPN they got a 2nd rounder and the right to swap 1st rounders.

Edit:http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5365794i'll bet that first round pick falls in favor of the t-wolves when it's all said and done... miami had to ditch beasley to pull this off and would agree to anything minnesota asked for....

[dd24]

it's not going to change the balance of power too much.. last year the cavs were a threat, this next year they won't.. last few years heat were never a threat now they will be.. basically you have one team getting worse one getting better.. toronto hasn't been in the mix for some time now..

I think more teams have got worse than have got better, or at least enough better to be a playoff team this offseason.

Really it's just Lebron leaving a city in disaster, and really showing how egotistical he is I think is what's setting me off. I could always appreciate what Reggie did for Indiana, Ewing for NY, etc. Those guys are all time greats no matter the number of championships they won.

[Frank Foley]

i'll bet that first round pick falls in favor of the t-wolves when it's all said and done... miami had to ditch beasley to pull this off and would agree to anything minnesota asked for....

Normally, I'd agree with you, but this is David (F'n) Kahn we're talking about. He is the Nikola Tesla of GM suckage; he invents new ways to crush the will of his team's fans.

[ihatetimthomas]

One of the most glaring needs of this team outside of a center, is some shooting. This team needs to spread the floor. Get cheap shooters like Steve Novak, Eddie House, Brian Cook, Michael Finley, or Jannero Pargo. These guys are going to come cheap and may be willing to sign for min deals.

As for some bigs, there is Kurt thomas, DJ Mbenga, Josh Powell, Etan Thomas, Juwan Howard, Steven Hunter, Kenny Thomas, Ike Diogu, Francisco Elson.

Other bench guys they can go after are Anthony Johnson, QRich, Trenton Hassel, Bobby Simmons, Theo Ratliff.

They need work, but when you have a core of LBJ, Wade and Bosh, it makes it much easier to get guys who can work around them. They wont need much talent from the role players. They need to play tough D and swing the ball and hit open shots. A nice 6th man would be nice, maybe MLE for Mike Miller?

[gts]

Normally, I'd agree with you, but this is David (F'n) Kahn we're talking about. He is the Nikola Tesla of GM suckage; he invents new ways to crush the will of his team's fans.that's true, but i imagine riley laid it out like a big fat golden goose for him..lol

i mean the guy just got a top draft pick (beasley was number 2 right?) for free basically pretty cool move

[Frank Foley]

A nice 6th man would be nice, maybe MLE for Mike Miller?

I don't think they have the MLE this year, since it's only available if you go into the season already over the cap (i.e., you can't spend your way to the MLE. Or something. I'm wording this terribly).

Rumor has it that they're close to signing Miller anyway. Apparently, all 3 of WBJ are signing for less than the max.

[ihatetimthomas]

I don't think they have the MLE this year, since it's only available if you go into the season already over the cap (i.e., you can't spend your way to the MLE. Or something. I'm wording this terribly).

Rumor has it that they're close to signing Miller anyway. Apparently, all 3 of WBJ are signing for less than the max.

Yea think your right, guess they gotta fill up the squad with a LOT of min guys. But the guys I mentioned are not bad for min deals

[ihatetimthomas]

Adam Morrison should also get his ass over there. He could really benefit from playing with these guys and it could revive his career.

[L.A. Jazz]

Miami will be very good. Scary.
I think the Lakers and Celtics are the reason why all 3 went to Miami.
They realized that they cant beat the Lakers and Celtics alone.

But i think it's still right, that if Bynum is healthy and plays up to his talent, NO team can beat the current Lakers in a PO series.

[LakersFan626]

Are they a threat? Of course... do I think they can beat the Lakers? Not yet at least. When you look past the Heat big three, there isn't much depth at all (unlike the Lakers with Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Artest, Odom, and Blake), and LeBron and Wade are both VERY ball-dominant players (there's only one basketball, you know). Fans felt the same way when Shaq, Kobe, Malone, and Payton were on the Lakers together in 03-04, yet they didn't win the championship despite the team being deeper than the Heat this upcoming season (outside of the big four they had Horace Grant, Bryon Russell, Rick Fox, and Derek Fisher to name a few). The Celtics in 07-08 won with the "big three", but only Pierce was really ball-dominant and they were deep outside the big three as well. Boston has a good chance of beating the Heat as well because their defense closes up all the driving lanes and forces the star players into some CRAZY shots (Kobe took A LOT of them in the Finals), and driving to the basket are LeBron and Wade's biggest strengths. The Heat will definitely be a top seed but I don't see them winning it all until they get deeper.

[alexthegod]

WOW! Lots to talk about with this, here we go!

1. First some capology. The HEAT will have $58 mil to put this team together with no exceptions. They will not have the MLE (Mid Level Excecption) and will not have the BAE (Bi-annual exeption)

2. next they will have to renounce the rights to just every free agent they have in order to clear room to sign Wade/Bosh/LBJ. This means they cannot use the bird rights to sign their own players once they wave the rights. They must do this because your own free agents actually tie up salary cap space until you either sign them or renounce their rights.

3. It will be interesting to see how much money the new big three are willing to give up to help Mia complete the roster, so lets see what this team look like on paper.

PG Mario Chalmers (847k)
SG Dwayne Wade (12-15mil)
SF LBJ (12-15 mil)
PF Chris Bosh (12-15 mil)
2 second round pick creates a cap hold of approximately 500k

thats $37.5-$46.5 million commited to four players. That leaves $11.5-$20.5 mil to fill out the roster, wow, thats actually a decent amount of room!

WOW, I am gonna stop right there, if those guys all sign for 12 mil, that leaves 20.5 mil for free agents. Thats is huge!

Isnt Shaq kicking himself in the ass for burning the MIA bridge? you know he'd want to be a part of that circus! Hell its been such a crazy offseason, maybe Riles will med the fences and bring the big fella back???

This team could be pretty scary, cant wait to see how it fills out.

One last thought, Wade and LBJ both need to dominate the ball, so it will be interesting to see how those two adjust.

great motivation for the Lakers!

[Kobe8]

LOL , Great Way To Name Lebron , (Le Diva).

Back To Topic,

In My Point Of View , They are a big threat to any teams , but im still curious how they gonna turn-out as a team.

Remember The Blazers? When They Had J' Oneal , Scottie Pippen , Rasheed Wallace , Sabonis And All The Other Super-Stars?

So ,The Starting 5 will prolly be good and a huge impact , but what about their bench? The Trio Cant Do It all them-selves.
We All Know Everybody isnt Perfect, And Plus There Salary Cap Space Is Beyond Signing a Vet , They're Over the limit.


I Really Love Chuck's Point On This Video , Ya'll Must Watch It.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3FFmb1V8Ns

[Kobe8]

WOW! Lots to talk about with this, here we go!

1. First some capology. The HEAT will have $58 mil to put this team together with no exceptions. They will not have the MLE (Mid Level Excecption) and will not have the BAE (Bi-annual exeption)

2. next they will have to renounce the rights to just every free agent they have in order to clear room to sign Wade/Bosh/LBJ. This means they cannot use the bird rights to sign their own players once they wave the rights. They must do this because your own free agents actually tie up salary cap space until you either sign them or renounce their rights.

3. It will be interesting to see how much money the new big three are willing to give up to help Mia complete the roster, so lets see what this team look like on paper.

PG Mario Chalmers (847k)
SG Dwayne Wade (12-15mil)
SF LBJ (12-15 mil)
PF Chris Bosh (12-15 mil)
2 second round pick creates a cap hold of approximately 500k

thats $37.5-$46.5 million commited to four players. That leaves $11.5-$20.5 mil to fill out the roster, wow, thats actually a decent amount of room!

WOW, I am gonna stop right there, if those guys all sign for 12 mil, that leaves 20.5 mil for free agents. Thats is huge!

Isnt Shaq kicking himself in the ass for burning the MIA bridge? you know he'd want to be a part of that circus! Hell its been such a crazy offseason, maybe Riles will med the fences and bring the big fella back???

This team could be pretty scary, cant wait to see how it fills out.

One last thought, Wade and LBJ both need to dominate the ball, so it will be interesting to see how those two adjust.

great motivation for the Lakers!

Thats What Im Tryin To Say.... :bowdown: :cheers:

[Kobe8]

Btw , This is all so sudden... I Slept yesterday while Le' Diva was still makin up his mind , And Now I got on ISH , Lebrona Signs with the MIAMI.


M.I.A. Will Be K.I.A. By The L.A.L.

[jaydacris]

lotta players and teams will be muttering under their breath "bs, we got no chance"
but i bet kobe's licking his chops, excited and ready to dismember the new 3 headed monster

i hope miami fills out their roster well, i would love to see some awesome clashes between miami and LA

[Kobe8]

lotta players and teams will be muttering under their breath "bs, we got no chance"
but i bet kobe's licking his chops, excited and ready to dismember the new 3 headed monster

i hope miami fills out their roster well, i would love to see some awesome clashes between miami and LA


Yeah , Remember This is Basketball, not a boxing match... HAHAHA , Just Messin.:roll:

[Rocker09]

Every team is a threat.....The question now is how will the lakers kill the threat??.....

