Yea him and cal love to bend the rules as far as recruiting goes. THey will exploit every gray area to their advantage. I don't think sampson will ever coach in college, but some nba team will probably give him a chance. He is a fine coach. But as you said, he will have to take a rebuilding job in the nba. If james leaves, I wouldn't mind him, but definitely not if he stays.
i think phil jackson's comments were sincere, i don't think he wants to leave LA, there are so many coaching openings that he doesn't need the bulls to get leverage from the lakers ownership. he's gonna get paid if he wants to come back. maybe he is showing a bit of loyalty to the bulls by not getting them caught up. not sure if he has bad feelings like jordan does/did.
as far as wade, i think it was all to try and get lebron to go to miami, which i absolutely don't see. i don't see lbj going to wade's team. i think his rep takes a hit if he goes there, championship or not. if he wins a chip, all the talking heads will say he's riding wade.
i think chicago is more of a possibility than miami. i think amare ends up in miami.
with lbj i think it's either cleveland or the knicks.
and that bodes well because the knicks are so far away from conteding it's not even funny. not to mention alvin gentry is making dantoni look dumber by the day.
Quote: Keep being naive and beliveing it doesn't happen at all the big schools
Calipari is kind of the king.
I spent a very brief period in Lexington, and came to really like UK basketball ... but there's no denying there's a bit of soul selling that goes on when you bring him in ...
Quote: I think I wrote it up here awhile ago in more detail, but I don't see Miami for a whole bunch of reasons. most important:
Legacy - as you mentioned, James wants to be an alpha dog champion. he doesn't want to be Pippen, he wants to be Jordan.
Marketing - Wade gets first dibs on marketing $$$ in south beach, and Miami is barely a bigger market than Cleveland (and far less passionate).
that, and nobody cares down there.
sure they filled it up in 2006 when they had that championship team, but since then it has been an embarassment.
i am not a fan of wade, but i'm also not stupid and realize he is a top 5 or 6 player in the league, and for that town, which is a top 5 population town to not fill that place up every night to watch him play? what a joke.
but still, you get my point. that town has one of the best players in the league and they can't even fill up the place.
Colin Cowherd thinks the fans are just showing team management that the #5 seed isn't good enough for them.
the rest of the civilized world sees that Miami fans aren't nearly as passionate as other fanbases.
and if that was cleveland with lebron he'd be talking about how we don't care about basketball.
i love the way these talking heads can spin things. colin cowherd might be the very best at it. that guy can spin an argument any which way. he's horrible.
SC is really getting ridiculous. I'm waiting to hear how double A catcher prospect Steven Lebron effects the LBJ sweepstakes. As for LBJ to stay in Cleveland, he has to go as LeBron James doesn't want to play in the same city as another Lebron.
"The medium for the bad news was ESPN, which figured. The network represents much of what is loud, obnoxious and empty in sports today."
and if that was cleveland with lebron he'd be talking about how we don't care about basketball.
i love the way these talking heads can spin things. colin cowherd might be the very best at it. that guy can spin an argument any which way. he's horrible.
actually, I was re-framing his stance on how us Cleveland Browns fans are actually hurting our team by showing up for games and buying merchandise.
and if that was cleveland with lebron he'd be talking about how we don't care about basketball.
i love the way these talking heads can spin things. colin cowherd might be the very best at it. that guy can spin an argument any which way. he's horrible.
actually, I was re-framing his stance on how us Cleveland Browns fans are actually hurting our team by showing up for games and buying merchandise.
but, your points remain valid.
i don't buy that though. randy lerner felt pressure this year and he went out and spent huge money on holmgren.
maybe he felt like they would stop coming, but i think we all know that browns fans will find a way to make sure stuff like that doesn't happen.
but still, you get my point. that town has one of the best players in the league and they can't even fill up the place.
Miami has always been a frontrunning town, when it came to sports. They don't support anything, unless the team is championship caliber. I think a lot of it has to do with race. Plenty of Latinos, and African Americans, who generally don't go to a lot of sporting events. Plus you have so much else to do, going to a basketball game is way down on the list of things to do. Sort of like how LA was when it came to football. They never went either.
definitely. especially for me since i am no longer following baseball. the nba only has a few weeks left, the nhl only has a week or so left, and training camp is still 2 months away.
plus i have no shows to catch up on. guess it'll be video games in my non-work, non-hockey free time.
oh definitely. i may even pull a vacation day to take in some games. i watched for the first time in 2006 and was hooked. great stuff. i love the passion of these other countries.
