so, who thinks LeBron will opt out...?

[gordontrue]

GT dont you think Cleveland gives LBJ a better shot to win multiple titles over the next 5-6 years as well?? Miami seems like they are at the end of the road and Cleveland is young and has some nice pieces and will add another after the draft. To me him going back to Cleveland helps his image AND helps him try to win more titles. Kind of a no brainer. I could see him staying in Miami too but it seems like all the better positives for him are back in Ohio.

You're right, they also have youth on their side, which looks better than ever after what the Heat just went through. It remains to be seen what the Heat can put together, but its hard to imagine them doing much without Wade and Bosh both opting out which seems unlikely.

Long term, Cleveland does seem to be in a pretty good position. When you have young stars you get to pay them a lot less leaving room for important role players. One option Lebron has is to try one more year with Miami and watch and see what Cleveland does with that year.

 

[rmilia1]

You're right, they also have youth on their side, which looks better than ever after what the Heat just went through. It remains to be seen what the Heat can put together, but its hard to imagine them doing much without Wade and Bosh both opting out which seems unlikely.

Long term, Cleveland does seem to be in a pretty good position. When you have young stars you get to pay them a lot less leaving room for important role players. One option Lebron has is to try one more year with Miami and watch and see what Cleveland does with that year.

I think we may get an idea of what Lebron does or is thinking based off of who Cleveland takes in the draft. If they take a guy like Wiggins then that is a good sign they think LBJ is staying in Miami. If they take a guy like EMbiid then they may be looking at making a run at him. That may not be right but seems to make sense to me at least ( although LBJ can play with anyone so its probably less of a sign than I think it is )

 

[trojanfan12]

End of the day, whether or not Lebron (or any of the big 3) opt out will depend on Pat Riley. Lebron isn't walking away from a team that just went to 4 straight finals and won back to back titles in that time. At least not without giving that team every reasonable chance to retain him.


It will mainly come down to what Riley plans to do about the roster outside of the big 3. I'd imagine there are at least a couple FA's out there who know they can fill in some of the weaknesses that the Spurs exposed and would take less for a shot at a ring.


Also, Lebron is fairly sensitive to the criticism that he gets and if he walks away after this season, he will get absolutely destroyed for it. I don't think he wants to deal with all of that. His best move is likely to opt in and trust Pat Riley.

 

[Sportsman]

Lebron going to the Bulls makes the most sense for his legacy. You win a few rings in Chicago where most of the opposition to Lebron's greatness resides, then you have a bunch of supporters for Lebron as GOAT that you never had before. It's the obstinate Bulls fans that want to trash Lebron's legacy more than any other fan base, mostly because he isn't a Bull. Make LBJ a Bull and those fans will convert from Lebron haters to Lebron lovers in no time with most of them proclaiming LBJ as the new GOAT. Plus, the Bulls supporting cast complements LBJ's game perfectly.

 

[gordontrue]

Here's a dark horse crazy scenario...

Wizards let Free Agents Ariza and Gortat walk this summer. This would give them incredible cap room, with their nucleus of Wall, Beal, and Porter being very young.

Love decides to wait 1 year to become a free agent, refuses to resign with anyone.

LeBron opts in for 1 more go with Miami to see what Riley can come up with.

You see where I'm going...

Wall, Beal, LeBron, Porter, and Love. That's a core that could contend for 5-6 years.

 

[Heatles84]

Lebron going to the Bulls makes the most sense for his legacy. You win a few rings in Chicago where most of the opposition to Lebron's greatness resides, then you have a bunch of supporters for Lebron as GOAT that you never had before. It's the obstinate Bulls fans that want to trash Lebron's legacy more than any other fan base, mostly because he isn't a Bull. Make LBJ a Bull and those fans will convert from Lebron haters to Lebron lovers in no time with most of them proclaiming LBJ as the new GOAT. Plus, the Bulls supporting cast complements LBJ's game perfectly.