To the Miami Heat: BRING IT ON!!!

[JDRCRASHER]

Every team is a threat.....The question now is how will the lakers kill the threat??.....

To the Miami Heat: BRING IT ON!!!

You fool. If the Lakers play like they did this past year, they're gonna die.

We better hope to god that the Lakers come ready to play.

[Kobe8]

You fool. If the Lakers play like they did this past year, they're gonna die.

We better hope to god that the Lakers come ready to play.


Woah , Dont Start $hit now..

[The Gr8 Debate]

I love it because i know this year kobe will finally end his rise to the top its been a long time coming now on the same team are the two guys haters have been saying are better than him even when it wasnt close kobe was banged up all year after playing in the Olympics and finals hes gonna be healthy and fresh for the first time in a long time and no one gave him his respect after his 5th besides us.

Kobe will easily win mvp next year putting up one of his best years ever and tie jordan's 6

[The Gr8 Debate]

I love it because i know this year kobe will finally end his rise to the top its been a long time coming now on the same team are the two guys haters have been saying are better than him even when it wasnt close kobe was banged up all year after playing in the Olympics and finals hes gonna be healthy and fresh for the first time in a long time and no one gave him his respect after his 5th besides us.

Kobe will easily win mvp next year putting up one of his best years ever and tie jordan's 6
ps the heat wont make the finals the zone defense and a motivated offensively improved dwight howard will take them out in the cf mark my words, karma is a you know what lebron will get his and pat riley im gonna smile when pat loses to the man he stole his last ring from stan van

[lakeshowdawg]

Meanwhile Gilbert was left to go back and look at the past three years, the term of James' most recent contract, and attempt to figure out what he could have done differently to get James to stay. The short answer is winning a title but James' own shortcomings contributed to that failure, especially his performance against the Celtics in the playoffs this past season.


In every trade Gilbert made, he took on more money than he sent out, his payroll spiraling into the luxury tax and then more deeply into the tax. Each, whether it was for Ben Wallace or Mo Williams or Shaquille O'Neal or Antawn Jamison, came only as James signed off. Yet when it was time to sign free agents, James would not commit to the future.

It left the team being forced to improve mostly through trades, deals they often made with the short term in mind that required them to give up future assets in the form of draft picks and prospects. Largely it worked, as the Cavs became one of the league's most successful teams.

Gilbert hired one of James' friends and paid him more than some assistant coaches to hang out with the team so James would be comfortable. Gilbert allowed members of James' management team to fly on the team jet. He spent $25 million to construct a practice facility that was located 20 minutes closer to James' home than the old one. He rebuilt the locker room. He hired a masseur to travel on the road because James likes massages.

He even fired his head coach, somewhat on spec, with the belief that James wanted a change.

No wonder the Cav's owner is upset. Good thing Buss is smart enough not to give in to anyone's whims (a la Shaq).

[dd24]

It's amazing how the media still sticks up for this guy too. They really want that one athlete with the squeaky clean image. It can't be Tiger anymore, they have to jump on somebody. In the begining of this I thought James was handling it cool. When it came down to the very end, probably the last day or two before the decision, I realized I was wrong about that. James is a diva. That's pretty apparent. James really wanted the spot light. I'm over him. The media will do what they can to build him up, especially after he gets his first championship.

What's funny is a guy like Kevin Durant didn't even talk to the media yesterday about his contract. He didn't want to make a big deal about it. It's not like he's a shy guy either. He's just the type that wants to go out and play hard. He doesn't need to be a drama queen. Peoples true colors are really starting to show this post season.

[momo]

I try and not worry about eastern conference teams too much. We will play them twice a year and that will be hype, but we have to get through the west and they have to get through the east.

I could assume they get through the east and wind up saying HI to the magic or celts again in the finals. Or worse. Wonder how the Mavs thunder or fill in the blank match up with the east.