Quote: definitely. especially for me since i am no longer following baseball. the nba only has a few weeks left, the nhl only has a week or so left, and training camp is still 2 months away.
plus i have no shows to catch up on. guess it'll be video games in my non-work, non-hockey free time.
The good news for me is that I'll be coaching football over the summer so my break away from the Browns won't be as bad
Heard a caller today on 97.1 the fan here in Columbus with an idea to keep LeBron in Cleveland, have the governor offer LeBron a state of Ohio tax exemption. Kind of chuckled over it and then I thought could it be done and how much would LeBron save by staying here?
Also on sportscenter last night did anyone see the Clipper fans with their signs Labron? And there was many many of them, If they can't spell his name right why would he want to go there?
JC ... I saw this in Bill Simmons Mailbag ... this is just golden.
Q: If you google "Mike Brown incompetent," for the first three results, did you know that FEMA's Mike Brown comes up, then Cleveland coach Mike Brown, then Mike Brown the Bengals owner? Message: No parent should ever name their kid "Mike Brown" again. --Michael, Louisville, Ky.
SG: On the bright side, I think we have a new phrase for taking a dump. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go hire Mike Brown."
this is just getting nutty....I agree with agent David Falk?
Quote:
"He needs to figure out what he wants," Falk said. "Does he want to win? Or does he want to be a star? I don't know what his goals are. If he wants to win, he needs to walk into the Cleveland front office and say I want A, B, C, D, E. He will get whatever he wants."
If winning is James' primary motivation, he should stay in Cleveland, Falk said.
"The Cavs have won more games over the course of the past two seasons than any team in the history of the game other than the '90-92 Bulls and the '95-97 Bulls team that won 72 games," Falk said. "They have the talent. Now LeBron just needs to decide what he thinks is going to put them over the top."
Regardless of what he wants, Falk said he thinks James should steer away from either Chicago or the Clippers.
"He should not play in Chicago. He will always compete with Michael Jordan," Falk said. "He should not play in L.A. He will always compete with Kobe Bryant.
"LeBron needs his own identity. The worst place in the world for LeBron to go is Chicago. If he doesn't win six championships, he is a failure. If he doesn't win the MVP five times, he is a failure. Every night he walks into the building he will walk past the statue of Michael Jordan. LeBron is too big. He should not have to play in the shadow of Michael Jordan."
Quote: JC ... I saw this in Bill Simmons Mailbag ... this is just golden.
Q: If you google "Mike Brown incompetent," for the first three results, did you know that FEMA's Mike Brown comes up, then Cleveland coach Mike Brown, then Mike Brown the Bengals owner? Message: No parent should ever name their kid "Mike Brown" again. --Michael, Louisville, Ky.
SG: On the bright side, I think we have a new phrase for taking a dump. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go hire Mike Brown."
Quote: "I am a big LeBron James fan. But he needs to decide what he wants to do. He has all of the power. If he doesn't want to stay, fine. If he wants to go, then go. But tell Cleveland that and work with them to make it happen in the best fashion for everybody. The lack of dialogue is, to me, confusing and illogical.
"I don't think the people around him understand that. I don't think they understand that if LeBron James leaves Cleveland he will be a pariah, he will be a Benedict Arnold. I don't think he understands the implications of his decision. If he leaves, Cleveland's economy is going to tank, he is that important.
"He is in a unique situation. Do you think if Dwyane Wade leaves Miami and goes back to Chicago anybody in Miami is going to hold it against him? But if LeBron James leaves Cleveland and goes somewhere else he will be a pariah in the entire state of Ohio."
ya know, does anyone else think that maybe lebron is coming back and he's just doing this to cause up a big stir and keep his name in the headlines? leaving, could he do that to cleveland? just go 2 months without the entire city and state knowing, and then bolt?
does he want to give the city a lift by causing this giant stir, only to stick around?
david falk isn't just some no name agent. he was quite powerful back in the day. he has brokered some of the most ridiculous deals in the history of the assocation.
he knows what he's talking about. and like i have said, lebron has handcuffed the cavaliers over the years by being so noncommital on staying. it's like he wants to, but he doesn't want to fully. he's got his foot in the pool, but doesn't want to jump in.
and it doesn't help your owner and gm. they have had to bend over backwards for that guy. i don't think it is right at all, and i love lebron.
