Great article on LeBron joining the Nets because of Jay-Z

BK Nets · Post #1 » by **BK Nets** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:50 pm

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=a ... &type=lgns

Interesting view the author has.. Jay-Z started an Ad company.. LeBron has a goal of being the first billionaire athlete.. Brooklyn would be NY media/market place.. it's a perfect fit..

Aslong as Rod steers our ship the right way, we should be able to sign LeBron to the max when he is available.

I'm excited about the future of Nets basketball for the first time in a while.

BK Nets · Post #2 » by **BK Nets** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:52 pm

Oh yea.. best part is, the Knicks should still suck then too HAHAHA

Adam1221 · Post #3 » by **Adam1221** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 7:00 pm

Hmmm very good read......

Anywy on topic there's some AMAZING potential here:
We need the following things to get done:
1)Thorn has to direct the ship right like we all know he can- as far as contracts go, he has to keep our young guys who will be AMAZING come 2010, try to keep RJ who will be 29 by than and make the right call as far as Vince goes
2)Jay-z is gonna have to do his thang to get LBJ here- we all know he can he just needs to get to it
3)The move to NY has to happen- this will almost gaurantee LBJ, he has a thing in his contract that gives him a VERY NICE bonus(trust me its a FN lot) if he plays for a main market team (NY or LA), so unless the Knicks somehow with some black magic get rid of all their bad contracts and all of a sudden become good we're the front runners.

Also Im gonna go on a limb and say that if they can get Lebron in 2010 we

Crizlassic · Post #4 » by **Crizlassic** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:14 pm

I don't see why he would come here. His team is good now. Unless he has no shot of winning a championship in Cleveland, who's to say the Brooklyn Nets are his first option. Jay-Z doesn't have that much pull.

aussienet · Post #5 » by **aussienet** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:21 pm

Hey guy's just crunched some numbers and the Knicks will be some 7-10 million below the Nets in salaries by 2010/11. They will be a major player in the Lebron sweepstakes mk2 and all there basket case players will be long gone. Not saying he will sign with the Knicks. But as quoted he wants to be the first billionaire athlete (hasn't he heard of some guy called Tiger?) There is an old saying in australia perhaps the world. 'Money talks and BS walks" If the Knicks can offer him 5 million more per year in the same market as us Jay Z or no Jay Z I don't think we would stand a snow flakes chance in hell of getting him.
I do hope and pray that I'm wrong. But I'm just tryin to be realistic.

CHEERS!!!!

GO NETS!!!!!

KB24VC15 · Post #6 » by **KB24VC15** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:14 pm

wouldnt it be tampering if jay-z as an owner has direct contact with lebron?? i mean i remember some ppl around the nba were told to stop talking to jason kidd because they were all putting these ideas in his head of a trade.

anyways what if LeBron does not come, then what??

Sharcm1 · Post #7 » by **Sharcm1** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:35 pm

That idea is very good to think about. what team that would be if Rod did it right and all our young guys lived up to their potential. We all know that Rod can draft players and pull off good trades.

He would have to get rid of VC. as of right now with vince we would be under the cap about 14 mill in that season, but that doesn't include harris's extended contract numbers and if only has a few other players off the very end of their rookie deals.

We have to resign krstic, hopefully resign marcus and boone. sean will be at the very end of his rookie deal.

But if all goes well we could have a great line-up and fill in with role players and draft picks up till then.

harris/ marcus, James/ ager, RJ, sean, boone/krstic

any rookie picked up until then will be making little. vince has to go for expiring contracts for that season.

Lets us pray

KB24VC15 · Post #8 » by **KB24VC15** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:41 pm

if u get rid of vince, do some of us a favor, send him to a contender that needs a legit 2 guard, plz dont ruin him by sending him off to the knicks or the freakin pacers

Sharcm1 · Post #9 » by **Sharcm1** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:43 pm

Sorry, I like vince also but who ever gives us the players and contracts we need to get James then we send him anywhere

KB24VC15 · Post #10 » by **KB24VC15** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:47 pm

Da big3 · Post #11 » by **Da big3** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:29 am

proof

MrDollarBills · Post #12 » by **MrDollarBills** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:37 am

Tampering 101, in session.