Might sound silly, but look at the last two years.

~~~
That being said. If the heat develop some crazy chemistry, that will mater. Massively. If they get some bigs that will mater. But they are big "IFs". Last season showed that dealing with the lakes bigness and longness is no freeking joke.

And they will have to deal with Kobe, and the laser vision he is no doubt trying to learn in the off season so he can just ZAP! defenders eyes out.
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/Data/djdigitald/20091130154830_sharks_with_laser_beams-w72pgv-d.jpg

[SourGrapes]

how many minutes will they have to play, each by necessity? obviously they'll rest at the end of blowouts, but still... wade will be 29, and lebron has been used a lot already.

i predict they beat us in a series, but they have some huge concerns

[dd24]

Here's a few that I found today.....

[QUOTE]Report: LeBron calls paparazzi for Miami arrival
LeBron James diva act hit South Florida for the first time since leaving Cleveland to play for the Heat. He arrived in the middle of the night and made sure the paparazzi were on hand for his arrival.

Tabloid reporters were all called by LeBron

[crisoner]

Is it just me or does LeBron represent all that is wrong now in the NBA?

[lakerfreak]

What they do with the rest of the roster is going to depend on how much each player sacrifices financially.

Now I don't know about you guys, but i don't think they are all worth the same. The worth from greatest to least will go in this order: James, Wade, Bosh. This can cause tension. Wade is the veteran on this miami team, and he also has a championship with a finals MVP, he might think he is worth more than lebron who is still very young and athletically gifted. I don't think Lebron would see himself as making the same money as the other 2 stars or less as that would make him feel demoted after he spent all off-season self-promoting lol.

Then you have Bosh, how will Bosh feel if he ends up taking even less money than the other 2 superstars? How much of a paycut are they willing to take? Will they all be okay with taking 12 to 15 mill a piece each and just agree that they are all equally important? I don't think so.

[gts]

Is it just me or does LeBron represent all that is wrong now in the NBA?i don't know about the nba but the guy is way out of control.. at first i thought the move would be a temporary stain on his image now it's becoming clear that the guy has no dignity... he's really become a caricature of the self absorbed prima donna

[Kobe8]

i don't know about the nba but the guy is way out of control.. at first i thought the move would be a temporary stain on his image now it's becoming clear that the guy has no dignity... he's really become a caricature of the self absorbed prima donna


LOL :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

Hes LOOSING FANS.

His REP SUCKS B@\\$

[LakersLaLaLand]

In general, pundits have been cautiously optimistic about how well Miami's roster might perform. But for the record, the stat geeks are all over it.

Haralabos Voulgaris put LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and nine scrubs into his database and it predicted 64 wins, with the caveat that's based on all three playing 82 games.

John Hollinger's PER-based analysis suggests about 61 wins.

David Berri's model suggests those three would account for about 55 wins even before counting any impact from the rest of the roster, and he says he's inclined to pick the Heat to win the 2011 title. He makes an interesting point, though, which is that as much as Boston is the obvious comparison with three stars, he also suggest the Rockets with Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon. They were a bit older, but they lost in the Conference Finals.

Meanwhile, Neil Paine of Basketball-Reference calculates that statistical plus/minus suggests the Heat could win 68 games by filling the roster with scrubs.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/17885/databases-love-miamis-roster

[artex]

bring the heat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dd24]

What they do with the rest of the roster is going to depend on how much each player sacrifices financially.

Now I don't know about you guys, but i don't think they are all worth the same. The worth from greatest to least will go in this order: James, Wade, Bosh. This can cause tension. Wade is the veteran on this miami team, and he also has a championship with a finals MVP, he might think he is worth more than lebron who is still very young and athletically gifted. I don't think Lebron would see himself as making the same money as the other 2 stars or less as that would make him feel demoted after he spent all off-season self-promoting lol.

Then you have Bosh, how will Bosh feel if he ends up taking even less money than the other 2 superstars? How much of a paycut are they willing to take? Will they all be okay with taking 12 to 15 mill a piece each and just agree that they are all equally important? I don't think so.

I bet they all get max deals. When Lebron was talking about a pay cut what he meant was the Cavs could pay him more than the Heat. He didn't mean he wasn't going to take a max deal with the Heat. He knew the Cavs wouldn't sign and trade him. Wade will get the 6 year deal at the max and Bosh will probably take a 5 year max deal. These guys aren't going to take pay cuts down to 12 million per year. I don't like how the story is all the sudden about them taking less money because it's really not entirely the case, especially when you figure Florida has no state taxes. Of course there's the sports/entertainment tax thing but they'll still save quite a bit of money playing all their home games in FL.

Where Lebron stands to lose money is if his star goes down enough to where people are really upset about this and won't buy his products anymore. His sponsorship money could be hit hard. I don't think anyone in Ohio, NY, or Illinois is going to buy a pair of Lebron shoes anymore....

[LakersLaLaLand]

Fathead suggests LeBron is the new Benedict Arnold.

It's no coincidence that Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is the driving financial force behind Fathead. The $17.41 price isn't random either, because 1741 is the birth year of the first traitor of note in American history, Benedict Arnold.


regular price $99.99

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/07/lebron-james-fathead-dan-gilbert-benedict-arnold/1

[LakersLaLaLand]

I personally love whatever Miami is doing right now. Im an instant fan of the Miami Riley's.

Just another challenge for the Los Angeles Lakers. New inspiration and motivation to raise their game. Looking forward to the next 6 xmas day games.

The Heat are going to be tough to beat.

As of today. The Lakers main advantage is chemistry and length.

It doesn't matter if they can't fill 12 roster spots. They only need a rotation of 8 to 9. They have 5 right now. Searching for 3 or 4 more will be cake. Whether it happens this season or next season with the MLE. Miami is primed to be a serious contender. I don't understand why people especially experts on the radio and TV are saying the don't have enough role players.

If you build it...they will come. And they are lining up right now.

Miami aint no joke on the court. And they are all about to be locked up together for 6 years!!!! Thats what is scarying me. Best case scenario Miami is so successful that Lebron and Wade cannot coexist in a couple years leading to a divorce similar to Shaq and Kobe after their championship run.

Gotta love a challenge.

[kkinchen]

This team is in no way a threat to the Lakers chances of three-peating. How can a "big three" be better than a "big six.(our starting five could all end up in the hall of fame and odom is an all-star caliber player)" We still have more talent than them, and this team already chemistry.

I think the heat are now the second best team in the east behind boston because they will have to learn how to play together and i am not sure that this Heat team as it is is tough enough to beat Boston in a playoff series. Props to the heat though. They will be the most exciting team to watch play, though.

Maybe we'll see Flash, King James, the Black Mamba, and the True Warrior in the finals next year, but the Heat have no answers for players like Bynum and Odom on our team, whereas we have guys that can defend their stars. They'll be fun to watch next year, but when its all said and done Phil will go out with his twelfth ring, ideally over Queen James' squad.

[gts]

(our starting five could all end up in the hall of fame)
*sigh....

[Kobe8]

*sigh....
iKno

[Robster89]

You never know what may happen with injuries etc, but IMO this team will be nearly unstoppable. I believe they will use the remainder of their cap space to add Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem, both of whom will be excellent fits. Then, they'll round out the roster with vet min players, of which there will be an abundance to chose from.

They might struggle a bit early in the year against well coached teams with great players, like Boston and Orlando (I think Chicago will be good also), but by mid season, they will hit their stride.

Riley is an evil genius, he's been planning this and setting this up for years. He's smart enough to surround them with the right pieces, and get them to sacrifice for the good of the team (like the Celts did).

Wade's back has to be a concern, but I believe they will not have to overwork him, and will be able to keep him fresh. A healthy DWade is greater than an overused Kobe at this point. I may not win any popularity contests for saying that on this board, but I believe it's true.

I hate how LBJ handled this, but he is an historic player. The one thing keeping him from true greatness was his lack of the killer instict, like Kobe has, but I believe in DWade he has that teamate that makes up for the one weakness he has.

The Lakers must resign Fish, and hopefully add a few defenders (Raja Bell, Matt Barnes, James Posey, Kurt Thomas etc), to have any hope of competing in a 7 game series. I really hope the Lakers call the Hornets about a Posey/Sasha swap. I believe NO would go for it, as it would knock a mil off their payroll this year, plus help next year (since Sasha expires) I think Posey is the kind of bench player the Lakers MUST have to compete with the Heat. He is a great defender, and he could guard both Wade and LeBron, giving Kobe and Artest much needed rest and keeping them fresh on offense, plus, he's an excellent 3 point shooter and seems to have a knack for hitting huge shots. Barnes would be my Plan B.

Just my opinion, I hope I'm wrong.

[hwliuLAP]

I say no, and I say no for this year at least and maybe even next year.

No matter who Miami ends up getting as a big man, the quality of their bigs and their bench will not be able to overcome us. We have a very well balanced team in we have a good front court and a solid back court with Kobe. If we look back on our roster, we'll realize that we have consistently gotten better year by year even after winning the first championship. First the Artest acquisition, now with Steve Blake and Fisher most likely coming back for the bench.

I don't think there will be a day where the Lakers get "out talented" by another team. Not with Kobe playing the way he's been playing.


We have role players who know their roles and they only go out their and do what they should do and not try to do more.

We have experience on making it to the finals and winning them two years in a row. Which means we have won 8 playoff series in a row. That speaks a lot for itself.