This is how I see it (and this will be the last time I mention this):
New Jersey - Why would he play with them since they can't get John Wall? Although they do have a billionaire owner.. Just forget about the Jay-Z connection. It's not like they'll stop being friends and what's the worsy Hova can do? Diss him in a rap song?
New York - Please, Dantonis garbage will never win a championship if LeBron went here it's strictly because of $$$$
Los Angeles - They probabally have the best "team" for him to go to but Kobes shadow would keep me away
Chicago - Well they used to have this guy... I heard there's a statue of him somewhere
I'll probabally be blasted for this but I think LeBron would have the best chance of a dynasty in Miami. I mean think about it. Both players are very similar to MJ and Scottie. Plus Pat Riley could coach them. I guarantee a LOT more fans would show up once they start winning championships. Plus lets be real here what would excite LeBron to play here? The chance to play with a 34 year old antwan jamison and mo williams?!? We've had the man for 7 years but we still couldn't surround him with enough talent to carry him to a championship. Danny has tried but Danny has failed I'm sorry. Wade is a very unselfish player. Even more unselfish than LeBron is. I guarantee he'd be willing to sacrifice whatever it took to win a championship.
Quote: ya know, does anyone else think that maybe lebron is coming back and he's just doing this to cause up a big stir and keep his name in the headlines? leaving, could he do that to cleveland? just go 2 months without the entire city and state knowing, and then bolt?
I don't really think this is all on Lebron. This is just the nature of the waiting period before free agency. No one else can pitch to him, so he is waiting until they can. And I don't really begrudge him. Anyone in such high demand would be stupid to not at least entertain options. He knows the Cavs organization inside and out. Its the other organizations that are question marks right now.
I am actually fairly confident he will come back. If this truly is about winning, you have to put yourself in the right organization. It can't be just to play with one other great player, or to play with one coach you like. No other team with money can offer Lebron as much top to bottom talent as the Cavs. The Cavs played very badly against the Celtics, but 6 games does not change a team from being as talented as anyone all year to very poor talent. It was more a combination of bad luck (Shaq and Andy injuries), lack of chemistry due to injuries, and the coach losing the ear of his team. I know the regular season is different, but when the Cavs were peaking, they absolutely manhandled the Lakers and Magic midseason. As in pushed them around and did what they wanted. And those are probably the two most talented teams in the NBA.
The Bulls and Knicks can likely offer another superstar, but the foundation and benches of these teams are poor. The Clippers have a lot of talent, but that organization always seems to have talent and always finds ways to squander it. The Nets have some nice young players, but are still a rebuilding project. If Harris and Lopez were really that good, and two players are enough to make a team (as many in the media say) then how did they have the worst record?
i just find it funny that i think the consensus with lebron and FA prior to the start of the post-season, was that he was gonna stay. even the blowhards at bspn were starting to come around on it.
then lebron's injury starts to show, the team throws up a few bad games at home, and it all came crashing down. i think with hindsight, we should have seen that maybe there was a problem with lebron when he sat that many games, i don't think mb would have sat him that much, maybe the last game or two, even with homecourt tied up. there was definitely a problem there, and his play backed it up. i've never seen lebron play that bad before.
we may never know what really happened. you will probably hear story a, b, and c, but i don't think we'll ever know for sure.
all i know is that dan gilbert and danny ferry have done a great job improving this team from where it was.
i don't think danny is a failure either. he has done everything possible. people are throwing the what-if card with amare. from what has been reported by a few reporters including windhorst, phoenix was not sitting there waiting for the cavs to accept. they were unsure of what they wanted and ferry felt like he had to move.
and i don't think this team is still playing even with amare. just my opinion.
Quote: I'll probabally be blasted for this but I think LeBron would have the best chance of a dynasty in Miami. I mean think about it. Both players are very similar to MJ and Scottie. Plus Pat Riley could coach them. I guarantee a LOT more fans would show up once they start winning championships. Plus lets be real here what would excite LeBron to play here? The chance to play with a 34 year old antwan jamison and mo williams?!? We've had the man for 7 years but we still couldn't surround him with enough talent to carry him to a championship. Danny has tried but Danny has failed I'm sorry. Wade is a very unselfish player. Even more unselfish than LeBron is. I guarantee he'd be willing to sacrifice whatever it took to win a championship.
I agree that Wade is a very unselfish player, but Wade or Lebron better be willing to sacrifice some money because the Heat may have the money to sign both Wade and Lebron, but there wouldn't be much left over to sign other free agents. And that roster is looking pretty barren.