DowJones · Post #13 » by **DowJones** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:40 am

Guys, there is no clause in LeBron's contract that ups his salary if he plays in NY or LA. That clause is against NBA rules. Come on, do you think the league wants Nike and Gatorade to make side deals like this? If that is the case then what is keeping Bill Gates from giving LeBron James $50 million to go to his favorite team? Or what is keeping Mark Cuban an extra $100 million to sign with Dallas? If Nike is allowed to give LeBron more money to go to NY then why can't Dan Gilbert give him millions upon millions in extra money to stay in Cleveland? Think about that.

You guys also need to have a good team. I am sorry but a busted up Richard Jefferson and Devin Harris is not going to entice LeBron. Neither is Josh Boone or Nenad Kristic. Not only do you guys need to clear out all of that cap-space, but you have to do that while fielding a team that would make LeBron be part of. Do you think that LeBron and Richard Jefferson is enough to win a title????

BTW, LeBron going to NY will not make him much richer. Remember that Cleveland can offer more money than any team in the NBA due to the CBA. Over the course of 5-6 years, Cleveland can offer about 12-25 million more than any other team. So LeBron would have to make around $25 million EXTRA just to break even.

Netaman · Post #14 » by **Netaman** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:59 am

DowJones wrote:You guys also need to have a good team. I am sorry but a busted up Richard Jefferson and Devin Harris is not going to entice LeBron. Neither is Josh Boone or Nenad Kristic. Not only do you guys need to clear out all of that cap-space, but you have to do that while fielding a team that would make LeBron be part of. Do you think that LeBron and Richard Jefferson is enough to win a title????

In 2 years it is likely that Devin Harris, Boone, and Sean Williams are the only players still on the team. In 2 years a lot can change and more then likely this team will be in a good position to go after marquee free agents as long as Rod Thorn is still the GM. Projecting any player who isn't a free agent for 2 more years is stupid and it is really pretty useless to discuss at this point.

DowJones wrote:BTW, LeBron going to NY will not make him much richer. Remember that Cleveland can offer more money than any team in the NBA due to the CBA. Over the course of 5-6 years, Cleveland can offer about 12-25 million more than any other team. So LeBron would have to make around $25 million EXTRA just to break even.

Lebron headlining a team moving into Brooklyn would most certainly take him into a different stratosphere in terms of endorsements and money. If Derek Jeter played for the Indians do you think he would have made 1/10th the money he has made in his career? Do you think that David Beckham went to LA for no reason? There is absolutely no doubt that headlining in the biggest and richest market in the world has economic advantages. 10-20 million is absolutely nothing to an athlete who has publicly stated he wants to become the first NBA billionaire.

Lebron's jersey would go from a top seller to the best selling jersey of all time, in any sport. Brooklyn is the most densely populated borough in NY and he would be playing in a brand new and packed arena every single game. In addition he would be the star of NY off the court parading around with Jay-Z at night clubs and Yankee games. LeBron would potentially be the biggest star of NY of all time and that alone could have a value exceeding 500 million dollars.

All of that said, he isn't a free agent for 2 years and roughly 500 billion things could happen that will influence his decision, including the Brooklyn arena deal falling through. At this moment, the Nets are poised to have 3 things that no other team can match (jay-z, economic benefit off the court, cap space) so you might as well let the fans dream while they can.

DowJones · Post #15 » by **DowJones** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 7:12 am

I agree with you about Jeter but Jeter is not LeBron James. NY helped and even made a guy like Jeter, but how much extra money has A-Rod made after he moved from Seattle to NY? I think ARod is a better example. Do you think ARod's deals have gone through the roof since entering NY? I am sure he made a little more money, but nothing astonishing.