However, the Heat will figure it out, it probably won't be as fast as people expect it to be, but within 2 years, they'll at least make it to the finals and make it relevant. And after that, who knows. My money is that that core group will take the next generation. They will dominate the likes of Amare, Durant, Cris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose. Until the next big 3 comes along. (Note: I think with Lebron going to the Heat, Durant and Howard should become the front runner for MVPs starting next year)

Lebron is still only 25, Wade is 28, again these are ages that are much younger when the Boston big 3 first united, and much younger than Kobe winning his first ring. It took Kobe at least one year after Pau's arrival to win a championship. And that's with someone who's won it 3 times.


Remember, they still have A LOT of pieces to fill in, there are still a lot of great teams in the East that awaits them for even making it to the finals. And who knows, would anyone now dare the thoughts of Amare, Parker and Melo together in Knicks by next year?

I think the league just got a lot more competitive.

And the Staples Center will always welcome the Heat. That's only if they can make it there in June and not just Christmas.

[SoCalMike]

i don't know about the nba but the guy is way out of control.. at first i thought the move would be a temporary stain on his image now it's becoming clear that the guy has no dignity... he's really become a caricature of the self absorbed prima donna

very well said and i feel the same way....



:pimp:

[tamaraw08]

i don't know about the nba but the guy is way out of control.. at first i thought the move would be a temporary stain on his image now it's becoming clear that the guy has no dignity... he's really become a caricature of the self absorbed prima donna

Heard from espn radio during an interview that the Cleveland owner was the "enabler", consulting James with every personnel move, even hiring some of his friends to be in the coaching staff, these guys were allowed to use the private jet etc. That it was James who wanted to get rid of Brown etc.
:rolleyes:

Then again Phil revealed in his book the last Season who Kobe used the private jet during his trial at Colorado, how he had a lot of advances in his pay and how Kobe was arrogant with the way he treatd the coaching staff and mgt..These superstars are all prima donnas in a lot of ways, they just differ in the degree.

[UD]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/heat/udonis-haslem-and-mike-miller-to-join-the-794994.html

Mike Miller to the Heat...

Um, the argument that they are gonna get scrubs is no longer valid. Honestly, this is bad...

[gts]

Heard from espn radio during an interview that the Cleveland owner was the "enabler", consulting James with every personnel move, even hiring some of his friends to be in the coaching staff, these guys were allowed to use the private jet etc. That it was James who wanted to get rid of Brown etc.
:rolleyes:

Then again Phil revealed in his book the last Season who Kobe used the private jet during his trial at Colorado, how he had a lot of advances in his pay and how Kobe was arrogant with the way he treatd the coaching staff and mgt..These superstars are all prima donnas in a lot of ways, they just differ in the degree.

phil didn't reveal that. it was public knowledge as was kobe asking for front money on the first year of his contract... both those things were in the media long before phil's book came out... we discussed them right here in the forum as that season and subsequent off season unfolded

besides comparing what kobe may or may not have done behind close doors is a lot different than what we saw lebron do to in the public eye to his cleveland fan base this off season..

i couldn't care less about about his side deals with buddies and such and the goings on behind the scenes between him and ownership... but it's how he treated the very people that supported him the most...

fans of superstars don't always have a lot of money, they get tied into it emotionally on a much more visceral level.. they spend hard earned money on stuff, by tickets to games spend hours on message boards arguing about them...lol

the fans of cleveland deserved better than being held hostage for over a month by the very same guy that had said 3 months earlier he wasn't leaving cleveland because he had a goal to win a title and would leave until he reached that goal... then to produce a 1 hour tv show and package it for espn all so you can lay waste to a fan base is just wrong...

where lebron plays is of little importance to me, i can make a very good case for him signing on with miami and why he did it... but no one can make a case to defend how he delivered that message, it was cowardly and cruel...

not even sure how you tried to tie kobe's actions in face of criminal charges that could possibly have had him in prison to lebrons joing wade and bosh in miami to chase a ring

[crisoner]

I got a HUGE problem with the display Miami put on the day after Bron's announcement. Come on this has been set up and known for a while.
And the tag line in bright light's saying "We did it"????

Kind of reminds me of this...

http://politicaldemotivation.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/bush_mission_accomplished.jpg

I mean come on....

Then LeBron speaking in third person? WTF?

I really hate this dude now...like I straight up think he is bad for the game.
They will build down there and they will be good but I know the Lakers can take them next year I just hope they fall flat on their faces for real.

GO LAKES!!!!!!!!!

[lakerfreak]

[QUOTE=UD

[dd24]

[QUOTE=UD

[UD]

Wouldn't you rather see them spend the money on Miller than a center? The way I see it is we have plenty of guys who can match up with Miller. Right now the clear advantage the Lakers have is Bynum. Just hope they don't get a good defensive center. Besides Miller plays SG or SF. That means for him to play either Wade has to go to PG or Lebron or Wade sits out. Wade doesn't play much PG and I can't imagine he'll start doing so.

You and Lakerfreak are right, I would rather see them spend this money on Miller rather than a legit center, but it still scares me.

The biggest weakness I see in their big 3 is clogging the lane and lack of spacing, so personally, a pure shooter like Miller I think will be a bigger asset to them. As long as they can get SOME big man in there, they will probably be fine. I hope I'm wrong though.

We'll see though, time will tell. I could see Lebron playing point and putting all 4 of them on the floor. Who knows what they will do, but goddamn me if it ain't a scary thought.

Who cares though, because this is the summer of Lakers, so gotta enjoy it while you got it, this is a fickle league and a fickle business.

[alexthegod]

I just say that the big 3 will each take less than max, 14.5 a piece. so here is what their cap looks like:

PG Chalmers (847k)
SG Wade (14.5M)
C (vacant)
SF The Hated One (14.5M)
PF Bosh (14.5)
SF/SG Mike Miller (5-6M)
2 second round picks (1 mil cap holds)
thats 50.5 mil of the 58 mil cap. still 6.6 mil left to spend. I wonder if Udonis will eat up most of that.

PF Udonis Haslem (TBD)

[kobesabi]

I'm not scared! 'Nuff said! :lol

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/8559/gothamheat.jpg




:pimp:
That image is wrong. Wade is Batman. LeBron is Robin sidekick since it is Wade's cave.

The East has Batman and Superman, but the West has the Black Mamba that kills them all.

It seems like whatever Lakers is trying to go after, Riley wants to take it away from us. (Miller, Fisher). I wonder if it is by accident or part of a strategy.

[Kobe8]

That image is wrong. Wade is Batman. LeBron is Robin sidekick since it is Wade's cave.

The East has Batman and Superman, but the West has the Black Mamba that kills them all.

It seems like whatever Lakers is trying to go after, Riley wants to take it away from us. (Miller, Fisher). I wonder if it is by accident or part of a strategy.


Bat girl should've been le' diva and make wade the bat man , and chris bosh the baskin robins.


--
M.I.A. Will Be K.I.A. BY The LAL!

[Rocker09]

You fool. If the Lakers play like they did this past year, they're gonna die.

We better hope to god that the Lakers come ready to play.


Where did I say that the lakers will have an easy time? :confusedshrug:
That's why I put the question regarding how the lakers will kill the threat....

Every member of the lakers organization and the lakers community should welcome this challenge....

[bladefd]

I just say that the big 3 will each take less than max, 14.5 a piece. so here is what their cap looks like:

PG Chalmers (847k)
SG Wade (14.5M)
C (vacant)
SF The Hated One (14.5M)
PF Bosh (14.5)
SF/SG Mike Miller (5-6M)
2 second round picks (1 mil cap holds)
thats 50.5 mil of the 58 mil cap. still 6.6 mil left to spend. I wonder if Udonis will eat up most of that.

PF Udonis Haslem (TBD)

They aren't taking as big of a paycut as they made it sound. LeBron/Bosh are both getting 110 million for 6 years, Wade is getting 107 million for 6 years.

[dd24]

They aren't taking as big of a paycut as they made it sound. LeBron/Bosh are both getting 110 million for 6 years, Wade is getting 107 million for 6 years.

I told you these guys weren't going to take paycuts. All that media stuff is BS. :cheers: I'm not sure how everyone is getting a 6 year deal unless it was a sign and trade for Lebron and Bosh though....

[Rocker09]

They aren't taking as big of a paycut as they made it sound. LeBron/Bosh are both getting 110 million for 6 years, Wade is getting 107 million for 6 years.

They're gonna have about 15 million in cap space left(reserved for miller and haslem)......The rest will need to be signed via the minimum salary.....scary starting 5 but a joke of a bench(at least for now)....

[bladefd]

They're gonna have about 15 million in cap space left(reserved for miller and haslem)......The rest will need to be signed via the minimum salary.....scary starting 5 but a joke of a bench(at least for now)....

They still don't have a Center.. Haslem is too undersized to play C, and Bosh made it clear that he won't be playing C.. I am really surprised that they didn't try to get a C first from that 15 mill cap space tho, Miller and Haslem are great off the bench but they don't help at the position they need. I hope they keep signing these small guards and forwards. We can completely dominate the paint with our Bynum/Pau twin towers. That is the only way we will beat Heat..

Just thought of a Laker chant:
BEAT HEAT. BEAT HEAT. BEAT HEAT. BEAT HEAT.

[D-Rose]

via ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=5369580)


Lakers free-agent point guard Derek Fisher flew to Miami on a private plane Friday night for a meeting with Heat president Pat Riley and team owner Mickey Arison Saturday afternoon.

That was the official itinerary.

When Fisher landed in Miami, a surprise meeting was added to the schedule.

LeBron James met Fisher at the airport and gave his own pitch as to why the five-time NBA champion should join forces with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in South Florida, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

It was a short meeting, as James was at the airport and on his way to New York to attend Denver star Carmelo Anthony's wedding Saturday evening.

But James clearly went out of his way to wait for Fisher to arrive and meet with him for a few minutes.

PLEASE re-sign Fish....

[Kobe8]

via ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=5369580)



PLEASE re-sign Fish....


If This Happens , I Will Never forgive fisher..

nuff' said.

[dd24]

