Vaccaro: LeBron will not resign with Cle, Knicks are fav

[RutgersBJJ]

I often said it but I will repeat it.

The Cavs are the favorite to retain James because they have the money (they can otbid other teams thanks to th Bird RIghts) and the salary cap flexibility sto sign James and another big time free agent like Bosh for example.

If, as Vaccaro says, Lebron wants a change of scenery and a bigger stage then I also believe he will pick NY. Of course, as long as we clear enough money under the salary cap to be in position to offer him a decent contract ($100M).

We have a competent and well respected GM who already proved he can assemble a championship team (even though the Pacers never won a ring), a proven head coach (Lebron played for him with Team USA where d'Antoni was an assistant coach), the best and most famous arena in the world (MSG) and the legend potential (we haven't won a champsionship since 1973 so if Lebron takes us to the promised land he will be the King of NY).

Even though our roster isn't that good, I don't think the pieces will matter that much for Lebron. I think he will look first for a competent GM, as he will still be a young player, he won't have problems waiting another 3 or 4 years before winning a ring.
He will do exactly what Shaq did in 1996 when he left Orlando for LA. Shaq left a team that went to the NBA Finals the previous season and went to the Lakers who were only a playoff team with no immediate shot at the Finals. Shaq waited 4 years to get there and when he signed in Orlando he didn't even know who was Kobe ! He didn't even know Phil Jackson would be his coach.
He signed there because he knew Jerry West was a great GM capable of assembling a championship team.

If Lebron leaves Cleveland then I believe NY is the favorite to win the Lebron sweepstakes.

Shaq went to LA to play in a bigger market AND play with Kobe.

Chicago is a bigger market AND they have Rose.

Lebron is going to get paid regardless. He needs some championships to cement his legacy. Winning at this young age will cement him.

Shaq and Kobe
Shaq and Wade
Garnett and Pierce
Duncan and Parker

You need 2 stars to win consistently.

Lebron wants to win AND make money.

You have NO idea what you are talking about, at all. Shaq went to LA to play in LA and the big market. He did not go to LA to play with Kobe. Kobe was drafted just a month before Shaq signed there, and he didn't really play much at first. He came off the bench. Just stop. If anything Shaq signed there to play with Eddie Jones and Van Exel.

[GuyverADL]

I often said it but I will repeat it.

The Cavs are the favorite to retain James because they have the money (they can otbid other teams thanks to th Bird RIghts) and the salary cap flexibility sto sign James and another big time free agent like Bosh for example.

If, as Vaccaro says, Lebron wants a change of scenery and a bigger stage then I also believe he will pick NY. Of course, as long as we clear enough money under the salary cap to be in position to offer him a decent contract ($100M).

We have a competent and well respected GM who already proved he can assemble a championship team (even though the Pacers never won a ring), a proven head coach (Lebron played for him with Team USA where d'Antoni was an assistant coach), the best and most famous arena in the world (MSG) and the legend potential (we haven't won a champsionship since 1973 so if Lebron takes us to the promised land he will be the King of NY).

Even though our roster isn't that good, I don't think the pieces will matter that much for Lebron. I think he will look first for a competent GM, as he will still be a young player, he won't have problems waiting another 3 or 4 years before winning a ring.
He will do exactly what Shaq did in 1996 when he left Orlando for LA. Shaq left a team that went to the NBA Finals the previous season and went to the Lakers who were only a playoff team with no immediate shot at the Finals. Shaq waited 4 years to get there and when he signed in Orlando he didn't even know who was Kobe ! He didn't even know Phil Jackson would be his coach.
He signed there because he knew Jerry West was a great GM capable of assembling a championship team.

If Lebron leaves Cleveland then I believe NY is the favorite to win the Lebron sweepstakes.

Shaq went to LA to play in a bigger market AND play with Kobe.

Chicago is a bigger market AND they have Rose.

Lebron is going to get paid regardless. He needs some championships to cement his legacy. Winning at this young age will cement him.

Shaq and Kobe
Shaq and Wade
Garnett and Pierce
Duncan and Parker

You need 2 stars to win consistently.

Lebron wants to win AND make money.

You have NO idea what you are talking about, at all. Shaq went to LA to play in LA and the big market. He did not go to LA to play with Kobe. Kobe was drafted just a month before Shaq signed there, and he didn't really play much at first. He came off the bench. Just stop. If anything Shaq signed there to play with Eddie Jones and Van Exel.