I guess what I am saying is that I don't see how a move to NY would put LeBron James to billionaire status. I can see him making 5-10 million dollars more per year, but not 50-100 million extra. Being the star of NY and partying with JayZ is nice but it won't get you that much more money. You are insane if you think LeBron would earn 1/2 billion EXTRA just by playing in New York.

But can you explain to me where this money would come from? If you could explain that then I would love to hear it. What companies will offer him so much more money? What deals could he make? You are talking $500 million EXTRA here so you have to have some idea.

Kobe Bryant is equal to LeBron in terms of basketball talent and plays in a far larger market...yet LeBron, playing in Cleveland, crushes him in terms of money away from basketball.

This isn't even taking into consideration the fact that New Jersey has to have a damn good team for LeBron to join. I am sorry but Boone and Devin Harris is not going to be enough.

Netaman · Post #16 » by **Netaman** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 4:08 pm

DowJones wrote:I agree with you about Jeter but Jeter is not LeBron James. NY helped and even made a guy like Jeter, but how much extra money has A-Rod made after he moved from Seattle to NY? I think ARod is a better example. Do you think ARod's deals have gone through the roof since entering NY? I am sure he made a little more money, but nothing astonishing.

I guess what I am saying is that I don't see how a move to NY would put LeBron James to billionaire status. I can see him making 5-10 million dollars more per year, but not 50-100 million extra. Being the star of NY and partying with JayZ is nice but it won't get you that much more money. You are insane if you think LeBron would earn 1/2 billion EXTRA just by playing in New York.

But can you explain to me where this money would come from? If you could explain that then I would love to hear it. What companies will offer him so much more money? What deals could he make? You are talking $500 million EXTRA here so you have to have some idea.

Kobe Bryant is equal to LeBron in terms of basketball talent and plays in a far larger market...yet LeBron, playing in Cleveland, crushes him in terms of money away from basketball.

This isn't even taking into consideration the fact that New Jersey has to have a damn good team for LeBron to join. I am sorry but Boone and Devin Harris is not going to be enough.

I agree with you that the pieces are not yet in place. That is why this argument is kind of silly because its 2 years away and so much can happen. I'll stick to the economics of the situation because that probably won't change.

A-Rod is a decent comparison, the only problem is that he was almost universally hated/blamed for 2 years by the Yankee fans. While the Yankees are most economically flourishing franchise in all of baseball, when their fan base is ridiculously fickle and they got used to winning the championship every year. No player can live up to those standards. (Arod won an MVP and he was still boo'ed).

Kobe would be a good comparison if he didn't have the legal/teammate problems hanging over his head. He has gotten a lot of negative press over his career for a top shelf player.

Now as for how Lebron would make more money in NY. From June 2006-2007 Forbes measured Lebron's off the court income at 27 Mil. He is almost 10 million behind both Shaq and Kobe. They both play in big citys, but neither is as good as NY. I believe both of those players marketability has peaked while Lebron is still growing. The point to be made there is that even the most conservative estimate would be 10 million/year difference in NY. I think it would be even more because Lebron is (will be) more marketable then Kobe and Shaq are now.

The key question is, what is Lebron's goal? From everything I have read I think he wants to get to the Michael Jordan/Tiger Woods level (#1 among athletes at 100 Mil/year). That will never be possible in Cleveland and it might not be possible anywhere. I don't think it will stop him from trying because his buddy Jay-Z makes 83 Mil/year from endorsements so there has to be some thought that the it is possible (and maybe Jay-Z will help him).

So overall how does he go from extremely marketable to "the Tiger Woods/MJ level"? I don't know because I am not an expert. I do know that it stands to reason that the more channels and exposure (clothing, sneakers, TV, billboards) Lebron can find, the more money he will make. There is no place that can match the opportunities NY would offer in that regard. I do know if there is anyone in the league that has the pure talent, personality, and motivation necessary to get to the marketing level of MJ, it is him.

DowJones · Post #17 » by **DowJones** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:26 pm

Good post but you are wrong on a few things.

1. LeBron James makes much more money than either Shaq or Kobe in terms of endorsements. LeBron is $10 million/year above the next highest NBA player, Kobe Bryant. This is according to a recent issue of Fortune magazine. I can link the story if you want.