Quote: i don't think danny is a failure either. he has done everything possible. people are throwing the what-if card with amare. from what has been reported by a few reporters including windhorst, phoenix was not sitting there waiting for the cavs to accept. they were unsure of what they wanted and ferry felt like he had to move.
I could be mistaken, but I thought Windy has said repeatedly that Amare wasn't even an option. The two teams talked, and the rumor mill was going full swing, but I don't think the Suns were willing to pull the trigger and mail in their season.
I agree that Danny has done a very nice job the last few years. His first year or two were suspect, especially the signing of Larry Hughes, but most everything since then has been pretty good (a little side note about Hughes though; IMO while his stay was less than stellar, I felt like he was a big reason the Cavs made the Finals in 2007. He did a terrific job defensively frustrating Chauncey Billups and Jason Kidd in the playoffs, and I think the Cavs would've put up more of a fight had he not been injured for the Finals). The trade that brought Delonte and others freed up a lot of cap and roster flexibility. The trade for Shaq was a no brainer, as we gave up two non factors to get him. Getting Jamison was also a no brainer as we gave up little to get him. He traded Damon Jones for Mo. All these trades were bad pieces for better pieces. Also, time will tell, but I think his drafting of JJ Hickson will prove to be big. The amount of improvement in two years makes me think that the sky is the limit for JJ, and he is only 21. I don't know what else he could've done.
I agree that Wade is a very unselfish player, but Wade or Lebron better be willing to sacrifice some money because the Heat may have the money to sign both Wade and Lebron, but there wouldn't be much left over to sign other free agents. And that roster is looking pretty barren.
The Cavs may need a PG and possibly a C, but the Heat need those things too as well as a bench.
We've seen that you can win championships with an elite player and a very good #2. Could you imagine the #1 and #3 player in the league and a guy with high potential in beasley? Plus they still have the #18 pick so they could get a guy like Avery Bradley to play PG or Solomon Alabi to play center.
PG: I think they'd still have Chalmers SG: Wade SF: LeBron PF: Beasley C: Solomon Alabi
With Pat Riley as a head coach. That's just very cruel to the rest of the NBA.
I could be mistaken, but I thought Windy has said repeatedly that Amare wasn't even an option. The two teams talked, and the rumor mill was going full swing, but I don't think the Suns were willing to pull the trigger and mail in their season.
windy talked about it a week or two ago, and he didn't get in depth, but he said the deal was not there and danny ferry felt like he had to make a move.
if i had to guess, i think steve kerr had another team on the line, i don't have any idea, but i think he felt like he wanted to see if he could get a better deal and overall didn't think hickson was good enough to give away stoudemire, even with the chance amare walks anyway.
plus, i think he felt like his team could compete, i mean they are still playing. and it's not that much of a surprise because they played well in the second half of the season.
Quote: ya know, does anyone else think that maybe lebron is coming back and he's just doing this to cause up a big stir and keep his name in the headlines? leaving, could he do that to cleveland? just go 2 months without the entire city and state knowing, and then bolt?
Just had another thought. If he plans to return, maybe he is keeping quiet in the background so the Cavs can do a coach search. He will obviously have input this way, but it won't look like he forced a hire. This lets the new coach have authority. I wouldn't put this past Lebron, Ferry, or Gilbert; they are pretty smart guys.
Quote: ya know, does anyone else think that maybe lebron is coming back and he's just doing this to cause up a big stir and keep his name in the headlines? leaving, could he do that to cleveland? just go 2 months without the entire city and state knowing, and then bolt?
Just had another thought. If he plans to return, maybe he is keeping quiet in the background so the Cavs can do a coach search. He will obviously have input this way, but it won't look like he forced a hire. This lets the new coach have authority. I wouldn't put this past Lebron, Ferry, or Gilbert; they are pretty smart guys.
yeah but if they plan on getting any coach of significance, they're going to need that sig on the dotted line.
i did hear windy say last week that he has been in contact with the cavs. so i think that was probably the agreement, because as soon as the cavs lost, everyone knew brown was fired, and everyone knew lebron had brown's job in his hand. stick up for the guy and he stays, say nothing, and he goes. it's obvious.
i just wonder what else went on, if lebron is truly mum on anything before july 1 or if he is secretely talk with the cavs about what he'd like to see, what the plan should be, while everyone else sits and waits for his answer.