You are right. My memory was fuzzy, I was 13. I dont remember Shaq on the Lakers until later.

[HighRyzer83]

We just need to keep our options open. Even if there's a 10% chance Lebron would sign with us we need to attempt to clear cap for that. Its not often you get a chance at someone like Lebron when he will only be 25. It would be much easier to build around Lebron.

Besides, if he doesnt sign with us there will be some other options and we will be in great rebuilding shape. Clearing cap space is what we should be doing anyway...

Exactly. That should be the plan but people want Kaman and shyt...

Don't we have to unload one of Zach, Curry or Crawford, and not sign Lee to make space? That is a lot of hypothetical.

We would have to move at least 2 of our 3 top contracts which are approx
Zach: $14,666,666
Curry: $9,723,983
Crawford: $8,640,000

Moving Zach is actually very doalbe at this point as his value increased significantly.
Moving either Curry or Crawford is also doable if we involve Lee but not both.

NBA salary cap is now situated at $55.6 million, it probably go up. If we succeed in moving 2/3 we should have more than enough space.

As it stands now, even if we do not make any moves from now to 2010 our cap would be
46.6 million, 10 mil under.

This is doable!!

[shugknight]

I think if you guys wanted Lebron, you would need to start fresh. Get rid of Crawford, Randolph, Robinson, etc.. All your headaches. and bring in good strong minded guys that understand the "team concept" You have a few good player already in Chandler and Lee.. but its only a start.

You guys must be crazy to think Lebron will sign to the highest bidder. Lebron is the most marketable person in the world, he doesn't need a 200 million dollar contract to satisfy him. He needs a team that knows how to play well with each other and how to win to satisfy him.

Do the Knicks have a good shot at signing him? Of course they do, but so does the 16-17 other teams that can offer him a max contact. It's all about whether or not he wants to sign with the Knicks.

And sorry Vaccaro doesn't know any insider reports about Lebron. Lebron probably has never talked to the guy. All he is doing is assuming things. It's easy to assume things when:

a. Lebron likes the Yankees
b. Knicks will have enough money to offer a big contract to Lebron
c. New York will be the most marketable place for Lebron.

Well duh.. any idiot will know that Lebron would be dumb enough NOT to sign with the Knicks.

[kosmovitelli]

I often said it but I will repeat it.

The Cavs are the favorite to retain James because they have the money (they can otbid other teams thanks to th Bird RIghts) and the salary cap flexibility sto sign James and another big time free agent like Bosh for example.

If, as Vaccaro says, Lebron wants a change of scenery and a bigger stage then I also believe he will pick NY. Of course, as long as we clear enough money under the salary cap to be in position to offer him a decent contract ($100M).

We have a competent and well respected GM who already proved he can assemble a championship team (even though the Pacers never won a ring), a proven head coach (Lebron played for him with Team USA where d'Antoni was an assistant coach), the best and most famous arena in the world (MSG) and the legend potential (we haven't won a champsionship since 1973 so if Lebron takes us to the promised land he will be the King of NY).

Even though our roster isn't that good, I don't think the pieces will matter that much for Lebron. I think he will look first for a competent GM, as he will still be a young player, he won't have problems waiting another 3 or 4 years before winning a ring.
He will do exactly what Shaq did in 1996 when he left Orlando for LA. Shaq left a team that went to the NBA Finals the previous season and went to the Lakers who were only a playoff team with no immediate shot at the Finals. Shaq waited 4 years to get there and when he signed in Orlando he didn't even know who was Kobe ! He didn't even know Phil Jackson would be his coach.
He signed there because he knew Jerry West was a great GM capable of assembling a championship team.

If Lebron leaves Cleveland then I believe NY is the favorite to win the Lebron sweepstakes.

Shaq went to LA to play in a bigger market AND play with Kobe.

Chicago is a bigger market AND they have Rose.

Lebron is going to get paid regardless. He needs some championships to cement his legacy. Winning at this young age will cement him.

Shaq and Kobe
Shaq and Wade
Garnett and Pierce
Duncan and Parker

You need 2 stars to win consistently.

Lebron wants to win AND make money.

You have NO idea what you are talking about, at all. Shaq went to LA to play in LA and the big market. He did not go to LA to play with Kobe. Kobe was drafted just a month before Shaq signed there, and he didn't really play much at first. He came off the bench. Just stop. If anything Shaq signed there to play with Eddie Jones and Van Exel.