2. LeBron is currently the 3rd highest paid athlete in the United States in terms of endorsements, behind only Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. So in team sports, LeBron easily checks in at number 1. Cleveland doesn't seem to be holding him back at all in that regard.

3. LeBron himself has said the #1 thing that will drive up his revenue is winning. Period. He has said over and over again (again, check that Fortune isse) that he has turned down endorsement deals because he doesn't believe in the product and he doesn't want to over-expose his name and face. Those 2 reasons make it seem like NY may not be the right move. Just getting his name on posters and billboards alone won't do much for him. It may hurt if his name and face is over-exposed.

Not only that but a move to NY could hurt his appeal if it is seen that the only reason he "turned his back" (what the media will call it) on his hometown team is to make more money. That issue (money vs loyalty) drives right to the heart of the American sports fan. So while James will gain many fans by leaving CLeveland for NY, he will also lose many fans because he will be shown to be a greedy and selfish player. He would be heading very close to the Kobe Bryant path. Not only that but his rep as a basketball player would take a hit because people will know that he could never lead his team to a title in Cleveland.

Plus there is the winning factor. LeBron knows that his value as a business asset is attached to his team's success. It is going to be very, very hard for Jersey to build a team that will..

A. Have the cap-room to sign LeBron to a max deal
B. Have a team talented enough for LeBron to step in and win

Look at the teams who always have cap space. Those teams are always sorry. This year you have Philly (and that is assuming they don't re-sign Andre Ig), Memphis, etc.

Netaman · Post #18 » by **Netaman** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:45 pm

Responses

1- I was using the Forbes top 100 for 06-07 (didn't realize there was a more recent article) so there I will take your word for it that LBJ has surpassed Shaq and Kobe.

2- Agreed, list I had was the same with the only difference being Kobe and Shaq ahead of Lebron.

3- Even turning down endorsment deals he will get more money in NY. The added exposure of being in NY will drive up the price of endorsements he does take. There is the possibility of him receiving more offers from products he believes in being that NY is the largest and most prominent market in the world for almost everything.

With regards to winning I agree with you completely that anywhere he goes winning will have to be the #1 priority. I just think that is an impossible factor to argue being that we are 2 years away. The Celtics changed enough for KG in a matter of months (Ray Allen trade). With a good GM, draft picks (including 2 in 2010), and flexibility a lot can change in 2 years so it is impossible to argue the case either way (unless we are talking about the Knicks - lol).

With regards to the cap space issue, I can think of 3 situations in the past where playoff level teams made max offers to Free agents. The Spurs with Kidd, Suns with Nash, and the Lakers with Shaq, so it is not completely unheard of. The key is having cheap young talent (usually drafted) on the team already. Harris is the only player currently on the Nets who would qualify but Sean Williams and Kristic have potential.

I think your point about the changing teams thing is a good one. That could hurt his appeal. Its hard to tell though because Shaq lost nothing when he left Orlando and there is always the fact that Lebron could play the Jay Z angle. He left Cleveland to join his friend and bring basketball to Brooklyn or something. I may be off base but I see his relationship/trust in Jay Z as the one unknown factor in this whole situation that could swing it one way or another. I mean the Lakers knew they had Shaq on the way so that made their strategizing for him a lot easier.

In the end who knows what will happen. At this point everything is conjecture and as I said, in 2 years anyone of the 5 million factors influencing Lebron can change. Right now though, with Jay Z, a new arena in Brooklyn, the NY market, and the fact that Nets are rebuilding (and likely looking into the future possibilities) there prospects of possibly wooing Lebron James are better then most teams.

DowJones · Post #19 » by **DowJones** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 6:19 pm

LeBron can't have the price of his current endorsements increase. The NBA will now allow that. If they did, the shoe companies would rule the league and dictate where everyone goes.