I'm sorry, I disagree with this. Lebron's going to have haters, and they're not just in Chicago. They're in Dallas, Chicago, LA, etc. What players do the Bulls have that compliment Lebron? Much of Chicago's salary cap is tied into Derrick Rose's bloated contract. The guy has played about 9 games over the last 2 seasons and had two major knee injuries.

Lebron operates better when he has perimeter shooters spreading the defense for him. Outside of Jimmy Butler, who else on the Bulls does that for him? Joakim Noah is a nice presence in the paint and rim protector, but Boozer is likely going to be amnestied because the guy just can't play defense.

Outside of that, who else does the Bulls have?

 

[Sportsman]

I'm sorry, I disagree with this. Lebron's going to have haters, and they're not just in Chicago. They're in Dallas, Chicago, LA, etc. What players do the Bulls have that compliment Lebron? Much of Chicago's salary cap is tied into Derrick Rose's bloated contract. The guy has played about 9 games over the last 2 seasons and had two major knee injuries.

Lebron operates better when he has perimeter shooters spreading the defense for him. Outside of Jimmy Butler, who else on the Bulls does that for him? Joakim Noah is a nice presence in the paint and rim protector, but Boozer is likely going to be amnestied because the guy just can't play defense.

Outside of that, who else does the Bulls have?

I don't believe the detractors in other cities are nearly as ardent LBJ haters as Bulls fans. Once the Bulls fans are on board with naming LBJ the GOAT then the less passionate haters will succumb to the new converts point of view.

Adding a few outside threats won't be too difficult but the difference is that whoever they add as an outside shooter will be expected to play strong defense by Thibs. Thibs is one of the best coaches out there not named Popovic. The Bulls have always had a problem with offense and never defense and because of this they relied heavily on Rose. This role didn't suit Rose, but as a 2nd option, he won't have much load to carry which will be much more beneficial to his health and confidence. You will see his fg% increase because he won't be the focus anymore. Rose has a better jump shot than Wade and doesn't have to take it to the hole every time to be successful like Wade does. Taj Gibson, is a nice PF with a reliable 15 footer which complements James as well. Hinrich is a solid shooter who would most likely thrive with LEbron. Boozer needs to be dumped either way. The Bulls have the best veteran roster to complement Lebron right now for teams that would actually have a chance to sign him. The Cavs have some nice players but they are too young to be relied on in the playoffs.

 

[Vitamike]

dwade isn't going anywhere. he is owed 40 mil over the next 2 seasons. he already said he isn't taking a pay cut and no one is going to trade for him

Wade probably said he wont take a pay cut anticipating winning 3 Titles in 4 years but now that has all changed.

If Wade doesn't opt out and soon, than look for LBJ to likely move on.

To me it's that simple.

Wade MUST take less for LBJ to stay.

Yeah, putting aside my own personal wants... its easy to see what Cleveland has going for it in the LeBron chase.

I think Cleveland is the only team LeBron could go to without further hurting his reputation and likability in the eyes of a lot of fans. Staying in Miami wouldn't hurt it either, but going to Cleveland could actually help it.

IMO, the reputation and likability doesn't matter. Time will go by and your legacy will be what it is, regardless of how many fans liked or hated you at the time. (MJ is actually a better example of that than most people realize). BUT.... LeBron does seem to want to be liked, and I can see this having an impact. Its a character trait he's had since he was a kid.

On the other hand... Gilbert was a complete dick to him. So who knows.

Too much history with Gilbert even though it may be a very good landing spot for Lebron.

I honestly think, even though he is under .500 in the Finals, if James could pick up a couple in Cleveland (Even if he goes 2-2 in the Finals from here out) Le Bron get's back into the argument of GOAT.

To me he has slid far away taking the 'easy' (his words) way the last four years by posting a 2-3 overall record....

Some will argue, other GOAT's have done more with less.