Optimus is a funny dude indeed ! LOL
Shaq didn't leave the Magic to play with Kobe ! LOL

Shaq already had a superstar in Orlando : Penny Hardaway !
Penny was a starter in the All Star Game 1996 and he was in the NBA First Team at the end of the season, he was 3rd in MVP votes behind MJ and the Admiral. Penny was one of the best players in the league at the time.


Although he was a second rounder and Eddie Jones was considered the future of the franchise (the Lakers also had Vlade Divac before he was traded for the rights to Kobe), Nick Van Exel was the best player of that Lakers team at the time (he was incredible during the playoffs against Seattle in 1995).

The Lakers had a good young nucleus with Van Exel, Jones and Elden Campbell but the ultimate reason Shaq bolted Orlando was simply LA. He was fascinated by Los Angeles, the Lakers franchise, the movies, the celebs, etc. Shaq wanted a bigger stage.

I remember at the time, it was really a bold move. Before Shaq, in the modern NBA era, superstars used to remain with their original team during their prime and even retire there. Magic, Bird, Isiah and MJ won championships and spent all their career in LA, Boston, Detroit and Chicago.
I remember the medias were sceptic about the move, they thought Shaq was crazy and should have stayed in Orlando with Penny...

[seren]

I am all for getting under the cap. But I don't buy into these Lebron to NY stories. Lebron is not going to sign a NY team that is rebuilding. You have to have enough talent to be legit once Lebron comes in. Either you have to be enough under the cap to sign two max players, say Lebron and Wade or Lebron and Bosh or you need a great supporting cast before Lebron comes in.

And this assumes that Cavs don't win it all by 2010. If Lebron gets a ring there, or even gets close enough, he will stay there for a dynasty.

[DowJones]

LeBron wants to win. Mike D'Antoni is a nice coach but the guy's system will not win a title in the NBA. We all saw him fail in Phoenix with the perfect team. STAT at center, Joe Johnson, Marion, Diaw, Barbosa, Nash, etc. How is he going to do it with LeBron and a bunch of other average to below average players?

[the edge]

I was talking to a shoe salesman the other day, his name is'nt Vaccaro, but he is a shoe guy also.
He said Lebron was happy in Cleveland, and wanted to stay there and win many championships, just like Lebron has stated also. I guess that means Vaccaro is saying Lebron is a liar, and so is my shoe guy!??!

[KnicksScholar24]

Shaq went to LA to play in a bigger market AND play with Kobe.

Chicago is a bigger market AND they have Rose.

Lebron is going to get paid regardless. He needs some championships to cement his legacy. Winning at this young age will cement him.

Shaq and Kobe
Shaq and Wade
Garnett and Pierce
Duncan and Parker

You need 2 stars to win consistently.

Lebron wants to win AND make money.

This is a direct contradiction to your thread about LeBron wouldn't sign with NY in 2010 (so, I assume, there would be no reason for NY to try to get under the cap by then). So now you're in here trying to discredit this wiretap statement. Really you don't know what is true about LeBron or NY in 2010. Speculation is the only argument you could make.

[adjacent2bench]

Like someone else said, there's gonna be a lot of sad and salty faces in 2010 when Lebron remains in Cleveland.

If Lebron in 2010 expresses that he wants to play for the Knicks, then I'm all for it. Until then, let's just focus on what we have and build up this team, with next years draft pick as well. Yea, we don't have a 2010 pick, but we have our picks in 2011 and '12 and so forth. I know it's a long time, but with these picks, we'll be fine and back on top. I trust in Walsh.

[HighRyzer83]

Lebron is never going to say it that he wants to leave cleveland. He is not stupid. Even if he has full intentions of leaving. However it may slip in a moment of honesty with his closest people. So the people around him are actually more credible than what he says at this point.

[GuyverADL]

Shaq went to LA to play in a bigger market AND play with Kobe.

Chicago is a bigger market AND they have Rose.

Lebron is going to get paid regardless. He needs some championships to cement his legacy. Winning at this young age will cement him.

Shaq and Kobe
Shaq and Wade
Garnett and Pierce
Duncan and Parker

You need 2 stars to win consistently.

Lebron wants to win AND make money.