I've been listening to ESPN today and it is somewhat likely Fish could sign there. There isn't much of a market for him and apparently he is upset with the discussions with the Lakers (somewhat like Ariza was last year). The most Miami could potentially pay him is around 2 million per season so the Lakers I believe have already offered that. If he leaves, he isn't necessarily the loyal person we thought he is... There's a lot of PG's available and honestly I know we all love Fish and what he's done for us but some of them are still more talented. Plus if the Lakers play the Heat in the finals we know Blake can torch Fish anyhow :lol

Seeing how the Heat signed everybody they have basically given up most all of their draft picks for the next 6 years. They can't get their role players through the draft. All they have is the MLE to rely on. The really good young role players aren't going to take half of the MLE because to them a 2 million dollar pay cut is a huge thing. So they are going to have to get vets at the minimum and try to find bargains for the next 6 years to put pieces around those three players. It's a huge gamble, much larger than the gamble Boston took a couple of years ago. Also those guys didn't take the huge paycuts that everybody (well except me) was thinking. Miami doesn't have much to work with at all. I wouldn't be suprised if they tried to bring Zo and Keyon Dooling back :lol

Here's one more thing I was thinking about, which I haven't heard anybody mention yet.... the 2012 Olympics. Pau and Kobe probably play which is 2/5 of our starting lineup. Though Kobe will probably have a reduced role and even Pau could at that time. Miami will have 3 of their starting 5 on that team and they will all be significant pieces. Wade has proven he breaks down much easier than a lot of superstars and he'll be over 30 at that point. So next year we know the Lakers will be better and have a chance, the year after that too. Then we'll head into the 2013 season. On the other hand Miami will do alright this year and maybe make a little run at it. Next year they'll have the MLE to add some pieces so in 2012 they'll probably be legit. But that summer when the Olympics happen they are going to have some worn out superstars and a whole bunch of old guys. 2013 which is what everyone might think could be their first real good team, might not be as good as we think, especially if someone breaks down..... We're already half way through their contracts at that point. That's when Miami would seriously have to consider if the gamble was worth it or not and we might actually hear about trade rumors.... Of course all that depends on the next collective bargaining agreement too.

[bladefd]

Lebron went to pick up Fisher? Wow, that is an obvious attack on the Lakers. Looks like we had to take the first punch.. Lets hope the Lakers can use this as ammo to give the Heat the next 5-6 punches when the time comes for it.

Anyways, Fisher is not going to join the Heat. There is no way he would betray Kobe, Phil and the Lakers. Besides, he is not going to get the $5 mill he is asking for from the Heat.... No way, no how. Mitch should not make any rash decision, Fish knows what the Lakers will offer. No other team is going to give him $5 mill while still giving him a starting spot AND another potential 3-peat.

[hwliuLAP]

Lebron went to pick up Fisher?


What's wrong with the prince picking up the union president who has 5 rings.

[dd24]

What's wrong with the prince picking up the union president who has 5 rings.

You missed a few letters on that. It's princess :D

[L.A. Jazz]

the Heat are a good thing for the Lakers. all pressure is on Miami. everyone will talk about them. like the Cavs before the Cs stopped them.
the Lakers will chill all RS long and play their best bb in the PO.

[LakersLaLaLand]

You missed a few letters on that. It's princess :D

comedy. I love it.

[LakersLaLaLand]

the Heat are a good thing for the Lakers. all pressure is on Miami. everyone will talk about them. like the Cavs before the Cs stopped them.
the Lakers will chill all RS long and play their best bb in the PO.

Also added motivation for Kobe and the Lakers. Exactly what the doctor ordered.

Champions are always known to have that championship hangover. Fat cats syndrome. Not this time with Miami at the horizon.

Kobe motivation for his 5th ring was to have 1 more than shaq. Now this. And you know the shaq thing is true. Because the 1st question, 1st question right?, " Kobe, What does this 5th ring mean to you?"

Kobe's response also my blackberry status: "Just got 1 more than Shaq!" I think he prefaced the response by saying, "you know me man!." I could be making all this up. Its 4:14 am. I have no idea why Im awake.

[JJ81]

This reminds me of what Boston did, picked up RayRay and KG to join Pierce. Miami picked up BronBron and CB to join Wade. I find it hard not to hate teams like that. We need to make an Odom+Bynum for Dwight trade and form a truely unstoppable twintowers!

[LakersLaLaLand]

This reminds me of what Boston did, picked up RayRay and KG to join Pierce. Miami picked up BronBron and CB to join Wade. I find it hard not to hate teams like that. We need to make an Odom+Bynum for Dwight trade and form a truely unstoppable twintowers!

I dont like Dwights non offense. His obnoxious shooting stroke and non touch makes me angry. Angry all the time. Why give him the ball with his back to the basket, outside of 4 feet? Oh I know why...Because bricks count as clutch baskets in your bizzaro basketball world.

-Upset & Angry

[bladefd]

Interesting.. Heat already made Fisher an offer. Not surprising, but I REALLY wonder how much money and years did they offer him. I mean they don't have a lot of money to work with, it would be crazy if they offered Fisher more than the $2.5 mill offered by the Lakers. I have a feeling this is all for leverage and nothing more. Should the Lakers give in? Damn, this is a tough situation right here.

Fisher meets with Heat in Miami

MIAMI -- A day after Miami's new superstar trio left money on the table, Heat executives tried to put the extra funds to use.

Team president Pat Riley and owner Micky Arison met with free agent point guard Derek Fisher for three hours at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in downtown Miami on Saturday and made Fisher a "compelling" offer, an NBA source told ESPNLosAngeles.com.

According to the source, the Heat told Fisher they envision him as their starting point guard and will hold off on offers to other players while he made his decision.
Riley declined to comment to The Associated Press on Saturday.

The Heat face competition for Fisher's services from the Los Angeles Lakers, Fisher's team for the past three seasons.

Sources told ESPNLosAngeles.com's Ramona Shelburne that the Lakers have made a second offer to Fisher, stronger than the one-year, $2.5 million deal that was originally reported.

Fisher met with Miami the day after the team lavishly introduced LeBron James and Chris Bosh as Dwyane Wade's newest teammates. James, Bosh and Wade all will make less than the $16.6 million they could have commanded next season, giving Miami the chance to lure other players.

"It's about sacrifice now," Wade said.

While Fisher could be a key piece of a championship contender in Miami, he has been part of all five Lakers' championships in the Kobe Bryant era, four of them as a starter.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin on Saturday that negotiations with Fisher were "ongoing" and that he wasn't surprised by Fisher's meeting with the Heat.

"I'm in communication with his representative. If something like [a face-to-face meeting when Fisher returns from Miami] is necessary, that's not a problem," Kupchak said. "But it's not like we don't know Derek and Derek doesn't know us, so I'm not sure that's necessary."

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=5369580

[dd24]

Interesting.. Heat already made Fisher an offer. Not surprising, but I REALLY wonder how much money and years did they offer him. I mean they don't have a lot of money to work with, it would be crazy if they offered Fisher more than the $2.5 mill offered by the Lakers. I have a feeling this is all for leverage and nothing more. Should the Lakers give in? Damn, this is a tough situation right here.


I don't think it's that tough. They can't offer more than LA. This kind of has a Trevor Ariza feel to it other than the fact that you can tell the Lakers truly want Fish back. If he accepts an offer for the same money somewhere else that is on him. Honestly, I'm not even worried about it. I like the guy and I want him back. He knows the system and he's a good leader. With that said, there's plenty of PG's available who are better than him at this point in his career that we could possibly get for the same amount of money. I have a feeling this is for more than leverage now.

[tamaraw08]

phil didn't reveal that. it was public knowledge as was kobe asking for front money on the first year of his contract... both those things were in the media long before phil's book came out... we discussed them right here in the forum as that season and subsequent off season unfolded

besides comparing what kobe may or may not have done behind close doors is a lot different than what we saw lebron do to in the public eye to his cleveland fan base this off season..

i couldn't care less about about his side deals with buddies and such and the goings on behind the scenes between him and ownership... but it's how he treated the very people that supported him the most...

fans of superstars don't always have a lot of money, they get tied into it emotionally on a much more visceral level.. they spend hard earned money on stuff, by tickets to games spend hours on message boards arguing about them...lol

the fans of cleveland deserved better than being held hostage for over a month by the very same guy that had said 3 months earlier he wasn't leaving cleveland because he had a goal to win a title and would leave until he reached that goal... then to produce a 1 hour tv show and package it for espn all so you can lay waste to a fan base is just wrong...

where lebron plays is of little importance to me, i can make a very good case for him signing on with miami and why he did it... but no one can make a case to defend how he delivered that message, it was cowardly and cruel...

not even sure how you tried to tie kobe's actions in face of criminal charges that could possibly have had him in prison to lebrons joing wade and bosh in miami to chase a ring

Jerry Buss was quoted saying " I am not going to trade Kobe bec he is like a son to me" (rephrased). In Phil's last book, he revealed many instances how Kobe was arrogant toward his teammates, dropping F bombs during verbal exchange with the coach etc. Kobe then became frustrated and demanded a trade and said "I don't care if I play in Pluto". I don't condone what James has done, All Im saying is ALL these superstars are all prima donnas.
The owner treats you like a son and you demand a trade in public?:confusedshrug: That you'll rather play in Pluto? You think he was thinking about fans feelings during this time? YOu think if he was a FA, he would have stayed anyway? In a way I did I undertand his frustration but IMO, it could have been handled better.

[gts]

Jerry Buss was quoted saying " I am not going to trade Kobe bec he is like a son to me" (rephrased). In Phil's last book, he revealed many instances how Kobe was arrogant toward his teammates, dropping F bombs during verbal exchange with the coach etc. Kobe then became frustrated and demanded a trade and said "I don't care if I play in Pluto". I don't condone what James has done, All Im saying is ALL these superstars are all prima donnas.
The owner treats you like a son and you demand a trade in public?:confusedshrug: That you'll rather play in Pluto? You think he was thinking about fans feelings during this time? YOu think if he was a FA, he would have stayed anyway? In a way I did I undertand his frustration but IMO, it could have been handled better.