As for your other arguments, I don't think Shaq is a good example because there was not a salary cap like the one in place today. I don't really know what the Spurs were able to do with Kidd but they also had a guy like Tim Duncan. Clearly NJ doesn't have that. Phoenix also didn't make the playoffs the year before they got Nash. Remember that they dumped all of their high-priced players (like Marbury and Penny) on NY so that they would be way under the cap. They also had a young (and cheap) big man in Amare, who was still playing on his rookie contract. Again, I don't think the Nets have anything like that.

I don't think the Jay-Z angle will play. Jay-Z is a thug who brags about the fact that he sold drugs and attempted to kill people in the past. He is not someone I would want to be anywhere near. The street angle is nice but it isn't going to get you to Jordan or Tiger status.

I think there is probably a 5-10% chance that the Nets can get LeBron. Jay-Z is really the only thing they have and he is just a minority owner. Brooklyn is NOT and NEVER WILL BE the market that New York is. The best the Nets can hope for is to be the basketball version of the NY Mets.

Netaman · Post #20 » by **Netaman** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:18 pm

DowJones wrote:LeBron can't have the price of his current endorsements increase. The NBA will now allow that. If they did, the shoe companies would rule the league and dictate where everyone goes.

Current contracts won't change, deals he signs in the future will go up. His value as a "human billboard" will go up with increased exposure.

DowJones wrote:As for your other arguments, I don't think Shaq is a good example because there was not a salary cap like the one in place today. I don't really know what the Spurs were able to do with Kidd but they also had a guy like Tim Duncan. Clearly NJ doesn't have that. Phoenix also didn't make the playoffs the year before they got Nash. Remember that they dumped all of their high-priced players (like Marbury and Penny) on NY so that they would be way under the cap. They also had a young (and cheap) big man in Amare, who was still playing on his rookie contract. Again, I don't think the Nets have anything like that.

The point is that the Spurs were under the cap and able to offer a max contract with a good team. Phoenix had Marion signed to a large deal and still had enough money to offer Nash a max deal. If the Nets add 1 good big man over the next 2 years (either draft, trade for VC/RJ, FA, or even if Sean Williams/Kristic develop) they can still be under the cap, and competitive enough to be viable as a destination for a top player. At the moment of all teams that are close to getting under the cap I think the Nets might have the best infrastructure setup to remain competitive on the court (Harris, Williams, RJ, VC, Boone, Kristic, Marcus Williams).

DowJones wrote:I don't think the Jay-Z angle will play. Jay-Z is a thug who brags about the fact that he sold drugs and attempted to kill people in the past. He is not someone I would want to be anywhere near. The street angle is nice but it isn't going to get you to Jordan or Tiger status.

Do you even know who Jay Z is? Rapper does not = drug dealer. That might be the most ignorant statement I have read in the last 2 years. Jay-Z is a pioneer in the music industry and has achieved more then your ignorant ass will ever dream of.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay-Z

DowJones wrote:I think there is probably a 5-10% chance that the Nets can get LeBron. Jay-Z is really the only thing they have and he is just a minority owner. Brooklyn is NOT and NEVER WILL BE the market that New York is. The best the Nets can hope for is to be the basketball version of the NY Mets.

The basketball version of the New York Mets would mean being one of the top 5 most profitable franchises in the NBA. I think every team in the NBA would take that. Putting odds on any free agent 2 years away is stupid but I do think it is legitimate to not that an owner of our team (and Brooklyn native) and Lebron James are basically best friends and consider each other family.

http://www.mtv.com/bands/j/jay_z/news_feature_030716/

And just so you know here is a quick lesson on NYC. It has 5 boroughs and Brooklyn is the most populous. The Yankees are in the Bronx, Mets in Queens, the Knicks in Manhattan. Does anyone comparing those franchises say they are in different markets? Why would Brooklyn be any different?

I am done with this argument because it has gone from a logical discussion on the merits of an article to ignorant statement after statement with a clear bias against rational thought. Good luck with the rest of your day and remember to lookout for anyone listening to rap because they could be a drug dealing thug looking to kill you, brag about it, and acquire minority ownership in an NBA franchise.