 

[gordontrue]

IMO, the Cavs best shot at LeBron is to
1) Get Kevin Love
2) Have Dan Gilbert send out a comic sans letter about how much of an idiot he (Gilbert) is and how amazing LeBron is and how he is not worthy, etc, etc (wait for opt out to avoid tampering repercussions)

As much upside as Embiid and Wiggins have, both are a few years away from being good enough to be part of a championship big 3.

 

[Pariah]

He should.

Two people making more than him on the same team.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

From Sporting News:






"With the way the Heat played against San Antonio, the fear in Miami has been that James would bolt this summer, looking for a situation with younger stars and a deeper roster. But a source close to the situation said that, while no final decisions have been made, James "is very likely" to stay in Miami.

The source indicated that James remembers all too well the way he was pilloried for leaving Cleveland four years ago, and that he has worked hard to rebuild his public perception. He feels the team can still win in Miami, and bolting while the team is still of championship caliber will undo the remaking of his image."




Article mentions he will probably sign a 3 year extension with an out after 2.
That scenario makes perfect sense to me....assuming that Wade/Bosh and Arison all do the right thing.

 

[Pariah]

"Taking less money is for suckers."

-James Harden

 

[Kold]

Said it before, and I'll say it again...why leave Pat Riley? Get the band back together, get some role players, and try to make another run. Keep sticking it out until Pat Riley puts together another title contending team(which could very well be next year). You just can't be bouncing from team to team like that. His best option to me is to go with Miami, and see what Pat Riley can do

 

[Heatles84]

I don't believe the detractors in other cities are nearly as ardent LBJ haters as Bulls fans. Once the Bulls fans are on board with naming LBJ the GOAT then the less passionate haters will succumb to the new converts point of view.

Adding a few outside threats won't be too difficult but the difference is that whoever they add as an outside shooter will be expected to play strong defense by Thibs. Thibs is one of the best coaches out there not named Popovic. The Bulls have always had a problem with offense and never defense and because of this they relied heavily on Rose. This role didn't suit Rose, but as a 2nd option, he won't have much load to carry which will be much more beneficial to his health and confidence. You will see his fg% increase because he won't be the focus anymore. Rose has a better jump shot than Wade and doesn't have to take it to the hole every time to be successful like Wade does. Taj Gibson, is a nice PF with a reliable 15 footer which complements James as well. Hinrich is a solid shooter who would most likely thrive with LEbron. Boozer needs to be dumped either way. The Bulls have the best veteran roster to complement Lebron right now for teams that would actually have a chance to sign him. The Cavs have some nice players but they are too young to be relied on in the playoffs.

Celtics and Lakers fans want to have a word with you. Also, Thibs has proven about as much as Vogel has in Indiana. The Bulls offense was entirely predicated on Rose. Who's problem is that? Once Rose went out, you saw no adjustment on Thibs end. Besides, putting that all aside, you really think that Lebron wants to play with Noah?

 

[trojanfan12]

Celtics and Lakers fans want to have a word with you. Also, Thibs has proven about as much as Vogel has in Indiana. The Bulls offense was entirely predicated on Rose. Who's problem is that? Once Rose went out, you saw no adjustment on Thibs end. Besides, putting that all aside, you really think that Lebron wants to play with Noah?

If he's smart, he does.

 

[NickVT10]

James and Melo in Cleveland.

 

[OregonDucks]

LeBron will wait until after the World Cup to make his decision part 2.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Sorry but this really had me laughing pretty hard....

And the Decision should tell you something about his intelligence....but if he does it again I might truly die laughing, even if he says upfront this time it's all for charity.

.....

Great player, and I'm not really a LBJ fan, but give it rest on the Decision...as ill fated as it turned out..it did far more for a local charity than any of the people blasting have combined.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Who knows what will happen, but if I had to guess...if Wade does not accept less to play next year, he's gone. On the other hand if I were Wade, I would cash those checks and ride out the last 2 yrs on a cushion of cash.

 

[LALakersboy24.7]

LeCramp will be gone, just like Heat fans.