all valid points, but i'll never compare kobe's outburst on a morning a.m. radio rooted in frustration at losing a playoff series, heck he even changed his mind a couple times less than 24 hours later, you could clearly see kobe was frustrated and didn't know how to deal with it..

compare that to a well staged and choreographed 1 hour TV special in primetime that we now know had been in the works since june 6th with questions and answers pre planned....

you can compare the two moments in the players histories and say they are the same but i won't.

btw i'm not saying what kobe did was right or how he handled his anger was justified but it certainly wasn't even in the ball park of the snow job lebron tried to lay on the fans of cleveland...

[dd24]

all valid points, but i'll never compare kobe's outburst on a morning a.m. radio rooted in frustration at losing a playoff series, heck he even changed his mind a couple times less than 24 hours later, you could clearly see kobe was frustrated and didn't know how to deal with it..

compare that to a well staged and choreographed 1 hour TV special in primetime that we now know had been in the works since june 6th with questions and answers pre planned....

you can compare the two moments in the players histories and say they are the same but i won't.

btw i'm not saying what kobe did was right or how he handled his anger was justified but it certainly wasn't even in the ball park of the snow job lebron tried to lay on the fans of cleveland...

Well put. I think the other thing we need to keep in mind is had that actually happened, LA wouldn't have been left with absolutely nothing. They would have had to trade Kobe and would have got ball players in return, not just some draft picks. The franchise wouldn't have been in a state of disaster. Not to mention it's not like LA hasn't had a championship of any kind in decades.... What Lebron did is far worse, and he did it in even a more classless way. I think at the end of the day everything worked out for LA :cheers: It's not going to be the same happy ending in Cleveland.

[lakerfreak]

Lebron went to pick up Fisher? Wow, that is an obvious attack on the Lakers. Looks like we had to take the first punch.. Lets hope the Lakers can use this as ammo to give the Heat the next 5-6 punches when the time comes for it.

Anyways, Fisher is not going to join the Heat. There is no way he would betray Kobe, Phil and the Lakers. Besides, he is not going to get the $5 mill he is asking for from the Heat.... No way, no how. Mitch should not make any rash decision, Fish knows what the Lakers will offer. No other team is going to give him $5 mill while still giving him a starting spot AND another potential 3-peat.

Thank you! I knew he wasn't going to leave this team after everything he said after game 3 of the NBA finals.

The only reason Fisher went to Miami was to get the lakers to pay up just a little bit more than what they were offering. It's no secret that fisher knows how valuable he is to the team. He knows that he hits probably about 100% of his fourth quarter threes lol. He knows if he goes to Miami, that he can do the same to us just as easy as he has done it to many people. Not only does he know this, but he knows that we know this.

Jerry wasn't about to let Fisher walk to a team that just got three marquee players. He's smarter than that. So he made the offer look nicer by increasing the initial request from fisher of 10 million just a little bit while adding fisher to the lakers to ensure he stays with us longer. If he leaves after the 2 guaranteed years, then we got what we wanted as far as spending money, and if he stays, then we still keep a loyal player for a relatively lower price. Its good business! I love it!

Edit: Also wanted to add, there won't ever be a time in history where fisher does what lebron did. Fisher is a professional. Lebron is not.

[SoCalMike]

^lebron briefly met up with Fish at the airport since lebron was going to NY anyway to Melo's wedding... not sure he would have done that had he not been at the airport already. i don't think anyone should make more of it than it was.... and Fish/Lakers showed us that the Heat are not the only game in town.




:pimp:

[tamaraw08]

I saw the new 3 stooges errrrr 3 new superstars in heat being glorified in espn tonight. Wade was upset and came up with his passionate rebuttal about the his percieved point that James and Bosh were being criticized for failing to win it all "on their own" unlike Bird, Magic and MJ, that he said on the contrary, they won with superstar teammates, he even included the words "get it straight".
The funny thing is Wade was the one who FAILED to get it straight.
The point was MJ did NOT quit on his team to simply team up with Detroit Pistons just bec he was frustrated. None of these superstars LEFT their respective teams to make a short cut and join with fellow superstars.

[alexthegod]

Big Z is headed to MIA, sources say two year deal. Their roster is shaping up:

PG Chalmers
SG Wade
SF James
PF Bosh
C Big Z

Reservers
PF/C Haslem
SG/SF Miller

Thats a solid 7 man rotation, they just need two more guys really and they are good to go. Son of a *****, I didnt think they would be able to pull off a solid rotation in the first year.

[dd24]

I posted on one of the threads that he would probably end up going there because him and Lebron were close. It gives them a legit big man but I still look at him as more of a back up at this point. He's getting up there in age. He's still pretty decent though. I think people under rate him. I would say they defintely look like the favorites in the East. This also adds more fuel to the Lebron screwing over Cleveland fire. I wonder if Dan Gilbert will spend $100,000 commenting on this:D

[LakersLaLaLand]

I posted on one of the threads that he would probably end up going there because him and Lebron were close. It gives them a legit big man but I still look at him as more of a back up at this point. He's getting up there in age. He's still pretty decent though. I think people under rate him. I would say they defintely look like the favorites in the East. This also adds more fuel to the Lebron screwing over Cleveland fire. I wonder if Dan Gilbert will spend $100,000 commenting on this:D

Haslem will start more games than Big Z. Igauskas is definitely a serviceable center. Plenty of height with good reach. Blocks and alters alot of shots. Doesn't have any lift and is slow to run the court. Effective on both ends of the court. Good player with spot duty as a starter. I would take him in an instant for the Lakers. Just to throw it out there.

That reminds me...Douchy Dan Gilbert talks about loyalty. When Big Z the longest tenured Cav last season was traded away for money reasons. Then Lebron had to beg them to bring him back. Also Mike Brown didn't let Big Z play in a game to break some sort of Cavs player streak. Loyalty? Whatever.

Have we heard anything from Mike Brown or Danny Ferry about Lebron going to Miami? Strange that we haven't. I wonder why not. Maybe they should have written open letters to Dan Gilbert and Cleveland Cavalier ownership after they were both fired following Clevelands most successful era in club history. Douchy Dan wants to call Lebron out for not showing loyalty. HYPO-FREAKING-CRITE!!!!!

Back to Miami. I love their team. I love what they are doing. I can't wait to see them play. No surprise if they make the Finals or win the championship. These guys are elite players. They don't need much time to build chemistry. Chemistry they already have. Haslem will set some screens and rebound. Easy. Chalmers doesn't have much responsibility as a point guard when Wade and Lebron are tremendous assist men despite not being point guards. Career assist avgs: Wade 6.6 and Lebron is at 7. Strong.

Miamis transition to a top 3-4 team in the league will be seamless. I don't like the evil empire comparison they are carrying. Pat Riley made a huge calculated gamble and he succeeded. He offered Wade....Bosh. Done. He offered Lebron...Wade + Bosh. Done. Pat Riley offered each of these guys the best deal possible. Chicago, New York, New Jersey and Cleveland couldn't offer any of these things. Sorry for you. But you all came up short.

Now Lebron is being criticized for taking the easy way out. Thats just BS. He made the smart move. The same move I hope all my friends would make. The same move I would make. When someone offers you Google stock in its infancy at the IPO price. Do you pass on it? Because its the easy way out. Hell No. Get in on the ground floor and take the elevator up to the penthouse.

[LakersLaLaLand]

Big Z is headed to MIA, sources say two year deal. Their roster is shaping up:

PG Chalmers
SG Wade
SF James
PF Bosh
C Big Z

Reservers
PF/C Haslem
SG/SF Miller

Thats a solid 7 man rotation, they just need two more guys really and they are good to go. Son of a *****, I didnt think they would be able to pull off a solid rotation in the first year.

If you build it....they will come.

[gts]

That reminds me...Douchy Dan Gilbert talks about loyalty. When Big Z the longest tenured Cav last season was traded away for money reasons. Then Lebron had to beg them to bring him back. Also Mike Brown didn't let Big Z play in a game to break some sort of Cavs player streak. Loyalty? Whatever.

Have we heard anything from Mike Brown or Danny Ferry about Lebron going to Miami? Strange that we haven't. I wonder why not. Maybe they should have written open letters to Dan Gilbert and Cleveland Cavalier ownership after they were both fired following Clevelands most successful era in club history. Douchy Dan wants to call Lebron out for not showing loyalty. HYPO-FREAKING-CRITE!!!!!if you're going to post stuff like this at least get your facts straight...lol

first the cavs traded Ilgauskas for Jamison and threw in a couple draft picks to boot then resigned him after he cleared waivers... both players were making 11 million dollars a year, both were on the final years of their contracts.. in the end it cost the cavs more to make this move than they saved... the only team that saved money was the wizards

ok next

coaches and gm's get fired all the time for various reasons, in browns case i think when lebron james quits on the head coach in a playoff series it's pretty obvious something is going to give...

it's pretty much common knowledge he was fired because lebron was unhappy with him for calling the team out after their horrible losses at the hands of the celtics, or have you forgotten lebron laughing at browns rant in the post game media session...

gilberts mistake was firing brown to appease lebron which bring us to ferry, he resigned because he was upset at glibert/ownership for trying to appease lebron, he did not agree with the brown firing and since his contract was up at the end of june anyways he decided to leave a few days early, there was a contract on the table from gilbert waiting for ferry to sign..

i understand that for whatever reason you hate gilbert but for pete's sake get your facts straight when making these accusations ...lol

from around the web


Ferry is out as Cleveland's general manager, choosing not to re-sign his contract that was set to expire at the end of the month. The decision comes as a surprise but was made days ago, and complicates the most important offseason in team history.

After five years as Cavaliers general manager, Danny Ferry has parted ways with the organization.
Ferry's departure came two weeks after owner Dan Gilbert fired coach Mike Brown following the Cavs' disappointing second-round loss to the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs.

"There are no hard feelings," Ferry said. "I appreciate all Dan has done to create a world-class organization and I think it's in position to build on a strong foundation and attain the next level."