This is a direct contradiction to your thread about LeBron wouldn't sign with NY in 2010 (so, I assume, there would be no reason for NY to try to get under the cap by then). So now you're in here trying to discredit this wiretap statement. Really you don't know what is true about LeBron or NY in 2010. Speculation is the only argument you could make.

The article itself is speculation.

[nyknicks2k2]

Going to be alot of mad faces in 2010.

Our team isnt going to be that good in 2010 if we have the cap space to sign him.

I see Lebron forcing a sign and trade as to not screw his home team.

Lebron for Deng and filler?

Lebron to the Clippers?

I dont think Lebron is licking his chops to play with Chandler, Delicato, and Robinson.

If I'm Lebron I wouldn't mind playing with Rose. Imagine that duo. DAYUM

If Lebron leaves he wants a side kick and Rose seems to be a willing passer.

Before I begin, let me say that I really don't believe we can get Bron. I'm just in for the 2010 plan because it gives us options.

That said, come on man.

First off, you say you feel like Bron doesn't want to screw his team over and force a S&T. I just don't see it. I would see a S&T happening because he wants more money though. That doesn't take NY out of the equation.

As for the Clippers, are you serious? I'll list the reasons why going to the Clippers would be terrible:

1. Management sucks
2. Only one other good player
3. Being the Lakers (Please Use More Appropriate Word) cousin
4. Bad history

There is nothing that the Clippers can give Bron (now or in the future) that would give Bron enough confidence to sign.

Bron and Rose would be nice, yes. What happens when Bron gets 2 or 3 yrs into his deal and Rose is making a max contract? Will the Bulls go over the lux cap to sign talent or will he be in the same position he is now?

[JohnStarksTheDunk]

Well, this is obviously all speculation, but theoretically, the Knicks could have a good shot.

A lot depends on next season. Will Chanlder continue to develop? What will Gallo look like? Who will we end up with from this summer's draft? If we can get rid of Curry's contract, we could have enough to cap space to sign LeBron and have a supporting cast of:

Chandler
Gallo
Zach
('09 rookie)
Nate
Crawford
Duhon (maybe)
Jeffries

That's not terrible, but right now, doesn't look significantly better than CLE's team. But we would have a lot coming off the cap the following summer with Zach, Crawford, and Jeffries expiring, so could potentially add another free agent then. Or it would obviously be even better if we could get rid of those contracts before then too.

With that said, I still think he'll stay with CLE.

[the edge]

So the people around Lebron are more credible than Lebron? Now your calling him a liar!

Thats a hell of a way to get him to town.

It must SUCK, hoping and praying, that "my team might get a good player in 2010".

Cleveland has a better chance to land a quality player by 2010, than NY, NJ. Why? Cause some shoes salesmen said so!

[VirginiaKnickFan]

So the people around Lebron are more credible than Lebron? Now your calling him a liar!

Thats a hell of a way to get him to town.

It must SUCK, hoping and praying, that "my team might get a good player in 2010".

Cleveland has a better chance to land a quality player by 2010, than NY, NJ. Why? Cause some shoes salesmen said so!

Do you really expect LeBron to be saying anything in public other than he's happy and hopes to stay in Cleveland? Really, no player currently under contract is going to state otherwise.

[nyknicks2k2]

So the people around Lebron are more credible than Lebron? Now your calling him a liar!

Thats a hell of a way to get him to town.

It must SUCK, hoping and praying, that "my team might get a good player in 2010".

Cleveland has a better chance to land a quality player by 2010, than NY, NJ. Why? Cause some shoes salesmen said so!

If all your going to do is come in and try to bait posters, I suggest you go back to the Cavs board and not waste my time.

[bringinhinkie]

still unsure if im going to buy a white or blue lebron jersey in 2010.. was leaning towaards our home whites..

[bringinhinkie]

It must SUCK, hoping and praying, that "my team might get a good player in 2010".

not as sucky as tanking for your hometown star and then losing him to a big market

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhahahahah

funny i was born in akron, ohio too (same as lebron and your location)

go ny go ny go go ny go ny go

[GuyverADL]

Lebron knows he single handley has taken the Cavs to the conference finals in the leastern conference.

I dont even think he is going to opt out. If he opts out and resigns he would eat up even more of the Cavs 2010 cap space. He could just sign an extension that takes effect in 2011 and have his buddy Bosh join him to replace Ilguaskus.

Varejao
Bosh
Lebron
Williams
West

Hmmmmm