Less than two weeks after their stunning, second-round loss to Boston in the playoffs, the Cavaliers fired Brown on Monday, an expected move that perhaps indicates the team believes it can re-sign James




Now, by firing Brown, who won more than 66 percent of his games, the Cavs have again demonstrated a willingness to go beyond the norm to make James happy. While the All-Star forward did not call for Brown's head, it was clear during the Boston series that James and his coach were not on the same page.


James publicly questioned why O'Neal only played 49 seconds in the fourth quarter of the Game 4 loss in Boston. In the opening round against the Bulls, James campaigned to get J.J. Hickson more playing time, creating an awkward stand-off between the coach and superstar.

Adding to the drama in Cleveland's final home game was the sight of Kentucky coach John Calipari, a friend of James, sitting in a courtside seat - next to James' agent - adjacent to Cleveland's bench.


Mike Brown's a great guy — funny, sunny, humble, hard-working, even-keeled, and smart. But he was completely, and obviously, outcoached the past two postseasons. He lost the thread totally against the Celtics, running players in and out seemingly at random in Games 5 and 6 — and he lost his team, too.


It was sad, it was ugly, and it was clearly a ****-you to Brown from the team — and especially from its leader, LeBron James.

You could see it begin after Game 2, when the Cavs lost at home by 18 points and Brown spoke afterward, with fury, about his team's lack of focus and effort — he even said "goddamn," which is more than I'd ever heard Brown curse before. But when LeBron met the media — with Brown back in the locker room — he literally chuckled when asked about Brown's anger. LBJ played it off like it was news to him — maybe it was — and played off the loss itself as no big deal.

answer me this was lebron right to leave for a better team? and i'm not asking how he went about leaving, just as a player was he right to leave for a better team?

if the answer is yes, then i would think ferry and brown leaving the cavs is a gimme considering they each had more than enough time to do their jobs, i see people saying the cavs failed to surround james with quality players, that's ferry's job right?

the cavs fell well short of expectations in two post seasons ferry or browns fault? somebody has to go when you're spending as much on the cavs are for results

you cannot defend lebron for leaving for greener pastures then defend the two men that failed to deliver what they were getting paid for

catch 22 brown ferry both did their jobs, thye were great gilbert is an ass for letting them go... oh yeah btw lebron has every right to leave because the cavs organization failed to their jobs

[gts]

anybody else hearing miller may back out of the heat deal?

[dd24]

No I didn't hear that. It would be pretty crazy if he did, especially if he ended up in Cleveland or LA :lol

[gts]

No I didn't hear that. It would be pretty crazy if he did, especially if he ended up in Cleveland or LA :lol thanks for reminding me... i was gonna search earlier and got sidetracked


July 13, 2010 - 7:30 PM ET
Word out of Las Vegas is that Mike Miller's deal with the Heat is not secure, and that teams are advising him to consider not joining the team.
Miller says the deal is not done and it now sounds like there's a chance he won't join the Heat. We still think they're the favorites for his services, but it's not yet a done deal, and Miller could end up elsewhere. If the Heat need to make a stronger offer, they could pull a qualifying offer to center Joel Anthony. Stay tuned.
Source: Michael Wallace on Twitter

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/38233925/ns/sports-player_news/

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

Now Lebron is being criticized for taking the easy way out. Thats just BS. He made the smart move. The same move I hope all my friends would make. The same move I would make. When someone offers you Google stock in its infancy at the IPO price. Do you pass on it? Because its the easy way out. Hell No. Get in on the ground floor and take the elevator up to the penthouse.

dude totally different things....you are comparing stocks to being a legend in the game which doesnt make sense.....He had a shot to be among the top 3 when everything was said and done....

[LakersLaLaLand]

if you're going to post stuff like this at least get your facts straight...lol ok lets re-examine where i am wrong

first the cavs traded Ilgauskas for Jamison and threw in a couple draft picks to boot then resigned him after he cleared waivers... both players were making 11 million dollars a year, both were on the final years of their contracts.. in the end it cost the cavs more to make this move than they saved... the only team that saved money was the wizards Where did I get my facts wrong here? I said nothing to contradict your statements. I never said or meant Big Z was traded to save money. He was traded because his money facilitated Jamisons contract. And the irony here is your facts are a smidge wrong. Jamison is not in the last year of his contract. He is locked in until the summer of 2012.

ok nextyes

coaches and gm's get fired all the time for various reasons, in browns case i think when lebron james quits on the head coach in a playoff series it's pretty obvious something is going to give...

it's pretty much common knowledge he was fired because lebron was unhappy with him for calling the team out after their horrible losses at the hands of the celtics, or have you forgotten lebron laughing at browns rant in the post game media session...

gilberts mistake was firing brown to appease lebron which bring us to ferry, he resigned because he was upset at glibert/ownership for trying to appease lebron, he did not agree with the brown firing and since his contract was up at the end of june anyways he decided to leave a few days early, there was a contract on the table from gilbert waiting for ferry to sign..I completely agree with everything here except Danny Ferry's contract being the on table. Yes the contract could have been offered. But at what cost? Dannys Ferry would have had to compromise his integrity and his principles. To high a price for Danny Ferry. I would have walked away. Especially when there are plenty of jobs for him to take across the league. Dan Gilbert probably gave him an ultimatum. Sign this contract and Do as I say or quit. Essentially Dan Gilbert fired him.

I have come across this management issue many times in my life. As a supervisor I would cut the hours or take responsibilities away from employees that don't conform. Dropping their hours from 20hours down to 5 to use one example. Once the disgruntled employee mustered enough confidence after being frustrated he quit. I essentially fired the guy by forcing him to quit. Another anecdote my father owns a real estate brokerage, mortgage company and Home Health Agency. In all business despite very different industries applied the same formula to subtly force employees to quit. To avoid lawsuits. Dan Gilbert used an age old sound business tactic to push Danny Ferry out.

i understand that for whatever reason you hate gilbert but for pete's sake get your facts straight when making these accusations ...lol Lets forget my hate for Dan Gilbert to keep my facts in check instead of allowing unnecessary emotion to muddle my stance. Starting now. Deal? Im game.

from around the web















answer me this was lebron right to leave for a better team? and i'm not asking how he went about leaving, just as a player was he right to leave for a better team?yes and i love the move

if the answer is yes, then i would think ferry and brown leaving the cavs is a gimme considering they each had more than enough time to do their jobs, i see people saying the cavs failed to surround james with quality players, that's ferry's job right? I think ferry did a great job especially in the Jamison deal. Like i said before. Jamison was added to the team as Cavalier insurance policy against lebron leaving.

the cavs fell well short of expectations in two post seasons ferry or browns fault? somebody has to go when you're spending as much on the cavs are for results. scapegoats. Dan Gilbert could have shown some loyalty by letting them be. When its everyones fault. The coach and GM can only do so much. Everyone bears the burden. Players must execute in the end. Players have responsibilities also. But its much harder to cut and fire players with contracts more substantial than mike brown or danny ferry.

you cannot defend lebron for leaving for greener pastures then defend the two men that failed to deliver what they were getting paid forwhy not? Because Dan Gilbert cannot fire himself.

catch 22 brown ferry both did their jobs, thye were great gilbert is an ass for letting them go... oh yeah btw lebron has every right to leave because the cavs organization failed to their jobs. I love Miami's pick up of Wade, Bron and Bosh. Im an instant fan.

im a little bit confused in your last statement. Do you think I don't agree with Lebron leaving? Its the sentiment I am sensing from your, "oh yeah btw lebron has every right to leave."

[LakersLaLaLand]

dude totally different things....you are comparing stocks to being a legend in the game which doesnt make sense.....He had a shot to be among the top 3 when everything was said and done....

Im not following your logic here. Forget my google reference. Attack or lets converse about basketball and not my lame analogy. Cool? Lets just say he made the perfect move to play in Miami. What would you have done? Played anywhere else but Miami because his(lebrons) Legacy would be stronger if he won on another with lesser talent?

Cmon man. Who knows. Lebron could end up being the superstar on this team. We don't know who is batman and who is robin. Why can't Lebron be Superman and Wade be Batman and Bosh be Robin. Time will tell if he has a chance to be top 3 ever. I will say his chance of being top 3 is better on Miami than on any of the other squads.

[kobesabi]

That reminds me...Douchy Dan Gilbert talks about loyalty. When Big Z the longest tenured Cav last season was traded away for money reasons. Then Lebron had to beg them to bring him back. Also Mike Brown didn't let Big Z play in a game to break some sort of Cavs player streak. Loyalty? Whatever.

I think trading away Z was a calculated and maybe even pre-planned strategy behind the scene. IMO, it was not really about money. Because he has the longest tenure, I expect to see him getting piss on getting traded right away before your team about to win championship, but he didn't. They later got AJ...and later Z came back. That's loyalty. Either they already knew he be back or pre-planned (directly or indirectly), we'll probably never know.

Now Mike Brown did not play Z much, that is not Dan Gilbert's fault. Because of that, that may have contributed to being fired later on. Is it Dr. Buss fault if Phil (the head coach making all the decisions) don't play a certain player for whatever reason which we have seen many times already? No. DG was probably trusting whatever Brown make at the time as Buss would to Phil's decision. Do you see what I'm trying to say here?

When they hired $20M Shaq for 1 season to help LeBron, that tells me they were serious and probably arised from LBJ's asking. They seem to be really loyal to him and do whatever he asked. Even LBJ's dropout entourage get freeloading from Cavs when Bulls refused to do so. That says alot. Since LBJ didn't seem to listen to Brown near the end, they probably fired him just to prove their loyal to LBJ "doing whatever to please him" in treating him like a king to have it LBJ's way in hope that he would stay.



Have we heard anything from Mike Brown or Danny Ferry about Lebron going to Miami? Strange that we haven't. I wonder why not. Maybe they should have written open letters to Dan Gilbert and Cleveland Cavalier ownership after they were both fired following Clevelands most successful era in club history. Douchy Dan wants to call Lebron out for not showing loyalty. HYPO-FREAKING-CRITE!!!!!

Why not? They probably were too pissed about DG's quick decision to please LBJ and maybe even LBJ himself to even care about looking back. The way I see it, Cavs seem to shell out alot to appease LBJ. Every year, they got better. Just as it almost got to the crest of the journey, the captain left the crew. Before the "decision" interview, I never really knew why he was call "king" or "chosen1". I did not know he has a "loyalty" tatoo either. I remember hearing him say "I'm loyal..." then thought..."hrm...loyal....but leaving? something wrong about that in terms of principle". Later on the way driving home listening to 710ESPN, the ESPN guy from their sister Ohio Station said LBJ self proclaimed himself "king" and has "chosen1" and "loyal" tattoo, that's when I thought wow...what a shame captain he was. So they were buying into whatever James see himself as, and just as they all had faith in him, he just walked off like that in probably 1 day decision. They shelled out alot of money for him but this is what they get in return? It reminds me of a dead beat dad who walked out on one of a girl I dated sometime ago because he selfishly does not want to take care of children. I always hated coward and lazy pricks like that.

Of course there is no contractual obligation for loyalty, but loyalty is a deed and one of the components that hero and legends usually do that gets many people to admire them greatly that build up that status.

"chosen1" and "king" of something relates to some legend person who did something out of the ordinary. When he calls himself that, he better back it up or just all air balls.

You could say AJ was not great helper for LBJ to win but was enough to get to Playoff. Well AJ only played half a season. It is same as with Pau who was traded to us and got us to Finals but did not complete. The year after, we did. It takes time to jell. I think had LBJ not quit early due to impatience whatever, tweak his team some more, they probably knock the Celtics out next season.

Why quit so early? It's not the end of the world or last chance. 2012 is another opportunity. It's not easier in the next year or 2 anyway given there is still Kobe & Phil and the Celtics big 3. Just keep fighting. LBJ is 25 and already panicked. SocalMike should give LBJ the Don't Panic button. MJ got his first at 3 years older age and later took 2 years off and came back to win another 3. Maybe even if he says to Wade "Maybe i'll be free later to join you after my last attempt in winning one for Cavs" they probably will listen and delay to that even. Even that would still be win-win situation for him and Cavs.

I don't think Kobe, MJordan, MJohnson would ever leave like that on a near accomplished mission.



Now Lebron is being criticized for taking the easy way out. Thats just BS. He made the smart move. The same move I hope all my friends would make. The same move I would make. When someone offers you Google stock in its infancy at the IPO price. Do you pass on it? Because its the easy way out. Hell No. Get in on the ground floor and take the elevator up to the penthouse.
He is because it's not the end of the world for him if he don't take it now. Others might still wait up on him till then even. Suppose he stayed at the Cavs and agree to a 2 year contract with the Cavs. Riley could still try to chase after him by then and maybe even some others. If not, by then, there still be another potential mega 3 opportunity at that time. How do you know it's hot google ipo when you still have Kobe and Big3 to deal with, it's not easy sailing still. 2 years, later it should be easier. If he don't join now, think of it as google ipo delayed due to missing key CTO. It gives time for Cavs to prepare more and fans to prepare for last few dances so there will be no hard feeling later. Anyone else who wants the king gotta wait. That's how I'd do it if I were him. I'd never broadcast a 1hr special like that though. I'd just tell them to talk to my agent or something like that.

[gts]

im a little bit confused in your last statement. Do you think I don't agree with Lebron leaving? Its the sentiment I am sensing from your, "oh yeah btw lebron has every right to leave."...lol that's probably my fault..

you have been very clear you think lebron was right to leave..

i also think he had a right to leave... but i think he's a scumbag for the way he handled free agency and how he had to destroy a franchise on his way out of town

but you think the firing of brown and ferry were a horrible move by the cavs... several times you have blasted gilbert for it.....

the thing is lebron said he is leaving because he wants to win, because he can't win in cleveland because the team lacks the players around him to win a title can't argue that per se, ferry and brown have had more than enough time to prove themselves and have fallen short on several fronts

so who's fault is that? gilbert's? or the people he hired to build and coach that team?

see where i'm going? with that?

the difference between your view and mine is, you think gilbert should keep people even if they fail in their duties and it could/did cost you your franchise player...

cavs ownership, was stuck, they had lebron and his contract, they had a gm that had not been able to bring in the talent according to lebron, and a coach that lebron was at odds with throughout the playoffs....

if lebron signs with the cavs the firing of brown and bringing scott on board looks like a genius move... and i guarantee you nobody is blasting glibert for letting brown go

personally i think it doesn't matter what the cavs did, as we now see this move had been in the works for quite sometime and the cavs could promised him the moon and it wouldn't have mattered, he was gone before the playoffs started....

[gts]

new article covering the heats big three

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-heatfreeagency071610

interesting, covering some of the topics we have discussed, worth the time


[QUOTE]After the NBA witnessed the behavior of James and his business manager Maverick Carter during the 2007 All-Star Weekend, the commissioner

[tamaraw08]

new article covering the heats big three

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-heatfreeagency071610

interesting, covering some of the topics we have discussed, worth the time

Great read, Thanks Gts, Good thing Jame's Key sponsors didn't offer $ to the writer to keep this underwraps, just like when they confiscated the tape where James got dunked on. :D

[dd24]

Great article, thanks for posting. James is really a jerk. There's no way around it. I just hope people don't forget too easily just because ESPN is his enabler, trying to make him look like a saint.

[crisoner]

Of course they are a threat...not just to our team but the whole NBA.

Miami can run the tables for a long time the big three are all young and in their prime let's be honest here. We can say yes it's a cheap way for Bron to win his ring or rings etc. but at the end of the day they can be champions and build a dynasty and they can give a rats a$$ about how the rest of us feel.

And as Laker fans this team is a threat because our cores guys are signed up for the next 3 years together and Miami (maybe not next year) will be a huge threat for our string of titles.

Riley has already done a great job putting players around hem. Mike Miller, Haslem, and Big Z are great additions. I'm kind of pissed that the Cavs and Nets of the NBA did not throw money at these teams to spit Miami.

That being said I am very confident the Lakers can win a title or two or three the next coming years. Can't wait to see how it plays out.

[bladefd]

I think the Lakers will need to use MLE again next summer to make a solid 3pt shooting acquisition off the bench. We don't have any decent designated 3pt-shooter to the point that it could be an issue against teams like the Heat. Sasha was that guy in his contract year but since then he has been gone. He will be in another contract year so we will see how he does this time, he still isn't a reliable guy in the long run.

Some solid players that can hit the 3 and will be free-agents next summer:
Jason Kapono
Peja Stojakovic (NOH wants him gone, tried to trade his contract but it was too large at $15 million)
Shane Battier (he is a loyal guy so I expect him to stay with Rockets, probably unrealistic option since Rockets will have bird-rights)
Anthony Parker
Kelenna Azubuike (GSW will probably throw big money at him so unlikely)
Tayshaun Prince (not exactly a designated 3pt-shooter but Pistons are in rebuilding state so they might let him walk)

Depending on how Peja does the upcoming year, he could be a great designated 3pt-shooter off the bench. He is past his prime, but 3pt shooting mechanism is not something you forget or just lose with age (injury problems do arise though so I would keep an eye on that through next season). Shane Battier is worth the full MLE next summer though but Rockets will probably offer more than MLE. Kapono is a decent designated 3pt-shooter, but his game is kind of limited. Shooting is all he is great for, plays crappy defense.

[Robster89]

I think the Lakers will need to use MLE again next summer to make a solid 3pt shooting acquisition off the bench. We don't have any decent designated 3pt-shooter to the point that it could be an issue against teams like the Heat. Sasha was that guy in his contract year but since then he has been gone. He will be in another contract year so we will see how he does this time, he still isn't a reliable guy in the long run.

Some solid players that can hit the 3 and will be free-agents next summer:
Jason Kapono
Peja Stojakovic (NOH wants him gone, tried to trade his contract but it was too large at $15 million)
Shane Battier (he is a loyal guy so I expect him to stay with Rockets, probably unrealistic option since Rockets will have bird-rights)
Anthony Parker
Kelenna Azubuike (GSW will probably throw big money at him so unlikely)
Tayshaun Prince (not exactly a designated 3pt-shooter but Pistons are in rebuilding state so they might let him walk)

Depending on how Peja does the upcoming year, he could be a great designated 3pt-shooter off the bench. He is past his prime, but 3pt shooting mechanism is not something you forget or just lose with age (injury problems do arise though so I would keep an eye on that through next season). Shane Battier is worth the full MLE next summer though but Rockets will probably offer more than MLE. Kapono is a decent designated 3pt-shooter, but his game is kind of limited. Shooting is all he is great for, plays crappy defense.

Battier would be the bomb. Perfect fit for our needs.
Now that Bell is on his way to Utah, and if Barnes decides to go elsewhere, I'd look at moving Sasha's expiring deal for James Posey.
Our glaring need right now is a wing defender/3 pt. shooter off the bench, preferably one who could back up both Kobe and Artest.

Looking at the teams who will present challenges, they all have super talended 2's and 3's. Wade, Bron, Miller in Miami. Pierce, Allen, even Rondo due to his length qualifies, in Boston, Melo in Denver, Butler in Dallas etc.

The Heats best offensive perimeter will be Wade (at the 1), Miller and Bron.
Obviously Kobe and Artest match up, but no way either Fish or Blake can handle Wade. We need a defender like Posey not only for that scenario, but also to help keep Kobe and Artests' mileage lower this year. Both played way too many minutes last year.